It was the match dropped in a barrel of gunpowder.
Kairo exploded on the next thrust without warning. The force of the orgasm knocked the breath out of his lungs and made him light-headed, but he didn’t stop moving. He fucked Isidore through their orgasms, filling the condom.
With the last bit of strength, he collapsed on top of Isidore and rolled them onto their sides with their bodies still intimately connected. He wrapped his arms around his sweaty, panting lover.
“You’ve…you’ve…ruined me,” Isidore moaned, still trying to catch his breath.
Kairo lifted his head and tried to look at his lover’s ass, where he was still snuggly resting for at least another few seconds. “Don’t underestimate your hole. It’ll bounce back.”
The bed shook and Isidore wheezed with near-silent laughter. “No, you idiot!” he said and then snorted, which only got them both laughing. Kairo hugged him tighter. He’d never been with someone where they laughed after sex. It was usually catch your breath, shower, and maybe a cigarette. But right now, all he wanted to do was cuddle Isidore and giggle with him.
“No. What I meant was that I’ve never come so hard in my life. You’ve ruined me for other people,” Isidore continued when he could finally speak.
“Oh, that. Yep. You’re right. You can’t ever have sex with other people. You’ll never be happy. You might as well just stick with me forever,” Kairo agreed with what felt like the most dopey grin ever.
“Forever, huh?” Isidore turned his head just enough to press a kiss to Kairo’s arm. “Okay.”
Kairo closed his eyes and held tight to Isidore. Forever was sounding pretty good to him, too.
16
ISIDORE PANOPOULOS
“That wasn’t eventhe worst of it,” Ed practically shouted over the laughter filling the dining room. “Not only was Soren stuck climbing the side of the building with a giant tear up the back of his pants, but he’d decided to go commando that day!”
“Fuck, you’re the worst!” Soren swore, throwing his napkin across the table at his snickering friend.
Isidore gasped for air and wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes. This had become a normal thing for the group—gathering each night for a big dinner and then lingering after all the food was eaten to laugh and tell stories. Not all of them had been happy, but they seemed to finish each night on a positive note.
It had been eight days since they’d escaped Vanko in Meteora and arrived in Itea. Four days since the frustration of Delphi. They were eight of the best days of his life, and not just because he had Kairo at his side. These men had welcomed him and his sister into their lives. They told stories of their crazy adventures, taught them how to better protect against potential attackers, and finally made them feel as if they were part of something bigger. They might have been born into a big family, but they’d always felt alone.
The only problem was that timing was not on their side. He could put his old life on hold for a while but not indefinitely. Very soon someone was going to notice that he was truly missing.
In addition, Athena had to fly to the States within the next couple of weeks if she was going to start school on time. He couldn’t ask her to put her life on hold. But he hated the idea of sending her halfway around the world without this possible threat being tied up. She would have no choice but to increase the security constantly with her, and that was no way to live. She was too young to spend this time of her life constantly looking over her shoulder.
“Well, I think I’ve had all the mocking I can swallow for one night,” Soren announced. He placed both of his hands flat on the table and began to push to his feet.
Isidore lurched forward, extending his hand in Soren’s direction. “Actually, do you mind staying for a bit longer? There’s…well, there’s this idea I have about our current situation. I would like everyone’s feedback on it.”
Eyes darted around the table in silent question as Soren returned to his seat. Charlie leaned forward, resting on his forearms while a small smile spread across his lips.
“What’s on your mind, Boss?”
Isidore glanced at his sister to his right, who was staring at him with a curious expression, and then at Kairo on his left, who winked. He’d discussed the idea with him earlier in the day, but in the end, they could only decide that the rest of the team needed to hear his thoughts.
“As you know, I’ve been missing from my life for nearly three weeks. While it’s not unusual for me to go on long vacations during the summer—especially when it was made clear to all of my managers and CEOs that I would be traveling with my sister—we are reaching the outer edge of what’s considered normal for my behavior,” Isidore explained.
“But we could just get you a new phone and allow you to contact a handful of people so they know you’re safe,” Charlie suggested.
Isidore nodded easily. “True. I could arguably avoid seeing anyone and stay right here with you for at least another month. However, Athena needs to leave for the United States by the eighteenth if she’s to be settled properly before the start of school. As it stands right now, she can go with heavy security, but I would rather not disrupt her life or the lives of the people around her because of one or more selfish bastards.”
“I get the feeling you’ve got an idea for identifying the evil prick we’re searching for,” West drawled.
“A house party,” Isidore stated with a broad smile. There was a heartbeat of silence followed quickly by a lot of everyone trying to talk at the same time. Most of them seemed to think he’d gone insane, including his own sister.
“Oh my God, you’ve been watching those old Agatha Christie mysteries again, haven’t you?” she accused.
“I haven’t, but that sounds like a good idea. I wonder if Kairo likes watching those,” he replied with a wide grin.