“I’m right here. Not going anywhere.”
“For how long?” Isidore instantly winced as those words fell out of his mouth before he could catch them. He was too sore and too tired to censor his thoughts and emotions. The numbness was starting to wear off, and he was left with a rawness that went down to his soul.
“What do you mean?” From the corner of his eye, he could make out how Kairo had changed positions so that he was leaning up on one elbow, allowing him to see Isidore’s face.
“I screwed up and was kidnappedagain. How could you want me with you if I’m always in danger of being kidnapped? And I’m not useful like the other people on the team. You can’t possibly want to babysit me.” Isidore squeezed his eyes shut as pain tightened around his heart. “So, eventually, you’ll leave to go on a job.”
“Isidore, baby, come here,” Kairo murmured. Kairo urged him to roll over onto his other side, while Kairo sank lower so that Isidore could use him as a pillow. Once he was settled, his lover kissed his forehead and then each of his closed eyes. “Yes, you were kidnapped again, but did you forget that I was also kidnapped? It happens. We train for it. The mistakes we made tonight were Charlie letting you out of his sight and not putting enough security on the fuse box. Other than that, you planned this party scheme to capture our culprits within an inch of its life, and it went off perfectly.Youplanned this. Not Charlie or me or West. You. Our team could definitely use someone like you with those skills.”
Isidore tilted his head up, eyes widening before the pain of his headache lanced through his brain. He winced and lowered his head. “You’re serious?”
“Very serious. Yes, you could use more training, but we’re all learning and studying new techniques and gadgets to get better at what we do. As for that babysitting comment, I never want to hear that out of your mouth again. I have never babysat you. Protecting you is my privilege. I feel honored that you trust me to keep you and your sister safe.”
Isidore smiled, nuzzling Kairo’s bare chest, loving the feel of the soft hair scratching his cheek.
“Besides, didn’t you hear what you were saying earlier tonight?” Kairo asked, his voice dipping closer to a rough whisper.
“What do you mean?”
“You made it clear that you knew. I love you. Isidore Aegis Panopoulos, you are my everything. I love everything about you. I don’t give a shit about your money or your family name. You are my world, and I will always come for you. I will always protect you.”
Isidore pushed upright, his grin stretching across his face as he bumped the tip of his nose against Kairo’s. “I did know it. I mean, do. I do know it. I know you love me. I can see it every time you smile at me. I was afraid it was just wishful thinking, but I could feel it all around my heart. You love me.”
“Yes, I do.” Kairo tipped his head just enough to press his lips to Isidore’s.
For a moment, Isidore was lost in the perfect kiss. There was only Kairo with his strength and humor and his unending warmth. He was the home he’d not been able to find for so many years.
When the kiss ended, Kairo lifted a brow, giving him a very expectant look.
“What?” Isidore asked. “Are you saying you don’t know?”
“I’m a smart guy, Isidore, but I’m also the kind of guy who really likes to hear the words too. Have a heart.”
“What? You need to hear that I love you with all that I am. That no one in my life has ever made me feel so cherished and special. That I want to spend the rest of my life traveling and doing amazing things with you,” Isidore replied, joy infusing his every word. His headache and other pains were forgotten for now. There was only Kairo holding him so tight as they lay together in bed.
“You like me more than that Jason who wassohappy to see you?”
“Love. Iloveyou,” he corrected. “Oh, God! Jason! I forgot about him. Is he okay?”
“He’s fine. Everything is fine. Will checked him out. He’s fine. I think one of the team was seeing him home with a story that it was all a nasty prank gone wrong. He’s fine. You need to worry more about yourself and my very fragile ego right now. He looked hot and rich—”
Isidore laughed and stopped Kairo’s words with a kiss. “I don’t need his money. I’ve got too much now. Plus, he’s nowhere near as hot as my sexy boyfriend who I love with all of my heart and soul.”
Kairo hummed against his lips. “Okay. That’s better. Feeling much less fragile and weak now.”
With a soft giggle, Isidore rested his head on Kairo’s chest again. “What’s next? Do you have a job lined up? Where are we going?”
“Slow those buns, my cinnamon roll,” Kairo teased. Isidore would have rolled his eyes but he was afraid it would bring back his headache with a vengeance. “First, we’re going to Athens, where you can get a proper MRI to check your head. After that, I imagine we’re getting Athena sent off to school. The original plan at the end of July was for us to all go our separate ways. Charlie and Will wanted some vacation time alone. Ed needed some more recovery time. And West was getting up to trouble with Alexei and Soren. We’ll probably do that for a bit. I figure I could tag along for a while as you catch up with work, and we could maybe check out these vineyards and farms you keep telling me about. Slow and relaxing for a while. Just the two of us.”
“And then we can do mercenary things?”
Kairo laughed, and it was still the best sound in the world. “Yes, we can do some mercenary things after that.”
Isidore turned his head to press his lips to Kairo’s pounding heart. “I’m happy with whatever we do so long as I’m with you. I love you, Kairo.”
“I love you, Isidore. My sweet, reckless cinnamon roll.”
EPILOGUE