“There. Condom tied off and dealt with,” Ed announced as both arms enveloped Max once again.
The most contented sigh slipped out of Max and he snuggled his face farther into Ed’s neck. “This comfortable for you?” Max asked, the words so muffled against Ed’s skin it was a wonder he could be understood at all.
“Very comfortable.”
“We should probably get cleaned up.” It was the truth, but Max didn’t mean it. He didn’t want to get up. Who cared if they were stuck together forever like this? He’d only said it because he thought it was the responsible thing to say.
“Do you mind if we stay like this for another minute?” Ed sounded almost hesitant with his question.
Max hummed. “Not at all.”
The arms around Max tightened. They were both hot and sweaty, but the air conditioning was helping to chill their damp skin, allowing Max to snuggle closer. “Are you a cuddler?”
“Not until I met you,” Max admitted because it was the fucking truth.
But Ed left him wanting a lot of things he’d never wanted before.
Izzie’s question about being worried about fitting into Ed’s life chose that moment to dance through his head. How could they fit together? Their lives were too different. Maybe it really was a matter of enjoying what they had while they could and letting go when it was all over.
Yeah, that was bullshit.
He needed a Plan B.
17
EDISON WALKER
Ed stopped at the bottom of the stairs and wondered for a moment if he could safely sneak back up to the second floor without anyone noticing. This looked like a scene he didn’t want to be part of.
“Chocolate. I need chocolate.” Will gripped the front of Charlie’s shirt with both hands and leaned in close, repeating his plea. “Normal, boring chocolate. Preferably Swiss or Belgian chocolate. Dark chocolate. Nothing weird in it.”
West snickered from across the room. “What’s wrong, Doc? PMS-ing? Or is this a pregnancy craving?”
Will whipped his hand out and pointed at West. “Watch it, Sniper Boy. Two tiny swipes with my scalpel while you’re sleeping, and your trigger fingers will be useless. You’ll have to learn to shoot with your toes.”
West went silent, tucking his hands in his armpits as if to protect himself from Will. No one fucked with the surgeon.
“Baby,” Charlie cooed. He laid a hand on Will’s cheek and turned his head from his current target to gaze at him. “It’s okay. Just relax.”
“Charlie, I’ve been craving chocolate for a week now, and I’m starting to go insane.”
“Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
Will lowered his head and relaxed his hold on Charlie’s shirt to flick one of the small white buttons. “I don’t want to be a bother. Your focus needs to be on your job.” His words were low and mumbled so that Ed could just barely make them out.
Charlie instantly pulled his lover into a tight hold and Ed wanted to laugh. Will was an insanely independent person. The fact that he would even ask Charlie for this little thing was huge for him.
“Don’t worry. I’ll run now. You just relax.” Charlie pressed a kiss to Will’s forehead and released him.
His boss turned and his eyes immediately fell on Ed, causing a wide grin to spread across his lips. “You,” he said, pointing at Ed. “You’re with me.”
“What? Why me? If anything, West deserves to go on this run,” Ed argued.
“Yeah, but you’re the one who knows how to find anything when it comes to food. Will wants European dark chocolate. You need to help me find it.”
Ed really wanted to point out that this was his first trip to Luxor and he was still getting acquainted with the city. He had no clue where to locate that. He wasn’t even sure what kind of chocolate most Egyptians ate, or even if they ate it at all.
“Go to the Saint George!” Max shouted from the kitchen.
Ed hurried down the hall and stopped over the threshold of the kitchen to see Max and Soren washing the dishes they’d used for their dinner. Max smiled at him over his shoulder.
“Go to the Saint George hotel on the Nile, here on the East Bank. It’s about two-ish miles south of Karnac. It’s a glitzy hotel that caters to high-end tourists. There’s a large gift shop inside that will likely have what you’re looking for.” Max paused, his brow furrowing in thought before he smiled again. “If they don’t have it, check the Winter Palace hotel. I’m not sure where it’s located exactly, but I don’t think it’s far from the Saint George.”
Ed charged across the kitchen and grabbed Max’s lips in a quick but deep kiss. The man was brilliant and had likely saved him a lot of searching. “Do you want anything while I’m out?”
Max shrugged against him. “Well, I mean, if you’re getting chocolate for Will, I wouldn’t mind some. Oh! Or chips! I haven’t had salty kettle chips in months.”