“Oh, um, Hex told me you were an army officer before you two started working for the CIA in America,” Mong volunteers when I keep frowning at Hex. He even salutes me. “That’s so amazing. You two must be super smart to get scouted by a foreign authority.”
We work and live in America now? Couldn’t he have said we’re collaborating with the National Intelligence Agency or something? Whatever, it doesn’t matter. The important thing is that I quickly shut down this line of conversation before our backstory gets too incredulous.
“Yes, we are very capable agents. But all of us also need rest, as we have a long day ahead of us.”
Another salute and Mong positions himself horizontally on the couch. I take that as my cue to herd Hex into the bedroom. Surprisingly, he complies without protesting, padding across the granite floor until he disappears inside our room.
I wish Mong a good night and sling by the bathroom for a quick shower. Then I join Hex in the bedroom.
I tried not to think about what took place last time we were together and alone. Thanks to the late nights they’ve been pulling while attempting to hack into the secondary network, Hex has been passing out on the couch in the lounge, next to Mong, so the memories have been easy to block out. But tonight, that won’t be possible because he’s here with me.
I can feel his presence the moment I enter the bedroom and close the door. He’s left one of the strip lights on the dimmed setting, giving the room a relaxing ambience. The couch that I have been sleeping on hasn’t been touched this time, but my pillow has been moved from it to the empty side of the bed. On the other one, Hex has propped himself against the headboard with a tablet in hand.
He’s so focused on whatever he’s doing that he only notices me when I approach the bed so I can take my pillow.
“What are you doing?” he asks, blinking those eyes at me in confusion.
I tip my chin at the couch. “Going to sleep.”
He puts the tablet on the nightstand and pats the empty side of the bed. “Go on then.”
“I meant overthere.”
Now he angles his head to one side and glowers at the couch as if it’s the police crashing his birthday party. It happened when he turned eighteen because he insisted he wanted to organize his own celebration. He’d insisted he was a mature adult now who didn’t need babysitting, so I’d caved. Suffice to say, inviting an entire club full of strangers and blasting music from your apartment at twelve a.m. didn’t go all that well. Not to mention the headache I got trying to explain that the copious amount of light drugs didn’t belong to Hex, but to some idiot kid who’d decided to make some money at the party.
“But I want to cuddle,” he says sweetly, smothering my heart with giddy warmth. “Please?”
Someone have mercy on me. How do I say no to that when it makes me feel like I’m a bubble about to burst?
I take a deep breath and remind myself that once we leave this ship I will be in control of myself again. I will be strong and I won’t be swayed by his lovely smiles and puppy eyes and full lips. I will forget his scent and his taste and we will revert back to how things were before this shitshow began.
“I promise I will one hundred thousand percent behave.”
I doubt that, and not just because of the mischievous grin that replaces his pleading smile. But I still do as he wishes, because, really, I am powerless to say no when the offer he’s made me is just so enticing.
24
Hex
Aranjoinsmeinbed without me having to use one of my usual tricks. I had a few up my sleeve, like being cold or having nightmares. I am pretty sure he knows when I’m using those as an excuse, but on the off chance that it might be the truth, he always gives in.
He’s just that kind of person—caring, kind, responsible and selfless. He has his flaws too, of course, just like me or Leo or Matt or Mong. There is a dark side to him that he rarely lets out, but I am one of the lucky few who have seen it. It has been showing its fangs on this cruise, once when Mong got too close to me, and once when Aran gave in and touched me, and it would be a lie if I said that I didn’t want to see it surface again.
And, really, what better place to drag it out than the bedroom?
Once Aran settles on his side of the bed, I throw his end of the cover over him so we can keep each other warm. Or at least that’s my excuse when I’m regarded with an arched eyebrow. If he got sick, our mission would be jeopardized, after all.
For a while, I just soak up his closeness, trying to remain wholesome. But it’s hard,really hard, when I have the man of my dreams lying next to me. All I can think about is how his hand felt wrapped around me, how his scorching kisses left me wanting more while the inextinguishable fire I’ve been carrying inside me since I remember just kept spreading and spreading.
We haven’t done anything in these past three days, save for a couple of quick kisses I stole when I caught him with his guard down. We’ve been both busy though, so I can’t really blame him, even if I wish he’d come over and invite me to bed with him.
Since he didn’t do that despite the multiple chances he’s had, I took things into my own hands. After all, Sudo Hex always gets what he wants, one way or another.
“Aran, are you asleep?” I whisper after watching his profile for a while.
He answers me without opening his eyes. “Yes, and you should do the same.”
I wiggle closer to him until my knees are pressed to his side. I’d prefer to big-spoon him, but since he’s currently on his back, this will do. “Okay, but if you are talking to me right now, then you aren’t asleep.”
