“What the hell was that?” someone hissed into his ear, and Julien froze.
Elliot.
Elliot, pressed up against the far wall of the building’s lobby, a chasm-deep frown etched into his forehead.
“What are you doing?” Julien whispered.
Elliot stepped towards him. “I came in right behind you to refill my water bottle, then gave you two your space for your little showdown or whatever. But fuck, man. What was all that? You actually gave that addict a bucket load of free cash? Shouldn’t you have checked with Cinn first?”
Ice slowly trickled through Julien’s veins.
“Plus, what the hell was that at the end? Did youwantto piss the guy off? That’s Cinn’s best friend. Are you insane?”
Yes. Julien was becoming very sure that he was, in fact, certifiably insane.
Wordlessly, he followed Elliot outside, where, down the road, Cinn had the taxi door open to stare up at them. “What’s the hold-up?” he hollered.
Julien paused, glanced back at the apartment block.
Sighing, Elliot gave Julien a helpless shrug, then clapped him on the shoulder. “Let’s go, you idiot. It’s too late now. You’ll have to tell him, though. About the money, at the very least. You know that, right?”
No, he didn’t know that, because he hadn’t quite got that far in his thought process.
Heart beating hummingbird-fast, Julien walked over to the taxi and slipped into the passenger seat. Closing his eyes, he pressed his palm against his forehead.
This is why you don’t do relationships,a tiny voice said snidely into his ear.You can’t help fucking them up before they even begin.
twenty-nine
Cinn
Julien, Julien, Julien.
Cinn’s brain had been well and truly broken by the princeling, because he couldn’t get him out of his goddamn mind.
From the moment the taxi dropped them off at the airport, Cinn became engulfed by his all-consuming desire for him. As if Julien’s gravitational pull had been magnified, and Cinn had to be constantly near him, preferably touching in some small way.
When Julien returned from the airport shop with a packet of batteries for Cinn’s Walkman and those mints that he loved, he had to restrain himself from climbing on top of him.
He was significantly less restrained on the flight, however—the instant Elliot predictably fell asleep twenty minutes into it, Cinn burrowed his head into Julien’s chest, tracing patterns on his knee with his finger.
The view out the window offered only the black expanse of the ocean. How long would it be until he flew back over it again? He’d made Tyler no promises earlier that morning, despite Tyler’s heart-wrenching comments about how much he missed him.Neededhim there in London, in fact. At least Tyler was eager to visit Cinn in Switzerland, if he could sort his passport out. Tyler was far less enthusiastic about spending more time with Elliot and Julien, and had some rather choice words about the latter man. Cinn’s outright and unwavering defence of Julien—who’d been instrumental in saving Tyler’s ass, he’d reminded him several times—only seemed to exasperate Tyler’s dislike of him.
Cinn sighed, and Julien’s arm wrapped tighter around his chest.
“Your fear of flying seems to have lessened, somewhat at least,” Julien murmured into his ear.
“It’s helping that I have other things to focus on.” Cinn dragged his fingers up Julien’s thigh.
“Well, if it’s distraction you’re after….” Julien tugged Cinn’s beanie slightly off his head to expose his ear, ghosting over it with his teeth.
A low groan threatened to escape him. “You’ll get us in trouble.”
“Well, there’s always the mile-high club.”
Cinn snorted. “I can’t imagine you tolerating an aeroplane bathroom even for a piss, let alone getting buck naked in there.”
“Touché.” Julien’s body shook with laughter, and Cinn smiled.
