Kaiden and Carter were already there with some guy I didn't recognize. Kaiden was floating lazily on an inflatable lounger shaped like a giant pink donut under the sun, his dark hair slicked back and oversized sunglasses perched on his nose like he was auditioning for a resort commercial. Carter, ever the practical one, had his feet dangling in the water while he deep-dived into conversation with the newcomer, his shoulders already turning pink despite the sunscreen I could smell from ten feet away.
“He lives!” Kaiden called out, raising a cocktail glass like it was the holy grail. “We were about to send a search party.”
I felt my cheeks heat up, and not just from the Texas sun. “I wasn't asleep that long, you know.”
“Hi there,” said the stranger, standing up and extending a hand. “I'm Mitchell.” He had that California surfer vibe—lean, tanned, sandy blond hair that looked deliberately messy in that way that actually takes half an hour to style. His teeth were impossibly white against his tan, and he wore a thin leather bracelet with some kind of spiritual-looking symbol on it. Everything about him screamed “I did yoga on the beach before it was cool.”
“Theo,” I replied, though he clearly already knew who I was. “Nice to meet you.”
“Mitchell's our resident wellness guru,” Kaiden called from his floatie. “He can tell you your aura color and why you're emotionally blocked, all while riding you into next Tuesday.”
Mitchell flipped Kaiden off without looking at him, his smile never wavering. “Ignore him. I just believe in holistic connections. The body affects the spirit, the spirit affects the body.” His voice had that slight vocal fry that suggested he'd probably lived in LA at some point. “Plus I teach the tantric breathing workshops on Tuesdays.”
“We saved you food,” Carter said, nodding toward a small table set up in the shade with a covered plate next to a pitcher of what looked like iced tea. “Figured you'd be starving after all that… exercise.”
“Thanks,” I said, genuinely touched. I lifted the cover and found a turkey and avocado sandwich on sourdough, just what I would’ve picked. My stomach growled loudly at the sight and I inhaled half the sandwich in record time. “This is amazing,” I mumbled through a mouthful, barely putting two thoughts together, shoving my face full of food like a raccoon in a garbage can.
“Told you he’d love it,” Kaiden snickered, adjusting his position on the lounger with the smug expression of someone who’s proven a point.
I poured myself a glass of iced tea and took a long drink, the sweetness cutting through the tang of the avocado. Sweet, sweet nectar.
“So, tell us about the duke,” Mitchell said, leaning in, his curiosity practically oozing from him. “I’ve heard he’s gorgeous.”
I chewed slowly, trying to gather my thoughts about that morning. How could I possibly describe Ricard without sounding like I was infatuated? “He’s... yeah, he’s really something,” I managed lamely, mentally kicking myself for sounding so bland.
Kaiden rolled his eyes dramatically. “Such poetry, Bennett! Come on, give us the goods. I’ve only seen him from a distance, but even from there, the man looks like he walked out of a Viking longship.”
I swallowed hard, unsure how much to share. These guys were my colleagues, maybe even friends, but talking about Ricard felt like crossing some invisible line.What if they had a point?
“He's good-looking,” I finally admitted, opting for understatement. “Polite. Knows what he wants. Also speaks French when he gets really worked up, which is kind of hot.” I could literally feel my face heating up like I'd stuck it in a microwave.Fuck, did I really just say that?
Mitchell whistled low. “French, huh? That’s definitely hot.”
“Right?” I muttered, half to myself. “Like, oh sure, let me just get swept away into a romance with someone who has royal duties waiting for him back home.”
Kaiden raised an eyebrow. “Sounds like someone enjoyed their assignment a little too much.”
I couldn't help the heat that rushed to my face, confirming his suspicion better than any words could. “So has it happened to youguys? Getting too involved with a client?” My voice tripped over itself, the weight of their attention swelling like boiling water. “Asking for a friend.”
A heavy silence blanketed our little crew.
Mitchell broke the silence first. Mitchell broke the silence first. “I had this client once—tech billionaire from Silicon Valley. Brilliant guy. Super nice. We spent a week practically joined at the hip, and he told me stuff he swore he'd never told anyone else. Made all these promises about keeping in touch, maybe flying me out to California.”
“Dude, what happened next?” I asked, my gut twisting.
He looked down at the water, a sad smile curling his lips. “He left. Never contacted me again. A few months later, I saw he got engaged to some socialite.”
Damn. “That sucks, man.”
Kaiden took his turn. “His name was Alain,” he said. “French, fabulous, filthy rich. Showed up a few years ago when I was still learning the ropes. We clicked instantly. Like, not just physically, but for real. I thought I was in love.”
I swallowed hard. “And what happened?”
“Reality hit. He went back to France. I stayed here.” Kaiden shrugged off the moment, but I sensed there were more scars underneath his smile. “He did come back months later, and it was… different. Distant.”
“That's gotta hurt,” I said, feeling for him.
“Like a knife to the chest,” Kaiden confirmed, his usually bright tone dimming.
