“Have you got a towel, so I can get some of this sweat off me?”
Mason disappeared into his bathroom and came back with one. Ryder gave himself a sniff, and he still smelled good, so he’d take it. Would it be nice to have a shower before he put his suit on? Yes. Did he want to wait any longer before he saw Felix? No.
“He’s definitely here, isn’t he?” asked Ryder.
“No. I’m making you put a suit on and make yourself look good to have a drink in the bar on your own. Don’t ask stupid questions.”
“Does he know I know? You’re not ruining his surprise, are you?”
“No. I told him you wouldn’t leave the park unless you knew he was somewhere else.”
Ryder couldn’t help but smile at the grumpy bastard. Mason was a thoughtful guy, who knew them all better than they knew themselves. If only he’d put himself first for once, he could be really happy. That was a project for later. Once he had Felix back in his arms, Ryder was going to do everything he could to get Mason and Zeb together. He was going to become a romance guru for all his single friends.
He had his suit on and grabbed some of his cologne off the side, before fixing his hair after taking the baseball cap off. How and when things had been brought from his apartment was something he could get into later. Right now, he had somewhere to be.
“Where is he?”
“If you think about it, you’ll know,” said Mason with a cryptic smile.
He walked out of the office, leaving Ryder by himself, and Ryder gave himself one last look in the mirror before walking out. It was time to see the man he loved.
Standing outside the door to the private dining room where they’d had their first official date, Ryder was nervous. He always felt confident in everything he did, but in this moment, he had too much to lose if it went wrong. What he needed to do was be quiet and listen to whatever Felix had to say. He’d been through hell over the past couple of weeks, and that was Ryder’s fault. There were a lot of assholes out there, but none of them would have targeted Felix if he didn’t know Ryder.
Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and walked in. Felix had been looking out the window, and spun around. He was wearing a suit as well, and looked breathtaking. His nervous smile made Ryder’s heart beat faster, and he couldn’tcontrol his legs as he strode across the room and pulled Felix into his arms, slamming their lips together.
So much for being in listening mode, but they didn’t need words. Everything they felt was being poured into this kiss. He lifted Felix up and walked them towards the wall, so he could deepen it. Felix’s tongue tangled with his own, and Ryder could feel his man’s hard cock pressing against his stomach. His own was straining against his tight suit trousers. Ryder knew they needed to talk, but he wanted Felix so badly in this moment, he wasn’t thinking clearly.
“We need to talk, Ryder.”
“Yes. Can we do that in bed?”
Felix chuckled. “I love you. Never change.”
Ryder felt like his heart stopped beating. He looked Felix in the eyes. His own were watering.
“I love you, Ryder. Despite this crazy world you live in, I love you.”
Ryder realized he was still holding Felix up against the wall, so he lowered him and they walked over to the table. He didn’t let go of Felix’s hand, and moved his chair so they were sitting next to each other. They needed to talk, but Ryder didn’t want to let go of him. Given everything that had happened, the fact Felix wanted to be here and had said those three words he never thought he’d hear from someone other that his family and friends, he was worried it could be a dream. If it was, he hoped to never wake up.
“I’m so sorry, baby, for everything you’ve been through. I was such a selfish asshole.”
“It’s okay. I understand how it looked. I just wish you’d spoken to me. We haven’t known each other long, but you must know I’d never hurt you.”
Ryder nodded. If he was being honest with himself, he had known that, but in the moment, past pain had blinded him.
“I know when you’re hurt, you like to shut yourself offfrom people and process your feelings,” said Felix. “That’s something you’ve always done, isn’t it?”
Ryder nodded.
“And that worked when you didn’t have millions of social media followers. I love you, Ryder. But what happens next time we have a disagreement or a misunderstanding?”
Ryder felt his stomach drop. He didn’t like the way this conversation had turned. It was hard not to jump in with solutions, but he knew he had to listen to Felix and understand his side of things.
“I’m not blaming you for some of the crazy people out there. I met one earlier, and I’m sure they didn’t even scratch the surface of some of your superfans. That’s the thing I’m trying to get my head around, Ryder. We all come with baggage. You come with an airport carousel.”
“Please don’t do this,” he choked.
“Ryder, will you let me finish?”
