It’s okay to look,he thought tohimself.
Because nothing would come of it, even if the sight of Alexei right now had just catapulted him into the starring role of Sean’s late-night fantasies. Sean made it a point to track his gaze back up to Alexei’s face as he came into the cabana. Sean tipped his head back, raising aneyebrow.
“Tell me you didn’t walk through the casino wearing only that?” Sean asked, voice steady through long practice. He ignored the faint twitch of interest in his cock, glad for the loose-fitting boardshortshewore.
Alexei shrugged, gray eyes flicking to the group surrounding them. “Is notcrime.”
“For you, maybe. If you distracted any casinoworkers—”
Sean didn’t expect it, but he should have. Alexei knew what kind of show they had to put on; Sean had done his best to warn him on the flight over. While it wasn’t anywhere near as easy as the one Jamie and Kyle had put on back in January, some actions would always go a long way to proving they weretogether.
Damp fingers curled over Sean’s chin as Alexei leaned down to kiss him. The firm pressure of Alexei’s mouth against his had him instinctively parting his lips, letting Alexei dip his tongue into Sean’s mouth for a brief second of wet heat before pulling away. Sean licked his lips, tasting citrus in his mouth that hadn’t been there before the kiss, and tried not to shiver as Alexei pulled hishandaway.
“Most worry,kotyonok,” Alexei said with a smirk Sean refused to think of as sexy while the taller man dripped water all over him. “Give clothes toTrevor.”
Sean reached for his tablet to get it out of the way. “You get this wet, I’m going to bepissed.”
“Is vacation. Not supposedtowork.”
Alexei took a seat on the lounge chair next to Sean, giving the woman they were sharing it with a wide smile ingreeting.
“Yes, we invited you to have a good time,” Chloe reminded him, smiling indulgently at them before sipping her wine. “You can work later. I’m sure Adrian has a few meetings lined up with you duringyourstay.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” Adrian’s deep voice came from beyond the fabric walls of the cabana before finally coming into view. “I like people who appreciatehardwork.”
Unlike everyone else in the cabana, Adrian wore a dark business suit more suited for a boardroom than a poolside party. Still, that didn’t stop Chloe from hopping to her feet and twining her arms around her husband’s neck to give him a thorough greeting with her mouth. It could have been for show, but Sean had always been a good read of people. There was something to be said for the truth coming out in the middle of a crisis, and like in New Miami, the care Adrian lavished on Chloe seemedgenuine.
“I have another meeting, but it won’t take more than an hour,” Adrian said when they separated. “I’ll have you escorted to the car when I’m finished so we can go home and prepare for theparty.”
“When is party?” Alexei asked as he casually rested his hand onSean’sknee.
It was difficult to ignore the warmth of Alexei’s touch, but Sean didn’t shake him off. Instead, he turned his attention to Adrian, who was studying themintently.
“And what’s the attire?” Sean wantedtoknow.
“Semi-formal,” Adrian easily replied. “Just a small dinner party with close friends andfamily.”
Sean filed away the mention of family. “What time should we bethere?”
“Dinner is at 9:00 p.m., but the cocktail hour begins at 8:00 p.m. Come early if you like. Some of our other guests probably willaswell.”
“We won’tbelate.”
They’d have to check in with Katie and have agents on standby back in D.C. to monitor the placement of the surveillance bugs they’d be carrying inside with them. The casino had an administration level with a C-suite corner they still needed to find a way into, but infiltrating Adrian’s home was a decent second prize. Sean didn’t think it would be easy, but they couldn’t pass up theopportunity.
“Let me know when you’re finished,” Chloe said to her husband. She gave Adrian one last kiss before flouncing back to her lounge chair and getting comfortableagain.
Adrian smiled indulgently at her before nodding goodbye at Sean and Alexei. The older man left and conversation in the cabana picked up again. Sean was acutely aware of Alexei sitting beside him for the rest of their time in the pool area. Alexei was a warm presence that never left his side, a hand always resting on Sean’s leg if his arm wasn’t casually slung over Sean’sshoulders.
Sean played along because that was the level of interaction Alexei had set upon his arrival. Putting distance between each other now would cause unwanted attention. So Sean let Alexei be as tactile as he wanted, trying not to think about how good it felt being tucked in close against Alexei’s practically nude body. Honestly, it was a good thing Chloe was intent on keeping the both of them involved in her conversations. It kept him distracted from the way Alexei’s fingers were rubbing hot circles against his shoulder through his T-shirt.
Eventually, the pair of bodyguards Sean had glimpsed earlier approached the cabana and signaled to Chloe they were ready to whisk her away. Trevor appeared a few feet behind them, catching Sean’s eye. Since he’d spent more than an hour in the company of the Wolcotts’ bodyguards, Sean was curious about his observations. Special Forces operatives were a tight-lipped bunch, but they might open up to a fellowveteran.
“I’ll see you tonight,” Chloe said with a casual wave in their direction before sauntering off between her twobodyguards.
With their target gone, Sean and Alexei said their goodbyes to Chloe’s friends and went to joinTrevor.
“The girls?” Alexei asked. He took his pair of cargo shorts from Trevor and put them on before slipping on his flip-flops. Sean discreetly watched Alexei get dressed, glad he was wearing sunglasses to hide hisattention.
