Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 66062 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 330(@200wpm)___ 264(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66062 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 330(@200wpm)___ 264(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
“There were four girls sold at that auction,” Aiden said, his throat becoming tight as he thought about what might have happened to them. Zain might be a royal ass, but at least he wasn’t cruel. He wasn’t a rapist. He doubted the girls had been as lucky as him. “At least, they were supposed to be sold after me. I never found out what happened to them. Could you find out?”
Zain was silent for a moment.
“That auction was anonymous,” he said at last. But it wasn’t a no.
His heart beating faster, Aiden lifted his head and looked at him pleadingly. “But you could find out?”
Zain hesitated and then nodded.
“I could try,” he said.
Aiden beamed at him. “And you will help them too if you find them, right?”
Zain opened his mouth and closed it.
“What makes you think I’d do that?” he finally said, his voice strained.
Cocking his head to the side, Aiden grinned. “Because you actually aren’t as much of a heartless bastard as you want people to think.”
Zain just looked at him for a moment, his expression vaguely pained and sour.
“Fine.”
Gasping in delight, Aiden hugged him hard, his heart filled to overflowing with joy, relief, and something that uncomfortably felt like adoration—and trust.
God, this was bad. But it felt so wonderful. This feeling. This man.
Snap out of it, Aiden told himself, trying to eradicate the emotion, stomp all over it before it could grow into something dangerous. More dangerous than this already was.
Christ, he needed some distance away from Zain. He needed to find out how bad this was.
“So, can I go with you to Dubai today? You can give me a few bodyguards if you don’t trust me not to get in trouble.”
After a long pause, Zain said, “All right.”
Lifting his head, Aiden smiled at him and pecked him on the cheek. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! You’re the best owner I’ve ever had!”
“Funny,” Zain said, rolling his eyes, but Aiden could see a smile tugging at his lips.
The helicopter ride to Dubai couldn’t have been more different from their previous trip. Aiden spent it all but in Zain’s lap, snuggled up against his chest and chattering about the famous sights he wanted to see. Zain tolerated it, humming noncommittally and mouthing at Aiden’s neck.
“I keep forgetting to ask you... How is Gadiel?”
Zain heaved a sigh against his neck. “As expected—impossible to deal with.”
“That bad, huh?” Aiden murmured, stroking Zain’s fingers absentmindedly. “He’s not just being an irresponsible brat, you know. Some of the things he told me… they made me very uneasy. He needs help. Like, professional help.”
Zain sighed again. “I know. But I don’t trust a therapist to keep Gadiel’s secrets from our father.”
“I think he just needs to be loved,” Aiden muttered, pressing their cheeks together and enjoying the way Zain’s beard felt against his skin. “Love helps.”
Making a derisive noise, Zain kissed his neck.
Aiden shivered, the subject of Gadiel forgotten.
They arrived in Dubai much too soon.
When they left the helicopter, Zain handed him off to his bodyguards before getting into one of the two cars.
Aiden waved him goodbye cheerfully, but his smile slipped as soon as he climbed into the other car with the bodyguards.
His stomach was churning with discomfort and the overwhelming urge to get out of the car and run back to Zain.
Damn it.
This was worse than he’d expected. Although Aiden had genuinely wanted to get out and do some sightseeing, the main purpose of this outing was to find out how well he could handle being away from Zain.
Not very well, it seemed.
But he would have to learn. He had to leave his golden cage—had to want to leave it. He shouldn’t want Zain around so much. Wanting him was fine, but needing him definitely wasn’t. Because Aiden would be leaving soon. Eventually.
But not yet.
Not yet.
“Where to?” the driver asked in accented English.
Back to Zain.
Quashing the thought, Aiden shrugged with a lost smile. “Where do the tourists go?”
Chapter Seventeen
Aiden was enjoying the stunning view of the city from the observation deck near the top of the Burj Khalifa when one of the bodyguards approached him and handed him a phone.
Aiden stared at it blankly before realizing that there was a call active.
He brought the phone to his ear and walked away from the bodyguards. “Zain?” he said, because there was only one person who would speak to him on the phone in this country.
“Is everything fine?” Zain’s voice sounded kind of tense and abrupt.
Aiden pressed the phone closer to his ear, as if that would magically bring Zain closer. “Sure,” he said belatedly. “Don’t your bodyguards report to you?”
There was a small pause.
“They do.”
Aiden found himself smiling. “Aw, so you just wanted to hear my voice, right?” He knew he was projecting. If he had a phone, he would have called Zain hours ago, not two hours and twenty-odd minutes later. Not that he’d been keeping track of time or anything. Much.