Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Feeling sore and evil that day, West just told Qin to clone himself and that was who he wanted for an assistant. That worked to both flatter and frustrate the man, leaving him grumbling as he shuffled out of his room.
“You know, there’s something we need to discuss about that night.”
Jin curled a little tighter against him, all the muscles in his body seeming to tense. “What?”
“I love you with all that I am, but you are to never risk your life like that again,” West growled.
His lover lifted his head and narrowed his eyes at him. “Only if you make the same promise to never do that, either.”
West glared at Jin, and the crown prince glared right back. In the end, all he could say was “Shut up.”
Jin gasped, his mouth falling open. “Did you tell the crown prince of Gaoxing to shut up?”
“No, I told my boyfriend, my lover, my soon-to-be fiancé, and one-day baby daddy to shut up,” West countered, punctuating each title with a hard kiss.
The smile that spread across Jin’s face wiped away some of his fatigue and stress lines. “Nice save,” Jin murmured, dipping his head for a slow, gentle kiss.
Unfortunately, a knock on the door interrupted their moment. Jin huffed and dropped his head on West’s shoulder while West called for the person to enter. A guard poked his head in—and wisely managed not to smirk when he caught sight of his crown prince half lying on West—and informed him that he had some approved visitors.
West nodded, and some very familiar and missed faces crowded the room. Charlie, Kairo, Ed, and Soren strolled in with a variety of smirks and grins on their faces. Jin blushed and tried to climb out of the bed, but West clung to him. This was another rare instance where Jin didn’t get to be the crown prince, but his boyfriend. Hospital rules and all that.
“Well, this is an excellent hospital,” Ed said, laughing. “We didn’t know they took such good care of people.”
“Yeah, West will never leave here. They’ll have to kick him out.” Kairo chortled.
West angled his head so he could look at Jin, a half smile lifting the corner of his mouth. “Dianxia, did I ever tell you that my best friends are idiots and assholes?”
“These are wonderful men who saved our lives and the life of my brother,” Jin stubbornly argued.
“Yeah, the emperor even offered a special commendation for all of us,” Soren bragged. “We met him. Can you imagine the likes of Alexei in front of an emperor?”
Charlie rolled his eyes and groaned. “He’s still crowing about it to everyone he meets.”
West chuckled, but the sound became caught in his throat as he stared at his friends. These four men had been a huge part of his life, involved in nearly all of his near-death moments. He’d traveled the world and shared all the little chunks of his soul with them. They were his family. His brothers. And until recently, he’d been very sure that he was going to die with them on some insane job in a remote part of the world.
But things had changed, and while he was happy, his heart ached.
West cleared his throat, trying to force down the lump. “I didn’t get to ask, but you guys all okay from this job? No injuries?”
“No, man! I skinned my knee!” Ed cried, sounding as if he’d lost an arm.
“My ass still hurts from all the hours I spent behind my computer on this job,” Kairo chimed in.
“I think I gained five pounds from the food. I’ve never eaten so many noodles in my life,” Soren moaned.
Jin pressed his face into West’s chest, his body shaking with laughter. Assholes. They were all assholes.
West glanced over at Charlie, who was watching him with a soft smile. “I quit.”
To his shock, Charlie nodded once and simply said, “I know.”
Jin’s head jerked up and the three idiots gasped. “What?”
West’s smile widened as he stared at Jin. “Well, it’s more like retiring. I lucked into a new job that’s going to demand all of my attention for a very long time.”
Kairo snickered. “Bodyguard for a prince?”
West’s gaze met Jin’s soft eyes. “Nope. Husband.”
Jin dropped his forehead against West’s cheek. “My cheesy romantic,” he whispered.
West grinned at his friends. “I might have also promised the emperor that we’d have three kids. I want to be a great dad and husband, but I have no clue what I’m doing. The only way I can give my family everything they deserve is to focus on them. My mercenary days are done.” West paused and cleared his throat from the sudden tightness. “It was a great ride. Even that CIA bullshit we went through. I’ve got no regrets, and I’d do it all over again.”
Charlie shifted from one foot to the other, his hands resting on his hips. “Can’t say I’m surprised in the least. I’ve seen the change in you since we arrived. You’re more at peace here. The haunted West has been laid to rest. Just glad you had enough common sense to walk away. We only want the best for you, West.”