audible. Ben knew what he meant. He shrugged.
Jackson just stared, his eyes also wide, but then he glanced uneasily between Nikolas and Ben. Without saying anything, he slid around Nikolas and left the kitchen.
Ben’s long hair had been shaved off to an inch of standing buzz, which was now white-blond. His eyes were husky-blue with hints of their natural green turning them turquoise around the irises. His stubble had been trimmed to a goatee that framed his mouth. This was also blond-white, more than startling on his deeply tanned skin. The overall effect was…utterly transformational. Nikolas might have walked past him in the street. The overall effect was…utterly stunning. Blue eyes, white hair…Ben turned his head slightly to one side. He had a diamond stud in his ear and curling up from the neckline of his T-shirt and covering his neck on that side was a tattoo of the letter N. “When are we leaving?”
Nikolas had to lick his lips again before he could summon speech. “Saturday.” When this came out correctly, he added, “Early.” He came closer. He put out a hand tentatively, his thumb brushing over the white stubble around Ben’s lips.
§ § §
Ben could read Nikolas’s thoughts as if he were actually speaking aloud, and opened his mouth, taking the thumb in, moving close, embracing him, letting Nikolas’s lips and tongue explore everything and discover that he hadn’t changed anything other than the superficial, which would change back soon enough. The tattoo was temporary. The hair would take a while to grow back out again, but he’d shaved it once before. No harm done this time. So precisely did Ben know Nikolas’s thoughts he wasn’t even surprised when Nikolas murmured, “No scabs this time.”
Ben nodded, hugging him tighter. “I couldn’t let you go without me.” Then he added with a slight huff that betrayed the fact he wasn’t quite so sanguine about Nikolas’s friendship with Jackson as he appeared, “I couldn’t let you go with Kinney .”
Nikolas held him off, eyeing Ben speculatively, especially the hair, then gazing with an annoyed look at his new eye colour. He turned him round to examine the back then spun him once more to face front. “As you would say, Benjamin—fuck me.”
Ben grinned. “Okay.” He kissed Nikolas and ruffled his hair. “So, you’re okay with this?”
“Okay isn’t the word I’m currently thinking, but what I’m thinking doesn’t have an equivalent in English.” He couldn’t seem to take his eyes off Ben, just kept watching him with a bemused shaking of his head. “You still look like ex-Special-Forces-Expert Ben Rider, you know.”
Ben nodded, unconcerned. “Look like . I’ll play on it. Say, yeah, I know, poncy git.”
Nikolas appeared to want to say more but for the first time in their relationship, he seemed utterly at a loss to find words in any language to say anything. Not at all bothered, Ben went to put the kettle on and was about to ask Nikolas what he and Kinney had been discussing when the doorbell rang.
Ben went to answer it and was…overwhelmed with flowers. He staggered back into the kitchen, followed by Kate with still more flowers in her arms. She dumped her load on the table and indicated for Ben to do likewise. Nikolas frowned deeply as if he’d thought his life couldn’t get any odder that day. “You’re bringing Ben flowers now?”
§ § §
Kate was staring at Ben, but answered, exasperated, “They’re not for him. They’re for you.” She hoped he got the moron she mentally concluded this with and suspected he did. She added wanking tosspot —one of Squeezy’s favourite Nikolas expressions when they discussed him in private—and suspected he’d heard that, too. She was fairly sure people had said worse to him in his life out loud. Possibly just before he’d tortured or murdered them. Or fucked them.
“You’re bringing me flowers. To bribe me to let you f…?”
She shifted her study to Nikolas
Jackson just stared, his eyes also wide, but then he glanced uneasily between Nikolas and Ben. Without saying anything, he slid around Nikolas and left the kitchen.
Ben’s long hair had been shaved off to an inch of standing buzz, which was now white-blond. His eyes were husky-blue with hints of their natural green turning them turquoise around the irises. His stubble had been trimmed to a goatee that framed his mouth. This was also blond-white, more than startling on his deeply tanned skin. The overall effect was…utterly transformational. Nikolas might have walked past him in the street. The overall effect was…utterly stunning. Blue eyes, white hair…Ben turned his head slightly to one side. He had a diamond stud in his ear and curling up from the neckline of his T-shirt and covering his neck on that side was a tattoo of the letter N. “When are we leaving?”
Nikolas had to lick his lips again before he could summon speech. “Saturday.” When this came out correctly, he added, “Early.” He came closer. He put out a hand tentatively, his thumb brushing over the white stubble around Ben’s lips.
§ § §
Ben could read Nikolas’s thoughts as if he were actually speaking aloud, and opened his mouth, taking the thumb in, moving close, embracing him, letting Nikolas’s lips and tongue explore everything and discover that he hadn’t changed anything other than the superficial, which would change back soon enough. The tattoo was temporary. The hair would take a while to grow back out again, but he’d shaved it once before. No harm done this time. So precisely did Ben know Nikolas’s thoughts he wasn’t even surprised when Nikolas murmured, “No scabs this time.”
Ben nodded, hugging him tighter. “I couldn’t let you go without me.” Then he added with a slight huff that betrayed the fact he wasn’t quite so sanguine about Nikolas’s friendship with Jackson as he appeared, “I couldn’t let you go with Kinney .”
Nikolas held him off, eyeing Ben speculatively, especially the hair, then gazing with an annoyed look at his new eye colour. He turned him round to examine the back then spun him once more to face front. “As you would say, Benjamin—fuck me.”
Ben grinned. “Okay.” He kissed Nikolas and ruffled his hair. “So, you’re okay with this?”
“Okay isn’t the word I’m currently thinking, but what I’m thinking doesn’t have an equivalent in English.” He couldn’t seem to take his eyes off Ben, just kept watching him with a bemused shaking of his head. “You still look like ex-Special-Forces-Expert Ben Rider, you know.”
Ben nodded, unconcerned. “Look like . I’ll play on it. Say, yeah, I know, poncy git.”
Nikolas appeared to want to say more but for the first time in their relationship, he seemed utterly at a loss to find words in any language to say anything. Not at all bothered, Ben went to put the kettle on and was about to ask Nikolas what he and Kinney had been discussing when the doorbell rang.
Ben went to answer it and was…overwhelmed with flowers. He staggered back into the kitchen, followed by Kate with still more flowers in her arms. She dumped her load on the table and indicated for Ben to do likewise. Nikolas frowned deeply as if he’d thought his life couldn’t get any odder that day. “You’re bringing Ben flowers now?”
§ § §
Kate was staring at Ben, but answered, exasperated, “They’re not for him. They’re for you.” She hoped he got the moron she mentally concluded this with and suspected he did. She added wanking tosspot —one of Squeezy’s favourite Nikolas expressions when they discussed him in private—and suspected he’d heard that, too. She was fairly sure people had said worse to him in his life out loud. Possibly just before he’d tortured or murdered them. Or fucked them.
“You’re bringing me flowers. To bribe me to let you f…?”
She shifted her study to Nikolas
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