Sicilian Escape with the Forbidden Tycoon - Chapter 3

RYAN

Ryan should never have set an early-morning alarm. He’d tossed and turned all night until West had finally crawled into the bed with him. And now the sheets were warm and soft, and the last thing Ryan wanted to do was face the day.

Especially when he was having the most wonderful dream. He had been sunbathing at the resort’s private beach, the warmth coating his skin as he kept his eyes closed. And the world was quiet, and everything smelled like mint and honey. Ryan snuggled back into his pillow. It was warm and smooth and—

A throat cleared, and Ryan opened one eye to discover he'd been nuzzling his beard into a very broad chest. He froze as embarrassment coursed through him. Ryan had joked about cuddling, but the last thing he wanted to do was make West uncomfortable.

He slowly sat up, took his time stretching his arms wide, and yawned. He swung his legs out of bed, leaving his back to West before blowing out a breath. There. Some space was good.

“I never said I wouldn't snuggle,” he said through another yawn.

“I thought it was implied,” West growled.

Ryan stood and turned to face West now that he had some semblance of control. “You don't seem to mind too much.” He smirked and was rewarded with a pink flush down West's neck.

“Why did you set an alarm your first day of vacation?” West asked as he sat up and rubbed at his eyes. He fumbled around on the nightstand for his glasses. “Are you always this annoyingly perky in the morning?”

“Nope. That’s just for you.” Ryan tugged on a pair of shorts. “What are your plans for today?”

“I need to map some things out. I’ll probably set up my computer in the library I saw by the lobby. I need twenty ideas by the end of the day.” West’s face scrunched up, a small furrow forming between his brows. “Maybe one of them will be good enough to workshop,” he muttered as he finally righted his glasses on his face.

Guilt over ditching West to go hiking gnawed at Ryan. Whenever work got to Ryan, whenever he thought he was hitting his breaking point, he went outside. He touched some grass. He ran until his muscles ached more than his heart.

But today, he very much needed out of his head for an entirely different reason. A long, lithe reason that wore black-framed glasses and used words like extrapolate in everyday conversation. West had been cute in college—in this aloof way that newly out Ryan had developed a crush on immediately.

But this older, more mature version of West was striking. There was no way Ryan could impress a tech billionaire with the entire world at his feet. Ryan should go on this hike alone, sweat it out, leave all this desire and wanting among the ruins, the way he did so many other things.

“Anyway, have fun. I’ll just be…here.” West yawned and stretched, his glasses going slightly askew with the movement. Ryan really shouldn’t leave him here all alone.

Ryan made a decision he knew he’d regret. “That's not how ideas happen, man. You need to get out. See the world. Here.” He tossed a shirt at West, and West caught it.

“You have a better idea?” West balled the shirt up in his fists. Ryan did not notice how the veins bulged along his forearms. Because that wouldn't be appropriate.

“Yup. You're coming with me. We leave in five.”

WEST

West had to admit that this was a much better plan than moping around the resort with brainstorm lists. The midmorning sun beat down on them as they traversed the ancient ruins in the Valley of the Temples. It wasn’t an especially grueling hike. There were winding paths among the crumbling columns and ancient walls. But still, he would have liked his boots.

Ryan had the right gear. Hiking shorts hugged his thighs, and a pair of boots clung to his ankles. They looked similar to the pair West had at home. The truth was, West loved hiking. It was as if Ryan had seen into his soul and known exactly how to help. And that was terrifying.

Members of their hiking tour pulled out cameras and phones and snapped photos, but Ryan kept his arms at his side, basking in the view.

“Aren't you going to capture this moment?” West asked.

“I am.” Ryan quirked his head at West. “Right here.” He tapped his temple and smiled.

“I can take one if you want,” West offered.

“Come here,” Ryan gestured. West approached, reaching for his phone, but Ryan swatted it away. He threw one arm around West and turned them toward the view. “Okay, are you taking it all in?”

“It'd be easier with a camera.”

“Pfft. Close your eyes,” Ryan instructed.

West rolled his eyes, but relented and finally closed them.

“What can you feel?” Ryan's breath was on his ear, talking to him like he was the only person in the world.

“The sun. On my eyelids. And the bridge of my nose.” He'd left his glasses in the room, opting for contacts for the hike.

“And what do you hear?”

He wanted to say you. And your breath. And my heart thudding. “The breeze in the trees. Footsteps somewhere behind us. You.”

Ryan chuckled. “And now open your eyes. What do you see?”

West opened his eyes, squinting against the sun. It was so bright. And there was so much. He turned slowly, taking in the ruins of the temple, the city stretching below, and the sea beyond. To his right, a green hillside rolled gently toward the horizon. It felt like looking at fragments of himself: the crumbling past, the promise of what might be and the calm he’d been searching for. In that moment, the weight of everything—his past, his hopes—seemed to soften, as if the land itself was offering him the peace he’d been chasing for so long.

“Whoa,” West said under his breath.

“Wait, did I just wow you with my sightseeing process?” Ryan laughed. West shoved him in the arm.

“Sicily wowed me. You had nothing to do with it.”

“Sure, sure.” Ryan threw an arm around him and squeezed in close. He smelled like sweat, and summer, and outdoors. West hadn't been this close to someone in months. Years maybe. He put his tech company first for a decade. He gave up friends, relationships, other job offers. All for the chance to make something bigger than himself. And he’d done it, too.

Now he was standing on top of a mountain, with Ryan’s arm wrapped around him, and all he felt was uncertainty. West rubbed at the achy spot in his chest where he stored all his worries and deepest insecurities.

“Let's take a selfie.” Ryan held his empty hand out in the air as if preparing for a selfie and clicked the imaginary button. “All set. I’ll be sure to text it to you.

West let out a snort. "You’re veritably and wholly ridiculous, Ryan. Has anyone ever told you how peculiar you are?”

Ryan waggled his eyebrows as he walked backward toward the group. “I'm taking that as a compliment, Weston. And a challenge. You haven’t seen anything yet.”

West bit the edge of his lip, following Ryan back toward the group. Ryan seemed to know exactly who he was and what he wanted in life, and West couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy. Ryan thrived on being extra, being confident. That kind of confidence was magnetic, and for a second, West wondered what it would be like to be so sure of himself. Surely someone that confident didn’t struggle with the same doubts West had about taking the next step in his career. More than anything, though, West found himself wanting to understand why he found Ryan so damn captivating.

Because West was, for better or worse, completely captivated by Ryan.