Sicilian Escape with the Forbidden Tycoon - Chapter 6

RYAN

Sicily was the best vacation of his life. The food, the sun, the sand and West in his bed every night. When Ryan had first planned this trip with his brother eight months ago, he never imagined it would be this relaxing. Or this fulfilling. Ryan wasn’t complaining about the strange rhythm he and West fell into. He could get used to this.

Ryan had almost forgotten what it was like to just exist without worrying about how others might perceive him or the weight of what comes next. They had stolen quiet moments, lounging in the sun with too much sangria, their bodies warm, their laughter easy. The whole thing felt like a dream.

But now, lying on a lounge chair in the sand, he was jolted back to reality when his brother said, “I can’t believe we go back tomorrow.”

Ryan blinked, the weight of those words crashing over him like the early-morning waves in front of him now. He frowned into his drink, keeping his gaze fixed on the horizon, trying not to let the sudden tension invade his muscles.

Ryan had deliberately not thought about going home to an empty apartment full of boxes. He hadn’t thought about loading up a U-Haul with his secondhand college furniture and driving six hours to his new residency in Los Angeles. Or how he had to do it all with a sore ankle. He really needed to make some friends in Los Angeles.

But he definitely hadn’t thought about saying goodbye to West.

West shifted beside him and more than anything, Ryan wanted to lean over and see if he was freaking out, too. Matt dropped onto West’s lounge chair, startling them both.

“So, West?” Matt’s tone was easy and bright. “What are your plans after this? Did coming to Sicily help you figure anything out?”

Ryan’s stupid heart kicked up in his chest. He’d been working up the courage to ask West the same question. He held his breath and waited for him to respond.

“I wouldn’t say I have anything figured out,” West said with a sigh. His eyes flitted to Ryan’s for a moment before he leaned back on his elbows and gave him a coy smile. “But maybe that’s not such a bad thing.”

Ryan’s throat tightened, and his eyes snapped to West’s. He held his gaze for a long moment. When Matty looked away, West winked at him. Ryan bit the edge of his lip and shook his head, hope and worry both churning in his stomach.

“Then what’s your plan?” Matty could not let this go. “When you get back to California?”

“Charlie wants help with something. I set up a meeting, but I’m not sure it will go anywhere.”

“What’s a Charlie?” Ryan tried not to let his voice crack.

“An old friend. She needs help with her code. She wants to hire me as a consultant on her latest tech project.”

“Good for you, West! Maybe your brain just needs something to focus on.” His brother gave West’s shoulder a little squeeze. Ryan’s heart felt like it was in a vise of its own.

West shrugged. “Seems like as good a time as any. I don’t have anything else going on.”

I don’t have anything else going on. Ryan shifted in his spot, sitting up straight as the words hit him like a slap. He tried to breathe but couldn’t find his rhythm. West was right. He didn’t have anything stopping him. Because Ryan didn’t matter to him. He’d been fooling himself all week, pretending like they were something more than just…whatever this was.

They’d spent almost an entire week together—talking, laughing, kissing, touching—and now it felt like it had all been one big distraction. One more fleeting, temporary thing. The moment he needed to leave, he was gone. Just like Sasha had done to Ryan when he got to be too much for her. As soon as an opportunity came up, she dropped him. Just like West was doing now.

Ryan’s pulse quickened as the sting of that realization settled into his chest. He wasn’t worth sticking around for, not even after all the time they'd spent together. He had been nothing more than a distraction for West, too.

The weight of it all hit him at once, and he bolted to his feet. His ankle protested, but he ignored it. He had to get out of here. He couldn’t keep pretending everything was fine when it felt like the world was shifting beneath him.

“Hey, I need to go back to the room,” he muttered, his voice tight. “There are some calls I need to make. About the apartment.”

West’s eyes flickered up to him, concern briefly flashing across his face, but Ryan couldn’t meet his gaze. Not now. Not when everything felt so fragile. He turned and walked toward the path back to the hotel, his chest tight, his thoughts in turmoil.

Behind him, he heard Matt’s voice asking something, but it didn’t matter. He needed to get away before he said something he’d regret. Something that would make it even harder to leave.

***

Ryan walked along the shore and sulked. There was no other word for it. What had he expected? That West would declare his intentions and they’d sail off into the sunset together?

Even Ryan knew dream vacations didn’t last beyond the week. When they were back in Pacific zones and the ER called, Ryan wouldn’t even have time for a relationship. Probably.

He waited as long as possible to go back to the room, after the resort had lit the evening lamps along the water. Hopefully, it would be too late for conversations with West. Ryan just wanted to go to sleep. He was bone-deep tired and finally ready to go home.

The room was dark when he entered. Moonlight from the veranda illuminated a strip of the floor in front of the bed. Ryan followed the path and found West on the balcony staring out at the sea.

“Hard to believe we have to leave all this tomorrow, right?” There was a forced casualness in his voice. It hurt. West didn’t turn around. Ryan leaned over the railing and bumped his right shoulder into West.

“Tech companies can’t consult themselves,” Ryan said. He pushed as much humor into his voice as possible. But it still sounded wrong.

“Don’t do that,” West whispered. “Look, I know you’re upset. But I—I wasn’t expecting this.”

“Look, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” The words tasted terrible in his mouth, but he pressed on. “I’m leaving for Los Angeles as soon as I’m back. It’s not like this is…a thing.”

“Right,” West said.

“I just thought maybe—” West turned then, and stared into Ryan’s eyes. Ryan was close to losing any resolve he had left. West’s glasses were off, and he looked wrecked. “I know I’m a lot. And this may be a ridiculous idea, but I thought maybe this could be a thing.”

“Ryan…” West trailed off. Ryan wanted West to wrap his arms around him. To tell him that, yes, they could at least see where this was going. But West didn’t say anything at all.

Ryan searched West’s face, looking for a sign that this week meant something to him. That Ryan meant something to him.

“Ryan,” West whispered. He pulled Ryan close, his hands cradling his face. West’s eyes focused on his, as if weighing something, but no words followed. And in that silence, Ryan felt it—it was all slipping away, and it would end tonight.

“I don’t know what to say. You’re moving. And I’m a mess. And this is all so amazing, but it happened so fast. Maybe if we’d tried years ago. Or if I knew what came next for my work.”

Ryan stepped forward, heart racing, but this time, he didn’t wait for West to say anything. He was already afraid of pushing too hard, of being too much, and he didn’t want to make it worse by talking. Not now. Not when the distance between them felt like the hardest thing to cross.

“Let’s just—” he started, then stopped, swallowing hard, trying to calm the nerves that always bubbled up in his chest. "Let's not make this harder, okay?"

West’s eyes were wild and his hair was a mess and Ryan didn’t know what to do. He closed his eyes briefly, then leaned in, brushing his lips gently against West’s.

“I don’t want to talk,” Ryan whispered, his voice tight, “just…just want to be here. With you. I won’t make it harder.”

He felt a moment of hesitation, wondering if West was about to pull back, if he’d finally realized Ryan was too much—too clingy, too intense, too…everything. But then West stepped closer, his lips pressing against Ryan’s, slow and tender.

West’s hands found his waist, pulling him in with a quiet urgency, and Ryan let himself fall into it, trying to stay present, to just feel the warmth of West's body against his. No thinking. No second-guessing. Just this.

“I know,” West murmured, his voice soft, like he understood. “I get it.”

Ryan nodded, swallowing against the tightness in his chest. “I don’t want to push you,” he said, barely above a whisper, his voice cracking just a little. “I never want to be too much.”

West paused, his gaze steady on Ryan’s face. And for a second, it felt like the world had slowed down. “Not too much,” West whispered as cupped Ryan’s cheek. “Not for me.”

Ryan knew this would hurt tomorrow. He knew he’d be going home with his heart in pieces. But for tonight, he just wanted one more time.