thank you.”
“My pleasure.” Ty smiled, and they walked back to us together, getting in line just as it moved forward.
The woman snapped out of her shock and lost her shit just as four security personnel rushed to the scene. They dragged her away kicking and screaming as several people clapped and cheered.
I beamed at my man, so proud. As he rejoined us, I took his hand and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “You’re a good man, Tyler Gabriel,” I whispered in his ear.
“I’m just sick of watching this shit get worse and worse.” He frowned as his fingers tightened around mine. “We need to start standing up for one another. If ignorant people are going to get more brazen in their bigotry and hatred, we need to get more bold in the way we stand up for what’s right.”
Thankfully, the flight was completely uneventful, even free from turbulence. It wasn’t as luxurious as the flight we took in Melior Group’s private jet on the way back from Australia, but it was still better than most of the flights I’d been on. Being able to stretch out and lie down was pure heaven.
We landed in Tokyo in the middle of the night. I wanted to call Mr. Takata and head to his grandmother’s village immediately, but the guys insisted on petty things like showers and sleep.
In order to avoid drawing any more attention to ourselves, we decided not to book a suite, opting instead to go with three regular rooms in a hotel. They were pretty small—we were in Japan after all.
After several rounds of aggressive rock-paper-scissors, Ethan won the privilege of sharing a room with me. He threw me over his shoulder and carried me into it along with all our luggage, making me laugh too loudly for a hotel hallway late at night.
His feet hung off the end of the mattress, but he snuggled into my side and fell asleep quickly. Unfortunately, finding my own sleep was more difficult. My mind raced: Were we careful enough getting here? What would tomorrow hold? I slept in fits and starts, and when the gray morning light peeked in through the curtains, I got out of bed.
After a shower, I called room service and ordered enough food for all of us in a whisper, trying to let Ethan sleep as long as possible. Then I called the others and told them to meet us in our room. Tyler grunted, and I heard him call Josh’s name as he hung up. Alec had already been up for an hour and been to the gym.
The food arrived just before the rest of my guys did, and for the first time, I was the one delivering breakfast in bed to Ethan. I may not have made it myself, but I ordered the fuck out of it like a pro. It totally counted.
He somehow managed to sleep through the room service being delivered and the others filing into the cramped space. Alec took the desk chair, Josh made himself comfortable on the ground, and Tyler leaned on the headboard next to Ethan, each of them holding a plate of eggs and pastries.
With a warm, delicious-smelling chocolate croissant in hand, I climbed on top of Ethan, straddling his hips. I waved the croissant under his nose as I kissed the stubble on his jaw.
He took a deep breath and groaned lightly. Lazily, his hands went to my hips, and he shifted me just a little lower—until I was settled over his morning wood.
I chuckled, and his mouth and eyes opened at the same time. He took a quick bite of the pastry before leaning up and planting a kiss on my lips.
“Delicious.” His voice was croaky and deep—all kinds of sexy.
“Me or the croissant?” I teased.
“Hmm. Not sure. I think I need another taste.” He took another bite of the croissant, but instead of kissing me, he pulled at the hem of my shorts, giving me that cheeky grin that made his dimples appear—and usually made my clothes disappear.
“We have company,” I informed him.
He looked around the room and shrugged. “They can watch. Or join in.”
His hands traveled up my sides, cupping my breasts.
“If you don’t eat these eggs, I’m going to,” Alec announced.
I climbed off Ethan. He groaned in protest, but Alec’s mention of eggs reminded me I was hungry too. One basic need at a time.
We polished off all the food and ordered more.
Ethan went to shower while we waited, and I planted