Chapter 2Benny

2

Benny

I t turned out what wasn’t so fun was the vacation hangover.

Holy. Shit.

This was why Benny kept it to no more than two drinks per night at home. It was hard to work out when his head was pounding and his skin felt too tight for his body. It was hard to even open his eyes, actually.

Benny moaned his displeasure, curling up under the hotel sheets and hiding himself from the morning light. His super soft hotel sheets.

Like, crazy soft.

Had they upgraded his bedding while he was out?

Benny tested out a stretch. Mm. That was amazing. The silky fabric was extra nice on his dick too.

But they definitely weren’t the sheets he’d had the night before. He’d have remembered luxury like that.

Benny lowered the covers, tucking them under his chin so he could peer around cautiously. It was so, so bright. Most likely because he was facing a set of glass double doors opening onto a white sandy beach with the ocean just beyond.

Except Benny didn’t have an oceanfront room. He didn’t even have an ocean- view room. He hadn’t been able to afford one.

For a minute, all he could do was stare at the aquamarine waves. This wasn’t his hotel; that much was clear. So who had he gone home with?

He shifted in bed, testing his muscles. He was naked—no surprise, he always slept naked—but he didn’t feel, like, used.

Which was good. Benny had been all for someone touching his butt, but actually sleeping with someone would have been kind of uncool, given how much he’d had to drink.

And he must have been pretty damn drunk if he couldn’t even remember where he was.

So nursing his killer hangover would have to wait. Benny needed to figure out what was up first.

He got out of bed slowly, snagging his shorts off the floor and tugging them on before stepping out onto the beach.

The sand was warm and soft as hell, the sun on his skin was the perfect temperature, and everything seemed to sparkle. The water, the sand, even the few palm trees scattered along the beach.

Benny looked back the way he’d come, expecting to see a giant resort of some kind. But what he saw was an all-white villa, more the size of a massive house than a hotel. It also seemed to sparkle a bit.

All the sparkling kind of made his eyes hurt.

Was Benny even still in Florida?

“You’re awake.”

Benny turned, and there was Helio, standing on the beach in another linen outfit. His eyes were even more intense in the daylight, the ocean setting them off so they seemed to sparkle too. God, he was hot.

Benny relaxed, relief coursing through him.

Everything made sense now.

“Hey, man!” he greeted with a grin. “It’s you!”

Helio cocked his head, like he hadn’t been expecting Benny’s enthusiastic reaction. “Yes,” he said slowly. “It’s me.”

“I was wondering who I went home with,” Benny told him with a rueful laugh.

Helio stepped closer, still giving off the intense vibes from the night before. “You promised me a measure of your time,” he said. “You promised it many times over.”

“Yeah, cool.” Benny scratched at his bare chest. “Hey, we didn’t bang, did we?”

Helio stared at him for a long moment, then shook his head. “No.”

“Right on. I woke up naked, so…” Benny waved a hand.

Helio’s face sort of pinched up for a second. “You…insisted.”

“Yeah.” Benny laughed. “That sounds like me. Sorry if I got grabby or anything.”

“Benny.” Helio cleared his throat, then coughed, then cleared his throat again. “Do you know where you are?”

Benny looked around once more, feeling a little better now that his eyes had adjusted to the brightness. God, it was gorgeous. “This is your private island, right?” he guessed, proud of himself for remembering. “You were talking about it last night.”

“And you’re not…shocked?” Helio asked, looking at Benny like he was some sort of strange creature. Maybe he was, compared to someone as fancy as Helio. “Shocked to find yourself here? Perhaps…enraged? Overcome with despair?”

Benny shrugged. “I’m surprised, I guess. But I don’t drink that often. Guess I got a little wild.” He thought of something then. “You did invite me, right? I didn’t just, like, follow you here?”

Helio was still staring at him like he was the weirdest thing he’d ever seen. “I brought you here.”

“Cool.” Benny’s stomach grumbled then, and he rubbed it with one hand. “I’m starving. And a little hungover, to be honest.”

Helio seemed to collect himself, straightening his spine and letting up the intense staring a bit. Maybe he wasn’t a morning person. Although, it looked more like late afternoon. Benny must have slept half the day away. “The food here will take care of that.” Helio was suddenly holding a tray of really delicious-looking fruit—slices of bright melon and juicy red strawberries and some seriously fat grapes. “But I should warn you.” Helio’s voice deepened. “Once you take even a bite of f—”

Benny grabbed a grape and tossed it into his mouth, groaning at the burst of flavor. “Damn. That is some fresh fruit.”

He grabbed another handful of grapes, shoving a few more in his mouth, smacking his lips after chewing. “Man. Perks of having your own tropical island, I guess. Got any protein though?”

Helio was looking a little shocked, his mouth open and his eyes all wide and his brows up at his hairline. Was Benny being rude? “Did you want some?” he asked, holding out his hand.

Helio’s mouth stayed slack, so Benny just slipped a grape in there, smiling when Helio started chewing mechanically, staring at Benny like he had three heads again.

“Protein?” Benny asked once more. The fruit was tasty as hell, but his muscles really couldn’t survive off grapes alone.

Helio was still looking dazed—maybe he’d been drinking more than Benny had thought the night before—but then he was holding another tray, one with slices of ham and salami and some perfectly cooked bacon. Who knew where the trays were coming from—he must have, like, a personal chef on the island or something.

Benny grabbed four strips and began working through them. “Fank you,” he said through a full mouth. He was a guest here—he had to remember to be polite.

He chewed contentedly for a while, staring out at the water. He really was starting to feel better, courtesy of the sun on his skin and a little food in his belly. “So, um, how long is the invite for?”

“You remain until I release you,” Helio told him, his voice sounding kind of weird and flat.

“Oh.” The strange wording triggered something in Benny’s brain. He looked at Helio—really looked—and thought over all their interactions so far. He considered Helio’s otherworldly good looks, his strange way of speaking, his odd behavior this morning.

And suddenly, it all clicked.

Benny had it figured out.

Helio was lonely.

Of course he was. People were probably afraid to approach him, right? He was rich, successful, good-looking—lots of folks found that kind of thing intimidating.

So Helio was looking for company, and maybe he could only really relax where there weren’t a lot of people around. It was no skin off Benny’s nose. What he’d wanted for this vacation was sun and sandy beaches. The dancing had been super fun, but Benny had gotten his fill of that last night. And maybe he would have liked to get laid at some point, but…there was always the chance Helio would be interested in that eventually as well.

All Benny’s odd jobs at home were pretty flexible—none of them needed him immediately or anything like that. There was the plane ticket, but Helio was clearly rich. He’d pay for a replacement when it was time, right? If it came to that.

He might get sick of Benny in a day or two anyway. Most men who were initially interested in Benny seemed to want him to change eventually—wanted him to be less of a meathead or something.

But for now, this guy needed a friend, and Benny had always been friendly.

So Benny grinned his warmest, friendliest grin. “Cool, man. How about a swim?”

When Helio just stared some more, Benny figured he was feeling shy. That was fine. They’d get more comfortable with each other in time.