22. Austin

CHAPTER 22

AUSTIN

Greer was quiet as he drove us away from his house. Reaching over, I placed my hand on his right thigh. Without taking his eyes off the road, he immediately switched hands on the steering wheel and covered mine with his.

I looked at where our fingers were intertwined. "It just dawned on me this is how we're going to spend the rest of our lives."

He smiled. "Running from my sister?"

"No. She's gonna fall in love with me, just like you did."

"That would require we stay longer at the house. But I wasn't in the mood for her bullshit to ruin our day. But I agree. She'll love you at some point."

I looked out the window at the passing countryside as we made our way to the national forest where we were hiking today. The volcano was visible in the distance, even though it had a ring of clouds around it. "You aren't planning to hike all the way up to the top, are you? I mean, we could, and I'm all for exercise, but there are better ways to burn off the tension."

Greer's face relaxed where he'd been clenching his jaw. "Are you trying to seduce me, Mr. Wentworth?"

"That's soon to be Mr. Wentworth-Rowan to you."

His laughter lit me up inside and I wanted nothing more than to make him do that every minute of every day. "I can't believe we're really going to do this. It's like a goddamn dream."

I squeezed his hand. "Yes, we're doing this. You already said yes."

"I have no intention of backing out. None whatsoever."

"Good," I said, looking out the front window, "because I want to do it as soon as possible."

Greer's head whipped toward me before going back to the road. "Are you serious? What do you mean by as soon as possible?"

I grinned and looked at him. "Today. How about today? Why wait?"

"I'm pretty sure we can't do that legally in a day, babe. It would take some real planning."

I brought his hand to mine and kissed it. "We can do legal at home. But can you think of any other place more beautiful to start our life together? This would be for us. Only you and me. Fuck the rest of the world."

Greer pulled over to the side of the road under a dense canopy of trees. I released his hand so he could put the car in park. Turning to me, he reached for my hand. "Are you sure about all this? A life with you has always been a dream, and I'm terrified you're going to change your mind."

"Do you have any doubts about me?"

He shook his head. "No. But you're so much younger..."

"Let me stop you there, Mr. Rowan. Are you listening? Because I need you to hear me when I say I love you and have loved you most of my life."

"But you despised me less than seventy-two hours ago, Austin. You stood in my office and told me I was insufferable and that you more or less hated me. Can you not see how I might be concerned about your sudden change of heart?"

"I do," I admitted. "But there is a fine line between love and hate, and that was the hurt talking. In all this time, I've never been able to forget about you. No matter how much I've tried. You're just going to have to accept that I love you and there's nothing I want more than you."

Greer looked down and squeezed my hand, seemingly getting on board with the idea. "I'm not used to getting what I want in my personal life. I've lost more than I've ever gained, so it might take me some time to get my feet on the ground."

I smiled. "I can be patient, Greer. I don't like to be, but I can."

"Good. There are also some things I want to share with you about the last fourteen years, but not here in the car. There's a perfect spot at the resort we're going to, and if you're still gung-ho about getting married today, I'll see what I can work out. It may not be legal, but that's something we can do in the States."

I grabbed him by the face and pulled him to me. My lips met his, and everything in the world disappeared around us. I didn't care where we were as long as we were together.

Breaking the kiss, I leaned my forehead against his. "You've made me into a sappy, lovesick fool for you, Mr. Rowan. I'm finding it very difficult to scowl or frown or complain about anything."

Greer kissed me quickly. "Then I guess we better get going so you can keep that shit up."

I snorted. "I have no problem staying up around you."

We laughed as he pulled out onto the road to make the thirty-minute drive to the base of the mountain.

The jungle was dense in places as we enjoyed the morning drive to La Fortuna. The sky was overcast, shrouding the top of the mountain in thick clouds.

"That's called a cloud forest," he pointed out. "There's 100% humidity up there and does wonders for my hair."

I chuckled, looking at his thick, silver locks. I ran my fingers through his hair. "I bet. You've been up there?"

Greer leaned into my touch. "Yes, with a guide. It's been a while, but well worth it to see the jungle wildlife. It's spectacular."

When we drove up the road at the base of the mountain, the resort came into view. Modern construction, from what was sure to be teakwood, greeted us. The plush natural landscape was breathtaking. "Hot springs?"

He nodded. "Yes. The resort was built around one of the rivers that flows down from the mountain. We're going to hike to the waterfall, then relax in one of the many heated springs. You're going to love it."

I leaned over and kissed him. "I already do."

We grabbed our bags from the backseat and walked up through the front doors.

"Do we have a reservation?" I asked as we headed toward the desk.

"No, but I think they can probably fit us in. Why don't you look around why I check the availability?"

Nodding, I walked over to the windows overlooking the rainforest. Even closer now, the volcano rose into the sky, but the summit still wasn't visible.

"Welcome. Can I offer you a lemongrass lemonade while you wait, se?or?"

I turned to find a hotel employee holding a tray of highball glasses with said lemonade. "Thank you," I replied, and took a sip. The distinct flavor was both refreshing and delicious.

Before he could walk away, I looked over my shoulder to check on Greer. "Does the resort handle weddings?"

The man smiled. "Yes, we do. I can get you the event planner if you'd like."

"I'm not looking for a big event, more of an intimate ceremony for two." Glancing over my shoulder, I found Greer in a conversation with the desk attendant.

"Do you see that man checking us in? That's my fiancé of three hours. I'd like to marry him tonight, if possible. As a surprise."

The young man chuckled as his eyes went wide. "I need to get you the event planner. MariaJose will know how to help."

"Thank you. The reservation will be under Rowan." I reached into my pocket and pulled out my wallet. I handed him my EHM Security business card and a twenty-dollar tip. "She can reach me at that number."

He smiled. "Yes, se?or. I'll make sure she gets it."

He walked away as Greer approached me with a gray bracelet in hand. Placing his hand on the small of my back, he handed it to me. "Here's the room key. This is our lucky day. They had a last-minute cancellation, so we got the suite for the night."

After securing the rubber bracelet on my wrist, I slung my arm over his shoulder as he led me out the door to where a golf cart waited.

Climbing into the back, I wrapped my arm around him as the driver took us to our suite overlooking the jungle. Greer leaned into me as we both took in the trees, teeming with wildlife. The faint, soothing sound of the water cascading over rocks became more prominent the closer we got to our destination.

When the driver stopped, he pointed us to the entrance and left us to make our way inside. "Enjoy your stay, gentlemen."

I reached into my pocket and pulled out another twenty-dollar bill to tip the driver before we climbed out.

"Let's get changed, then go for a hike. I want to show you the waterfall."

We entered our large room, which overlooked the hot springs and the volcano. As we walked in, the four-poster bed drew my attention. It resembled Greer's bed at the house, but was incredibly intimate in the space.

As I watched Greer walk out onto the balcony, a desperate need to take him apart in that bed rose within me. I pressed down on my cock, but it was no use. All I wanted to do was stay there with him.

We were making up for lost time.

I dropped my bag in the chair and walked up behind him. I slipped my hands around his waist and pulled his body into mine. I was hard, and I'm sure he could feel it pressed against him.

Greer hummed, and I reached down to palm his equally hard shaft. I kissed his neck as he pushed back into me. "I need you," I whispered against his skin.

"And I need you," he replied, lifting my questing hand away from him. "But maybe not on the balcony."

I tightened my hold on him. "Why not? I can get you off right here while you hold on to the balcony. Slowly pull you off while standing out here." I kissed his neck as my hand went to the button on his pants. He didn't stop me, so I unzipped his shorts, then ran my hand down from the prominent V of his lower abdominals, through his pubic hair, until finally smearing his pre-cum on my palm to use as lube.

"Oh fuck," he moaned as I stroked him slowly from root to tip.

"Take off your shirt," I murmured, stepping back enough to let him take it off, but not letting go of his cock. I reached back one-handed and pulled my shirt over my head. With both shirts gone, I snaked my left arm around his waist as I continued to work him with my right. My mouth latched onto the skin at the base of his neck as I sucked while I stroked him.

"Baby, oh fuck," he whined, as I stoked him a little faster. Gripping the railing, he thrust into my hand as his head fell back against my shoulder. Greer's breathing sped up and became more erratic. Lost in the pleasure, he no longer cared we were out on the balcony. As hot as this was, I couldn't let it end this way.

Right before he was about to climax, I withdrew my hand and turned him around.

"What the fuck?" he growled.

I leaned in and yanked down his shorts before he could say anymore. Dropping to my knees before him, I looked up into his eyes. "I want to taste my husband-to-be before I marry you."

Greer grabbed the railing again as I took him to the back of my throat. His left hand found my hair as he lost himself, thrusting into my mouth. The sight of my beautiful man losing himself in the pleasure had me teetering on the edge of release.

"Austin," he breathed out as the first spurt of his release hit my tongue, sending me over the edge as he came in my mouth. I greedily swallowed down every drop of him, sucking gently until he pushed me away.

I sat back on my haunches, then moved to lie down on the floor. I held out my hand to him, and when he took it, I tugged him down on top of me.

"I need to get you off," he panted as he settled on my chest.

"You already did. I came like a motherfucker when the first burst hit my tongue."

Greer kissed me hard, moaning at the taste of himself on my tongue. Ravenous, he licked inside my mouth like he couldn't get enough.

My hands slipped down into his shorts to grip his ass before finding his hole. I rubbed and circled the tight muscles as he pushed back on my finger.

This was not how I wanted to introduce him to our new sex life, so I pulled my hand away, much to his discontent.

"Fucking hell, you're a tease," he panted against my mouth, staring at me with lust drunk eyes. He extended his arms, rising above me on all fours.

I grinned and kissed the tip of his nose. "We can do this better later. I want to take my time with you, not just get you off. I want to make sure you know every time I touch you, it's because I love you, not because we need a release. And I want you to feel it in your heart that marrying me was the best decision you ever made."

Greer stared down at me with the eyes I adored. "Who knew you were a fucking romantic?"

I smiled. "No one. Because they weren't you."