Chapter 26
The elevator ride to the Paris suite was filled with soft laughter, wine-loosened smiles, and the kind of ease that only came after a night that mattered.
Jamie kicked off his shoes the second they stepped inside and flopped onto the couch, still grinning. “Okay, admit it. That mousse changed my life.”
“I’d marry that mousse,” Blake said, tossing his jacket aside. “Then divorce it for the crème brûlée.”
Jamie laughed. “You’re such a dessert flirt.”
Blake moved toward the window – but didn’t stay there. There was a restless energy in him now.
“I’m too wound up to sleep.”
Jamie tilted his head. “Wine not strong enough?”
Blake looked at him.
“I think it was the company.”
Oh.
Jamie swallowed.
“Come swimming,” Blake added.
Jamie blinked. “Now?”
“Indoor pool’s open all night.” A pause. “And I feel like breaking some rules.”
Jamie crossed his arms. “You just want me out of my clothes.”
Blake lifted his hands in mock innocence. “Didn’t even cross my mind.”
Jamie snorted. “Liar.”
But five minutes later…
they were in soft hotel robes, bare feet quiet against the hallway floor, hearts already a little too fast for something that was supposed to be casual.
The pool was empty.
Still.
Lit from below, water shimmering like glass. Warm air, soft light, the kind of quiet that felt… private.
Like the world had stepped back.
Jamie dropped his robe.
Blake noticed.
Jamie noticed him noticing.
Okay. This is happening.
They slipped into the water.
Cool. Smooth. Closing around them.
For a moment, they just floated.
Close.
Not touching.
Jamie dove first, slicing cleanly across the pool.
Blake followed with a splash, less graceful, more determined.
“I didn’t know you could actually swim,” Blake called.
Jamie smirked. “What, you thought I was all style?”
Blake’s gaze lingered. “I’ve definitely noticed the style.”
Jamie rolled his eyes. “Race you.”
“You’re on.”
They took off like kids.
Kicking. Laughing. Water breaking around them.
Jamie reached the far edge first.
Barely.
He surfaced, breathless, chest rising and falling, hair pushed back, grin wide.
Blake reached him a second later.
Close.
Very close.
Water lapping quietly between them.
“You just won,” Blake said, voice lower now, “a celebration kiss.”
Jamie’s breath hitched. “That’s a thing?”
Blake stepped closer.
“It is now.”
A beat.
The world narrowed.
Water. Breath. Him.
“May I?” Blake asked softly.
Jamie nodded.
Yes.
The kiss started gentle.
Careful.
Like they both knew this moment mattered too much to rush.
A question.
An answer.
Then it deepened.
Hands found their place – Jamie in Blake’s hair, Blake steady at his waist, pulling him just a fraction closer.
Water shifted around them as their bodies aligned.
Jamie let out a soft breath against Blake’s mouth…
and Blake leaned in, sure now, certain, like he’d been holding back for far too long.
Jamie held on.
Not just to him – but to the moment.
To the feeling.
To this.
Because it wasn’t a maybe anymore.
It was a yes.
When they finally pulled apart, it wasn’t because they wanted to.
Just because they had to breathe.
Jamie rested his forehead against Blake’s, eyes still closed, lips warm, heart racing.
“Wow,” he whispered.
Blake let out a quiet laugh, just as breathless.
“Yeah.”
A pause.
“Wow.”
They stayed there.
Close.
Still.
The world reduced to soft light, quiet water, and the space between them that wasn’t space anymore.
And for once…
neither of them pulled away.