“What’re you looking for?” Aaren asked, toweling his hair.
Hades glanced at him and back at the walls, tucking his bath towel around his hips. “Just making sure things are ready,” he said mysteriously.
Aaren narrowed his eyes. “Something’s up.”
Hades gave a vague smile. “Maybe.”
“What is it?”
“You’ll know in time.” Hades stuck his head out of the bedroom door. Then he pulled his head back in and went to the dresser, way too close to where Aaren had stashed his special order panties.
I should do it now,Aaren decided.Before he ruins the surprise.
“Hades?” Aaren said.
“Sweetheart, I have something for you,” Hades said at the same time.
They stared at each other, surprised.
“You first,” Hades said like a true gentlemanly alpha.
Aaren’s heart began to pound. He shuffled off the bed, his belly heavy, and made his way to the dresser. He opened his drawer with a grunt and reached for the tissue-wrapped packages at the back. “Since we’re both naked, I bought us something to wear.”
The slightly larger package, he handed to Hades. His own, he easily unwrapped, pausing before the final reveal to wait for Hades to catch up.
Hades opened his, eyebrows rising at the lacy, pastel blue boxer-briefs.
“It has some support for your heavy balls,” Aaren said, cupping his hand and lifting it. Then he leaned against the dresser and carefully stepped into his own matching panties.
Hades’ smile turned warm and pleased. “Sweetheart,” he said slowly, the undergarment cradled in his strong hands. “I wasn’t expecting this. Thank you.”
Aaren beamed. “Well, you should put it on.”
“Before I do...” Hades reached for an unassuming flat panel, one that looked like a light switch. He flipped it on.
Suddenly the bedroom was filled with golden fairy lights.
Fairy lights.
They were all along the wall, around the bed and dresser, and even on the lampshades and picture frames. The wires were transparent; no wonder Aaren had missed them at first. Hades lowered the lamp brightness so only the fairy lights were on, turning everything so intimate between them.
Aaren’s eyes grew round. “Wow,” he breathed.
Hades lit up. “You like it?”
“Yeah! This is like magic!”
“Youare like magic,” Hades murmured, taking a step closer to Aaren, his gaze intent. “Ever since you stepped into my life, you’ve lit up my everything like a never-ending well of magic.”
“Well,you’rethe magical one. You showed up on my doorstep like a magic trick,” Aaren said. “Or like a hero in an ancient play.”
Hades laughed. “Or like someone who had tracked you through different states,” he said wryly. “And yet you never seemed to mind.”
Aaren shrugged. “Well, you were going to pay me a lot of money for food. I wasn’t going to say no.”
“My intentions were pure. I had sought you out for the food. But I liked what I found very much.”
Aaren beamed and tugged his lace panties around his hips. Hades gazed at him appreciatively, then slowly slid a leg into his lacy boxer-briefs.
