Page 93 of Joey

Joey slipped the ring onto Ethan’s finger and cupped his jaw. “I love you.”

Ethan kissed him, tasting of salty tears. “I love you. Forever and always.”

“Jeez. I’ll never be able to top that,” Beck said, rolling his eyes. “Couldn’t you have made the bar a little lower?”

Joey chuckled and took his seat again, sliding his arm around Ethan’s shoulder. “Only the best for Ethan. I’m sure when your time comes, you’ll figure out the best thing for you both.”

“Well, I was going to ask for dessert, but that was so sweet, I don’t think I need any more,” Christi said with a grin.

Ethan threw a napkin across the table at her. “Desserts are happening whether you eat it or not.”

When they’d finished, Dallas said, “Who wants to visit the nightclub with me?”

Most of them raised their hands; the others groaned but didn’t decline, so Joey paid the bill, and they headed down the street. Trust Dallas to have researched the best clubs on the island. Joey didn’t mind because his plan was to find a dark corner for him and Ethan and drive him insane without doing anything they shouldn’t.

While the music wasn’t to his tastes, the vibe within the club was pumping. It reminded him of some of the events he’d been to for premieres. Well, it reminded him of the after-parties. That thought took him back to memories of Elliott. Thoughts of him didn’t cause tearing pain any longer, but it still hurt that his best friend wasn’t there to celebrate with him. But Elliott was at peace now, and nothing could hurt him anymore. That was the one solace he’d found within the memories.

Beck bought a round of drinks for everyone, and they found a couple of booths near each other to use as a base. Dallas disappeared as soon as he put down his drink, and Joey didn’t expect to see him until it was time to go back to the villa. Finn settled into the far corner of the booth and pulled out his phone. Ani, Christi and Di had become fast friends over the past few months, and they headed off to the dance floor. Beck slid into the booth next to Kole and said something that made Kole laugh. Joey rested back, turning sideways so he could pull Ethan between his legs and have his back against Joey’s chest. Ethan snuggled into him, and Joey exhaled. As they watched the goings-on and joined in with the conversations around them, he played with Ethan’s ring, loving how it felt on him. He wasn’t averse to wearing one himself, but he didn’t want to presume that Ethan didn’t want to choose his own design for him. If not, Joey would just get identical to Ethan’s. He already had ideas for their wedding bands, but he would get Ethan’s input before then. He didn’t want a long engagement, but he’d be happy with whatever Ethan chose.

Joey palmed Ethan’s cock with his free hand, and he felt him inhale.

“Don’t make me come in here,” Ethan said.

Joey tightened his grip. “Sorry?”

Ethan peered at him from the corner of his eye. “Whatever you wish, Sir.”

“That’s more like it.”

He had no plans to make Ethan come in a club full of people, any of whom could be watching them at any time, but Ethan didn’t have to know that. It would keep him on edge enough to explode when they got back.

“Hey, Joey. Look at this,” Beck said, passing over a napkin.

Joey took it and glanced at it before taking a closer look, turning it more to the light. “What’s this?” The drawing was an intricate tribal-style design but in different-sized circles, making a mandala effect.

“Kole just drew it. We were talking, and he was just doodling on the napkin, and this is what he created.”

It was amazing. He stared at Kole. “I never knew you were an artist.”

Kole shook his head. “I’m not. I like drawing, but I’ve never done anything with it.”

“You should. This is amazing.” Kole ducked his head. “I’m being serious. Would you consider doing some designs for the shop? We’ll pay you for them.”

Kole waved his hands out in front of him. “You don’t have to pay. I’m happy to do it. Just tell me what you want, and I’ll see what I can do.”

“You do whatever you feel like doing and bring them in. I can guarantee, if they’re as good as this one, we’ll take them off your hands,” Beck said.

Ethan leaned forward. “This is great, Kole. Why have you never told me?”

Kole shrugged. “It’s not something I planned to do anything with. It’s not even that good. You’re biased.”

Ethan chuckled. “No, I’m not. These guys are artists. Even if you don’t believe me, believe the people who make a living from art.”

Joey could see Kole didn’t believe any of them, but he’d work on him. If nothing else, it would give Kole a second income in addition to his ghost tours. Maybe it might even entice him to move a little closer to Ethan because Ethan had mentioned that Kole had dropped a few hints about heading south to live. Whether it happened or not was another thing.

Elliott would’ve had no problem convincing Kole. He had been great at getting people to see his way of thinking and explaining why he thought it would work to their advantage. It was something even Denny had mentioned when they’d spoken once. Denny had told him that Elliott had convinced him to invest in something, and he’d not been wrong. To this day, the investment continued strong. Denny, on the other hand, hadn’t been doing as well. His manager had dropped him, and his band were in talks to see if they could salvage their business or if they were letting Denny go and going it alone. It sucked for him, but Denny didn’t care either way. He was already making a name for himself as a solo artist, so he didn’t need them and their negativity.

Ethan pushed back into his arms, and Joey held tighter. “Everything feels so right,” he said.

---