CHAPTER 48: THE KISS THAT TASTE LIKE OCEAN

Lucien floated lazily in the water, sitting atop a buoy that rocked gently with each passing wave.

The motion lulled him, almost like being cradled in a soft, endless sea.

The afternoon sun wasn’t harsh, warm enough to glow on his skin, but softened by the ocean breeze that carried the familiar salt and calm he’d always loved.

The sea had always been his companion. His villa stood right before it, his childhood spent splashing in its shallows long before he could even walk properly.

But as the years went by, life had pulled him further from it. Work, obligations, endless meetings and his old friend, the ocean, had become something he only admired from behind glass walls.

He sighed, pushing up his sunglasses to glance around.

"Where the hell did Adrian go?" he muttered.

It was supposed to be just the two of them today. Silas had declared he needed "me time," which Lucien initially thought was a coded excuse for some secret mission.

Turned out, Silas really meant he was holed up somewhere binge-reading novels he’d been putting off for months.

Adrian, on the other hand, had refused to stay cooped up in the mansion another minute. He’d dragged Lucien to the beach, grumbling that he’d rather die in the sun than rot indoors.

Lucien was about to close his eyes again when a sudden splash startled him.

"Argh! Cough, cough!"

Ben shot up from the water, gasping for air, his face flushed red like a freshly boiled crab.

"Se–Servei, help me! Adrian’s going to kill me!" He clung to the buoy as if it were his last hope.

Lucien raised a brow. Moments later, Adrian’s head burst out of the water, sending a spray in every direction.

"There you are, Ben! I told you we’d race to the coral reef!"

Ben’s eyes widened in horror. "It’s too far, My Lord! I’ll drown before I even get close!"

Lucien watched with an unimpressed look as the man paddled desperately.

"If you won’t play with me, who will?" Adrian huffed dramatically. "Silas is buried in books, and Lucien’s too weak to swim!"

"Hey! I’m not weak!" Lucien snapped back, splashing him with water.

"You’re just too damn energetic and fucking me whenever and wherever. If I actually tried, I’d beat you easily, especially since you’re just a spoiled city boy."

That man was like a dog in heat, honestly. And with Silas around, the two turned into rabbits; never stopping, never satisfied. Clinging to him 24 hours never want to let him go.

Lucien couldn’t imagine how worse they were when they are in rut.

They were relentless, nastier than Edmund at this point. At least Edmund had an actual job. Those two? Their job is him.

"If you keep screwing me like that, I will get pregnant, and Edmund will skin you alive!" he barked, splashing him again for good measure.

Adrian only laughed, resting his head lazily on the buoy. "You’re too sexy to leave alone, that’s your own fault," he said, voice low and teasing.

His eyes glinted with mischief. "Besides, Young Master would be thrilled if you got pregnant. He’s been dying to baby-trap you. He wouldn’t even realize until nine months later that it wasn’t his kid."

Lucien stared at him, unimpressed. "Wow. You’re wicked."

He shifted the buoy sharply, making Adrian lose his grip and stumble a bit in the water.

"And here I thought you were a cute little puppy, turns out you’re more like a wolf. You realize how much trouble you’d be in if I told Edmund about your little plan?"

Adrian just grinned and caught Lucien’s ankle under the water, lifting his wet fingers to his mouth with deliberate slowness. His gaze didn’t waver.

"Go ahead and tell him. He’ll be the one in trouble, not me."

Something in his tone sent a tiny thrill down Lucien’s spine. Dangerous. Unmistakably so. But instead of shrinking away, he smirked.

"Tempting," he said. "But I think I’d rather watch him fall first and then I’ll deal with you and Silas."

Adrian chuckled softly, gaze sliding down Lucien’s body like a touch.

"Oh, I love that sass," he purred. "Makes me want to fuck you right here. The buoy will keep us up, won’t even have to move much."

Lucien’s breath caught for a heartbeat before he masked it with a smirk. Alphas were all the same. Greedy, restless, hungry for what they couldn’t have.

And he loved watching them crumble at his feet, desperate and wild.

"Not if I drown you first."

He kicked him squarely in the face.

Adrian surfaced with a grin, unfazed. "Then let’s drown together."

He grabbed the buoy and twisted it sharply, sending Lucien tumbling into the deep water below.

The sea swallowed his curse before he could throw it back.

Cold rushed past his ears as bubbles shimmered upward, his body twisting in the current.

For a moment, Lucien thought he had lost his balance until Adrian’s hands caught him.

He glared at him and struggled to pull away, but the man only tightened his hold, drawing him even closer.

Adrian was handsome, with silver hair that drifted like silk in the water and eyes as blue as the ocean surrounding them.

Yet that beauty carried danger, and before Lucien could react, Adrian’s lips were already on his.

The kiss tasted of salt and the wild sea, heavy and intoxicating. Adrian bit his lower lip, forcing his mouth open before sliding his tongue inside, stealing what little breath he had left.

The sting of seawater burned his throat, and bubbles escaped from between their mouths as the alpha pushed him deeper toward the ocean floor.

Lucien fought back, twisting and kicking, but Adrian only smirked as if thrilled by his helplessness.

His tongue brushed against Lucien’s teeth, tasting him, while one hand slid down and gripped his ass hard enough to make him gasp.

Lucien tried to kick him, but Adrian caught his thigh instead and pulled him against his hips, pressing their bodies together, his cock was hard as he pressed and brushed against his.

’This man is insane,’ Lucien thought, trying to push free, but every effort was useless.

Adrian was stronger, heavier, his control absolute, as if he wanted to send a message:

’You’ll never win against me. Even if you reach the sky, I’ll always be stronger.’

The thought ignited a fury in him that burned hotter than his fear. He bit Adrian’s lip sharply and slammed his forehead against his, breaking the alpha’s focus just enough to escape.

Lucien kicked hard toward the surface, bursting through the waves and gasping for air as sunlight hit his face.

"You asshole! Psycho!" he shouted when Adrian emerged beside him.

The alpha only laughed. "What? You said you could beat me in a swimming race, but you can’t even hold your breath?"

Lucien glared, still panting. "Oh, really? Then let’s race to that coral reef. If I win, you let me go into town. Deal?"

Adrian’s grin turned sly. "Deal. But if I win, I’m going to fuck you right here on this beach."

He swam closer and whispered, "In front of your sweet friend Ben or maybe the whole mansion staff. How about that?"