STORY EXCERPT

Shiloh waited as the men turned around and almost backed away. They looked like they would rather be anywhere else doing anything else than talking to the two of them in that moment. He was the type of person that didn’t like to bother others when he could help it. Lucky for him, however, Callum didn’t have any such qualms.

“We need to speak with you,” Shiloh said.

Matteo arched one brow and crossed his arms. He was completely different from the man they saw surfing so elegantly on the water.

“No siempre podemos tener lo que queremos,” Matteo muttered.

“What?” Shiloh asked, confused, as he approached the pair. “I’m sorry, I don’t speak Spanish. We just want to talk to you for a second.”

“Yes, you said that already, but you see, I don’t want to speak to you.”

He turned to leave, but Callum caught his arm and spun him around. “It’s important.”

The man smacked his hand away from his arm. “Don’t touch me,” he practically snarled, and Shiloh shivered. What the hell? He stared at the man, mesmerized as sweat ran down his perfectly sculpted chest and abs. He clenched his fists, forcing himself to pay attention. What the hell was wrong with him? He had never looked at another man like this before aside from Callum. “I don’t care about your problems, alright? Just leave me alone.”

He glared at them before turning away again, and Callum didn’t stop him this time. They watched their backs get smaller, and Shiloh felt like he was losing something important to him. He didn’t understand why, but he knew that if those two disappeared, they would never see them again. He had to stop them from leaving no matter what.

“It’s about the prophecy!” he yelled.

Callum glanced at him with wide eyes, and Shiloh knew what he was saying. He honestly had no idea why he had yelled that. It was like someone forced its way into his mind and put the words there. It was almost the same feeling as when he’d looked into the fountain of wisdom during the affinity ceremony.

The words did their job, however, and Matteo stopped walking. He didn’t turn around though. It was like he was waiting for more, a stronger reason to listen to what he had to say. The force, or whatever had told him what to say before, didn’t fail him, and more words appeared in his mind.

“The circle shall reunite before the dark shatters it into nothingness.” He recognized the words from a part of the prophecy he’d spoken before, only this time, something different was added onto the end. “The water shall come forth and speak the truth.”

Callum’s eyes got even wider, and Shiloh didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know what the words meant, but obviously Matteo did because he turned and stared at him like he’d revealed some deep shocking secret about the man. He almost looked offended but was struggling between that and hope. It was definitely a strange combination of emotions written on his face.

Matteo’s manager, who hadn’t realized he’d stopped walking, was now several paces ahead of him. It finally registered that his charge was no longer beside him, and he turned to figure out what was going on. He called the man’s name, but Matteo was too busy having some sort of internal debate with himself.

“What was that all about?” Callum whispered while they waited.

Shrugging, Shiloh didn’t take his eyes off of Matteo. “I have no idea. It just came to me. I think it was the prophecy’s way of helping out.”

“Could you maybe tell the prophecy to give a little warning next time? You sounded like you were possessed or something.”

He did? That was news to him. He thought he’d sounded normal, but he guessed it was possible. It was the same thing that happened at the ceremony. The people that were watching said it sounded like someone was talking through him, not that he was the one actually speaking. It was a little creepy, but he didn’t have time to think about it right then, because Matteo was walking back towards them.

“Why did you say that?” he asked with a frown. “What do you know about the water?”

Shiloh froze. Did he tell the man the truth or did he make something up? While the truth probably wasn’t what he wanted to hear, a lie didn’t seem like it would be a good idea. In fact, it would probably lead to him leaving again. And of course the magical words weren’t going to help him out this time.

“Can we talk somewhere private?” Callum asked instead.

Matteo shook his head, standing his ground. “Not until he tells me what he meant about the water speaking the truth.”

Shiloh sighed and tugged on the end of his braid, wishing more than anything to get out of the sun. “I don’t know.”

Matteo’s face turned dark. “What do you mean, you don’t know?”

“I mean I don’t know. The words just appeared in my head, and I said them. I don’t know where they come from or what they mean. I’m compelled to say them, and it’s easier to just do what it wants than to fight it. The last time I tried ignoring it, I ended up electrocuting my brain.” Okay, so that wasn’t exactly what happened, but it was close enough.

“They appear, as in present tense. Do you hear them often? What do they sound like?” he asked.

“You believe me?” Shiloh asked. Honestly, he hadn’t expected Matteo to even listen, let alone actually go along with him.

ADULT EXCERPT

Rolling his eyes, Shiloh leaned forward and placed a kiss on his lower lip he had stuck out. Callum took advantage of his closeness and wrapped a hand around the back of his head, holding their mouths together. It felt like it had been days since he last tasted his lover’s mouth, and that was all he could think about in that moment. It didn’t matter that they currently had an audience. Apparently it did to Shiloh though, because he pushed him away with a pointed look at the man.

“Sorry,” he said. “I couldn’t help myself. You’re just too tempting for your own good.”

“You don’t have to stop on my account,” Matteo half chuckled, half groaned.

From the nice tent beneath his towel, he was clearly thinking about more than watching at that moment, but Callum separated them and closed his eyes. He needed to get his head on straight before they took things too far and couldn’t go back.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to tease you both like that. Before we do anything too… serious, we need to know what your decision is, Matteo. If you agree with us, that means you have to be with us. You don’t get our bodies without our minds. That was something we decided a long time ago. We aren’t the type of people who have one-night stands. However, that also means that if you agree to that, you are agreeing to take your place in the prophecy. It took me long enough to get Shiloh to understand its importance and take it seriously, I won’t spend my time trying to bring you to our side as well.”

Matteo’s eyes widened at the words, but Callum was grateful when Shiloh didn’t argue with him. He was slightly worried that his lover would either be angry with him for basically saying that they both agreed to be with the man without his input, but he was also worried he would say something like he actually wasn’t going to be a part of the prophecy. He’d fought his role most of the time, but at least he wasn’t fully saying no anymore.

“I understand. It looks like I have some thinking to do. I think it’s probably best if I go back to my hotel for now.” Matteo raised a hand, stopping Callum from protesting. “I know what you said about my safety, but I can take care of myself. If it makes you feel better, I will leave my phone number so you can check on me, and I promise that I won’t leave town. I still have to finish the competition after all, and I didn’t come here to lose, and I definitely didn’t come here to forfeit.”

Shiloh put a hand on Callum’s arm to stop him from arguing with the man. He was right, it probably wouldn’t do them any good to argue at that point anyone. The only thing it would serve would be to drive him away and make it harder for him to decide what to do later on.

“Very well. We will respect your wishes, just please be careful. The people that are after us don’t care who gets hurt in the process. Watch out for anyone you think is acting suspicious, and if you feel the need to at all, be sure to give us a call.”

Matteo nodded, and the two men exchanged phone numbers before he left. He couldn’t believe how things turned out. When he’d agreed to bring Shiloh with him on this assignment, he never thought they would end up falling for the same man, let alone agreeing to see where things might go with him. He was glad, however, that he’d managed to keep his head on straight. Now, if they could just get him to agree to come with them.

“So, what do we do now?” Shiloh asked.

Callum looked at the man and smirked. Ever since Matteo had walked out of the bathroom in that towel, he’d been rock hard. He had a feeling that Shiloh was in a similar situation as well, and he knew exactly how to handle that. Reaching down, he slipped his fingers under the waistband of Shiloh’s swim trunks. He never knew how much he loved them until he saw how they cupped his man’s ass perfectly.

“I have a few ideas.” He grinned, yanking the shorts down until his cock bounced out of the top and slapped against his perfect abs. Matteo might have had more sculpted, chiseled muscles, but Shiloh was toned in all the right places.

Shiloh returned his grin, and he lifted his hips so the shorts could be slipped down his legs where they landed in a pile on the floor before he pulled his shirt off over his head. Gloriously naked, Shiloh moved to straddle his legs, and grounded himself against Callum’s now throbbing length.

Groaning, Callum yanked his head down and smashed their lips together. He pushed his tongue inside when the man gasped and deepened this kiss until they were both gasping for air. He was so turned on, all he could think about was getting into this man’s ass. He was desperate and needy.

“It’s going to be fast, I can’t wait any longer,” Callum growled.

Shiloh nodded, clearly on the same page. “I’m ready. Just do it.”

Callum found the bottle of lube from his bag and popped the cap off. Quickly pouring some onto his fingers, he made quick work preparing Shiloh’s entrance for his cock. He hadn’t been lying about it being quick, but he needn’t have worried because Shiloh was just as keyed up. His body buzzed with pent up energy, and as soon as Callum thrust inside, he flew over the edge.