Rewind Boxed Set

by Rowan Shaw

  "You do realize it won't be him cooking us lunch, right?"

  He let out a small laugh. "I was thinking we could have a picnic, actually."

  "Yeah?"

  "Yeah."

  "Sure."

  In spite of my reply, his smile froze, then dropped.

  "What's wrong?" I signed, stroking his cheek.

  "It's just...you know how they have those tours you can listen to, right? With those small speakers? Those don't work for me. I mean, I could press 'scan' on my processor to drown out the surrounding sounds and hold the speaker against my ear, I guess."

  He didn't seem too convinced.

  "They also have guided tours," he added, "but with everyone around, I don't always hear what the guide is saying, and the guide never signs."

  "The guided tours are only in the afternoon anyway."

  "How do you know that?" he asked.

  "I looked up the information before we left the apartment."

  "Oh, so that's what you were doing on your phone during breakfast?"

  "If we take the tour, we'll be leaving the castle before 2 P.M. to take the bus for Fontainebleau next." I grabbed Enzo's hand and kissed his knuckles. "I'll take a speaker for myself, and I'll sign for you. How about that?"

  He shook his head. "That's not practical."

  "How is that not practical? It's really convenient, actually."

  He bit his lower lip. "You're sure you don't mind?"

  "Why would I mind?"

  He shrugged. "I don't know."

  Yeah, well, I knew exactly what he was thinking. I was ready to bet Enzo's unease had to do with his douche ex. I couldn't imagine Cyrille wanting to help him enjoy a tour like this.

  I cupped both Enzo's cheeks and mouthed, "I want you to have a good time. Okay? It'll be fun. You know I love signing with you."

  He gave me a genuine grin this time. "Okay then."

  I kissed his forehead and took his hand in mine. For once, he didn't show reluctance or unease upon my public touch.

  "We need food for the picnic. I hope it doesn't rain," he signed with one hand.

  "It'll be fine. The forecast sounded good."

  We picked up some paninis and two small strawberry pies for our picnic. I tried to explain to Enzo that our paninis would be cold by the time we ate lunch, but he insisted.

  We got lucky enough to reach the travel agency before the bus left, so we could land two tickets for the tour. Once settled in our seats, we waited for the bus to start.

  "Do you think it's true Nicolas Fouquet was the Iron Mask?" Enzo asked about the previous owner of Vaux-le-Vicomte.

  I shrugged. There was a rumor going around that he was the Iron Mask, but that was all rubbish.

  "Who knows? Whoever the Iron Mask was, I pity the poor guy. Can you imagine wearing that damn thing over your face all the time?"

  "Ugh." Enzo made a face that made me laugh while he fidgeted in his seat. "You know what I think of Louis XIV anyway. Arresting Nicolas Fouquet was just another one of his narcissistic exactions."

  I laughed harder. Yes, I sure knew Enzo disliked Louis XIV—hated him, even.

  "The proletariat in you is showing," I joked.

  "Vive la révolution!" he exclaimed even though that wasn't the same time period. Then he smiled proudly at me and pressed his head against my shoulder, letting out a yawn. "I'm tired."

  He settled against me to sleep, but I couldn't close my eyes. Spending time with Enzo felt too good. I knew all too well what it was like to do without. I didn't want to miss a second of being with him.

  When we arrived at the castle about an hour later, I stirred him awake.

  He wrinkled his nose when he realized he had slobbered on my shirt. "Ugh, sorry." He tried to wipe away the saliva but only managed to spread it around. "Yikes."

  "Don't worry about it," I signed in a laugh and looked at my watch. "We don't have much time for this visit."

  He stood quickly. "Let's hurry, then."

  Chapter 56

  ENZO

  The place was gorgeous. It was nothing compared to Versailles, which I had visited once as a kid, but it was magnificent. Florian signed the entire time and explained everything in detail. I never failed to marvel at how well he mastered the language. He made mistakes sometimes, which always gave us a good laugh, but overall, he was doing great.

  "It's twelve already," I signed when I looked at my watch. The tour had taken longer than expected. "We haven't even seen the kitchen yet."

  Florian creased his eyes. "Or the gardens."

  I winced.

  "Tell you what," he signed back. "How about we go see the kitchen now? Then if we have time, we can go to the gardens. We can eat our meal on the bus."

  "I was kind of hoping to eat by the Grand Bassin."

  Florian kissed my cheek. "You need to choose. We don't have enough time."

  "I wanted to stop by the souvenir shop. I'm sure they have awesome books."

  Florian chuckled. "God forbid we should forget to buy books!"

  I pursed my lips at his teasing and stared pointedly.

  "Fine," he relented. "Let's head to the kitchen, then the souvenir store, then, if we have time, the gardens." He grabbed my hand to lead me out of the room, and we headed toward the basement where we could visit the cellar and Vatel's kitchen.

  The place was everything I had hoped for, large and extravagant, with copper pans everywhere. Florian didn't have time to give me a detailed tour, but that was fine.

  We stopped at the store next, where I picked up books about the castle. I was going to get some about Nicolas Fouquet and the Iron Mask as well, but I didn't want to carry them around all day, so I settled for two books only. There was no time to visit the gardens after that. Florian and I headed toward the front gate, where we had to wait for the bus.

  "The bus isn't here," I signed. "We could have gone to the Grand Bassin."

  Florian shook his head and signed back, "You saw the view from the dome. The Bassin is pretty far down the garden. It's okay if we have to wait. I don't wanna have to take a taxi back."

  "They have a train station, too. It wouldn't be so bad."

  He kissed my temple and wrapped his arm around my waist. "Maybe, but I want to see Fontainebleau."

  "Oh okay." I knew Florian was more interested in Fontainebleau than Vaux-le-Vicomte. It was his turn to enjoy the trip. When I smiled at him and kissed his cheek, someone squealed behind us, "Oh my God, they are so cute!"

  Florian and I didn't pay attention until someone tapped on our shoulders. We turned around to face a group of four young women staring at us. Florian cast me a quick look from the corner of his eye.

  "May I help you?" he asked.

  "I just wanted to tell you how cute you two are," one of them said.

  Florian scrunched his forehead. "Uh, thanks, I guess."

  "My cousin is gay, too," another one said.

  In my peripheral vision, I saw Florian run his tongue over his teeth. "Good for him!"

  "Maybe you know him. His name is Gabriel."

  Florian stared for a second, then he looked at the ground before sucking on his teeth. I could tell he was trying hard not to laugh. That this woman thought we knew her cousin just because he was gay was simply ludicrous.

  "He lives in the Marais."

  "We come from Lorraine, actually," I replied because Florian seemed ready to burst.

  "Oh, you're visiting, then?"

  "Yes, we came to see a friend. He lives in the fourteenth arrondissement."

  "Really? What's his name? Is he gay too? Maybe he knows my cousin," she babbled so fast, I hardly understood her.

  "I'm not gay, actually," Florian corrected her. "And I doubt our friend knows your cousin."

  The woman and her friends stared at him like he had three eyes. "Oh, but I thought you two were a couple."

  "We are," he replied.

  "So how are you not gay?"

  Florian bit hard on his lips. "There are other options t
oo..."

  She furrowed her brow, not understanding what he meant. Florian didn't seem surprised. In most circles, he was either gay or straight. There was no in between.

  "Erased again," he signed at me and pursed his lips.

  "Not her fault she doesn't know," I signed back. "You failed to explain what the B stands for in LGBT."

  "You can sign too?" she exclaimed before her eyes geared toward my ear. "Oh, I didn't realize. I'm sorry. I didn't know you were hard of hearing."

  "I'm deaf, actually," I replied.

  "Oh really? How come you can talk?"

  The bus arrived before she could keep commenting so rudely. I could tell Florian was tensing by my side. He and I got in as quickly as possible. Sadly, their group sat across the aisle from us. They kept staring at us, giggling among themselves.

  "They're really cute," one of them said. "What do you think he meant when he said he's not gay?"

  She seemed to believe I couldn't hear her well enough. If the bus were moving, I probably wouldn't have been able to, but we were still waiting for the driver to come back from wherever he had gone off to.

  "I don't know, but he's hot."

  "I prefer the one with the brown hair."

  "Yes, he's really cute too. Where do you think he got that scar?"

  "Do we really have to sit here?" I signed at Florian pleadingly.

  "All the other seats are taken."

  "They keep staring at us. It's so annoying."

  His lips rose on one side. "I thought you didn't mind people staring."

  "I don't, but this is creeping me out."

  Florian let out a chuckle. "They want a show. Let's give them one."

  Before I could react, he slipped his hand through the hair at the nape of my neck and pulled me into a kiss. It wasn't just a peck either. He massaged my tongue with his, exploring my mouth. He only let go when we ran out of breath. Then he pressed his forehead against mine for a long time before he pulled away and mouthed, "I love you."

  "I love you too," I signed with a smile.

  We looked in each other's eyes a bit longer before the driver came back and started the engine. The women next to us were still gaping. When I gave them a look, they finally gazed away. They left us alone after that, and Florian pulled our paninis out of my backpack. When he handed me mine and I took a bite, I let out a tiny laugh.

  "It's cold."

  "I told you we should have bought some sandwiches. You could have taken tomato and mozzarella."

  I didn't reply, but I hated mozzarella. It had no taste. I shrugged and took another bite of my cold panini.

  "It's still good," I assured him around a mouthful when I caught him staring.

  Chapter 57

  FLORIAN

  "I want to feel you," I panted against Enzo's lips back in Raphaël's room. Though I was tired from visiting the castles, I wanted him too much to rest.

  Before he could reply, I kissed him deeply, seeking his tongue. I was so aroused, I wanted to fuck him hard, and I wanted to fuck him raw. But the call was his. I wouldn't do anything to make him uncomfortable.

  I kissed him until he moaned against my tongue, then grabbed the front of his shirt and pushed him on the bed, where he fell in a soft chuckle. I didn't give him much time to move before I straddled his thighs and kissed him again. His mouth was soft, his breath smelling of spearmint gum when I grazed my tongue between his lips. He didn't try to take control when I pulled his shirt up and yanked it off before tossing it on the floor and kissing him again.

  He was rock-hard against my thigh, ready to burst just as I was. I undid the buttons of his pants and never broke the kiss as he raised his ass to slip out of his underwear. I traced a line of kisses from his lips to his jaw, then down his throat, feeling his vibrations against my mouth when he groaned. I rained more kisses down his torso and stopped just long enough to tease his right nipple with my teeth before running my tongue down the length of his flat stomach all the way to his happy trail.

  I pushed his knees back to expose his ass before feasting on his hole. His moans were melodies to my ears, turning me on so badly, I wasn't sure how long I could play this game without busting my load. Pushing my tongue inside him, I tasted him, making him clutch the sheets and move his hips to meet me every time.

  "Don't stop, please," he croaked.

  I did as he asked and grabbed his shaft at the same time.

  "Oh mon Dieu!" he exhaled, his eyes rolling back in his head.

  His fists tensed around the sheet, his knuckles whitening under the pressure as I tightened my grasp on his cock and pushed my tongue further inside him. A loud shout rolled out of his throat when he released in my hand and all over his stomach. I smiled against the inside of his thigh and trailed kisses all over his contracting muscles.

  When I raised my head to look at him, his dark brown hair was a mess, his temples dripping with sweat. I couldn't believe I'd made him come so hard just from rimming him and jerking him off. I signed for him to grab the lube I'd stashed in the nightstand table.

  He nodded and opened the drawer. I saw him waver and hesitate, his hand hovering over the box of condoms.

  "We can use one if you're not comfortable," I reassured him.

  He shot me a glance, took the lube, and closed the drawer.

  "No, we were both tested," he signed and bit his lower lip. "What if we stain Raphaël's sheets, though?"

  My lips quirked. I dropped a kiss on his mouth before he opened the bottle of lube. "I'll put them in the washer before we leave."

  He nodded, and I undressed quickly, feeling relief the moment I undid my pants and freed my engorged cock.

  "They'll probably hear us," he signed.

  I gave a naughty smile. "Stop turning me on like that."

  "It excites you? To know they could hear?"

  "Fuck yeah. Not you?" I signed.

  He paused for a second. "Yeah, it does, actually."

  "They've been awfully quiet tonight," I commented, wondering why that was.

  "I think Raphaël is really sleeping on the couch this time. I'm not even sure Adrien's home right now."

  "I don't understand. Why is he sleeping on the couch if they're lovers?" I asked.

  We hadn’t yet met Raphaël's mysterious roommate, who sounded more and more like a ghost than an actual being. He seemed to be coming and going, each time when we weren't around.

  Enzo shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe they had a fight?"

  I didn't want to think about them right now. I kneeled between Enzo's legs and waited while he rubbed lube all over my shaft, making me shiver with need.

  "I'm gonna fuck you real slow," I gasped and let him lie down on his back while I settled on my side next to him. "Is that okay?"

  He nodded, his pupils dilated. "Yes, please."

  I loved this angle, semi-spooning him. It gave me access to his entire body so I could kiss him and stroke his dick while burying myself deep inside him.

  He turned a bit to the side for a better position as I guided myself inside him slowly, kissing him to swallow his little hiccups of pain while an ecstatic sensation seized me and the penetration shot tremors all the way up my spine. I paused to let him breathe and adjust, then thrust in slowly, filling him a bit more each time as I kept tonguing his mouth.

  "Harder," he begged and reached with his hand on my lower back to pull me in to my hilt. I increased the rhythm, no longer restraining myself.

  When we reached our peaks together twenty minutes later, I let myself release inside him, knowing there was nowhere else I'd rather be.

  Chapter 58

  ENZO

  Our last day in Paris was obscured by our imminent return to Nancy. Though Florian was smiling, I could tell he was feigning elation. His mind was already gone, swept away by a sea of concerns. Though he seemed excited about the fundraiser, he wouldn't stop worrying about how such exposure might affect his business.

  "We should go to the Basilique Saint-Denis," I signed to distract
him. "I've never been. All the kings and queens are buried there. I think it's about thirty minutes from here by subway."

  We walked toward a bench. With one hand, Florian dug in his back pocket for a map of the metro that he opened in front of us, then outlined the route we were supposed to take.

  "That's a bit complicated," I signed. "It'll be faster if we take the subway at St. Michel Notre-Dame, then get off at the Invalides and take Line 13 toward Saint Denis University."

  He bit his lower lip. "Is that a ploy to go to the Latin Quarter?"

  I barely stifled my laugh. "No," I lied.

  He narrowed his eyes at me. "Any excuse is good for you to go to a bookstore, isn't it?"

  "Maybe." I grinned. "So what?"

  I knew the best bookstores were on Saint Michel Square, so yes, I definitely wanted to go there before we left.

  "Sure," Florian relented, "but if you buy tons of books, you'll have to carry them yourself."

  "Why do you think I brought a backpack? Besides, the Latin Quarter is close to Raphaël's apartment. It's only a few blocks away."

  He looked at my bag. "I thought you'd brought food."

  I puffed at that. "Where am I supposed to put the books if I have food in the bag?"

  "So you had planned the entire thing before we even got here?" he asked, an eyebrow cocked at me.

  I bit my lips. "Maybe."

  "And what are we supposed to eat? I don't have enough money left for a restaurant."

  "One: I could treat."

  "Nuh uh. You've already paid for the restaurant twice."

  "I'm not done." I raised my hands and signed while counting on my fingers. "Two: We can stop at the Saint-Lazare station on the way back from the basilica and eat a sandwich there."

  Ham and butter was Florian's favorite sandwich. There was no way he'd say no to that.

  He gave a lopsided smile. "Okay. You win. Let's go."

  I laughed through my teeth. He had caved in so easily. He gave me a weird look like he was on to me, but then he smiled and grabbed my hand as we walked toward the Latin Quarter.

  He watched the entire time while I picked books from one of the stores.

  "I didn't know you were into kid's lit," he commented.

  "It's for the kids at my school, obviously. But for your information, yes, I have read all these books as well. You can't work with kids and not know what they like to read or watch on TV. Many people think children's literature is beneath them. They're wrong."