17. Finn
CHAPTER 17
Finn
Percy’s genius idea to take his yacht out to the open sea for a day of lounging and love-making was all I could have hoped for. He would be mine and only mine.
Possessive, greedy desire filled me whenever I neared him, but we had company on almost all occasions. And if the company was limited to Emily, Alicia, and Lawrence, nobody would bat an eye at Percy and me disappearing for a few hours and reappearing with wrongly buttoned shirts.
The trouble was Benny Tupper, an angel investor to countless unnamed startups, an expert on all the topics that might arise around the dinner table, and a certified Casanova in Judith’s eyes. She giggled and flushed and let him charm her without a break while everyone watched with growing unease.
When Percy leaned close to me to whisper his yacht idea, I was ready to kiss him and slap him silly for doing it around everyone.
“What’s that? A yacht, Percy-boy?” Benny asked, wiping bits of tomato sauce off his lips and fingertips. He was a man who loved his shrimp saganaki if only the goddamn things weren’t so darn hard to take out of their shells. “Don’t tell me you have a yacht. What is it? A hundred-footer?”
Percy choked and cleared his throat, shaking his head. “No, it’s, er, fifty or so.”
“You’re missing out, Percy-boy,” Benny said with absolute authority. “My friend has a hundred-footer cruiser. She’s a sexy thing like your sweet aunt here.” Judith laughed from the top of her lungs, her bosom bouncing heartily. “I might be able to persuade him to sell it to you for a family discount. How does that sound?”
“Ah, I don’t know, Benny. I’m not really in the market for more yachts,” Percy said awkwardly. This was his newest catchphrase, I thought.
Benny shrugged it off, dabbing beads of sweat off his forehead. “Suit yourself. She won’t be hard to sell.”
“I’m sure she’s wonderful,” Percy said.
“Say, you wouldn’t have room on that dinghy for two more tomorrow would you?” Benny suggested with that broad, friendly smile of his. “Your aunt might want to take a plus one. Eh, Judy?” He poked her ribcage with his elbow and Judith slapped him in a fit of laughter.
This is a disaster , I thought, whimpering only internally.
Emily must have seen the words rise into my mouth and remain lodged there, unspoken, because she spoke up. “I was going to take you north to see the old distillery in the morning. We could do the whole tasting tour.”
“Oh, how wonderful, darling,” Judith said. She either really wanted some brandy, or she was aware of my desperate need for privacy more than she let on. I wondered if the latter was possible. And I wondered if I was being rude by letting people see how overwhelmed I was.
With Emily occupying Benny and Judith, Percy and I carried a basket of snacks and drinks to the harbor and sailed out for a day of sunshine and wind on our bare backs. With effortless ease, Percy navigated the waters of the Cyclades all the way to Delos, where we docked carefully and were given a private tour of the wonders of the ancient world. Apollo, the god of the Sun and art and prophecy and an entire list of other things, was supposedly born on Delos, and the cult of Apollo thrived on these jaggedy rocks three thousand years ago.
Percy held my hand as we visited the breathtaking archeological sites, explaining occasionally that this place had been uninhabited for close to two thousand years and that the lack of permanent settlements helped preserve the old structures. Elsewhere in the world, like in Athens and Rome, marble would be stolen from the deteriorating pagan temples in order to build churches. But here, only time and elements withered away the structures. Most had collapsed, but many were rebuilt. “They’re as eternal as things can be,” Percy said, his hand tightening around mine.
Whenever we had a moment alone, and my gaze caught his, I was lost in his eyes.
It was after we sailed on, moving towards the deeper, less risky waters, that I got a moment to gaze at Percy while the yacht rocked left and right in the gentle Aegean breeze. His white and pastel blue shirt with wide vertical stripes was open, billowing in the wind, and his smooth torso was turning golden with a summer tan. With one hand on the helm and his dark sunglasses on, he was like a beacon of light. He was like a magnet designed specifically to pull me in.
I found myself drifting toward him much like I had when we first met. To think that I had come here expecting not to fall for the charming, kind, funny billionaire who awkwardly stumbled after me made me want to laugh. His shy, almost insecure demeanor around me had been one of the strongest attracting forces. I couldn’t have resisted him even if I had tried.
“Huh?” Percy cocked his head to one side and I realized he had been observing me from behind the glasses. The corners of his lips lifted into a smile that disarmed me.
“You’re just so handsome, dammit,” I said, my own shirt hanging over a seat a few feet behind us, my hair flying in all directions.
“Come here,” Percy said, his voice a little husky as he extended his arm toward me. His sleeve was rolled up, and his forearm widened from his wrist to his elbow, muscle rising gently under my fingers as I accepted it, nearing him. Percy pulled me in all the way until our bodies pressed together. “I’ve been dying to be alone with you,” he said.
“Here we are,” I replied, my voice teasing despite my best efforts. I reached up and lifted his glasses to look into his eyes. “And this thing has an autopilot.”
Percy’s laughter was a smooth rumble as he leaned down and pressed his lips hard against mine. He didn’t hesitate for an instant, taking me precisely how I wanted to be taken. After he kissed me senseless, he pulled away for long enough to set the right course and leave the helm to steer itself.
Pulling me after him, Percy led us under the deck into the living and sleeping quarters, and every frustrating, devastating minute we had lived through for the last five days erupted in the form of desire. The novel freedom, gained so recently in the mountains of Naxos, to put my hands all over his body filled me with white heat and put me in a de facto place of power when I yanked Percy’s shirt off his body and pushed him back on the big bed in the sleeping cabin.
The yacht rocked soothingly as I climbed on top of him, kissing him madly and wrapping his arms high above his head. Our chests and stomachs pressed tightly together as I let all of my weight rest on him. Pinning him to the bed, my body reacted nearly instantly, and when my crotch leaned harder against his, I found that I was not alone.
Percy’s light lavender shorts packed his thickening cock tightly and it bulged hard when I slipped a hand between us. This was the day I had been desperate to have. Us and no one else. And as one moment melted into the next, we kissed passionately and let all our wild instincts take over.
I yearned for him as much with my body as I did with my soul. Letting myself feel every inch of him with my fingers and my lips, I undressed us each in turn, pushing Percy back on the bed when he dared get up.
He gasped, looking at me with wonder as if I was something completely new. It wasn’t a bad look. He cracked a smile and sank his elbows into the mattress, his upper torso lifted off the bed and his body sprawling on the mattress, naked and beautiful. He watched me with growing curiosity as I kissed the length of his inner thighs, finally reaching his long cock with my lips and taking him into my mouth. Every ounce of desire that had been growing and gathering in me was brought to a boil in the minutes that followed. I sucked him gently, teasingly at first, letting my tongue move over the rim of his cock’s head, traveling lazily over his slit and pressing hard against the underside of his dick. I lowered my head inch by inch until he was deep down my throat and harder than he had ever been.
Changing tactics when I saw that glassy look in his eyes, I pulled my head back and held his cock firmly in my right hand, my lips moving only over the tip, sucking and licking so persistently that Percy shuddered and groaned, arms spreading and upper back falling onto the bed.
And when the grunts were replaced by tortured moans, I released him, crawling up along the bed and sitting in his lap. His fingers trembled as he took hold of my hips, his cheeks turning pink and blond hair darkening with fresh summer sweat.
After getting some lube from Percy’s nightstand, I sat on top of him. I reached behind my back and took him in my hand, pressing his tip against my hole. His chest rose and fell with deep inhales and exhales and I held my breath while stroking him slick with lube.
He entered me slowly, his cock firmly in my hand and my body lowering with careful gentleness. Breath hitching in my throat when I tried to breathe, I flexed my abs and forced myself to relax and open for him. He was big, and the nights together hadn’t been enough to make this effortless on my part, but he was also careful and in tune with my body’s reactions. He gazed at me, waiting for any sign of discomfort, and surrendered to my pace when there were none.
And when I felt him slide deeper into me, the air left my lungs in a long, trembling sigh. Slapping both hands against his defined chest, I worked my hips back and forth, impaling myself onto his length.
We merged in an ecstasy of longing and pleasure. I sat on him, dragging myself at a tormentingly slow pace back and forth, my torso leaning a little forward, my balls pressing hard against his abdomen, and my cock throbbing as I rode him. Precum slicked the tip of my cock, and a wildfire of desire burned in me when I saw Percy thumb my cock and lick the precum clean. Gaining more control over me, Percy took my hips and moved my body in the precise motions that provoked worn moans out of my chest, sliding into me with increasing force.
He flipped us around in a breathtaking display of strength, never once breaking contact between our bodies and landing me on my back, my legs wrapping around his waist. He had his way with me, and I let him. I loved every instant of it. I loved the switch in power and I loved the feeling of losing control. I loved the freedom of being his to play with.
And when the days of impatient wanting culminated in a sweat-inducing, mind-bending climax that had my toes curling and my voice cracking and strangling, I held onto Percy for dear life. My arms wrapped around his upper torso, legs around his waist, and I pulled him in as my entire body pulsed, muscles knotting and relaxing, hole clenching around his cock, and my body filling with his cum as he shuddered and slammed his lips against mine.
We sprawled on the bed for an endless while, barely able to catch our breaths. He held me like I was the most precious thing in the world and kissed me like the dearest. And when we got out of bed, he stopped me once I put my briefs on, shared a naughty smile, and led me to the deck. After a few minutes, the yacht came to a halt, and Percy led the way to the back. Around us, the open sea shifted in all directions, merging with the sky on the distant horizon, and a few islands were scattered so far out that they were only shades of blue.
Kissing me one more time, Percy held me and tipped us over the edge of the yacht, sending us into the cool, open sea. I yelped against his mouth in shock as we plunged, separating from one another for long enough to emerge on the surface of the sea.
As soon as we emerged, I splashed him mercilessly, but he only laughed and swam toward me. Sea drops landing on his face didn’t slow him down as he gained space, and when he reached me, our bodies collided again, swirling weightlessly as our limbs tangled around one another.
I think I’m falling in love with you , I thought. Then I amended it. I’m definitely falling in love with you .
We kissed despite the waves splashing our heads and swam in total silence with nobody alive for miles around us.
“If only all the days could be like this,” he said, floating on his back.
“Yours could be,” I said, my hand searching for his on the surface. When I found it, I took it.
Percy chuckled. “The feeling would get old after a while.”
I thought about it. Searching for something to compare it to in my life, I found that I agreed with him. “The sweetest things are only sweet as long as they must end.”
“That’s…exactly right,” Percy said. “Six years at CalTech never put it that way.” We were quiet for a little while, enjoying the rays of sunshine kissing our faces. Percy never drifted far from me. “When we return to New York,” he said slowly, making my heart skip a beat. There was an end to this whirlwind. He continued, “I’ll take you to so many places I love.”
I hadn’t thought about the things that would come after. Sudden fear filled me to bursting, and I nearly sank, lifting myself to a vertical position to look at Percy. “Will you still want me when we go back to the real world?” I asked before I could stop myself.
Percy straightened a moment later and looked into my eyes with the intensity of someone who was about to swear an oath. “Of course, Finn. Always.”
I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. Always? I believed him, but that wasn’t what worried me the most. “I don’t belong in that world.”
Percy understood the exact nature of my fears, and he swam toward me, hugging me for a little while before our combined weights and restricted movements began to pull us down. “Finn, there’s no world there to enter. We make it ourselves. However we want.”
But I had a job to finish. I had a memory drive that needed expert knowledge that would open it and I had a scheming motherfucker to get back at. Still, I had Percy to call mine and that made me feel like there was something more in me than this pitiful need for revenge. I was capable of trusting a person after all. I was capable of falling in love.
“And we will make it, Finn,” Percy said quietly. “We’ll make it however you want it.”
I closed my eyes and kissed him again. It sounded like a lovely dream and I wanted it more than I wanted to mess with someone who was powerful enough to obliterate me off the face of the Earth.
Maybe, just maybe, I could move on without pursuing this hateful crusade.
Some small and growing part of me considered returning to the house and handing the drive over to Percy to do with it whatever he thought was best. I could tell him tonight that I had stolen the proof that a billionaire investor was stealing people’s money through grand promises while fully aware that he had no mechanisms to fulfill any of them. Because he had been aware of it all along.
Tonight.
I decided I would do it tonight.
If there would be any justice for that asshole, it wouldn’t be driven by pure need to see him burn.
I wanted to be free of it and free to love Percy as honestly as I could. I wanted to adore him without the shadows of secrets falling over us. I wanted to share this burden and make it less bitter and hateful.
“Finn?” Percy whispered.
I opened my eyes. The sea had made them blurry and irritated.
“Why are you crying?” he whispered, his eyebrows contorting in an expression of pain he shared and he didn’t even know why.
I shook my head. I hadn’t known I was crying, but my constricted throat held down sobs I didn’t dare let out. “I want it,” I breathed. “I want that life with you.”
He clutched me against himself and kissed my brow, and then, as he let go, we swam back to the yacht. I was lighter even now with the decision to move on, lifting the weight of my burden off my shoulders.
I chose Percy.
And even as we sailed happily back to Naxos, neither of us could imagine the twist of fate that awaited us there.