Chapter Seven
Prince sat up in bed, gasping for breath. The wet, sticky feeling between his legs made his stomach drop. Frowning, he pushed the covers back and looked down, the early sunlight peeking through the curtains and spilling across the sheets, making the evidence impossible to miss.
“Fuck,” he muttered, dragging a hand over his face as frustration coiled tight in his chest.
Things can't keep going on like this.
It didn’t take a genius to figure out that he’d had another dream about Finn.
Unlike the other one, where he had made sweet, tender love to him, this time he had Finn tied to the bed.
The memory sent a rush of heat through him, followed quickly by the uneasy realization of how badly he had wanted it.
Prince was losing his mind, not because of the dream itself, but because he wasn’t sure what it said about him.
It had also not gone unnoticed that Finn had been doing a hell of a job avoiding being in the same room with him ever since he’d suggested the partner idea.
The distance stung more than he wanted to admit.
Prince was a little hurt that Finn was acting so childish.
If I’d known he was going to avoid me, I wouldn’t have suggested it.
Even if it was only for a couple of hours, Prince had seen a different side of Finn without Bevin around.
In that short time, Finn had started to open up to him, his guard lowering just enough to reveal a quiet sincerity that caught Prince off guard, which only added to his charm.
Not to mention his smile, the kind that made Prince's breath catch.
Prince yearned to talk to Finn, to be in his presence for longer than a second.
He knew that was why he was having wet dreams like an inexperienced teenager.
If anyone could hear his thoughts, they probably wouldn’t blame him.
He couldn’t stop thinking about Finn's gorgeous body, or the way his smile softened when he spoke about something he loved.
Prince felt as if he were truly going mad. The constant pull toward Finn, the frustration, the unanswered tension between them all pressed in on him. He needed to find a way to fix things between them, even if he didn’t know how he had broken them in the first place.
Maybe I should really tie him up so we can talk?
The thought was reckless, and Prince huffed out a quiet breath at himself.
No. First, he had to get cleaned up. Throwing the covers off, he got out of bed and headed for the shower, forcing his mind away from dangerous fantasies and toward the day ahead.
He had a semi-packed schedule, a few conference calls with the company, and he had promised Roderick he would have lunch with him.
Finn took off his gloves as he headed toward the resort restaurant.
He was famished after a long hike and wasn’t quite ready to return to the cabin, not when the thought of facing Prince again twisted something tight and awkward in his chest. He was still avoiding Prince and had even gone so far as to request a new room, but none were available.
Finn wasn’t sure how that was possible, though he had no choice but to take their word for it.
Finn wasn’t sure if the universe was working against him, but the man he was trying so hard not to run into was the first person he spotted.
Prince sat with Roderick, who was chattering away while Prince listened.
Finn's instinct was to leave, since Prince hadn’t seen him yet.
But the second the thought crossed his mind, Prince turned his way and their eyes connected, stopping Finn from even moving.
He could have been wrong, but Finn read shock and confusion in Prince's eyes. The look made his chest tighten. He glanced at Roderick, who was still talking away, his hand resting casually on Prince's arm. Finn looked away, hoping to dispel the jealousy he felt.
They look like a real couple. Is Roderick the kind of partner Prince wants? Maybe he sees me as another son, and that's why he wants to be my mentor.
He looked back at Prince, who still wore that same confused expression, completely unaware of Finn’s thoughts.
Dammit, what the hell am I doing? Prince has no idea I’m attracted to him. I’m turning myself inside out for nothing.
Finn felt he should explain himself, especially since the distance between them was his doing, but he didn’t know what to say. He had already decided he wouldn’t tell Prince about his feelings for him, yet he knew they would have to clear the air one day. Finn just wasn’t ready.
Finn scanned the restaurant, breaking eye contact with Prince. Once he spotted a table near one of the many windows and beside one of the three large fireplaces, he walked over to it, trying not to look back at Prince. Still, he could feel the other man’s eyes burning into him.
Finn’s heart fluttered at the thought that Prince’s stare was not just curiosity.
"Fuck, I need help."
Prince could not take his eyes off Finn. Although he had caught a glimpse of him this morning, it had only been Finn running out the door the second Prince descended the stairs to the kitchen.
Fuck, I want to hold him.
"Prince, are you listening to me?"
He forced his gaze away from Finn, who had just sat down with his back to him and the rest of the restaurant.
"No, I wasn't listening," he told Roderick honestly.
"I figured," Roderick replied with a wry smile. "I lost you around the time the kid entered the restaurant."
"He's not a kid, Roderick," Prince corrected, glancing at Finn.
Roderick huffed. "Anyone who acts the way he did when you offered to be a business partner, not asking for anything in return, is a kid to me."
Prince had told Roderick what happened, and since then, Finn had been avoiding him. Of course, he left out the dreams and his attraction to Finn. That was not for anyone to know.
"I say cut your losses and move on." Roderick took a sip of his drink.
If only it were that easy.
"Forget about him for now," Roderick said. "Let's enjoy the rest of our day." He leaned close to Prince, giving him a flirtatious smile. "Did you forget I'm leaving tomorrow and you promised to spend the rest of the day with me?"
Roderick was gorgeous, with arresting brown eyes and a body that would not quit. But he wasn’t Prince's type. Not only that, if he and Roderick ever did anything, it would be a one-night stand and nothing more.
Prince leaned back from Roderick. "I didn't forget." He stood from his seat, already finished with his meal, and needed a minute to himself. "I'll be back."
"Where are you going?" Roderick asked, but Prince didn’t respond and headed to the restroom to wash his face and think about what to do about Finn.
Roderick huffed and crossed his arms over his chest as he watched Prince walk away.
"What the hell is so good about that kid anyway?" he muttered under his breath.
Roderick had wanted Prince from the moment they were introduced at a dinner party.
He had purposely struck up a conversation to stay by Prince's side all night.
At the end of the party, they exchanged contact information.
Roderick thought they had hit it off well and waited for Prince to reach out to him.
After three weeks of not hearing from him, Roderick orchestrated a plan to accidentally bump into Prince at another function.
This time, after the event, Roderick made sure they never lost contact.
That was a year and a half ago. Since then, he had subtly flirted with Prince, hoping the man would see him as more than a friend.
When Roderick learned that Prince was scaling back on some of his responsibilities and would be staying at the resort for an extended period, he rearranged his schedule so he could use the opportunity to be alone with Prince and show the man his best side.
He was certain he was close, until the kid showed up out of the fucking blue.
Roderick had met Bevin a few times, but he had never heard of Finn.
He recalled the sparkle in Prince's eyes on the day the kid showed up at the resort.
The attentiveness was evident, as if no one else mattered, and there was a genuine smile Prince wore that Roderick had never been graced with during their entire time together.
Roderick doubted Prince even realized the instant change in himself.
He stared daggers at the kid, wishing he would disappear, and grew angry that he had to leave to deal with business he had put off for too long.
Roderick did not like the kid, and his innocent look didn’t fool him one bit.
He had lived long enough and run his own kind of schemes to recognize it in others.
But for some reason, he couldn’t figure out what game the kid was playing.
Unable to take it anymore, Roderick stood and walked over to Finn's table, then sat down in the empty seat without bothering to ask if he could join him.
"What's your deal, kid?" Roderick asked coolly.
"Excuse me?" Finn asked, looking up from the menu. Roderick caught the slight shock in his eyes when he realized who was sitting in front of him.
"Prince offered to be your mentor and partner, and what? You're going to turn him down?" He leaned closer to Finn. "He doesn't offer his help lightly, so what makes you so special? What scam are you running?"
The kid smirked.
"Scam? What makes you think I'm running some scam? You know what, don't even answer. I don't know you, and you don't know me, so for you to insinuate that I'm up to something means that you're the one who's scamming Prince."
Roderick tried not to shift in his seat, hoping not to give anything away to the kid. "I don't have time for word games with you," he snapped.
"Then why are you here?" Finn shot back.
Roderick had to admit the kid was savvier than he thought. "To give you a warning." He leaned much closer, so close he could smell the kid's fresh fragrance mixed with a little sweat. "Don't try to seduce a man who sees you as nothing but a son. Stick to your age."
"I'm not trying to seduce anyone."
Roderick smiled faintly when he caught the tremor in the kid's eyes. He had only been spitballing when he said those words, but it seemed he had hit the nail on the head.
"You say that like you're speaking from experience. Maybe there's someone you tried to seduce, and it didn't work? Try spending less time worrying about my affairs and focus on yours. Or maybe Prince is the one you want, and you see little, young, vibrant me as a threat."
Roderick had to fight the urge to look away when Finn tilted his head. The kid's words had struck too close to the truth.
If he could see it, then why can't Prince? That was what Roderick thought, but instead he said, “Heed my words. Play in your own age bracket. Don’t think more of yourself.”
The kid was about to speak when his cellphone rang. They both glanced down at the screen as Bevin's name flashed across it. Finn answered quickly, not bothering to look at Roderick. Roderick stood and returned to his table to wait for Prince to come back.
Roderick didn’t want to admit it, but the kid had rattled him more than he should have. And it told him more than Finn might even have intended to reveal. He might not be running a scam on Prince, but Roderick was not blind to Prince's feelings.
And that could only spell trouble for me. Because one thing Roderick knew about Prince was that if there was something he wanted, he would get it.