Chapter Eleven
Finn sighed as he sat down on the couch and smiled happily when Gray jumped onto his lap.
He was finally out of the hospital after eight days, far longer than he had hoped, and he had pretty much spent the last week of his vacation there.
He was a bit bummed about heading back home tomorrow.
That thought made him even sadder, because he didn’t know what was going to happen between him and Prince now that they had shared their feelings for each other.
Even though he had been stuck in the hospital, Prince had made his time there far more enjoyable than he’d ever expected.
Since he was in a private suite, he received the best possible care.
From the bed to the sheets, everything was immaculate.
Fresh flowers were delivered to his suite daily, adding color and warmth to the space.
His physical therapy sessions were thorough and attentive.
Although Finn loved his own cooking, the meals and snacks had him licking his lips all day, waiting impatiently for the next tray to arrive.
Then there were the nightly kisses between him and Prince, which were getting hotter and more intense with each passing evening, leaving him flushed long after Prince reluctantly pulled away.
Prince was still mindful of his injuries and would pull back just enough for Finn to catch his breath before claiming his lips again.
Each night, Finn went to bed with tender, swollen lips and a body that hummed with restrained desire.
They would lie there afterward, talking quietly, learning more about each other's likes and dislikes, trading small confessions in the dark.
But they avoided the heavier topics, never once touching on the future or what would happen when Finn left.
"What are you thinking about so intently?" Prince asked as he sat down beside him, then leaned in to kiss the corner of his mouth, the gesture soft and familiar.
"Me leaving tomorrow." Finn looked at him, his expression more vulnerable than he intended. "I'm not ready to leave." The word you lingered unspoken at the end of his confession.
"We can always come back when you're on break," Prince replied gently.
That caught Finn's attention immediately. He straightened slightly. "What do you mean, we?"
Prince smirked, a slow, confident curve of his mouth that made Finn's stomach flip.
"Did you think I was going to let you leave and have a long-distance relationship?
" he asked, his tone teasing but edged with certainty.
"Baby, we're just getting started. Besides, you're on limited duty.
I have to make sure that workaholic Hamilton doesn't work you to death. "
He reached up as he spoke, brushing his thumb along Finn's jaw, the touch possessive in the gentlest way, as if the idea of distance had never even been an option in his mind.
"You talk as if you know my boss." Finn snorted, though there was curiosity behind it now.
Prince stared at him in disbelief. "What? Bevin never mentioned that Lucas, Tyler, Christen, and I grew up together?" He shook his head, still mildly shocked. "We have a friendly business rivalry going on.”
"He's never mentioned it," Finn answered. "Who's Christen?"
"One of the devil twins' youngest brothers. He's a doctor at Sheffield Smith’s University Hospital." Prince smiled, the expression turning nostalgic as memories surfaced. "The shit all four of us used to get into."
"Devil twins?" Finn quirked a brow, clearly entertained. "I’ve honestly never heard you talk like this. And my boss is the best."
"Don't praise another man in front of me, especially that asshole," Prince said, his voice edged with mock warning, though there was no real bite behind it, only playful irritation and a touch of jealousy he was not even trying to hide.
"Tyler isn't so bad, but Lucas…" Prince shook his head, half exasperated, half amused, as if the memories still managed to wear him out.
"Do you know how many fucking detentions I got because of him?
And the times I bailed his ass out of trouble when we were in university?
I had to cover for him with this or that girl or guy he was dating while he was chasing after someone else.
It was maddening, I tell you." He scoffed softly, the sound threaded with nostalgia rather than true frustration.
"At times, I wondered if I made a mistake making him Bevin's godfather, because he acts just like him. "
There was fondness beneath the complaints, the kind that only came from years of shared history and loyalty that refused to fade.
"But now Lucas is happily married," Finn commented, watching Prince carefully, curious about the shift from chaos to stability.
"Yeah," Prince said, a softer smile settling on his face. "Lucas has had two great loves. First Rebecca, now Tucker. I'll admit I wasn’t a good friend to Lucas when he was mourning Rebecca, but I honestly couldn’t help him when I was dealing with my own problems."
Regret showed in his eyes.
"I'm sure he understands," Finn said gently, offering the reassurance without hesitation.
Prince nodded once, then shifted closer, his focus sharpening as he looked at Finn. "Alright, enough about them. Let's talk about us."
"Okay," Finn replied with a small smile, his heart picking up at the change in direction.
"I don't want to rush you, Finn, so we will go as fast or as slow as you like," Prince said, his voice steady but sincere.
"But let me put your heart and mind at ease.
I'm not looking for a fling. If that's not something you're looking for, tell me now.
You're young, and in a few months, you might not want an old man like me.
As heartbreaking as that might be, I will never hold you back. "
There was no teasing in his tone now, only honesty and a quiet vulnerability he rarely allowed anyone to see.
"I'm not a fickle person, Prince. I always follow my heart, and I know what I want. I want to give it a try, so I'm not looking for a fling either. Other than Bevin and my grandmother, I've never had stability in my life. And that's what I want with you."
He reached down and pinched Prince on the leg, making him hiss, but Prince didn’t move away. If anything, he shifted even closer.
"And stop calling yourself old," Finn added, his tone firm but warm. "You are far from it. Talk like that, and I'll punish you."
"Don't threaten me with a good time, babe," Prince joked, waggling his eyebrows as a slow grin spread across his face.
But when Finn huffed and folded his arms, clearly serious, the teasing light in Prince's eyes softened. The grin faded into something more earnest, and he lifted his hands slightly in surrender, conceding the moment without another word.
Prince reached for him, cupping Finn's cheek with deliberate tenderness.
"Okay, no more old talk. But seriously, Finn, I can give you stability and more.
" His thumb brushed lightly along Finn's skin before he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, lingering just long enough to make the promise feel real, then eased back.
"Since that's out of the way, let's talk about something else," he continued, his tone turning more thoughtful. "I know you're already against us being business partners, but have you thought about Bevin's offer?"
Finn blinked, genuinely stunned. "How did you know Bevin came to me with a business offer?"
Prince didn’t look surprised. "He's my son," he replied calmly. "Of course I know what he's been planning all these years, even if he didn't say it out loud."
Finn let out a slow sigh and gently ran his fingers through Gray's fur, grounding himself in the steady warmth of the kitten beneath his hand.
The soft rise and fall of Gray's breathing helped settle the storm of thoughts threatening to spiral.
His mind drifted back to the conversation he and Bevin had shared a couple of days ago, just before his best friend had disappeared, the memory replaying with sharper clarity now that he understood what had really been placed in front of him.
"Hey, check this out," Bevin said as he walked into Finn's hospital room, handing him a smart pad. It was one of the rare times Prince hadn’t been there.
"What is it?" Finn asked, took the smart pad, and started reading. His eyes caught on the words S&T Investment, LLC. He frowned slightly, and he glanced over at Bevin, who was sitting on the sofa, smiling to himself as he texted someone, far too casual for what he had just handed over.
"Bevin, whose firm is this? Why haven't I heard of it before?" Finn asked, confusion sharpening his tone as he skimmed the opening lines. He paused, a thought clicking into place. "Is this for a project you forgot to turn in and want me to look over?"
It would not have been the first time he had read through Bevin's classwork.
"Keep reading," Bevin replied casually, not even looking up from his phone, his thumbs still moving as if this were nothing more than another ordinary day.
Sighing, Finn shook his head and went back to reading, or rather scanning, since it was a condensed version of an executive summary.
He skipped over the sections he knew professors would skim and focused on the important parts.
But when he spotted the incorporation document, his frown deepened.
He flipped back to check the year the company had been founded.
Two, almost three years ago. He had skimmed past Bevin's name because he assumed it was just an assignment. His name had to be on it, nothing more than that. He continued reading the remaining documents with that assumption in mind.