Chapter Sixteen
Finn thanked the bartender, then turned to scan the banquet room, feeling like an imposter.
This was not his kind of thing. He did not do fancy dinners or extravagant parties, but it was now his world thanks to Bevin and Prince, who had invited him to the event.
It was a birthday party for a friend of the Sullivan family, Nathan Wang.
It was being held at the five-star Clarevon Hotel.
"I didn't expect to see you here, but I guess now that you're Prince's new toy, I should get used to it," came a snarky comment.
Finn told himself to ignore Roderick and was about to walk away when the man stepped into his path.
Finn didn’t know what the hell the man's problem was. It wasn’t as if they were friends, and he didn’t think they were enemies either.
The last time he saw Roderick was the day before his accident, when they had words, which it seemed was about to happen again.
"You don't belong here, kid," Roderick whispered.
Finn looked up, no anger in his voice. "What makes you say that?"
"Because these aren't your kind of people," he said with a proud smile. "They are of the sophisticated variety. And you..." he eyed Finn up and down with a scowl as if he smelled something unpleasant, "are trash." He smiled smugly, seeming to think he would get a rise out of Finn.
"I see." Finn set his drink back down on the bar and looked at Roderick. He really wanted to punch the rude fucker square in the face, but he kept it cool for a couple of reasons. One, Finn looked good in the suit he was wearing, which he had bought with his own money. And two, he didn’t want to cause a scene and embarrass Bevin and Prince. "How do you put your pants on?"
"What?" Roderick asked in confusion.
"How the hell do you put your pants on?" Finn asked again.
"By the way you describe these people, I'd suspect they magic them on rather than pull them on one leg at a time.
" He smirked, watching the smugness drop from Roderick's face.
Finn stepped closer and straightened Roderick's disheveled collar.
"Didn't your rich mommy and daddy ever teach you never to judge a book by its cover? "
Finn grinned. "You're the kind of man who thinks the world is his oyster and anyone who doesn't fit in your perfect rich barrel isn't cut out to stand beside him.
" Finn tsked. "That's quite a sad life, Rod.
You see people as commodities and nothing else.
So that you and I don't get our wires crossed, stay the fuck away from me in the future.
Because right now, I'm holding myself back from punching the shit out of you. Or is that too trashy for you?"
Finn stepped around Roderick and had only gotten maybe two steps away before the man spoke again.
"You're only a fling to him, you know. He's just playing with you because you're young. Once he's had his fill, he'll discard you like yesterday's news."
Finn turned to face him. "And who says I'm not doing the same to him?"
"Please. Anyone with good sense would fight to keep Prince Sullivan."
"That includes you, right?" Finn stepped closer. "Or maybe what's really bothering you is that he doesn't see you as anything, not even someone worth fighting for, while here is little young me, who he sees completely in every single way."
"You…"
"Stay mad, Rod. Even if he and I don't work out, you will never get into his bed. Because he doesn't want you."
With that last jab, Finn walked away, and this time Roderick didn’t stop him. He had just turned the corner when he heard another voice.
"Well done back there."
Finn looked over his shoulder and saw the most gorgeous woman sauntering toward him, dressed in a black high-low off-the-shoulder cocktail dress, holding two drinks.
Finn knew who she was. He had met her once since beginning his friendship with Bevin, only because she lived on the west coast and had been on a business trip when she visited.
Nova Westmoreland stopped in front of him with a smile. "Here, you left this." She handed him the drink he’d set on the bar top earlier.
"Thanks." Finn took a sip, not really tasting the alcohol.
"You should let Prince know what happened," she suggested, but Finn shook his head.
"You saw that?" he asked, wondering how he had missed such a gorgeous woman listening in on his confrontation with Roderick.
"I can handle Roderick," he said. He didn’t need Prince or even Bevin to fight his battles.
"Don't listen to Roderick about Prince's feelings for you. I've never seen him smile like this. I used to drag him to these events, and he'd sit in the corner brooding the entire night. Not even his father could get him to smile."
"And you think I had something to do with it?" Finn asked.
"What else could it be?"
Finn shook his head, not sure he believed it, but a question came to him. "Are you okay with Prince and me being together?"
Nova barked out a laugh, holding her stomach. "My boy, I'm his ex-wife, not his mother. Besides, I doubt you two rushed into each other's arms the second you realized you had feelings for each other."
Finn lowered his head, trying to hide his smile. "No, we fought it."
"Exactly." She patted him on the shoulder. "As long as you two are happy and are in this for the right reasons, anything I have to say is inconsequential. Not only that, Bevin accepts your relationship, and his heart is all I care about."
Finn looked at her. "Thank you."
She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "Make him happy, Finn. That is all I need from you."
Finn nodded, seeing the sincerity in her eyes, and realized Bevin was blessed with two great parents. He envied his best friend just a little more for it, but was grateful they had welcomed him into their lives.
"Get your hands off my man."
Both of them looked over to see Prince leaning against a column with his hands in his pockets, as if he had been standing there for quite some time.
Prince had cut his hair to collar length, his beard perfectly manicured, giving him a younger appearance.
Tonight, he wore a cobalt blue shirtless suit, offering a glimpse of his chest that Finn was already itching to touch.
Prince walked over and pulled Finn away from Nova, wrapping his arms around Finn's waist. "Mine."
"I wouldn't dare take him away from you," she smiled, warmth reaching her eyes. Yet it sparkled far too much, making Finn uneasy. "Have you told Father that you're dating?"
Finn looked at Prince when his arms tightened around him. "Not yet. I wanted to wait a little longer."
"Wait, my ass, you're scared," Nova teased.
"Will Mr. Sullivan be upset that Prince and I are together?"
"Oh no, darling," Nova said. "He will be thrilled in more ways than one." She looked at Prince. "Hearing that Prince has found new love, he would be dancing for joy. He might forget he just had knee surgery. Maybe I should go and give him the good news."
"Nova, you wouldn't dare," Prince said.
She laughed, and Finn felt far more confused than he should.
"What do you want? Name your price," Prince said.
"Shared custody, dinner whenever I'm in town," she said, looking at Finn.
"Why would you want shared custody of Bevin?" Finn said. "He's your son and already an adult."
"She's not talking about Bevin," Prince said, gritting his teeth.
"Then who?"
"You, my lovely Finn," Nova said. "I find you delightful, especially after what I saw tonight.
And I have been wanting to get to know the man who not only has my son's heart but my ex-husband's as well.
" She looked at Prince. "You have until the end of the evening, or I will inform Father so he can start planning. "
"Wait," Finn said, but it was too late. Nova had already walked away, chuckling. "What the hell is going on?"
"Why do you have to be so damn charming to everyone you meet?" Prince grumbled. "I should lock you up."
"I have no idea what's going on." Finn wanted to scream.
But instead of answering him, Prince said, "Come on, let's go." He tried to guide Finn toward the main banquet room, but Finn held his ground.
"Where are we going?"
"To announce our relationship to my father. That was Nova's way of forcing my hand. But if you're not ready to tell my dad, I understand."
Finn turned and looked at Prince. "Do you want your dad to know?"
"Finn, I want the whole fucking world to know about us, but I promised I wouldn’t rush things," Prince said.
"Your father already knows who I am."
"As Bevin's friend, but not as my partner."
Partner.
The word carried a different meaning than the first time Prince had said it at the resort. It sent a warmth through him, making his heart flutter, as if there would be no one else in Prince's life but him. Finn leaned in and kissed him softly.
"Okay, let's go tell your father about us."
"Are you sure?" Prince asked.
"I am."
Prince sighed, seeming nervous. "Then I have to warn you."
"About what?"
"My dad has been begging for another grandchild, so if he says anything about having one, just nod and nothing else."
"Okay," Finn said, dragging out the word as he was pulled toward the banquet hall. They passed Roderick, who was still at the bar, and his eyes grew dangerously dark when he saw them holding hands.
Finn smiled and quirked a brow, holding Roderick's gaze without looking away, sending a clear message.
Prince wasn’t sure whether this was a good idea.
He was leaning against the window in the private banquet room reserved for his father and close friends, watching Finn charm the hell out of every person in it.
Prince had been right when he told Finn his father would ask about grandchildren, and just as he had hoped, Finn handled it perfectly.
"So, you and Prince are together?" Hunter Sullivan said. "I'd have thought you'd be with Bevin."
"No, sir, Bevin and I are just friends." Finn smiled.
"I see," Hunter grunted.
"Dad, don't give him a hard time."
"I'm not," Hunter huffed, glancing at Finn out of the corner of his eye. Prince knew what was coming next. "I just want to know where this is heading. Marriage, grandbabies, you know, the important things."
"Marriage may be sooner than you think, but I want to give the grandbabies some time first," Finn said, surprising Prince before he could get a word in.
Finn turned and winked at him, and Prince understood immediately.
He was managing Hunter, which seemed to work, as the old man stopped pressuring him about children and marriage entirely and instead introduced Finn to his friends as a proud father-in-law, leaving Prince to fend for himself.
Prince didn’t know whether to be grateful, but he could see a bright, blissful future with Finn. There were a lot of things they had not yet sat down and talked about, but he had promised Finn he would go as slow or as fast as he wanted.
"Your father seems to like your boyfriend."
Prince looked up when Kou Wang came over and stood next to him.
"He has that effect on everyone," Prince said, smiling. "I didn't see your brother here tonight.”
"Work," was all Kou said.
Layland Wang worked as the head of the New York FBI Counter-Intelligence Bureau.
He had been adopted by Kayla Wang, the district attorney, and Phillip Wang, the police commissioner.
While Layland followed his parents into law enforcement, Kou took over running the family business.
But Prince knew Layland had more say about the daily operation of Wang Industries.
"The way your boy has them eating out of his hands, you kind of forget they were part of the crew that took down Leap," Kou whispered.
Prince stared at his father, Carter Chai, Nathan Wang, and Peter Frost, all listening intently to Finn.
Two were missing: Asher Hamilton, their team leader, and Richard Beaumont, who had died a few years ago.
The six-man team had started the secret organization Seekers, which hunted down and eliminated Dr. Leap.
The men had aged, with gray at their temples, but they still carried themselves like they were young and fit.
So yes, he could believe they had taken down Leap.
Over the years, they had expanded the organization and passed down their skills and ranking to their children.
Just like Lucas and Tyler, Prince had been offered his father's position. He’d accepted and completed the training, but afterward found he didn’t want to be a part of it, leaving that path open for Bevin if he chose to accept it.
Prince knew he had broken his father's heart by declining, but the life of a secret agent was not his thing. Not only that, he’d had a family to think about when the position was offered.
"I can," he said, answering Kou.
"Why didn't you join?" Kou asked.
"Too many family obligations," Prince said.
"You sound a bit regretful." Kou turned his back to the room and stared out the window.
"Do I?" Prince didn’t think he did.
"Yeah, it's not too late."
"Too late for what?" They both looked up at the sound of Finn's voice.
Finn was looking between him and Kou, and Prince could have sworn he caught something like jealousy cross his baby's eyes before it disappeared too quickly to be certain.
"To get married," Kou answered. "Don't put it off." He turned to Finn. "It was nice meeting you." Kou walked away, leaving them alone.
Prince stepped close to Finn and circled an arm around his waist, then leaned in and kissed him softly. "Did you enjoy talking with my dad and his friends?"
"I did." Finn smiled. "They are entertaining."
"I'm glad," Prince said. "But I'm a little jealous that you've given everyone your attention tonight. I'm feeling neglected."
"Really?"
Prince nodded, putting on his best pout. "How are you going to make it up to me?"
"How do you want it?"
"Loaded question, baby," Prince grinned.
Finn leaned in and pressed their lips together. "Then let's go home so you can put all your load inside of me," he said softly so only Prince could hear.
Prince didn’t say another word. He pulled Finn out of the room, and instead of going home, he rented a room where he spent the entire night making sure Finn knew exactly how neglected he had been feeling.