André zipped his pants up. “I’m—” He stopped, unwilling to say he was too young to be there. “It’s my birthday.”
The man chuckled. “Happy birthday. I hope you liked your present.” The man fisted André’s shirt and pulled him close, nipping at his bottom lip. “Next time I’m going to fuck you. I can’t wait to pop your cherry.”
“Wh-who says there’s going to be a next time? And that you’re my first?” André tried to sound cocky, but his dick was already growing hard again. The man knew it too, as he reached between them and gave him a squeeze. André hissed and whimpered when the man trailed his fingers over his bulge, teasing it to rock-hard fullness.
“Sweetheart, you’re so fresh and new, I practically unsealed that pretty dick of yours from its plastic wrap. Only a virgin would be so hot to go again, so fast.” He ran his nose across André’s hot cheek. “I’m Kyle,” he breathed, the tip of his tongue poking into André’s ear, launching him into orbit.
“I’m—” André didn’t get a chance to finish, as Kyle cut his words off with two fingers over his lips.
“I know. You’re mine.”
André blinked, leaving the memories behind, like dried leaves strewn on the ground. He realized he hadn’t answered Chess’s question, so he said, “How did anyone meet? In a club. I was with my friends. Turned out my parents knew his casually, but he’d been at boarding school and then at college in Europe, and we’d never met.”
“Were you boyfriends? Did you love him? I can’t believe after all these years together I have to ask questions like this.”
“You don’t.” At Chess’s incredulous face, André backtracked. “I’m not saying not to talk about him. But it meant nothing. We had a fling, and that was it.”
“And yet all these years you worked with him and didn’t bother telling me?”
“Kyle spends most of his time in Europe, and he was only hired two years ago as my mother’s counsel. My only conversations with him prior to this trip were via email. I barely saw him.”
This was playing with fire, but he didn’t want the entire night ruined because Kyle showed up. “Chess. What do you want to do?”
Several seconds passed before Chess answered. “I think we should leave. Tomorrow. Dottie and Freddie went to a lot of trouble to fix us a celebration dinner, and I won’t ruin that for them. But I don’t feel comfortable staying here with Kyle prowling around. I feel like he’s looking for something.”
“What would he be looking for? And if you want to leave, that’s fine with me.”
Brows knitted, Chess crossed his arms. “I don’t know. But don’t you find it odd that the moment we come here, he pops up? He said your mother sent him, but I don’t believe it. Why would she ruin our vacation? Especially since like you said, she set it up.”
“Am I annoyed that she sent him to talk to me about work? Yes, and I’ll make sure she hears about it from me. But also, this was a momentous occasion, and we’ve let Kyle’s appearance hijack it.” André sprang up and took Chess in his arms, hating how stiff and unyielding he felt. “Please, love. Don’t let him take this night away from us. He means nothing to me or to us.”
“Did you love him? You never answered me.”
“No.” The word burst free with no hesitation. “I love you.” He rested his palms on Chess’s somber face. “I love how your sweet smile curls up higher on one side of your mouth than the other. I love how you nibble on the inside of your cheek when you’re concentrating. I love how devoted you are to your friends and how kind you are to everyone, never expecting anything in return. And most of all, I love watching you fall apart underneath me when we make love…how your skin ripples when I touch you and your body trembles. How your eyes grow wide and burn for me.” He kissed Chess softly. “Let me make you burn.”
“André—”
“Please?” He led Chess to the bed. “You know I love you.”
“I do, but—”
“But nothing. Nothing else matters but the two of us.”
Chess’s cheeks, flushed pink from the day in the sun, provided a stunning foil for his dark hair and gleaming, silver-gray eyes. André wondered if Chess knew the power he wielded, where with a single glance or touch, André would willingly hand him the world.
As it was, he’d already given his heart.
But like an island surrounded by unfriendly waters, Chess put enough space between them to make it impossible for André to touch him again. “I feel like you’re being evasive about Kyle. If you don’t have any feelings for him, why are you so upset? And don’t deny it, because I can see it in your eyes.”
“I don’t love him, and I never have. I can’t state it more plainly than that. The only emotion Kyle evokes in me is annoyance. I’m angry with my mother that she sent him, knowing I was taking a break. Because now that he’s here, she’s going to expect me to deal with things, and I specifically told her I needed a break.”
This time, Chess shifted closer to him. “Then you need to speak to her about it. You’ve never put yourself first. It’s always been the business.”
“You. You come first for me.”
Chess touched his face. “I know. But you don’t have to use absolutes. You can love meandlove working for the business. Your problem is you’ve never achieved a balance. I hate thinking our relationship somehow causes strife or stress between you and your family.”
Frustrated, he threw up his hands. “So what am I supposed to do? I’m trying to satisfy my mother and the company by giving up half my life for them, but it’s never enough. And I don’t want that. Not anymore. Making deals was exciting in my thirties. But now? When is it enough?”
