“Then what is it?” Finn stepped closer. “What are you so afraid of?”
“I’m not afraid,” Cedric whispered, but his voice trembled, betraying the lie.
Finn seized on it, stepping into Cedric’s space. “Then why?” His voice softened, insistent but laced with something dangerously close to hope. “Why push me away if you’re not afraid?”
Something inside Cedric snapped. With a frustrated growl, he shoved past Finn, the sudden movement forcing Finn to catch himself against the workbench.
“Cedric—”
But Cedric was already storming out of the workshop, as if sheer distance might rid him of the conversation entirely.
Oh, no. Finn narrowed his eyes. He wasn’t about to let him go that easily.
Finn was on Cedric’s heels instantly. And gods, Cedric was fast when he wanted to be, even at a walk. Finn almost had to jog to keep up as the prince beat a retreat toward the stable. Cedric shoved the door open.
Finn followed without thinking, slipping inside just as Cedric spun to face him again. The lantern light caught in Cedric’s hair, turning it molten gold. His face was a storm of emotions.
“Can’t you take a hint?” Cedric ground out.
Finn exhaled sharply, then shrugged, his lips quirking just enough to be infuriating. “I did. That’s why I kissed you back.”
Cedric froze.
The air between them stilled.
For a moment, the only sounds were the sleepy shuffle of Ghost in her stall, the occasional creak of wood settling around them. Cedric’s chest rose and fell like a man who’d run for his life. His hands twitched into fists at his sides, tension coiling through every muscle.
Finn held his ground, resisting the urge to close the space between them. He had already pushed enough. This choice had to be Cedric’s.
For a heartbeat, he thought Cedric might run again.
Then…a single step. A hint of hesitation. And finally…a decision.
Cedric lunged forward, and Finn barely had time to suck in a breath before the prince’s mouth was on him, fierce and unrelenting. Cedric’s hands fisted in Finn’s shirt, pushing him backward. Finn’s back hit the stable wall, rough wood snagging his shirt as Cedric pressed against him, their bodies maddeningly close.
This kiss was nothing like the one atop the tower. That had been hesitant, uncertain—a question neither of them had dared to answer. But this? This was raw, undeniable. Cedric’s tongue swept into Finn’s mouth, hot and demanding, claiming him with a hunger that left Finn’s knees weak. Finn’s hands found Cedric’s waist, fingers digging into the fabric of his tunic, pulling him closer.
Finn’s lungs burned, air forgotten, as Cedric’s breath whispered against him. A salty tear droplet slid between their pressed lips—Finn didn’t know if it was his own or Cedric’s, only that it tasted like grief. When they finally broke apart, gasping, Finn didn’t let go. He rested his forehead against Cedric’s. The prince trembled.
“I should…we should stop.”
“Why stop now?” Finn whispered back, a teasing lilt in his tone that couldn’t quite mask the desperation beneath. He offered a lopsided grin, a silent plea for Cedric to hold on as tightly as Finn was holding on to him. His thumb traced Cedric’s lower lip, still wet and reddened from their kiss.
Cedric made a soft, frustrated huff. “Even if it leads us both into trouble?”
Finn’s grin didn’t waver. “Especially then. I’m adventurous.” His laughter faded quickly, replaced by a vulnerability that stripped away the bravado. “Please, Cedric. Don’t push me away again. I can’t stand the thought of going back to that distance between us.”
Cedric’s lashes lifted, revealing eyes glassy with tears, gold-flecked irises churning like storm-wrecked seas. “Finn, I…I can’t,” Cedric choked out, his voice hoarse, cracking like something breaking apart inside him.
“Yes, you can,” Finn insisted, his hands coming up to cup Cedric’s face, thumbs brushing over damp skin. He held him there, refusing to let him retreat into himself again. “Whatever it is you’re afraid of, whatever secret you’re keeping…we can face it together. Just let me in.”
Cedric’s breath shuddered against Finn’s lips. Finn had never seen him look so vulnerable—his eyes wide with fear, desire, raw need that begged to be spoken.
“You don’t know what you’re asking,” Cedric whispered, his voice barely audible.
“Then tell me,” Finn urged. He could feel the slight tremor in Cedric’s body, the tension thrumming beneath his skin. “Whatever it is, it can’t be worse than this. This limbo, this—” He swallowed, his grip tightening. “This thing where you keep running from me like you don’t want this.”
Cedric flinched, his shoulders drawing in as if to make himself smaller. His lips parted, hesitation warring with the truth, clawing to escape. “I want to tell you,” he admitted, so softly it was nearly lost to the night. His gaze found Finn’s, filled with a haunting sadness that stole the air from Finn’s lungs. “I really do.”
