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“I didn’t mean to. I wouldn’t have walked into my brother’s room without knocking if he’d bothered to tell me he’d started dating,” Ming Tao explained.
West snorted in his ear. “Like he’d even given you the chance to tell him.”
Jin bit his bottom lip, but there was no holding in his smile. West did not deny that they were dating. That was a wonderful step. He also didn’t mind that his friends knew about them. Yes, this was all good.
“I’ll give you that West is hot, but I still don’t want to see my brother like that,” Ming Tao moaned. “Six a.m. is way too early to drink.”
The room filled with laughter, and West sighed in his ear. “We need to get back before this gets out of control. You use the restroom, and I’ll wait for you here.”
Jin chuckled as he stepped away. “I think I’m safe going to the bathroom alone.”
West stepped away and shoved his hands into his pockets. “It’s not about being safe. It’s a matter of not being willing to go into that room alone. We’re in this together now.”
Yes. He liked that. A lot. They were in this together.
And no one could tear them apart.
Not even the emperor.
He’d convince his father and all of Gaoxing that Westin St. James belonged to him and him alone.
15
WESTIN ST. JAMES
Jin found his second wind and more as they reached his private rooms. After allowing West to double-check that there were no assassins waiting to pop out, the crown prince tackled him to the bed and sucked on West’s neck as though it was his one source of nourishment in the world.
West moaned, his toes curling in his shoes, while he relished the feel of Jin’s mouth on him, his long perfect body stretched along his. His arms wrapped around him, holding him so tight. It was perfect.
And that was the problem.
For the first time in his life, he’d found perfection, and he was terrified of it being torn away.
It wasn’t just a matter of an assassin slipping through West’s guard and killing Jin. It was also what would happen when he removed the threat and Jin returned to his normal life. Where did West fit into that?
Did he fit?
Wrapping his arms about Jin’s waist, West rolled them so that Jin was on the bottom and West could lift up, putting some breathing room between them.
“Wait, Dianxia. Wait. We need to slow down,” West panted.
Jin stared openmouthed up at him as if he’d lost his goddamn mind. It felt like it. His body was screaming for him to keep going, to remove all these horrible clothes and kiss every inch of this beautiful man.
“You’re kidding, right? Trying to gain the upper hand?” Jin asked. “Not this time.” He reached up and hooked his hand behind West’s neck, trying to pull him close for another kiss, but West didn’t budge.
Jin withdrew his hand, little lines appearing between his brows, looking as though West had smacked his hand. “You’re not kidding. Did…did I do something at the meeting tonight that upset you?”
“No!” Fuck, he was an idiot when it came to Jin. West jumped to his feet and pulled Jin up with him. They were both still stuck in their suits, and Jin’s jacket was all rucked up from their wrestling on the bed. Combined with the tie, he appeared so uncomfortable.
Once on their feet, West folded Jin into his arms, tucking his face into his neck. Only then could they both breathe.
“Dianxia,” he whispered against his temple. “During the ride from the meeting, I started thinking about things. About…us. And I want to try something that’s very difficult for me.”
Jin lifted his head, wide eyes sweeping over his face in concern. “Of course. Whatever it is, I’m there for you.”
“I want to…talk.”
The confused expression was back, not that he blamed Jin.
“I don’t understand. We talk all the time,” the crown prince said.
“I know, but I don’t normally talk a lot. You can ask my friends. Most of them I’ve known for more than a decade. They’ll tell you that all you get out of me are grunts and sarcastic comments.” West raised his fingers to Jin’s cheek, tracing the elegant curve. “But I talk to you. I don’t feel the need to be sarcastic with you. I feel at peace with you.”
One corner of Jin’s mouth quirked in a playful half smile. “Even when things are going crazy and Qin is grumpy and Ming Tao is feeling sassy?”
“Even then. There’s a quiet stillness to your world that reaches down to my soul. It’s so incredibly soothing after so many years of my life being bathed in blood. At the center of that peace is you.”
The prince leaned into him, his smile growing even wider. “I’m so happy. I want you to feel at peace here. You once told me that you found Gaoxing and the royal city of Jin peaceful. It was a home that you’ve never known. I want that for you.” He paused for a beat, his nose wrinkling. “But I don’t see what that has to do with sex.”
