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There was no doubt in his mind that his friends would understand that this was where he belonged now.
“Kiss me,” West commanded.
Jin didn’t hesitate. He tipped his head up and even rose on the tips of his toes so that their lips met in a sweet, short kiss.
“Again.”
Jin repeated the process.
“Again.”
Jin smirked. “I’m serious.”
“So am I. You asked me if I could choose you over getting shot at, shooting at people, hiding out in rundown, bug-infested motels, and constantly flying all over the world? I’m answering. If I can kiss you every day, it’s no choice at all.”
“But you do good things with them.”
“I can do great things here with you.”
“Won’t you miss your friends?”
West shrugged one shoulder. “Of course, but Gaoxing has the Internet and cell phones. I can talk to them whenever I want. They can visit.” He wrapped his arms around Jin’s waist. “It’s not a ‘you versus my friends’ conversation. It’s a ‘what will make both of us happy’ conversation. That’s why I want us to slow down a little. I don’t want to get so wrapped up in the physical that we overlook glaring problems.”
Jin sighed and laid his head on West’s shoulder. “Logically, I agree. Logically,” he stressed a second time. “My body thinks this is a horrible idea, and I don’t think we’re going to stick to it for long.”
“On that point, I think you are very, very right.”
But this thing that was forming between him and Jin was precious and fragile, like new growth on a flower. The stem had yet to strengthen to support the weight of a flower in full bloom. He wanted to give them more time to be sure of their feelings, to strengthen before they faced a real test.
And West feared that the first test was going to be the emperor.
16
JIN LONG WEI
Jin regretted ever agreeing to West’s request to slow things down between them.
He’d dug part of that hole for himself when he demanded West not stop sharing a bed with him, though. After the closet incident, West didn’t like being more than a few steps from him and always kept him in his line of sight. West was unwilling to sleep in a guest room. He’d offered to sleep on the sofa in the parlor, but that would not work for Jin. If he was going to be that close, they could share the same bed and behave.
Each night, they started on separate sides.
And each morning, they woke wrapped up in each other.
The number of cold showers Jin had suffered through during the past week was getting annoying.
To add to the fun for the past seven long days, his father was still refusing to agree to a heart transplant if a heart was located, news had broken that the kingdom was in dire financial straits and would require an increase in taxes if they didn’t want to cut funding for the various social programs, and opinions were growing more mixed about West in the background of Jin’s life. He could use some positive news for himself and his people.
Sadly, the only sort of good news he had was that Charlie and his team had taken out several assassins before they could make a move on Jin. Yet, that wasn’t something he could announce to the people of Gaoxing and not something he wanted his father to discover.
With the support of Jin and Ming Tao, West had revised the security team and schedule to improve the protection of both princes. There had been questions about West’s qualifications, but Qin was working to spread the information that Jin had secretly recruited the former Marine and CIA agent to help secure the princes in this time of upheaval. According to Qin, the whispering was helping, and his own staff regarded West with a little more awe.
But today was the real test.
A new manufacturing plant was opening, and he’d agreed months ago to be on hand for it. Prior to his father taking ill, he’d expected it to be a minor event with only a handful of the press there to snap pictures and ask questions.
Things had changed in the past several weeks. The palace had a press secretary who’d been answering questions on a weekly basis. Both she and Finance Minister Deng Rong had addressed the recent money troubles of the kingdom, but he knew the people wanted to hear from the royal family. This was going to be no minor event.
The crowds also meant more opportunities for assassins to take shots at him, which was why all of West’s friends were present for his speech.
“Don’t worry, Your Highness. We’ve got your back covered,” Charlie reassured through the earpiece West had given him while they’d traveled in the car.
He glanced over his shoulder at West, who was following several steps behind and looking stern. Charlie’s words helped to calm some butterflies flitting around his chest but seemed to do nothing for West. His handsome, not-pretend boyfriend appeared ready to tear apart anyone who dared to even glance at Jin in a threatening manner. If it were at all possible, the rest of his security was taking cues from West’s dark mood and seemed more frightening as well.
