7. Troy

7

TROY

By the time I parked in front of Alexi's dorm, he was already waiting outside. He had his hands in the pockets of his coat and stood by his small suitcase like a statue.

Tension radiated from him, and I could feel it all the way from the car.

I stepped out and walked toward him.

"Hey, are you ready?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"Everything okay?"

"Uh-huh."

I grabbed his suitcase and walked back to the car with him on my heels. As much as I wanted to talk about the kiss, I didn't want to do it on campus.

"You borrowed your friend's car again?"

"Why would I—oh, um, yes. It drives well, and he doesn't need it."

In the last two days, I'd been more than distracted. Even Marco had commented on it.

I'd finally done what I'd wanted to do since I'd met Alexi.

I'd kissed him, and it had been way better than my wildest fantasies. Alexi was soft, delicious, and mine.

One kiss, and I didn't care that he was a prince and we lived in vastly different worlds. He was my Lexi.

I hadn't even panicked over kissing him. In fact, I planned on doing more of it. What had me twisted in knots was the secret I was keeping from everyone.

Initially, I hadn't told my family about Elite because we weren't sure it would work, and I didn't want my parents worried that I was getting distracted when I should have been focused on my degree.

"You're thinking way too hard over there."

The tension in his voice was clear.

"Just focusing on getting out of the city." I took his hand and laced our fingers together over the center console, releasing a breath when he relaxed under my touch.

"We'll talk about it, okay? But not when I'm driving because I'll want to kiss you again, and we'll end up crashing."

His reply was a breathy, "Okay."

I let him play deejay while I drove, but he had to use his other hand because I didn't want to let go.

Yes, I was only a little obsessed about holding his hand, caressing his skin, and hoping it could last forever, even after he found out my secret.

"I found a really cute present for your nephew, but your brother and Tom might not be too happy with me," Alexi said after finding a playlist he liked.

"Oh really? I doubt it's as bad as my gift."

He chuckled. "It's a finger-painting kit with canvas and glitter paint."

I laughed. "Oh man, they're going to love you."

"What did you get him?"

"A playpen and a bunch of musical instruments. It has a set of drums and a piano all included."

Alexi laughed out loud, and it was the best sound ever.

"You're right. They're going to hate you more than me."

I brought our joined hands to my mouth and kissed the back of his.

"But we'll be Miles's favorite uncles."

I quickly glanced at Alexi, loving the blush coloring his skin.

"Are you looking forward to seeing your parents?" I asked.

He didn't answer immediately.

"Yes. I miss them, but…I want them to think I'm happy here and don't need their constant supervision."

"You're not happy?"

He sighed. "I am, but…you said we'd talk about it when you're not driving."

"Hold that thought."

I saw a sign for a rest area in a couple of miles, so I moved to the exit lane. I searched for a place to park away from the other cars and eventually found it by a small picnic area with tables and chairs.

Alexi followed me to a table, and we sat on a bench facing each other.

"Let's talk," I said.

"We kissed," he said.

I chuckled. "That was some kiss."

His face went bright pink.

"God, I love when you blush. No matter how much you want to keep your feelings to yourself, your skin gives you away."

"It's a curse," he grumbled.

I cradled his face, tracing a few freckles with my thumb. "It's beautiful." And then I kissed him.

This time, I was able to control myself even though I wanted nothing more than to have Alexi against me, but kissing in public was already a risk if anyone recognized him.

His tiny moans went straight to my dick as I kept kissing him without deepening it. If I had a taste of him now, I wouldn't stop.

"What are we doing, Troy?" he whispered in my ear.

"Kissing and then kissing some more." I trailed a few kisses down his neck before I forced myself to stop.

"I've wanted this since…since…"

"We met? Me too, Lexi. But you were too young. I was too young. And we lived in different countries."

He looked at our joined hands.

"I know. It would have been impossible, and it probably wouldn't have lasted. But how can we be sure it'll work now?"

I squeezed his hand. "I'm going out on a limb to say that the feelings I've had for you for years are similar to those you've had for me." He nodded, so I continued, "So, how about we take this one day at a time?"

"Can we keep it between us?"

I smiled. "Of course. I'm not exactly eager to have Sergei kick my ass, and he's not even your dad."

Alexi rolled his eyes. "I keep telling Rory that Sergei needs a baby to fuss over. The only answer I get is that they're trying."

I groaned. "TMI, baby."

He gasped.

"Oops, that one fell out," I said without regret.

"I like it," he whispered as his face went a deeper pink.

"What I said earlier about being happy…" He trailed off.

"Yes?"

"I am. I'm loving my courses, and now…with you…what you said about taking each day. That's what I want. That's why…"

He slammed his lips against mine again. I let him take what he needed until he pulled back, leaning his forehead against mine. "I love kissing you too much."

"No such thing. Let's get back on the road. We still have a couple of hours to our destination."

"When you said we were going to an art museum in Cleveland, I thought you were taking me to the Cleveland Museum of Art."

"Come on, this one is way better." I dragged him across the small parking lot to the property that housed the museum.

"What is this place? I like the gardens."

"This used to be a retirement home for artists. The location is perfect. Imagine living the rest of your days in this peaceful place by the lake and getting to paint or draw it for fun too."

"Sounds wonderful," Alexi said, taking in the surroundings.

I'd accidentally found this place when I'd come off the interstate and gotten a little lost on a trip home. My trip ended up taking an extra day because I'd stayed to explore the area.

"If you like the outside, you're going to love the inside."

He turned to me. "What's inside?"

"Only the biggest collection of artists' drawings of a single place in the world. Imagine years and years of retired artists capturing this place. It's all here."

He grabbed my hand and dragged me to the house. My heart skipped a beat at his enthusiasm.

I was glad we'd stopped earlier to talk. Initially, I'd wanted to do it in the safety of the hotel. If things had gone south, at least we would have two separate rooms.

Now I was wondering if there was a chance we could spend the night together.

Maybe it was too early. I knew from the family grapevine that Alexi didn't exactly date a lot. He'd had a few boyfriends, but none had lasted long, so there was a chance he was inexperienced.

I wouldn't push him to do anything he wasn't comfortable doing. Everyone moves at their own pace, and it would still be an amazing night, even if we just stayed under the same blankets and didn't touch at all.

I followed Alexi around the house for two hours. I waited while he looked at all the drawings and paintings, took photos, and even sketched the lake view from the house's main room.

"What are you going to do with it?" I asked.

"Don't know. I think I'll leave it like this. A raw sketch to represent the short time I spent here."

"You should frame it."

He smiled. "Maybe I will."

"Hungry?" I asked in time to hear his belly rumble.

He laughed. "I think you have your answer. Next time, feed me more than tea and a croissant for lunch."

It was my turn to laugh. "Got it." I pulled him close and gave him a gentle kiss.

The pink color returned to his face.

"Will you ever not blush when I kiss you?"

"I don't think so."

"Come on, let's go to the hotel. They have a good restaurant there."

"Do they do room service?"

I stopped to look at him. His eyes didn't meet mine, but he was smiling.

"You're going to be the death of me, Lexi."