The Royal Series 0 - A Royal Archive

Chapter 4

† Finnegan †

The moment Captain Anthony entered his rooms, Finnegan was able to forget that stunning kiss with Gustavo and focus on his job. For all the ways that he used his power and position to get what he wanted, Anthony was a sweet man who had spent his entire life being told that he was wrong for loving other men.

Finnegan had become his confidant, on his first visit to the Promise of Pleasure, when he had come in under the cover of darkness, afraid that someone from the city guard or government would find out he was gay. For the first few visits, instead of being used and treated like a trophy, Finnegan had enjoyed the pleasure of seducing Anthony and teaching him about the love and passion two men could share. It was the same teaching that he gave Spencer, when his friend came to visit. The only difference was that Anthony's teaching had been practical, while Spencer's remained theoretical.

"What have you done, that you need punished?" Anthony asked, removing his jacket and heading straight for the bed.

Finnegan nodded to himself, as he crossed to stand right in front of the guard. That move meant Anthony was feeling direct and needy, so the best thing to do was to put aside the flirty, bad boy and bring out the coy, sweet lad that needed saved. "I was kidding," he said, acting shy as he stepped towards the big, burly guard and pressed both hands to his chest. "I could not be sure if you had a good day or not, so I thought it might cheer you up. Did it?" he asked, batting his eyelashes and gazing at him helplessly.

Anthony grinned and cupped his waist, to carefully draw him forward. "It did. Thank you," he whispered, while his hands slowly slid up his waist, beneath his shirt, to caress his bare skin. "I had a most exhausting day and I hope you do not mind that I have extended our time together," he hinted.

Curious, he tilted his head to the side and slipped his fingers into Anthony's dark hair, at the base of his neck. "How long do we have?" he wondered.

"Until my next shift begins in the morning," he answered, with a careful look that said he was unsure how he would feel about that.

Finnegan offered a soft smile, because he knew what that meant. He leaned down and hugged the guard he had become fond of, until strong arms tightened around his waist. "I would like that very much. Will you hold me all night?" he asked, longing for that sensation. It had been so long since he had been held all through the night and probably had not happened since the first night he taught Anthony what it meant to be with a man.

"Yes."

He closed his eyes and let out a sigh of relief. After his night with Gustavo, Anthony could not have said anything better than that they would spend the night holding each other and nothing more. There would be no sex, no touching or kissing, nothing but lying in the same bed and holding each other. It was just what he needed.

Releasing him, Anthony removed his shirt with ease and a look of contentment that reinforced the lack of expectation that would surround their encounter this night. Copying his movements, Finnegan reached down to catch the front of his shirt and lifted it over his head.

Once they were both bare chested, Finnegan sank to his knees and began untying Anthony's boot laces, while the guard undid the fastening of his belt and trousers. The movements were unhurried and familiar; a way for them to each sink into the warmth and comfort of the bed and bask in each other's presence as quickly as possible. The fact that it had nothing to do with sex made his stomach flutter for a moment, then settle until he finally felt normal again.

It barely took a few more moments for Anthony to slide out of his clothes and move up the bed, to lie down. He lifted his backside off the covers, pushed them down and waited for Finnegan to remove his trousers, before joining him.