He leaned against the wall of the shower, stroking his shaft with the rough, desperate motions that he knew would bring him quick release—and zero satisfaction.
Why couldn’t he forget Bellamy Demir?
Chapter Two
5 months ago…
Maybe he was overtired, but driving through the dark to the lit up hotel made the bleary-eyed Seamus wonder if he’d fallen down a rabbit hole and directly into an episode of Downton Abbey. It wasn’t until his bags were taken with brisk efficiency and he was led to a lovely young woman at the concierge desk that it finally hit him. Kenneth Tanaka had made him reservations at a Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous style hotel. And yes, it used to be an actual Irish castle.
He was never going to be able to pay Ken back for this.
The driver that had picked up Owen and Jeremy at the airport—before Seamus rented a car to go in the opposite direction—had assured them they were headed to the most romantic destination in Ireland to start their delayed honeymoon, but as far as Seamus was concerned, it couldn’t be much better than this.
The woman took his information politely enough, but he could feel her curiosity in the glances she sent his way. Alone, wearing a faded Finn’s Pub t-shirt and jeans, he knew he wasn’t the usual guest for a place like this. He rubbed his stubble self-consciously and smiled. “This reservation was a Christmas present. My family thinks I work too much.”
Understanding lit her gaze. “You’re a lucky man then, Mr. Finn, and you’re in for a treat. A few weeks here and you’ll never be the same.” She typed something into her computer and bit her lip, fingers pushing her short blonde hair behind one ear. “May I ask…when you say family…is there a Mrs. Finn?”
Seamus was almost too tired to catch the question. “Other than my mother and my brother’s wife? No.”
“I see. You have here that you’ll accept calls to your room from your children, I suppose I just assumed…”
People always assumed. Wanting to hide in his room to get over his poor man’s shock in peace, Seamus pulled out his phone and showed her the most recent picture of Jake, Penny, Wes and Sean. “This is my brood. It’s the first time I’ve ever been away from them for longer than a weekend, so I wanted to make sure they could reach me if there was an emergency.”
She gasped, gripping his wrist with surprising tenacity to keep the phone still. “Oh, now aren’t they the most beautiful children I’ve ever seen! And those two are twins? My sisters are identical, and I can tell you, they were a handful growing up.”
Seamus forced a smile. “They always are. Do you think I could get my room key? I don’t mean to be rude, but it was a long flight and I had to rent a car.”
She blushed. “Of course. I’ll need a few more minutes, if you can wait over there.”
Over there was a lobby with vaulted ceilings and seats covered in velvet cushions. Too nice for his old jeans, he thought with a self-conscious grimace. This was all like something out of someone else’s dream, because Seamus lacked the imagination for anything this grand.
And then he saw him.
The late hour could explain the bare feet, burgundy silk pajama bottoms and unbuttoned white shirt. Since an employee probably wouldn’t hang out in the lobby half naked, he must be a guest. Or the owner, since it was doubtful anyone else could walk around like that in a place like this without fear of reprisal.
Seamus had never seen a better looking man in his life. He was leaning against a thick granite pillar draped with some medieval coat of arms, eating a bowl of ice cream and staring unblinkingly at Seamus as if he’d been watching him for a while.
Had he? The man gave him a slow, sensual once over and an internal shiver of awareness raced up Seamus’s spine. Instead of laughing it off or looking away, Seamus realized with a start of surprise that his body was responding in a way it hadn’t in years. Not since Toby.
God, he hadn’t thought about him in years. When he was a junior in high school, his best friend Toby had moved out of town, but not before admitting he was in love with Seamus. Not before he’d kissed him and touched him…and Seamus had let him. When it was over, he’d acted like an asshole—cut all ties and ignored Toby’s postcards, trying to bury those memories deep enough that they’d never bother him again, though he’d never forgotten the feelings.
But he’d chosen a different path for his future. A path that would give him the family he’d always wanted and a life that would emulate his father’s. A life to be proud of.