Page 20 of Tech Prince Troubles (Runaway Prince Hotel #6)

Chapter Twenty

SAM

standard should do

L ayla crossed her arms and stared Adri down. “You’re not going, and that’s final.”

“Sorry, pal. I agree with the boss,” Rick told Adri without taking his eyes off the screen. “You’re not looking good right now. You need to rest before you fry your circuits.”

Adri looked better than he had half an hour ago when he’d almost fainted.

He had more color in his cheeks, and he’d stopped trembling.

More interestingly, he hadn’t once tried to shake my arms off or move away from me, which had earned me some suspicious smirks from Layla and Riley.

I just smirked back and pretended my inappropriate laughter never happened.

“You’ve never installed grounding systems before, which makes me the better choice,” Adri replied. “But you’re right. We can’t afford to wait until my system purges all the glitchy energy. If I go in now, I risk destabilizing the grounding system more than it already is.”

Most of it went over my head, even after Adri’s detailed explanation, as long as it meant we could open the café again tomorrow.

“Disconnecting the bypass from the ballroom outlet is the most important step right now. That should stop the energy buildup in the wall.”

“Sounds simple enough.”

He didn’t sound as though he believed what he’d said. Adri nodded. “At least human bodies aren’t as sensitive to glitches, but you’d better wear an anti-static protective suit, just in case, and make sure you drive the disconnected leads into the ground to?—”

Rick cut him off. “No stories about rodents and loose leads, please.” He shuddered and made a face. “Especially when I’m about to head into the foundation level.”

“Understood. Keep your line open, please, so I?—”

Riley coughed.

Adri sighed but relented. “So Riley can monitor you.”

He wasn’t happy about being sidelined, and I got it. He knew the grounding systems better than anyone. But he needed to rest. “I’ll take him to his room now. How many hours before the wall stabilizes?”

“Anything from six to forty-eight,” Adri said with the same patience as when he’d explained it the first time. “When the fluctuation meter shows only one spike an hour under surge level, we can start regular repairs.”

Six sounded good to me, though the kids would love having me home for the next two days…

before they left. Shit, I’d miss them. My afternoons would be way too silent.

I wouldn’t even have Tammy for company since she was leaving for Redding, California, to spend time with her boyfriend.

Those were tomorrow-me problems. Right now, I needed to get Adri to his room.

I let go of him and pushed to my feet, offering him my hand, which he took without hesitation. With my arm around his waist, I steered him out of the office .

“Good luck, everyone.”

“Thanks, Sam. Make sure he rests.”

Oh, I would. Even if that meant watching over him. I’d already briefed the home front, so they weren’t expecting me for dinner.

As we got into the elevator, I leaned against the wall, leaving my hand on his waist. Adri leaned into me, his head resting on mine. Our gazes met in the shiny doors.

“Can we talk after?”

The vulnerability in his voice shook me. I’d done that. There was a glint in his eyes, though, that reminded me of how he’d kissed me in the office—after I’d fantasized about it. Had that only been this morning? “Of course. We’ll talk when you’re ready.”

He nodded. “Are you staying?”

“I am.”

There were no phone parts scattered across the floor this time, but his bed still looked untouched.

“Floor or bed?”

“Bed.”

“D’you want to get into something more comfortable?” I almost asked if he wanted to take his shoes off, but, of course, he didn’t wear any.

“I don’t own sleep clothes.” He hiked his tunic up. “Can you undo my skirt? I’ll change into a clean tunic later.”

I barely dared to breathe when he dropped his skirt without hesitation after I unzipped it, and I caught a glimpse of his bare ass.

It felt profoundly intimate that he let me see him.

His tunic covered the upper half of his legs—thick, twisted tendrils that tapered near the bottom.

Even after reading about Niren physiology, I wasn’t prepared to see him hovering about an inch above the floor.

He gazed at me, his head tilted, as if gauging my reaction.

“Talk later. Remember?” I reminded him as I helped him to bed and tucked him in.

When he struggled to find a comfortable position to reach the socket, I grabbed the extension cord from the floor and plugged it in. He threw me a smile as he wrapped his fingers around it.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” I dragged a chair next to the bed and settled into it. “Rest.”

Despite his claim he didn’t sleep like us humans did, Adri’s eyes drifted shut within minutes.

There was something soothing about watching him rest. He had one arm on top of the duvet, a soft blue glow—a circuitry pattern—brightening and dimming in sync with his breathing. It was mesmerizing.

Adri still had his eyes closed when I jerked awake about an hour later with a crick in my neck and vague memories of vivid, surreal dreams that might not have been dreams at all. Adri really was a prince, and someone—that little shit from IT—had tried to sabotage Layla’s charity ball.

And after all that, I still wanted to kiss Adri again.

Unwilling to disturb him, I slipped onto the balcony, performed some quick stretches, and checked my phone with bleary eyes in case I’d missed any messages. None. I typed one to Layla, not wanting to disturb Rick. She replied with, “Levels are falling. So far, so good.”

Listening to the sounds of the city, I breathed in the fresh air and waited for Adri to wake up. I didn’t have to wait long before the duvet rustled behind me.

“How are you feeling?” I asked when he joined me on the balcony.

“Much better. Thank you.”

“Do you need to go to the Tech Hub? ”

He shook his head. “Rick briefed me already. There’s nothing we can do until the wall stabilizes.”

That meant it was time for us to talk, though I felt hesitant to say it.

I wanted to stay out here, standing side by side on his balcony, looking out on the path where he’d invited me up to his room.

I reached out and covered his hand with mine, imagining the pulsating circuitry beneath his skin. Sometimes words only ruined things.

Adri seemed content to indulge me. Or maybe he wasn’t eager to talk, either, as we stared out at the trees for a long time, holding hands.

A chilly breeze rippled across Adri’s tunic, drawing my attention to his bare legs—the way the tendrils intertwined and tapered.

“Our people, our ancestors, did their best to assume human form while maintaining our own identity. Clothes they could get behind. They drew the line at shoes or learning to walk. You won’t often see any Niren in trousers. Skirts are much more comfortable and versatile.”

Rest had done him good. He sounded much more confident. Less vulnerable. I nodded. “I might have done some reading. Online. I was curious.” Then I blushed as I realized how that sounded. “Not…”

Adri laughed. “Nothing wrong with that. It pays to be prepared.”

“True.” I smiled. “But there’s fun in discovering, too.”

Shit. Were we flirting? Flirting with a prince had to be a worse idea than my ill-thought-through month of online dating.

But I had a feeling that if I didn’t just go with it, I’d regret it for the rest of my life.

I took a breath and looked him straight in the eyes.

“I know we were meant to talk, but I really want to kiss?—”

Adri swallowed my words as he pulled me to him and claimed my mouth in a slow and sweeping kiss, as if we had all the time in the world.

The faint buzz of his lips against mine made me feel alive, and I needed more.

I chased his tongue into the heat of his mouth, little fizzles of static tingling along the edges with every touch, lick, and swipe.

I melted into Adri, chest against chest, our hearts thumping different beats—syncopated—until that one matching count where we clicked and found our rhythm. Time fell away between our breaths, our gasps, the soft breeze, and chirping birds.

When we broke apart, those sounds still lingered as we clung to each other—Adri hovering and me on my toes.

He leaned forward and rested his forehead against mine. “I needed that.”

“Yes.” I shivered, need settling in my belly. I didn’t want this to stop. “D’you want to fuck me?”

“I don’t…”

For a moment, I thought he was going to send me away, but then he sighed.

“I wasn’t prepared for this. I have no supplies.”

Pressing my lips together, I breathed slowly through my nose. I would not laugh this time. Not again. “My research didn’t extend to sex. Anything I should know?” Like what supplies he was talking about.

“We don’t do fluids. That includes sperm.” The flat tone of his voice resembled a public info broadcast. “We do emit energy. And while procreation requires conscious consent from both parties, unintended absorption can manifest as human STIs. But human condoms provide appropriate protection.”

My brain was still stuck on the no sperm part, so the urge to laugh was still strong, but I pushed it down and whispered, “Good thing we’re in a hotel, then.” And I was pretty sure I knew where that vending machine was. Not that I wanted to leave the room .

Adri kissed me again, hot and fast. “Hurry,” he whispered. “Standard should do.”

This time, I did laugh. I ran out of the door and up the stairs to the second floor—didn’t want to run into Layla now—vending machine area.

Billing condoms and lube to my staff card wasn’t ideal, but speed was of the essence, and beggars couldn’t be choosers.

I got a few extra, just in case, and hung on to the railing as I skipped more than ran down the stairs.

Adri had left the door open for me, but he wasn’t in the room as I entered. My heart skipped more than a few beats as he exited the bathroom, his skin glistening from the shower.

His lean, hairless body was like purple perfection. His cock—in that I’m-getting-there state—made me want to drop to my knees and lick it. I let out a shuddering breath as I smiled at him. “Fuck. You’re gorgeous.”

I dropped my stash onto the bed and slipped past him.

“I’ll be right back,” I mumbled as I shut the door behind me and leaned against it.

Why had I told him there was fun in discovering?

He knew I was trans, but… No . No buts .

I undressed myself and stepped into the shower, singing “Banana Pancakes” in my head as I washed myself to stop overthinking everything.

The song still reverberated in my head as I exited the bathroom wrapped in the soft, pre-heated towel.

Adri spread his legs as I approached him and ran his hands across the towel with a question in his eyes.

I nodded my consent and let him unwrap the towel, unable to speak as he drank me in.

It was hard to shake that how-will-they-see-me feeling of baring myself to someone new, and I was sure my hands were trembling as he pulled me close and peppered kisses across my skin.