Page 10 of The Prince and the Double Shot (Runaway Prince Hotel #2)

“You called me Petra, and I’m assuming that’s who I remind you of.”

“It’s uncanny – the resemblance, actually. It really… It confused me and made me feel…”

“It made you feel.” He breathed deeply, and I could feel his exhale on my arm.

“Uh… Yes. I… Can we order a drink first?” Could I do this? Should I?

“Sure.” He scooted his chair out and stood up. “Trust me?”

“I… Huh?”

“You order at the bar. I’ll…”

“Oh, sure. I’m sure you know better than I do. I will trust you to order, Zane.”

“Well, it’s a start.” He walked over to the bar, and I couldn’t help but watch him move. Zane was a predator in the jungle. His tight body undulated with every step, and I can admit how much I enjoyed watching him.

I shouldn’t feel guilty about it. I didn’t. Yet, I also did in a small part of my heart. Being here with him felt both wrong and right, and it was making my head swim with all the emotions I had buried deep inside.

I would always miss Petra. I would always mourn him.

Yet, life did go on. He would want me to live in the world instead of hiding from it. I knew that.

I was scared.

How would Zane react when I told him about Petra?

If I were he, I’d leave. Being in the shadow of someone else was never a good place to be.

I’m here because it feels like having Petra back, even for a bit.

They were not the same; in fact, they were almost the opposite.

But the smile, the red curls, and the twinkle in the eye were almost exact.

The way their jawline jutted out in arrogance as if to dare you to touch it.

It made me want to touch it – to touch him.

But could I share Petra with the man he looked so much alike?

“I think you’re going to love this one.” He placed the mug in front of me. “It’s called Royal Red.”

He sat down and picked up his glass. “Tell me.”

“I…” I took a deep breath and turned the mug around on the table before taking a sip. “It’s really good.”

“Tell me, please.”

I took a deep breath and told him my tale.

Being sure to keep some privacy. But I left nothing out about what had happened.

It felt good to be honest and to share the story of our love with someone.

He listened in silence, his eyes keeping contact with mine as I told him of Petra’s sickness and how I cared for him.

How he left me, and how horrible it was to watch someone you know shrink into a shell of themselves.

Tears slid down my cheeks, and I wiped them away, but I continued.

It was a step towards healing. A step made by sharing a part of myself that I had hidden away to someone who was practically a stranger, yet someone I had already started to feel like I knew intimately, which made no sense, yet made more sense than anything else in the world right at this moment.

“That’s… I’m so sorry, Phil.” He reached over and placed his large hand on mine.

“It… Does it make any sense to say that telling you helped me? I’ve carried all of that alone for so long.”

“He was a commoner? Does your country have rules about that? So many still do.”

“Yes.” I stared at him. “You’re not who you pretend to be. Most people don’t think about marriage laws between royals. They just love the pomp and pageantry of a royal wedding.”

“My country, like most of the old European kingdoms, has laws in place. I mean, it never affected me, of course.” His thumb made little circles on the top of my hand. “I never dated anyone seriously when I was back home. It would have pleased my parents too much.”

“Now?”

“I haven’t here either. I… It’s easier to be free and without attachments when you have no idea what the future holds. Trust me, I am not the kind of boy you bring home to mother.”

“And yet, here I am.”

“And here I am.”

A flash of light made us both turn our heads, and as fast as lightning, Zane was out of his seat and heading to the door.

He ran out to the photographer, who looked frightened, and with a few words, the large guy handed Zane his camera.

He looked through it, and I could tell he was deleting some photos that the guy took.

He handed the camera back and fished his wallet out of his pocket.

I noticed a large number of bills being given to the guy.

It was strange, but it made me feel warm. Was he doing this to keep my privacy? Did the guy realize who I was, and was he taking his moment to sell photos of the lost prince to the press? It appeared that way. Or was it something totally different? Was it about Zane and not me?

Zane pointed, and the guy took off smiling. He walked back inside.

“What was that?”

“I figured you didn’t want photos hitting the press and telling everyone that you were here. Let’s move your chair a little, huh?”

“You did that for me?” I adjusted my chair so my back was to the glass.

“Yes.”

“Did he tell you who I was?”

“He didn’t. I guess he assumed that I already knew.” Was he lying? Did I even care? It wasn’t as if it mattered if he knew who I was or not, but something was telling me to keep it a secret for now.

“Thank you. How much did you pay him?”

“Five hundred.”

“He could have gotten more from the papers.”

“There was a glare from the glass. He wouldn’t have been able to sell them. But I thought it’d be better to… It’s what you would have wanted, I thought. We all deserve our privacy, don’t we?”

The way he said it told me everything I needed to know. He could say it was for me, but he didn’t want his own face in that photo. Who was he hiding from?

“Secrets. We all have them.” I said slowly.

The rest of the night went without incident, and we had a good time as we got to know each other more. We kept it simple, and neither one of us dug deep again. He walked me back to the hotel and said goodbye awkwardly.

I wanted him to kiss me, but something had shifted.

There was a new elephant in the room.