Page 80 of Prodigal

“Part of me wants nothing to do with him,” André said as they held each other. “And the other part wants what I never had, what he’s offering.”

“It’s okay to feel that though.” Gideon pulled away and began unbuttoning André’s shirt and removing it. “It’s okay to be scared but to want it anyway.”

André peered at him through his lashes. “You have experience with that?”

Sinking to his knees before André, Gideon grinned up at him. “Loving you.” He dipped his gaze to focus on removing André’s belt and undoing his pants, ignoring the growing bugle beyond the zipper, before bringing his gaze back to André’s. “Loving you wasn’t part of the plan,” he confessed, tone soft. “Caring foryou, when you’re the son of my enemy?” He shook his head. “Sometimes, I imagine my father rolling over in his grave.”

“Gideon.” André’s eyes got all sad and he cupped Gideon’s jaw. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.” He caught André’s hand, kissing the knuckles. “I’m not sorry. Besides, I think my father would surprise me. I think he would love you and he would approve of me pivoting to a plan that didn’t involve hurting you.”

André’s lips trembled as he stared down at Gideon. “But your father loved you.”

And Ennis loved him, but Gideon didn’t think André was ready to hear that. Instead, he pulled André’s pants and underwear down his hips. “Lift your foot.”

André followed his instructions, lifting one foot then the other as Gideon removed his shoes, and when Gideon tossed his clothes to the side, he asked, “Is there a reason you’re stripping me bare, Winters?”

“Yep.” Gideon stood, ignoring the way his body stirred at the sight of André standing before him in nothing but skin. Smooth, glorious brown skin. “I’m gonna bathe you. Then you’ll get a massage by these hands.” He held up his hands, wiggling his fingers.

André smiled. “A massage, huh? Does it come with a happy ending?”

“Play your cards right and it just might.” He winked and André laughed and everything felt right. Everything felt as it should be. He wanted to make André laugh for the rest of his life, he realized as he motioned for André to enter the bathroom ahead of him. He ogled that ass, pert and taut, and started making plans. Plans that would ensure he got to have André, that he got the privilege to make the other man laugh, for the rest of both their lives.

He was supposed to bathe André, but somehow Gideon found himself in the bath too, the two of them washing each other’s back. He heard his phone going off where he’d left it in his pocket back in the bedroom.

There were a million things happening at the moment, things he needed to keep on top of. But nothing was as important as making André smile, or hearing his roaring laughter when Gideon tickled him and he thrashed about in the bath, sending water splashing over the lip of the tub onto the floor. It took a lot to refrain from sitting André on his dick that throbbed and bobbed between them in the water, but he wanted to do this. Wanted to take care of André. Wanted to make him his sole focus. His soul’s focus.

They touched. Because Gideon didn’t havethatmuch self-control. If André was close, then Gideon’s hands just had to be on him. And André did the same, fingers trailing down Gideon’s chest, across his shoulder.

By the time he climbed out of the bath and held a towel open for André, Gideon was a mess of arousal. But he held it together, drying André and ignoring his own wet skin before bringing his lover back to the bedroom and positioning him face down on the bed. After retrieving all the stuff he needed, he straddled the back of André's legs and went to work massaging André with oils that had the room smelling like citrus.

Every groan André uttered echoed in Gideon’s chest. Taking care of André like this gave him pleasure. Made him feel proud that he could do it at all. Of all the plans he’d had when he’d emerged from the shadows, love had been nowhere on the list. Aldo had planned for all contingencies except that one. But he meant what he’d told André. He knew his father, and he was confident that Aldo would’ve championed Gideon's love for André. And his father would’ve been the first one to suggest they find other ways to implement their plans.

Because his father had loved him.

As Gideon kneaded the tight muscles in André’s back, he thought back to their visit to Ennis. As much as he wished he didn’t have to admit it, Ennis loved his son. He’d been earnest when he’d told André he wanted him in his life. And André wanted it too. He was just afraid to want it, to voice it, and then be disappointed. Gideon understood, but he couldn’t see how those two could move past their issues.

Unless he helped them.

It was, after all, his duty to give André whatever his heart desired.

Snores reached his ears and he paused.

André was asleep.

He chuckled, climbing off the slumbering man and cleaning up, washing his hands and putting the oils away. His phone went off just as he was about to crawl into bed next to his man, and he grabbed it up quickly so it wouldn’t rouse André.

“Yeah,” he answered the call.

“Alexander Grant is on board.” Ennis. As if Gideon’s thoughts had conjured him. “He has agreed to take Morrow’s seat.”

“Excellent.” It happened sooner than he’d expected, but it wasn’t as if Gideon had any doubts that itwouldhappen.

“This is you, isn’t it? What’s happening with Morrow, that’s all you.”

Gideon’s gaze flicked to André snoring inches away. “Whatishappening with Morrow?”

Ennis snorted. “You’re playing God with the wrong people’s lives, Winters. Nothing good can come of it.”

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