Page 16 of Charmed By You
Chapter 7
Elliot was staring at him like he’d suddenly grown two heads but Henry didn’t try to rush him into understanding. He was visibly upset. He’d looked on the verge of passing out when Henry had walked into the kitchen. Tears were still blurring his beautiful brown eyes and they were wide with disbelief. Henry simply held him, basked in the certainty that he’d done the right thing and waited for Elliot to understand that he was safe.
He had Elliot back in his arms, where he belonged, and he never intended to let go again.
When Mack had filled him in on Elliot’s family, he’d been angry. His bodyguard had been right. He’d wanted to punch something. He’d wanted to rip someone apart. There was nothing quite like finding out that the man you were falling in love with had been abused and neglected, stolen from and underpaid, used like slave labor to cover the costs of room and board in a house that should have been his home. He had been absolutely gutted when Mack told him what he’d found out and after some more research and digging, he’d known what he had to do.
Henry had to save him. Give him back what was rightfully his. Get him out from under the tyrannical rule of his stepmother. Even if Elliot was a grown man and even if he didn’t want anything from Henry, he wouldn’t have been able to live with himself if he hadn’t done something to help.
All his life he’d wondered why he’d been lucky enough to be a born a Lord, where he had every privilege and everything he could ever want. He’d built his campaign on giving back to the people of Knights Port. This was why he was a Lord. Because being Henry Lord was the best way to help other people.
And he was starting here, with Elliot, with the man he’d fallen irrevocably in love with in the span of one night.
He had no idea how it had happened so fast. It hadn’t been love at first sight. It had been pure and unadulterated lust. But sometime in the night, in the moments between the best orgasms of his life, when they’d been quiet and still and had simply talked, Henry had fallen for the beautiful blond haired boy with the soulful eyes and the smart mouth.
He couldn’t imagine his life without Elliot now and he didn’t want to.
Elliot was what he wanted and Henry always got what he wanted.
He wanted the brash young man that had teased him mercilessly. He wanted the cocky man that hadn’t shied away from a single order Henry gave him. He wanted the tough-talking attitude and he wanted this softer, gentler side of Elliot that he was only just now glimpsing. He wanted to learn everything about him. He wanted to know everything there was to know. But he didn’t want to keep digging and researching to do it.
He wanted Elliot in his life. He wanted Elliot to trust him enough to confide in him. He wanted Elliot to love him in return.
“He-Henry?” Elliot’s voice cracked and he cleared it loudly, “Are you serious?”
“About buying the restaurant?” Henry tilted his head, “Yes. I own the restaurant now.”
Elliot surprised him when he shoved him in the chest, pushing out of his arms and backing up a few careful steps, “Why in the hell would you do that?”
“For you.” Henry blinked.
“What?”
“I did it for you, to give to you. It’s yours.” He took a step forward but Elliot took another step back so he stopped, “Ell, I know this must come as a surprise. Trust me, I didn’t expect it either. I didn’t expect you but… You’re important to me. Last night was important to me.”
Dark eyes rimmed in red narrowed on him suspiciously, “Last night was a nice fuck but that’s all it was.”
“That’s not true.”
“Do you do this for all your one-night stands? Buy them restaurants? Cars? Houses?”
Henry frowned at the venom in the other man’s voice. He hadn’t expected the gesture to be thrown back in his face. Then again, that was one of the things that attracted him to Elliot. He never knew what was going to come out of that mouth. Then he remembered what Mack had told him, what Elliot had said about not wanting anything Henry had told him to offer, and it clicked.
Elliot thought this was a buy off. Hush money. A way to keep him quiet about what had happened between them.
Henry almost laughed. He didn’t want to keep them quiet. Not even close. He wanted everyone to know that this man was his. He wanted to shout from the rooftops that he’d found the man he loved. Finally. But he didn’t laugh for fear of making Elliot think he was laughing at him.
“No, Ell. You’ve got it all wrong.”
“Do I?” He sneered and Henry felt his lips twitch.
“I didn’t buy the restaurant so you’d leave my life quietly. I bought it so that you’ll always be a part of it. That’s what I want. I want you.”
Elliot snorted, “So you think you can buy me? Is that it?”
“Jesus, Ell.” He groaned, “Why do you have to make everything so goddamned difficult? I bought the restaurant because I could. I bought it because when I woke up and you were gone this morning I was desperate to find you and when I went digging I found out some pretty nasty shit about your stepmother and how she stole your inheritance from you. This restaurant was always meant to be yours. So I bought it and I’m giving it back to you. No strings attached.”
“No strings attached?” Elliot’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.
