Reign or Shine

by H J Welch

  “I’ll text as soon as we get our bags back,” he promised. “And you text me and your moms with everything that’s going on. If you have any questions, no matter how silly, you ask these nice people here, okay?”

  Finley giggled and shooed at him. “Oh my god. I know, all right? I know! Cas is waiting for you. Now go!”

  Matty opened and closed his mouth, determined to tell her that he wasn’t thinking about Cas at all. But another kid arrived for registration, and Finley excitedly spun around and ran to introduce herself.

  There was nothing left for Matty to do but as he’d been told, and head off.

  Back to Cas.

  He licked his lips and caught the nearest staff member’s eye. “Thank you again,” he said.

  “Don’t worry, Mr. Doyle,” said the old guy kindly, in that same almost British accent that Cas had. “We’ll take good care of your niece. Have a lovely time in Rosavia.”

  “Right, sure,” Matty muttered to himself as he began traipsing back through the school towards Cas’s car.

  He really wanted to call his sister, but it was still a little early back in New York, and the last he’d heard from Lola was that Reghan was feeling pretty damn rough after her first chemo session. So he’d promised to only text for now and wait for her to be well enough to call him.

  He’d let her know there was a hiccup with the luggage once he’d heard from Heathrow and found out they had it all and would be forwarding it on to them, so there was no reason to worry. He texted again now as he walked back through the school, to tell both Finley’s moms that she was settled at Elm Willows, but his finger paused on the send button.

  The urge to ask his big sis for advice was strong. She’d always looked after him. He supported her, of course, but she was the strong one of the two of them. Now she needed him to be strong, and his silly fears were completely benign when compared to her health.

  But the truth was, he hadn’t actually thought this far ahead. Hadn’t researched a single tourist spot or anything. He was only just keeping his head above water back home, waiting tables in a pizza place and taking ticket stubs at a small theater. He’d been able to fly out here with Reghan and Lola’s help after they managed to get a partial refund on their own bookings. Then together, they had just about been able to scrape together enough money for his stay. But playing tourist? He absolutely didn’t have the cash lying around for dinners out or for visiting any attractions or anything.

  So it was all well and good, Finley telling Cas to look after him, but Matty was terrified Cas was soon going to realize that Matty was a broke loser, if he hadn’t figured that out already. He must have, otherwise why would he have insisted on buying all that emergency stuff for them? Humiliation layered itself over Matty’s jet lag, washing nausea through him.

  He really didn’t want Cas to think he was a loser. Even if they never saw each other again after today, the idea made Matty cringe. Cas was a dream. Was it too much to believe that he might like Matty more than just for a pity party?

  He shook his head as he reemerged from the front of the building. First things first, he desperately needed to check into his hotel, have a scalding hot shower, then maybe sleep for two days straight. He’d done it. He’d gotten Finley here. That was all that mattered. Now he could relax.

  Not that he’d done it alone, he reminded himself as he approached the car. Cas was still talking on the phone, and looked up as Matty got closer.

  His smile was enough to stop traffic. And he directed it at Matty.

  Damn. If he really turned out to be a serial killer, at least Matty wasn’t going to blame himself too much. Who could resist this guy?

  Lord only knew why he’d paid a second of attention to Matty, but it had meant Finley had made it to her training with a bow and everything. So Matty refused to question his good fortune any more than he already had, and decided to at least try and enjoy the drive back to Alpina with this gorgeous near-stranger.

  “Hey,” he said as he approached and Cas closed his call. “Everything okay?”

  Cas appeared to be confused for just a second, then he looked at his phone. “With work? Oh, yes. Same old, same old. Did everything go smoothly with Finley?”

  Matty chuckled and came to a stop in front of Cas. He wasn’t too much taller than Matty, but he was certainly broader and more muscular. He crossed his legs out in front of him as he leaned on his car, looking like a tall drink of water.

  Focus, Matty told himself.

  “Great,” he said brightly. “She barely even looked back at me. Practically shooed me off.” He placed his hand mournfully over his heart. “I’m already yesterday’s news.”

  Cas laughed, a deep rumbling sound that went straight to Matty’s balls. Damn. He needed to get laid, desperately. Since Reghan had received her diagnosis and Jeremy had fucked off, Matty honestly hadn’t even thought about sex. But it had been weeks now since he’d even taken himself in hand, and suddenly, with Cas right in front of him, he was acutely aware of how much his dick needed tending to.

  Soon, he promised himself. He’d have plenty of time at the hotel. Maybe in that hot shower he’d been fantasizing about.

  “So,” said Cas, pushing himself off the car and walking around to the driver’s side. “You ready to head back to the city?”

  Matty nodded, barreling through the wave of exhaustion that threatened to engulf him. He only had about forty-five minutes left with this stunning guy, then he’d probably never see him again. He needed to make the most of it.

  “Absolutely,” he said cheerfully. “I have the address of my hotel, or do you know that by heart, too?” he added with a smirk.

  Cas grinned. “Sadly, I’m not an A to Z of Alpina. But I promise to get you there safely.”

  Again, Matty was foolish enough to believe that he’d be safe with Cas wherever he was.

  For a while, they drove in companionable silence. Cas had the radio on low, playing a mixture of songs that Matty knew from back home and others that were brand new to him.

  “Did you know,” he said suddenly, already laughing at himself, “that the only reason I’d heard of Rosavia before now was because of Eurovision.”

  Belatedly, Matty realized that by bringing up Eurovision, he was essentially announcing he was gay. But maybe that was what his subconscious wanted. To test the waters with Cas in a relatively safe way.

  He didn’t even have time to hold his breath and see how Cas would respond. “Oh, no,” said Cas right away, visibly cringing as he also laughed. “I didn’t think you watched that in the States.”

  “There’s a bar I go to that screens it,” Matty confessed. He’d almost said ‘a gay bar’ so he was being absolutely clear, but he chickened out, hoping that the inference was enough. “It’s a riot.”

  Cas shook his head. “We always send really weird songs to compete! That’s so embarrassing. Please don’t judge my whole country on that one guy with the panpipes and bird costume. Or the grannies dancing around the cauldron.”

  “Oh, I forgot that one,” Matty said, giggling. Cas’s enthusiasm was a good sign regarding his sexuality, and Matty allowed himself to feel the thrill of that for just a moment. Nothing would obviously happen between them, but just knowing that Cas could be queer was heady. “And wasn’t the song itself about space aliens or something?”

  “Mercy, I beg you,” Cas said in mock pleading. “We can be cool, I promise! Just last month they filmed a whole car chase here for the new James Bond film.”

  “Oh, that is cool,” Matty said, turning slightly in his seat to look at Cas better. He was still ridiculously handsome, but Matty liked how animated he was when he talked, even with his hands on the wheel and his eyes on the road.

  For most of the rest of the drive they chatted easily about films and music, and even the latest play Matty had done front of house on back in New York. When Cas stopped the car, Matty had hardly even noticed they’d reentered the city. He almost asked why Cas had killed the engine.
<
br />   Then he realized with a drop of his stomach that meant they were at his hotel.

  It was time to say goodbye.

  “Oh,” said Matty faintly after Cas announced they’d arrived. “Wow, that was so fast. Um, thank you.”

  Cas turned his head to look at Matty. He narrowed his eyes and licked his lips. For the briefest second, Matty felt like he was going to be devoured, and fucking hell he was okay with that.

  “So…” Cas began, arching an eyebrow. “Finley said I should look after you.”

  Matty spluttered in horror. “Yeah, well, you know kids.” He laughed shrilly. “They say all kinds of crazy things.”

  Cas frowned slightly. “So you wouldn’t want that?”

  Matty blinked. “Want…what?”

  “A local tour guide.”

  Matty stopped breathing. Was Cas serious? Was this impossibly hot, kind, thoughtful guy really offering to look after Matty, the biggest bumpkin Queens had to offer? “You’d want to hang out?” Matty asked, making sure he really understood.

  Cas’s expression softened as he smiled again. “Yeah,” he said, nodding. “Like I said, I’m kind of a loser. I like showing off my city. Let me inflict all my useless trivia on you.”

  It was almost comical that Cas thought he could be a loser. He was heavenly. And he wanted to spend time with Matty.

  So why was Matty’s first instinct to run a mile?

  His heart caught in his throat, and he frantically raced through several thoughts. He was still raw from Jeremy. He wasn’t sure he could take investing in another guy just yet. How could Cas be paying him so much attention when they were in such different leagues? Was he flirting?

  But just as Cas’s smile began to falter, Matty exhaled and told his brain to shut the fuck up. He was so used to his ex-boyfriends and his parents dumping him on his ass, the thought of Cas doing the same was horrifying. But Matty was only here for two weeks, and Cas was only offering to show him some monuments or whatever. He wasn’t asking for a lifetime commitment, for crying out loud.

  “I’d love that,” Matty blurted before Cas’s face could fall any further, thrilled when it immediately perked up again. “But, um, I am broke. So free and cheap stuff would be great, if that’s okay?” He admitted it fast, like ripping off a Band-Aid.

  Cas gave him a strange look. “Of course it’s okay,” he said with a lopsided smile that was a different kind of gorgeous than the full one. “Alpina has all kinds of things to offer. But promise me one thing.”

  Matty’s insides squirmed. Those words seemed so intimate. “Uh, sure,” he said. “What?”

  Cas tilted his head ever so slightly. “Let me spoil you at least once. Okay?”

  Matty’s jaw dropped as his vision went slightly dizzy and his cock fucking throbbed in his jeans.

  Cas couldn’t have possibly said those words to him, could he? Except, yes, he had, and he was looking at Cas through his eyelashes, waiting for an answer.

  What else could Matty say but, “O-okay”?

  Chapter Four

  Cas

  This was new.

  Cas had never, ever allowed himself to flirt with a civilian on one of these secret excursions before. The risk was just too huge. What if the guy was to kiss-and-tell? What if he got hounded by someone like that vile royal correspondent, Ida von Tarr? What if he turned out to be some gold digger after the Crown Jewels?

  And yet, Cas had almost tripped over himself to be Matty Doyle’s own personal tour guide.

  The more personal, the better.

  Damn. Cas rubbed his freshly-shaved jaw as he waited in his car outside the hotel. He couldn’t ever remember a man getting under his skin like this before. But this was exactly what he needed, and hadn’t been getting from fussing and clucking after all his brothers for all these years. He didn’t want to fret over someone. He wanted to care for them, and make sure their every need was being met.

  Seeing the way Matty was agonizing over looking after his family and going to such extraordinary lengths had shown Cas what kind of man he was right away. The kind of man Cas just had to get to know better, and possibly spend a little time looking after. Even if only for a day.

  It didn’t have to be anything more than friendly. Maybe a little flirting. But Matty was only going to be around for a couple of weeks, so as long as Cas was careful, there wouldn’t be any danger for either of them, surely? Unless Matty was a master actor, Cas was sure he wasn’t faking it for money or a story, and Cas knew how to be vigilant. Besides, Cas had approached Matty, so there was very little chance of that. Von Trachenberg hadn’t managed to catch him out with her snooping yet, and she wasn’t about to now.

  What better way to truly go on vacation than to have a little fling with a guy who thought that Cas was just ordinary? Maybe he thought Cas was kind of rich, sure, but not a fucking prince. Not like all those other dukes and dignitaries and ambassador’s sons Cas had fooled around with in the past. There was always a worry that they were just interested in Cas for the power he had over Rosavia.

  Matty didn’t know about any of that. He’d agreed to spend the day together just because he liked Cas for himself.

  Well…maybe for his money, but damn it, what was the point of being rich if you couldn’t spoil a gorgeous guy once in a while?

  Cas bit his lip, and tried not to follow his rambling thoughts. But with someone like Matty – no – with Matty – he could imagine what having a boyfriend might actually feel like. Cas had tried a relationship at school, but it hadn’t worked out and he’d not bothered again since. Everything was so impossible when you were a prince. Even more so when you were trying to hold the heir of the throne together and stop your other brothers from getting into even more trouble.

  But that was Sander. As Cas, he was free to ask an impossibly cute tourist out for a day of fun. And, oh, his blush when Cas had asked to spoil him? Yeah, Cas had liked that a lot.

  Enough to make up for the white lies that were piling up. But they wouldn’t cause any harm, surely? Matty never needed to know who Cas really was. It was okay to be vague about his family and job. Pretending to make a work call when he’d really just caught up with Jules for a while didn’t feel great, but Cas reminded himself again that what Matty didn’t know, wouldn’t hurt him. After all, he couldn’t very well have walked back into Elm Willows yesterday and risked bumping into a former teacher who would have addressed him as Your Highness.

  Besides, as much as Cas had promised himself not to meddle in his brothers’ affairs during the next couple of weeks, Jules had been a little flustered as he’d told Cas that Prince Dante of Thedes was coming to stay, possible even attending the Royal Ball. Those two had been thick as thieves their whole lives, but then, four years ago it was as if they’d drifted apart after university and never spoken again. Cas hoped Jules knew what he was doing.

  But that was Jules’s business, not Cas’s, so he ensured the worrying stopped there. Cas wasn’t doing any of his brothers any favors by trying to stop every disaster before it happened. Jules – like Leo and Wren – needed to start trying to avert their own catastrophes.

  Was that what Cas was doing right now, though? Walking into a situation he really should be steered away from? He huffed and shook his head to himself in the car. Like his brothers, he needed to live a little and stop trying to control every little thing. Life was messy, and Cas should embrace that more.

  It was just…Cas wasn’t sure what he’d hate more. His little make-believe bubble with Matty being burst…or Matty finding out that Cas had lied to him.

  But neither of those things had happened, nor were they going to happen. So Cas made himself relax as he waited outside of Matty’s hotel to begin their day of fun. It was a narrow building nestled between two other independently run hotels, all in the lower three-star range, but more than likely perfectly clean in this area of town. Just basic.

  Cas itched to get Matty an upgrade. He’d agreed to let Cas spoil him once, and that could very well
have been with a five-star penthouse. But there was something slightly seedy in organizing a hotel room to Cas’s mind. Like Matty might think Cas expected to be invited back with him that night.

  So, no, Cas had resisted. Instead, he’d planned a day of wandering between some of his favorite sights and a simple lunch. Then he’d booked his favorite sushi restaurant for the evening, along with a play he’d been dying to see that he hoped Matty would love too, followed by drinks at an exclusive rooftop bar. Cas wanted Matty’s first full day in Alpina to be utterly unforgettable.

  After that, Cas had promised himself he wouldn’t push Matty. He might not want to hang out again, preferring to see the city by himself. And Cas would respect that.

  But he kind of hoped Matty would want to spend a few more days together…and if there were any nights, Cas was absolutely not going to say no. He’d never invited anyone back to his secret apartment in the city before, mostly due to security concerns. But now, he felt like he might break his own rule.

  Matty had that kind of effect on him.

  Speaking of which, the man in question came walking out of the hotel doors, then smiled and waved when he saw Cas waiting in the car. Cas was surprised how far his heart lurched in his chest. He hadn’t even known Matty a day. That was a little too much enthusiasm, surely, especially when he was attempting to play this cool. There was still a slim chance this could blow back in his face if he wasn’t careful.

  He just really hoped it didn’t.

  Matty looked positively edible in the clothes Cas had bought for him yesterday. Just a fresh T-shirt, but damn. There was also underwear that he couldn’t see, but very much liked thinking about.

  A strange feeling of possessiveness crawled over Cas’s chest as he watched Matty jog towards him. He didn’t really understand why he loved seeing Matty in the clothes they’d picked out together and Cas had paid for, but it was kind of making him hard. Rather than think it over too much, he decided to just enjoy it. That was kind of the whole theme for this vacation. To stop worrying.