Max and the Prince by R. J. Scott Page A

Max turned to face him again and gifted Lucien with a
soft smile. A knowing smile.
    And there it went again. Time for Lucien to grab his towel
and hide his burgeoning erection…
    “You’re up next,” Kev said next to him. That was enough of a
shock to get Lucien out of his sex-and-kissing head space. He’d stared for so
long he’d missed the women’s race. He’d probably been standing there with a
dumbass expression on his face. So much for self-respect.
    He placed second in the 800 freestyle and the team won the 4x400
relay so he was on a high when it came to his turn in the butterfly.
    Kev called him over. “Just lay low on this one, okay? Don’t
push too much. You’re up against two of their best, and we never expected the
win.”
    Lucien nodded his understanding, but as he rolled his
shoulders he probably had a light in his eyes that spoke of a need to win,
which was exactly what he was thinking.
    “I mean it,” Kev said. He was using that tone, the one he
used to remonstrate with the team when they didn’t listen to him. “Are you
listening to me?” He poked Lucien in the chest and Lucien startled and took a
step back. Kev was way past serious.
    “I promise.”
    “Look how easily Billy damaged his tendon at the last meet.
He’s going to be out weeks. Watch yourself.”
    Lucien pressed a hand to his chest where Kev had poked him
and pasted a teasing smile on his face. “I will.”
    He took his place at the starting blocks and counted down
the time by focusing inward to visualize the race. At this moment when all
around him were talking and walking and waiting, he was focusing on the race,
on the smooth movements, on the way he would cut through the water, on the
muscles that would ache after. The other participants joined him at the starting
blocks, and for a tense second, they were suspended in waiting. Then with the
whistle, they were away, the dive into the cold water, holding breath,
breathing out, surfacing and cursing inwardly as he saw in his peripheral
vision that all three others he was against were just that small bit ahead.
    Another burst and he was leveling, his muscles burning, his
lungs aching, and abruptly determination was there, that sudden brutal shove of
focus, edged with the stupid but pressing need to show Max what he was made of.
It was enough to pull him ahead of two of the other three swimmers. When he
touched tile on the turn, he was second. There was no way he’d catch first, but
he was so close to keeping a reasonable second place.
    And Max would be watching. He’d be watching and would know
that Lucien wasn’t a pathetic excuse for a man who couldn’t even look after
himself. He’d see someone that possibly wasn’t so weak.
    He finished the race, then sunk under the water. He didn’t
care where he’d come in. None of it mattered. He was done and just ever so
slightly embarrassed he’d been swimming to prove to Max what he could do.
    When he rose again there was cheering and a quick glance up showed
him Kev holding up two fingers with a grin on his face.
    So I kept second , Lucien thought. Yes!
    The party was in a small room above Revolution. The castle
opposite was still lit up from Christmas even though it was the middle of
January, and Lucien wondered why the lights hadn’t been taken down yet. He
didn’t vocalize the question, instead he concentrated on listening to what
people were saying around him. Max was somewhat of a hero based on his stepping
in for the team, and Lucien was getting plenty of praise for coming in second
in the butterfly. Overall, CU had won by a clear margin.
    Lucien had a Coke. A whole bottle of Coke . Max had
reassured him, said it was okay to let go if he wanted to and get a beer, but
Lucien had his own demons and wasn’t ready for that tonight. He kind of liked
the idea of a beer buzz, but being out with Max at his side was more than
enough for the time being.
    They’d eaten chicken and fries, and salad, and more fries,
and ordered