Rivals In Love

CHAPTER 11

Cassian's whole body froze as he felt the chills run down his spine but he brushed it off and smiled coldly.

He turned his head slightlyand leaned back so that his ears were against Rainier'slips. "Hmm.... Yes. Nice to meet you, Mr. Romanoff", Cassian hummed with a chilling smirk on his face.

Warm air hit his ear as Rainier scoffed. "Since when?" He asked as he placed his hands on Cassian's waist and pushed him slightly. Cassian turned to face him with a smile.

"I've known for about a day or two," he shrugged. Rainier opened his mouth to ask something else but then he remembered not having the usual 'accidental' meetings with Cassian for quite some time. He looked him in the eyes as the thought occurred to him. Had Cassian avoided him once he found out he was the Romanoff heir? Why did the thought of that possibility make him feel a tinge of pain?

"That's not why I avoided you," Cassian laughed. "Why? Are you hurt?" He asked with a raised eyebrow as he placed his hand on Rainier's chest, feeling the hard contours of his muscles through his shirt. Cassian wanted to hum in satisfaction. It was the first time since they met that he was finally getting to touch him in some way. It wasn't enough but he would have to make due. He wasn't even sure that Rainier liked him as more than an annoying little brother. He sighed as he looked up at Rainier's beautiful hazel eyes that were flooded with emotion but the one that drew him in was the hurt veiled in confusion. "I guess you were," he mumbled to himself. "I had things to do, so don't worry," Cassian smiled up at him.

Rainier raised an eyebrow but Cassian just shook his head. "It's a secret," he whispered with a playful smirk on his face. As if something just occurred to him, Cassian suddenly turned his head to the right to look at something. He saw his parents coming towards them and he groaned. He loved spending time with them but he still wanted to talk to Rainier. And he also had to attend that damn date with that Markov character that bought him. Meeting Rainier was the highlight of the day but it was over. And he had had enough. Markov was walking behind his parents. No doubt he had probably snitched to them that he had disappeared on him. He scoffed. He really didn't want to spend time with Markov because he was too rigid. He couldn't believe, previously, he had thought Rainier was the stiffest human on earth. He had met his match.

"What are you looking at?" Rainier asked as he too turned to look at what he was looking at. Cassian turned to look at him shaking his head. He saw the small smirk that formed on Rainier's lips. He wanted to kiss him. How would Rainier react if he kissed him right there and then? He raised his eyes slightly to look at his eyes. Would they cloud over with anger? Or would they shine overwhelmed with joy? Or maybe they would be filled with disgust? He couldn't help his train of thoughts, that had now taken a wrong turn, dwelling on negative thoughts. He sighed and looked away although reluctantly.

"You wanna hear a joke, D'Angelo?" Rainier's husky voice felt like vibrations of thunder against his skin. "I was the one that bought you," he finished just as the D'Angelo couple arrived next to them.

"What were you two talking about?" Mr. D'Angelo asked as he looked over the both of them. Cassian tried to smile as warmly as possible but he knew his parents didn't buy it as he saw how his mother's expressions turned from bored lazy housecat to a hungry blood thirsty jaguar as she looked Rainier right in the eye.

"It's nothing. Rai- I mean Mr. Romanoff was just leaving," Cassian said softly. He wanted to curse at Rainier for putting him in such a situation where he couldn't even begin to give an explanation without being in deep shit trouble.

"Then...." Rainier bowed his head slightly towards the couple, "I'll be off. It was nice meeting you Mr. and Mrs. D'Angelo. It was good seeing you again, Cass," he smiled more like smirked in schadenfreude.