Chapter 115: Dangerous Fascination [IV]

At first, Tractor had assumed the younger man was simply shy. He had followed him into the bathroom partly out of curiosity and partly because he wanted to tease him and see more of those flustered reactions. Now, watching Tobias stand frozen with one hand gripping him through his trousers, he began to wonder whether the man was genuinely innocent, spectacularly inexperienced, or merely terrible at hiding what he wanted. Whatever the answer, the sight was entertaining. A low chuckle escaped him.

Tobias flinched at the sound and finally seemed to regain control of his limbs. He immediately released Tractor and stumbled backward, his face burning so fiercely that he wished the floor would open beneath him.

"I’m sorry!" he rushed out. "I didn’t mean to do that. I was trying to stop you from taking off your belt, and then you moved, and I—" He stopped, horrified by the sound of his own explanation. "That came out wrong. I mean, I wasn’t trying to touch you there. Not that I was trying to touch you anywhere else, either. I just wanted you to stop, and somehow my hand—"

Stop talking. Just stop talking!

But Tobias had apparently lost the ability to obey even his own internal instructions.

"I’m really sorry," he finished weakly, staring at the floor. "I swear I’m not usually this—this..."

This what? Completely shameless? A walking disaster? Someone who apparently needs supervision around a man he finds attractive?

He pressed his lips together, fighting the urge to cover his face with both hands. What exactly was wrong with him today? He had barely arrived at the palace before finding himself staring at a stranger like a fool. Then he had practically run away, been caught pretending to admire a tap, and somehow ended up with his hand in a place it had absolutely no business being.

His family was waiting in the reception room. His father was probably growing impatient with his absence, while his mother might already be wondering what was keeping him and considering sending a servant to look for him. As for Sonia, Tobias doubted she had even noticed he was missing. His sister had a remarkable talent for being entirely preoccupied with herself, and he wouldn’t be surprised if she could sit through an entire palace reception without sparing a thought for anyone else.

Meanwhile, Tobias was in a bathroom with a stranger, making a complete idiot of himself.

Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. Is there anything else I can do to ruin my dignity today?

Tractor chuckled again, apparently in no hurry to rescue him from his humiliation. "Like I said, I don’t mind."

Tobias cautiously lifted his head.

"I really don’t." Tractor glanced down at his own belt before returning his attention to Tobias, the smirk on his face growing. "If you want to see for yourself how big it is, you can simply undress me and have a proper look instead of stopping me."

Tobias’s mouth fell open.

"I—what?"

"I’m serious." Tractor tilted his head, studying him with unmistakable amusement. "Though, judging by the way you were looking at me earlier, I suspect you’ve already been wondering about it."

Tobias felt his soul leave his body.

Please let the ground swallow me. Right now. Immediately.

"I wasn’t—" He stopped, because denying it would be a lie, and Tractor looked far too pleased with himself to believe anything Tobias said. "You can’t just say things like that to people!"

"Why not?"

"Because..." Tobias waved a helpless hand between them, unable to find a single sensible explanation that didn’t make him sound even more ridiculous. "Because you can’t!"

Tractor’s laughter deepened. "That’s a very convincing argument."

Tobias glared at him, though the effect was considerably weakened by his flushed cheeks and the fact that he still couldn’t quite bring himself to meet the man’s eyes for more than a second. He wanted to be offended. He wanted to tell Tractor to stop teasing him and let him leave. Most of all, he wanted his body to stop remembering the brief, accidental contact that had sent his thoughts spiralling in the first place.

Unfortunately, his curiosity remained very much alive. And Tractor, judging by the knowing look in his eyes, had noticed that too.

"My name is Tractor, by the way." The unexpected introduction caught Tobias off guard. Tractor held out his hand slightly, a faint smirk still playing on his lips. "May I know your name?"

Tobias looked up at him, momentarily confused by the sudden change in conversation. After everything that had just happened, he hadn’t expected the man to introduce himself as though they were meeting at a perfectly ordinary social gathering. He hesitated before answering, still struggling to recover what little dignity he had left.

"Um... Tobias. Tobias Ashcroft." He paused, then added, almost as an afterthought, "The Prime Minister’s son."

Tractor regarded him for a moment before letting out a quiet chuckle. "I gathered that. You obviously came here with the Prime Minister, and the resemblance between you and your mother is uncanny. I didn’t need you to tell me who your father was to figure out that you’re his son."

"Oh." Tobias blinked, feeling rather foolish. "Right. Of course."

Why did I even say that?

He wanted to disappear all over again.

Introducing himself was one thing, but announcing his father’s position as though Tractor might not recognize him was another. The man had already demonstrated that he was observant, and Tobias had somehow managed to make himself look even more ridiculous in front of him. Tractor, however, seemed perfectly content with the exchange.

He slipped one hand into his pocket, studying Tobias with an expression that made the younger man increasingly nervous.

"I hope you don’t mind if we exchange numbers."

Tobias’s eyes widened slightly. "My number?"

"Unless you have another one you’d prefer to give me." Tractor’s smirk returned. "My offer still stands, by the way. You can call me whenever you want a closer look. If you’d like to see the whole thing without any clothes in the way, all you have to do is ask."

Tobias swallowed.

He cannot be serious. Surely, this man cannot possibly be serious.

Except Tractor looked entirely serious about exchanging numbers, even if the amusement in his eyes suggested that he was thoroughly enjoying Tobias’s predicament. He spoke with such casual confidence that Tobias couldn’t decide whether the man was shameless, incredibly forward, or simply accustomed to getting whatever reaction he wanted from people.

The worst part was that Tobias was still interested.

He should have declined politely, made some excuse about his family waiting, and escaped before he embarrassed himself any further. That would have been the sensible thing to do. Instead, his hand drifted toward his pocket almost of its own accord, and he pulled out his phone.

Tractor’s eyebrows lifted slightly, as though he hadn’t expected Tobias to agree quite so readily. His smirk widened, but he made no comment as Tobias unlocked his phone and held it out to him.

"Here," Tobias mumbled, avoiding his eyes. "You can put your number in."

"Certainly."

Tractor took the phone from him and began typing. His large fingers moved across the screen with surprising ease, and Tobias found himself watching them before hurriedly looking away. He was beginning to suspect that he had developed a serious problem. A man could hardly be expected to remain sensible when someone like Tractor was standing in front of him, looking as though he knew every embarrassing thought running through his head.

A few moments later, Tractor returned the phone.

"There you go."

Tobias accepted it, glancing at the newly saved number before quickly locking his phone. He hadn’t even thought to ask Tractor whether he had been serious about his outrageous offer or whether he had simply been teasing him for his own amusement. Somehow, saving Tractor’s number had seemed more important than figuring out whether the man had genuinely meant what he said, and now Tobias had his number saved in his phone despite barely knowing anything about him.

"I’ll be expecting your call," Tractor said, his voice carrying a note of amusement. "Now, run along. Don’t keep your parents waiting too long."

"Right. Yes, of course." Tobias nodded quickly. "Thank you. Thank you."

The words had barely left his mouth before he turned and hurried toward the door. He pulled it open, slipped through, and practically fled into the corridor, desperate to put some distance between himself and the man who had thoroughly dismantled his composure in the space of a few minutes. Only when he was safely outside did Tobias slow down and glance back at the closed bathroom door.

Thank you?

He blinked, then pressed his free hand against his forehead and briefly closed his eyes.

Why on earth was I thanking him?

What is wrong with me today?