by Lucy Lennox
“You could refuse to take the throne,” she offered quietly.
I glanced at her. “And then what? Let Laurence have it? I’d rather die celibate.” My father’s cousin was a nightmare. A womanizer, a bigot, and all-around narcissist. There was no way in hell my family would allow him to take a leadership position in our beloved country.
“Hell no. I mean, you could ask Father to stay on despite his scandal. That would at least be better than Laurence.”
“I’d bet all of Gadleigh our father wouldn’t stay on even if I begged him. I got the feeling he wants to escape somewhere and play pretty family with his new conquest.” Even I could hear the bitterness soaking my words. I still couldn’t wrap my head around the decisions my father had made, but it was done. There was no avoiding the upcoming coronation.
I peered at Hen out of the corner of my eye. “What about you? Why don’t you take the throne?”
She snorted in a very un-queen-like manner, and I could have sworn I heard Jon’s sharp intake of breath at the same time. “Right. As if.”
“Why not? We can bring this ancient monarchy into a new era.”
“If we’re going to do that, we might as well have a gay king, Lior,” she insisted with a smirk. She deliberately used the regal version of my name to make her point. “Explain to me why you think it’s a nonstarter.”
“The reasons are too obvious to state,” I said, more petulantly than I’d intended. “And besides, why come out until there is someone worth coming out for? Until then, it’s really just a hypothetical.”
“Bullshit. And you don’t think someone like Felix is worth coming out for? I saw the way you looked at him, Lio. Don’t you want a chance to see if there’s the possibility for more with someone like him?”
If I didn’t help her understand this soon, I was in danger of losing my hold on my frustration about this situation. “Even if it was perfectly acceptable for me to date a man, it still couldn’t be Felix. He hates the paparazzi. And when I say hate, I mean despises them. He wouldn’t even consider a real relationship with someone like me. The media scrutiny would destroy him.”
“You don’t know that,” she began.
“I do. I really do, Hen. His mother is Jackie Wilde.”
My sister’s mouth opened in surprise. “You’re kidding?”
“No. I’m not. And I get the feeling he’s had his share of shit from the tabloid press, just like we have. He’s a quiet man. Felix deserves to pursue his dreams without people all up in his business. Now, can we stop talking about it, please? I’d like to spend some more time with him before we all have to return to our real lives. I have a feeling this is the last week I have of peace before all hell breaks loose at home.”
I stood up and banked the fire to allow it to finish burning down safely. After dropping a kiss on my sister’s cheek and tilting my head at Jon, I left the room in search of the man in question. I could feel myself mentally shoving away the serious shit in favor of losing myself in the physical connection with Felix.
If only for a few more days, I could pretend that the shy, beautiful man from small-town Texas was mine, and we were just a couple of regular guys enjoying each other’s company far away from the madding crowd.
The next three days passed in a kind of deliberate nonchalance. It was as if Felix and I had some unspoken agreement not to bring up any serious topics such as a certain royal situation or the impending date of his departure. We spent daytime hours exploring Gadleigh Castle, goofing off in the glassmaking studio, or just talking by the fire in the treasury room. Sometimes my sister joined us, but often it was just the two of us. At night, we spent hours exploring each other’s bodies, talking and laughing, or just curled around each other in sated sleep. It was like having a boyfriend but in the present tense only. There was no past, there could be no future, and the present was simply easy and fun.
As long as we stayed in the present.
By the time the end of his visit approached, it was impossible not to think about our impending separation and my upcoming ascension to the throne. There was no telling how Felix was feeling about it all, but I, for one, had begun to feel slightly panicky.
We were asleep in my bed in the castle early on the morning of Felix’s last day at Gadleigh when I heard my sister scream from her room down the hall. At first I thought it was part of a dream, but Felix shot up in bed, displacing my arm from around him and almost elbowing me in the face.
“What is it?” I mumbled. “Bad dream?”
“Shit. It’s Hen. Something’s wrong.” He scrambled from the bed and grabbed clothes from the floor. I took a microsecond to appreciate the rounded bounce of his pale ass as he stepped quickly into the plaid flannel pajama pants. His words finally sunk in when I heard a muffled thump from the direction of my sister’s room.
“Hen? Fuck.” I moved quickly then, grabbing for my own sleep pants before reaching for a fleece pullover. Felix had thrown on a hoodie over his bare chest and shoved his feet into thick socks before flying out of the bedroom.
I was only a few beats behind him when he reached her bedroom door and flung it open. Felix screeched to a halt, causing me to run into him at full speed. After grabbing him with my arms to keep us from tumbling to the floor, I noticed what had caused him to stop in his tracks.
Chapter 22
Felix
As soon as I stepped through the doorway to the bedroom, I saw Jon’s naked ass kneeling on the bed next to Hen. His arms were up in a calm-down gesture, and he was clearly pleading with Hen to stop screeching.
Which wasn’t working.
Hen was in full-on hysterics. Her face was blotchy red, and tears wet her cheeks. She clutched her phone with a death grip and waved it around like it was the weapon in a jittery bank robber’s shaky grasp.
“How did this happen?” Her screech pierced the cold air of the castle room as Lio barreled into me from behind.
I sucked in a breath as Lio crashed into me, and I tried to keep from landing face-first on the decadent rose-and-cream carpet beneath my feet. As soon as Lio steadied us with a grunt, I felt his arms tighten around me as he took in the scene: his bodyguard naked in bed with his sister.
“What the fuck?” His shout would have decimated the hearing in my right ear if he hadn’t put his hand over it a second before bellowing the words. I felt the warm hand cup my ear gently as his other arm continued to hold me against the front of his body.
Jon bolted under the covers before turning to face us. “Oh god, Lio. This isn’t what it looks like.” Considering the words were spoken while actually naked in bed with his sister, I couldn’t help but snort.
Even the corner of Hen’s mouth twitched in amusement before she muttered, “Yes it is.”
I heard another snort from over my shoulder and turned to see Arthur standing in the hallway wearing formal pajamas and a bathrobe. Besides the nightclothes, he was immaculate as usual.
Jon turned to stare at Hen with a desperate expression on his face. “Are you kidding? Do you have any idea what he’s going to do to me?”
It was as if the question gave Lio ideas. Suddenly, his body moved from behind me as he approached Jon. I grabbed the back of his fleece to stop him.
“Wait. Wait, Lio. Let them explain.” I thought for a moment before continuing. “Actually, they’re both adults. They don’t need to explain.”
“The hell they don’t,” Lio roared. “What the fuck are you doing in bed with my sister?”
Despite his anger, Lio reached his hand back for mine, lacing our fingers together and squeezing. It was almost funny that in the midst of giving Hen a hard time about an illicit liaison, he was claiming his own illicit liaison with me.
I wasn’t sure he’d appreciate the irony in that moment, so I kept my mouth closed.
Hen sniffled loudly and shook her phone at him. “They know. They were here! Someone was here!”
Her voice carried a hysterical tone I didn’t like. Fear, maybe. Or at least worry.
&
nbsp; Jon looked almost as panicked as Hen, and Lio was on the verge of shouting again. I realized I was the only sane one in the room and took action.
“Stop. Everyone just calm down. Lio and I are going to step out for two minutes and let you both get dressed. When we come back in, we’ll figure this out. Hen, try to take a few deep breaths, okay?”
Without waiting for a response, I pulled Lio out of the room and closed the door behind us. He stared at me.
“What?” I asked.
“You just took charge like you owned the place,” Lio said, astonished.
“Like a true leader,” Arthur deadpanned. “Someone should take notes.”
I didn’t have to worry if Lio was angry with me because I could see the corner of his mouth curve up a little.
“Well, someone had to,” I muttered. “You are all a little high-strung.”
Lio chuckled and ran his free hand through his messy hair. I tried not to wish I was his fingers right now.
“What do you think happened?” I asked.
Arthur held up a hand. “Whatever it is, I don’t want to know. I left a thick slice of beefcake cooling in my bed. Thank your sister for staying in last night, will you?”
Lio and I stared at the valet as he sauntered down the hall toward his room.
“What the—” I began.
“You don’t want to know. Or at least, I don’t want to think about it,” Lio grumbled with a shudder.
Just then, the door opened and a now dressed Jon peered out to invite us back in.
I moved into the room, pulling Lio behind me, until we could perch on the small love seat in front of the large stone fireplace. Hen and Jon sat in side-by-side chairs across a coffee table from us. Hen was dressed in a navy velour tracksuit and had pulled her dark hair up in a messy pile on the top of her head. Her eyes were red-rimmed, but she appeared to have gotten her breathing regulated.
“Tell us what happened. Whatever it is, we can handle it.” This time, it was Lio who spoke with calm authority. I caught a glimpse of the royal leader in him and was struck dumb for a moment. There had been times that week when I’d remembered with breathtaking clarity that he was a royal prince, but they’d been few and far between. He seemed to work very hard to keep us on an even keel, just two regular guys spending a week together in a faraway castle.
As if that was a thing.
Hen sniffed and reached over to grab Jon’s hand. I noticed his eyes flick to Lio, and his forehead creased in worry. But through it all, he never let go of Hen’s hand.
“Jon and I are together,” Hen began.
I noticed Lio’s nostrils flare, but he managed to keep his anger in check. Jon, on the other hand, looked ready to explode.
“Listen, Lio,” Jon said. “Before you say anything, you have to know I never planned on dating your sister.”
“Dating? You’re… this isn’t just a onetime…” Lio gave up and looked at me with raised eyebrows as if asking me if I’d somehow known.
I hadn’t.
“We’ve been together for five months,” Hen hissed. “So back off.”
I rested a hand on Lio’s thigh before leaning forward to ask a question. “Who found out? Earlier you said ‘they know.’ What did you mean? Who knows? Your parents?”
Both Lio and Hen groaned at the idea of their parents finding out. Jon met my eyes.
“The press. Apparently there was a photographer on the grounds of the castle, and they got photos of us through a window… together.”
The way Jon emphasized the final word implied it had been more than just a shot of the two of them chatting on a park bench around the property.
I felt Lio prepare for battle next to me.
“Are you fucking crazy? That’s exactly why you don’t risk it! What the hell did you think was going to happen when the press found out the royal daughter of Liorland is banging a fucking commoner! How the hell did this happen, Jon? What if they’d gotten photos of me with Felix for god’s sake?”
Silence descended with a whoosh as if all the air had been sucked from the room. I felt my own body begin to tremble as his words hit me like airgun pellets, but before I could even remove my hand from his leg and bolt to the safety of my guest apartment like I wanted to, Lio stood up.
“I’m going to call Milane. The PR department is probably having kittens,” he spat before storming out of the room.
The three of us sat there staring after him for a beat before Hen’s eyes came back to mine with sympathy.
“I’m sorry, Felix,” she said softly.
“For what?”
“For my brother being an asshole.”
I shrugged, trying to pretend that Lio’s outburst hadn’t completely gutted me. “It doesn’t matter really. I’m leaving tomorrow. You’re the one who has to live with him.” I tried to laugh it off, but the words tasted like the lies they were. Of course it mattered. I cared about the asshole even though he’d just pointed out how impossible a relationship was between us. Even without the whole “gay prince” thing, the two of us together would be ridiculous. A royal couldn’t build a life with the bastard son of a former porn star.
Hen let out a big sigh and looked over at Jon. “Are you ready for this?”
Jon’s face softened, and I noticed something I’d obviously missed all week.
He loved her.
“Of course I’m ready, sweetheart. The question is, are you? It’s going to suck. You know how the paparazzi are when they get a story like this.”
Hen looked up at Jon with the same strong affection in her eyes. “You’re worth it.”
Before they had a chance to sprout goddamned lovey-dovey angels out of their eyeballs, I skedaddled and made my way as quietly as I could to my quarters.
It was time to pack my bags and say goodbye.
Chapter 23
Lio
Half the day was spent on the phone with my parents and the family’s public relations liaison. Milane was professional as always and handled the situation with as much grace as possible despite the rest of us losing our fucking minds with stress about the fallout. Or, as in the case of my father, hypocritical judgment.
I’d finally called him on his hypocrisy once he’d complained for the millionth time of Henriette not thinking about the family before she jumped into a relationship with “the help.”
“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” I’d railed at him through the phone. “First of all, she’s not in line for the crown, so who gives a fuck. Secondly, you have the audacity to sit there on your high horse and rant about people jumping into a relationship? Have you lost your goddamned mind? Prepare yourself, old man, because this is nothing compared to what’s coming for you and Eleanor as soon as your own news breaks.”
I heard the sharp intake of breath from my mother as someone most likely scrambled to turn off the speakerphone function on their end. My mother’s voice was cool when it came on.
“Lior, control yourself,” she warned. “This is no way for a man in your position to act. You’re supposed to be the sane one, so I expect you to act like it. Now come home so we can deal with this as a family. Milane says the optics will be better once we’re all together.”
I let out a breath and ran my fingers through my hair for the millionth time. “We’re scheduled to fly out tomorrow morning, Mother. Jon’s family will meet us at the palace.”
Another sharp intake of breath. “And why is that?”
“They’re going to announce their engagement.” It was a total lie, but I couldn’t help myself. My parents were acting like the biggest snobs on the planet, and I was sick to death of it. I’d had a chance to see my sister and bodyguard through different eyes today and realized they seemed to have found the real thing with each other. I couldn’t help but feel envy.
At that point, my mother completely lost her cool. “Over my dead body,” she growled. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Lior. Fix this.”
The call ended before I had a chance to reassure
her. I put the phone down and dropped my face into my hands.
I thought about how Hen and Jon’s scandal in the media was nothing compared to what would happen if news of, or god forbid, photographs of Felix and me got out.
Just the thought of it made my stomach churn.
The photos published that morning were of Hen and Jon kissing by a window in the front of the castle. Because the photo had to have been taken on the estate property, even with a long lens, it meant a serious breach in security for the royal guards. That meant Jon was in double trouble for his part in not fully securing our privacy while at Gadleigh, and Arthur’s beefcake was history.
I wanted to rip Jon and the beefcake in half for putting my sister’s private life in jeopardy that way, but I knew what was done, was done. The only way out was through.
After sending another email to my assistant, Lucas, letting him know I’d be back in the office later tomorrow, I realized I hadn’t seen Felix in hours. I looked up from the desk I’d been sitting at and saw I wasn’t alone.
Arthur sat calmly in a leather chair opposite me.
“How long have you been sitting there?” I asked.
“Since right after I overheard Hen tell Jon she was worried about Felix. Apparently you said something stupid in front of him, and he’s been quiet ever since.”
My stomach dropped. “Why? What did I say?”
“Something about a royal personage sleeping with a commoner as if the very idea was disgusting?” His eyebrow raised in accusation. The man wasn’t subtle when he thought I’d done something wrong.
“Ugh, Arthur. I didn’t mean him. Surely he knew I was just upset.”
Again with the eyebrow.
“Lio, may I make a suggestion?”
“You’re going to anyway,” I mumbled. “Go ahead.”
“Your sister is a grown woman with her own staff. Let her handle her situation the way she sees fit. Until you are the actual head of the family and on the throne, it’s really not your place to go off half-cocked like you did today.”
“But I—”
“Save it,” he said calmly, holding up a hand. “Do you know what Hen did today while you yelled at everyone back home?”
