by Peak, Renna
I hook my arm through his. “We’ll cross that bridge when and if we come to it.”
We continue on in silence, and when I glance up at Nick, I see the hint of a smile on his lips. As uncomfortable as that dinner was, maybe it was a good thing. Maybe it was exactly what Nick needed to open his heart to his cousins.
And if Nick can get along with his cousins, maybe there’s hope for this family after all.
Suddenly I stop short, remembering something.
“What is it?” Nick asks.
“Something bad.” At least assuming Nick wants to stay on good terms with his cousins. I look up at him, and I’m sure he sees the horror in my eyes. “The snakes!”
Nicholas
Panic strikes me in the center of my chest. It isn’t as though relations between my cousins and me aren’t…strained as it is. Now they’re going to find snakes in their beds, and I’ll only have myself to blame.
“I never should have…” I mumble to myself, shaking my head.
“I talked you into it.” Clara glances around. “Come on. I have an idea.”
She takes me by the elbow and we hurry—as much as we can in our stiff clothing—through the corridors to the wing that houses my cousins’ suites.
The three are gathered in the hall just outside Caspar’s suite.
“Cousin.” Caspar eyes me before turning his gaze to the woman beside me. “And lovely Clara. To what do we owe the honor after bidding you goodnight?”
Clara bats her lashes so elegantly, I would be willing to wager she’s done something like this before. “Nick and I were just talking.” She shoots me a sweet smile, turning her attention back to my cousin. “We changed our minds about going to bed. We were wondering if you’d be willing to play another round of darts.”
“Oh, were you?” His gaze narrows the slightest bit and he turns to me. “And I suppose you’ve something else you’d like to wager, Cousin?”
“Forgive me for interrupting,” Xavier cuts in. “But the events of this evening have left me a bit too tired to partake in any games.” He nods at Clara, then at me. “Good night.”
He’s no more than turned to go down the hallway to his room when Clara shouts. “No! You have to be there, too!”
Xavier turns back with a start, his eyes wide. “Is everything quite all right, Clara?”
“No, everything is not quite all right. That’s why we’re here,” Clara says.
Caspar reaches for her hand, clasping it before he lifts it to his lips. “Sweet Clara.” He grins as he sets her hand down. “One might counter that you hardly lost the bet—that you were the winner last night.”
“One also might counter, that if my cousin were a true gentleman…” I stop myself before I can say anything else. This night has been bad enough. Maybe we should just tell them of the childish prank that’s been played upon them before they find the ridiculous snakes in their beds.
“What’s that, Nicholas? You’re questioning my manhood now?” He lifts a brow, turning to Clara. “I assure you, Miss Clara, that unlike this chap, I’ve nothing but proper intentions toward you.”
“You should have no intentions toward her at all.” I turn my gaze to each of my cousins in turn. “None of you.”
Caspar chuckles. “And we don’t, Cousin. You rile too easily. You should learn to take a joke when you see one.”
My hands clench at my sides, and it’s all I can do not to throttle my cousin here in the hallway. If we were at a bar…if this weren’t his home…I already would have strangled him.
But this is his home, and his father just threatened secession not an hour ago. I still need to send word to my brother Andrew about it—I’ve really no idea what to do. I’ve never been in a political situation such as this, and at the moment, all I can think about is Caspar having Clara to himself at the ball.
I’ve lost my head to this woman. Completely and totally lost my head.
“Speaking of jokes…” Clara chooses this most inopportune moment to speak. “You might find it funny—”
“Double or nothing,” I interrupt, tipping my head toward Clara. “Double or nothing.”
“Double what?” Caspar looks amused, if not a bit annoyed. “Apologies, Cousin, but you’ve nothing to wager. It isn’t as though there is another masked ball that I might attend with Clara at any point in the near future. You have nothing with which to wager double.”
“I’m certain we could think of something,” I mutter, but I know he’s right. And it isn’t as though I should be wagering Clara’s hand in anything. Hasn’t she made it perfectly clear how she feels about me? That she has no intention of making a future with me?
Clara looks just as uneasy as I feel. “Nick, I really think we should tell them.”
“Tell us what?” Caspar looks between the two of us, the amusement falling from his expression. “What is it that you’re hiding?”
“It’s not so much us that’s hiding…” Clara chews her lip for a moment. “Remember the prank you played on me?”
Benedict replies. “It was most unfortunate. We hope you’ll someday forgive us.”
She waves her hand in a most elegant manner, dismissing him. “Of course. It’s already forgiven. Well…mostly.”
“Mostly?” The amused smirk returns to Caspar’s lips. “Have you played a joke upon us, Miss Clara?”
She gives him a sheepish smile. “Please don’t blame Nick—he didn’t want to do it. I insisted.”
Caspar lifts a brow, turning to me. “Nicholas participated? Now that is saying something for my stick-in-the-mud cousin.”
“I…” I begin to speak, and then think better of it, snapping my mouth closed before I say something I might instantly regret.
“Forgive me for changing the subject for a moment, Clara.” Caspar turns his attention to me. “But we’ve always wondered just why you’re so serious, Nicholas—so…unfun.”
“I do not believe ‘unfun’ is a word, Cousin.” I glare at him a moment, turning my attention back to Clara. “My cousins do not quite understand what a life as the son of King Edmund entails—”
“Oh, I think we understand better than you think,” Benedict says. “And certainly Leopold and William understand as well. But they—and we—don’t take it all quite so seriously as you and Andrew.”
“Exactly.” Caspar gives his amused smile again. “And you aren’t Andrew. You’re nearly as removed from the throne as we are. You’ve nothing to take seriously, and yet you do. Even as a child, you were so easy to rile. Everything is such a major concern—every little thing is a matter of life or death with you.”
Xavier speaks next. “Forgive me, but my brother is right. To put a point on it, you wouldn’t be able to play a joke upon anyone if your life depended upon it.”
I frown, glaring at each of them as my heart pounds in my chest. If that is what they truly believe, perhaps it would be best if they find snakes in their beds after all.
And Clara must read my mind. She yawns, reaching over to take my hand as she stretches. “You know what? I’m pretty tired, too. Maybe darts should wait until tomorrow night.”
Caspar’s gaze narrows, but his smile never leaves his lips. “And what of this practical joke?”
“Practical joke?” She shakes her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Clara
I hook my arm through Nick’s as we head down the hallway, leaving his cousins behind us. I imagine they’re confused by our conversation—good. Let them be confused. The three of them deserve to learn a harmless lesson or two.
As soon as we’re around the corner and out of earshot, Nick shakes his head. “We should have told them. But…I’m glad we didn’t.”
“Good.” I lean into his side. “You’re learning to have fun!”
“Is that what this feeling is?” He doesn’t look entirely certain, but then abruptly he breaks into a smile.
“What?” I ask him.
“It’s just all so…ridiculous.
” He runs a hand through his hair. “Not just the snakes. But everything with Lord Frederick, too. I should be upset. I should be racking my brain, trying to figure out how to fix this, but…I’m not. I just don’t care.” His brow wrinkles slightly. “I mean, I care about the fate of Montovia, of course. But it’s clear Lord Frederick has no intention of listening to me, so it’s out of my hands. And for once, I’m okay with that.”
I grin. “Doesn’t it feel good, letting go?”
To my shock, he laughs. “You have no idea.”
And then, before I can respond, he pulls me around in front of him and kisses me soundly, completely taking my breath away.
“I hope you weren’t planning on going to bed right away,” he murmurs. “Because I have plans for you.”
“I’m wide awake,” I assure him.
He grabs my hand again and practically pulls me down the hallway, and I laugh as I try to keep up with his pace. We reach his room first, and he tugs me inside, his mouth descending on mine again the moment the door is shut behind us. I throw my arms around his neck, and he scoops me up and carries me into the bedroom.
“I like this rebellious version of you,” I tell him.
His eyes flash. “I’m just getting started, Clara.”
He throws me down on the bed and then leaps on top of me, and I laugh and cling to him again. In a matter of seconds, we’ve pulled off each other’s clothes, and everything else is forgotten as he stretches his body across mine. I don’t know where we stand, he and I. I don’t know if we’ll be able to cross the complicated chasm between us. But I know what I want right now. I know that, for the moment, there is no other woman on his mind. No one else in his world but me. And right now, that’s enough.
He grabs my wrists and pins them on either side of my head, holding me in place so he can lift his head and look down at me. I arch my body, begging him to continue, but he takes his time, watching my face as he nudges my legs apart.
He doesn’t say a word, either. Not as his eyes roam over me, dark and hungry with desire. Not as he settles himself between my thighs. Not even after he drives into me with one fluid motion, then pauses, still watching me.
I’m not sure how much longer I can take this. The feeling of him inside me fills me with joy, but it’s not enough. I need more.
More. I don’t even say the word out loud, just mouth it, but he gets the hint. He moves his hips, sliding in and out of me, and my eyes flutter closed in pleasure. His lips claim mine again, tasting me deeply, and I give myself over to the sensations.
We might have our differences, Nick and I, but in this area we seem to understand each other. The connection we have can’t be denied, no matter what complications the rest of our life holds.
His hands still hold my wrists, keeping me in place, but I don’t mind. I wrap my legs around his hips, urging him on, and he enthusiastically obliges.
I’m not sure how long we’ve been going at it when the bedroom door suddenly flies open.
“Seriously?! A bloody snake!?!”
Nick flies off me, and I grab the sheet, pulling it over me as I frantically sit up.
Caspar stands in the doorway, his face nearly as red as his coppery hair, his eyes hard. His gaze lands on me, and he blinks. It takes a couple of moments for understanding to register in his eyes, and when it does, he manages to look slightly embarrassed.
But then he raises himself up, clearly intending to power through it.
“You two should really lock the door if you’re trying to protect your modesty,” he says. “But either way, it serves you right. A bloody snake! In my bed! How old are the two of you?”
Nick, to my shock, actually begins laughing. “If we’re going to talk about who deserves what, we should start with you. After your little prank with the boat, did you really think we wouldn’t retaliate?”
Caspar looks rather shocked by Nick’s words, but I don’t blame him—Nick is still laughing, and I imagine it’s been years since the last time any of his cousins heard that sound.
“You could have had the decency to knock,” Nick goes on. “Or put on some real clothes before you came charging in here unannounced.”
For the first time, I notice that Caspar is wearing only a pair of pajama bottoms. His feet are bare, as is his broad, muscled chest, which I’d probably find attractive if I weren’t completely obsessed with the man in bed with me.
Before Caspar can form a response, heavy footsteps pound across the sitting room, and another angry figure appears in the doorway.
Xavier.
He looks just as angry as his brother, and his fists are clenched as if he means to throw a punch at the first person he sees. He stops abruptly next to Caspar, though.
“Snake?” Caspar asks.
“Right in the middle of my bloody closet!” Xavier rumbles, his eyes furious as he stares at Nick. He doesn’t even seem to notice me. “It was this close to taking off my bloody foot!”
“You lucked out,” Caspar says dryly. “Mine was in the bed.”
“Actually,” Nick says, still chuckling, “they were all in the bed. At least originally.”
“I suppose this means Benedict got one, too,” Caspar says, crossing his arms. “Please tell me you weren’t stupid enough to put one in our parents’ bed, too. I’d rather not have to clean up after a murder.”
“No, just Benedict.” Nick shrugs. “Feel free to go warn him if you want. I have more important things to do.” He reaches over and takes my hand beneath the sheet. “Now, if you’d excuse us, we were in the middle of something. Close the door on your way out.”
Caspar shakes his head in exasperation, but he doesn’t seem quite as angry anymore.
“You have no idea what you’ve started, Cousin,” he says. “We were going easy on you before.”
“I think I can handle myself,” Nick replies.
“We’ll see, Cousin. We’ll see.” Caspar’s voice is flat, but I swear there’s a spark in his eyes. And there’s a hint of a smile in his expression when he glances my way.
“Goodnight, Caspar,” Nick says firmly. “Goodnight, Xavier.”
“Goodnight,” Caspar replies, no longer hiding his amusement anymore. He turns and nudges his brother ahead of him. Xavier still looks like he wants to punch someone, but he lets Caspar push him out.
It’s not until I hear the door close behind them that I let myself speak.
“Did we just start a prank war?” I ask Nick.
He just laughs again. “I have no idea. But you know what? I don’t care.”
And before I can respond, he dives at me to finish what we started.
Nicholas
Something shifted for me last night. As I sit beside Clara waiting for breakfast to be served, I realize something has changed—I can’t put my finger on precisely what, but it feels good to be able to laugh again.
Being summoned to breakfast is a bit odd—even Clara commented on it. But my cousins seem equally as surprised to be sitting at a formal breakfast. Certainly, the formal invitation isn’t one of their jokes. Considering how late the three stay up each night, I can’t imagine being required to attend a formal meal so early in the morning would amuse them in any way, even it if was meant in retaliation to the practical joke played upon them yesterday.
Caspar is eyeing me warily from across the table. “How did you sleep, Cousin?”
“Better than I have in days,” I say, grasping Clara’s hand beneath the table. In all honesty, I slept better last night than I have in months—perhaps years. Who knew that a little laughter would allay so much of my stress?
Clara squeezes my hand, smiling up at me for a moment before turning her attention to my cousins. “I’m really sorry about the snake thing. I tried to warn you.”
Caspar waves his hand in front of him. “Never mind all that. After we calmed a bit, we realized we likely deserved such a joke. Perhaps even more.” He smiles at her. “Though, I must admit, I never imagined our cousin would participate in such
an event. Well done, Nicholas. Well done.”
I lift an eyebrow, but say nothing. There’s no doubt in my mind that my cousin is lying—he’s never been one to let a prank against him go unpunished, even if he was the one to start it.
“Have you any idea what’s going on?” Benedict stifles a yawn. “I’d prefer to be back in my bed. Particularly now that I’m not sharing it with a snake.”
Clara snickers beside me, and I shoot her a look. My cousins deserved the snakes in their bed, certainly, but if we go on rubbing their noses in it, we’re only asking for trouble.
Caspar responds. “I only know that Mother requested our presence this morning. I haven’t heard if Father—”
As if on cue, Caspar’s mother enters, and we all rise.
She waves at us to sit, taking the seat at the head of the table—the one usually reserved for Lord Frederick.
“I’m sure you’re all wondering why you’re here.” She looks at her sons before turning her attention to me. “My husband…” She chews at her lip for a moment before continuing. “I’ve spoken to Frederick about his…statements at dinner last night. I think we can all agree that we’ve no need to be discussing such things at a meal.”
“But we do now?” Xavier grumbles, not quite under his breath.
“Yes, Xavier. We do now.” His mother clucks her tongue at him. “I wouldn’t have called for breakfast if it weren’t important—”
“What is it, Mother?” Caspar almost looks annoyed. “If Father is intent upon what he says he is—if he truly wants to pursue secession—there isn’t anything any of us can do about it.”
“Perhaps not.” She turns her gaze to me. “But perhaps one of us can do something.”
“Forgive me, but there is nothing I can do,” I say. “As it’s been pointed out many times since my arrival, I’ve very little power—”
“No, but you have the ear of your Father.” Her Ladyship gives me a weak smile. “And that is all that is truly required here. My husband won’t be so bold as to say it, but much of the strife in this region would be solved by an official royal visit.”