by Eden Finley
I snickered. “Let me guess, ever since I assisted Lady Hillington out of a car about … oh, twenty minutes ago?” My face lost its smile. “You know the royal family doesn’t talk about matters of a personal nature, so I don’t have to answer you, but what I will tell you is that I asked Lady Hillington to accompany me here because she’s as passionate about this project as I am. She loves libraries.”
My eyes found hers, and she was trying not to laugh. Mocking her or not, I was trying to bring the focus back to the reason we were there.
“Prince Alexander,” the next one said and stood. It was a young guy in a suit, and I hated to stereotype, but with one look, I knew he was gayer than a pride parade with exploding glitter cannons.
“Yes? What was your question?”
“Do you have an opinion on parliament’s decision this morning to repeal the equality rights bill that was put forward in regards to legalising same-sex marriage?”
What. The. Fuck.
The wind knocked out of me. My mouth dried, and my throat constricted. Was I shocked by parliament’s action? No. Taken off guard? Yes.
Trisha stepped forward to intervene, but I put my hand out to stop her. I knew I’d get in trouble for what I was about to say, but at that moment, I was willing to take the consequences. “I cannot speak on behalf of my grandfather or the royal family, but I believe love is love, and if parliament repeals this bill, it will be an injustice to not only the LGBTQ community but their allies as well. Statistics show one in ten people identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, or any other label under the LGBTQ umbrella. Quick maths suggests that’s ten thousand people in our country who the government won’t give the basic right of allowing them to express their love for someone else. And that, to me, is wrong.”
“And why are you so passionate about LGBTQ rights?” the same guy asked.
My heart sank, but I recovered as best as I could. “As I said, one in ten. Chances are every single person knows someone from the LGBTQ community. They deserve the same rights as anyone else. Now we’re done here. Thank you all for coming out.” I winced. God, wrong choice of words, idiot.
Trisha quickly took my spot at the podium as I walked out. Questions were being fired at her a lot faster than they were at me.
I tried to think of a way to retract everything I’d said, but there was nothing to do now.
When I reached Delia, I grabbed her hand and interlaced our fingers; protocol, be damned. A royal holding someone’s hand in public was the equivalent of normal people having sex.
Once outside, the cameras across the street started clicking again, so I gave them a few shots and then forced myself to let her hand go. I walked her to her SUV, but instead of putting her in it and following Bryant to my car, I jumped in after her.
Roman climbed in the other side, squishing Delia in between us. I would’ve made a joke about it being an omen, but I could barely catch my breath.
“Your Highness,” Roman started.
I put up my finger for him to stop and loosened my tie with my other hand. “I fucked up.”
“Can you give the prince a minute?” Roman asked the security guys up front. Without a word, the two hopped out.
Delia put her hand on my back, trying to soothe me. “You didn’t say anything wrong.”
“If it came from any other royal, you’d be right,” Roman said. “He stated it wasn’t the view of the palace and that it was his own opinion, but the fact it’s Alexander … There have always been rumours about his sexuality.”
My eyes found his. “How pissed is the king going to be?”
“Depends.”
“On?” I asked.
“How the media spins it.”
“Fuck,” I grunted and kicked the seat in front of me. “I shouldn’t have touched that question with a ten-foot pole. I thought it was a political question, and I felt bad about what parliament was doing to that kid, who was so obviously gay. I …” I sighed. “I just wanted him to know I didn’t agree with it. Then he goes and asks why. Motherfucker. Walked right into it.”
“We should get you back to the palace to do damage control,” Roman said.
“Great. Can’t wait.”
Roman
Delia’s eyes followed me as I paced Xander’s suite. They burned into me. I wanted to tell her to knock it off, but I couldn’t be rude to my charge. Well, I could, but I didn’t want to be a dick.
All day, I tried getting the image of her lips around my cock out of my head. I told myself to forget how hot her kisses were. But no matter how much I stared at her ugly blue dress, which covered up everything I wanted to see again, all I could imagine were her sexy curves moving over Xander while she sucked me off.
I should’ve left. We were in the safety of the palace walls now, so she didn’t need me tailing her. I already suspected they knew it was me they hooked up with last week, so there was another reason for me to leave. Instead, I kept pacing the room.
Xander had royally fucked up—pun intended. He answered a question he didn’t need to and walked into a trap by doing so. The palace had spent a ridiculous amount of resources trying to keep his orientation a secret. I didn’t think it was right he had to hide who he was, but from a political standpoint, it was understandable. Ashwick was a small country, and most of its residents were from an older generation. Most kids went off to university and college abroad. Some returned, but a lot didn’t. Politically speaking, taking a side—any side—on this issue would alienate a section of constituents.
The biggest disappointment for Xander would be that the library wouldn’t be a blip in the news. It’d all be speculation of why Xander wanted same-sex marriage legalised and who Delia was. Was she his beard? His lover? His what? Xander’s sister wanted to run with this community project, and with a few measly sentences, Xander went and shifted the focus to him. Unintentionally, but that wouldn’t matter to Xander. Right now, he’d be sitting at his grandfather’s desk, accepting his reprimand because he believed he deserved it.
“So,” Delia said, “are you going to tell me how long you’ve been in love with Xander?”
I almost tripped over my own feet. “Come again?”
“That’s what he said.” She smiled. I did not. “Sorry. Bad joke. Doesn’t change the fact you’re in love with him.”
“I didn’t realise Xander was dating a crazy person. Good to know.”
Delia snorted. I went back to pacing.
“Roman?” she asked quietly.
The air thickened, and so did my cock, at the rasp of her voice. I couldn’t deal with this right now.
Xander saved me by storming in. He pulled up short at me standing in his room.
“How did it go?” I asked and shoved my hands in my pockets.
“Trisha did her magic,” he said, his voice flat. “Headlines should read tomorrow that I’m an important ally to the LGBTQ community.”
“That’s good news,” Delia said.
“Yup.” Xander undid his tie and dropped it to the floor, and then shucked off his jacket.
“Something else happened,” I said. He was too agitated for that to be all.
“What the kid said is true. Parliament is trying to scrap the bill.”
“Okaaay,” I said. “That’s bad but not unexpected. They’ve been pulling this shit for years over the equality bill.”
“My grandfather was the one who wanted to put a stop to it,” he yelled. His hands fisted at his sides. “I also no longer have a public opinion on the issue and must not open my mouth at public appearances anymore without being scripted or have a no comment answer ready.”
“That’s bullshit,” Delia said.
“No, hon,” Xander said, “it’s fucking politics.”
The room silenced. “I … uh, should go,” I said. “I just wanted to know how it went with the king.” Which was stupid because that wasn’t my job. I needed to get out of there.
As I passed Xander on the way to the door, he reached out and grabbed
my arm. “You don’t have to go.”
I shrugged him off. “Yeah, I do. I’m her bodyguard, and right now she doesn’t need guarding.”
Xander smirked, his playful façade back in place to cover the hurt in his eyes. “Maybe she needs protecting from me.”
“I’m not in the mood for your games, Your High—”
“Don’t,” Xander snapped.
“I need to leave,” I said.
“Why?”
“Why do you think?” I yelled and then corrected myself. “Sorry, Prince Alexan—”
“Would you cut it with that bullshit?” he yelled back.
“No. You are my prince, and I am your servant. Therefore, we need boundaries.”
“Oh, so sucking my cock isn’t crossing a boundary?”
I forced my face to remain passive. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Xander stepped closer. “You know exactly what I’m talking about, Cinderella.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out my missing cufflink and held it up.
Relief flashed through me, but it was short-lived. I could no longer hide the truth. He knew it was me at Mystique that night.
A defeated sigh lodged in my throat. “That was …” I didn’t know what it was.
“I believe you called it great last week,” Xander said.
“Xander,” Delia said and made her way over to us. She linked her arm with his. “Maybe you should let him go.”
“No,” Xander said. “He needs to tell me what the fuck happened the other night and why he’s gone all sketchy.”
“It was a mistake. You’d slipped your security detail, and I was checking on you.” It sounded lame, even as it came out of my mouth.
“Pretty thorough check-up,” Xander quipped. “Thought I was hiding my security detail in my clothes, so you had to take them off?”
“Xander,” Delia tried again.
“I want to know why you’re running away,” he said to me.
“Because I’m about to do something stupid. Again.”
I hated the effect Xander had on me. I always had. It was why I’d kept my distance when I worked for him and why I never gave into temptation. Now my strength to fight his draw was on the verge of non-existent.
“Do something stupid,” Xander encouraged.
I pulled away and headed for the door, the cufflink in Xander’s hand all but forgotten. “I can’t.”
I just needed out; I needed air and to breathe and to stop the ache of longing in my chest that was only worse now than ever before.
“Roman,” Xander called after me, but my feet kept moving.
As I made my escape and the door was closing behind me, Delia’s voice cut through the air. “Let him go, Xander.”
Part of me was appreciative she made him let me walk away. The other part wondered if she did it for herself, not for me, and that made my stomach lurch. No matter how many times I told myself I couldn’t have him—them—the thought of her wanting only Xander made disappointment sit heavy on my chest.
Delia
Xander ran his hands through his dark hair. “I don’t get it. I really don’t understand.”
I wrapped my arms around his waist. “Come to bed. I’ll make you forget about him.” Because he needed to. It wasn’t my place to tell Xander to wake up and realise his ex-bodyguard was in love with him, and as much as I wanted more of last week—all three of us together—it was unfair to ask Roman to put his heart on the line like that when we all knew it would be temporary.
Xander was under the impression I was going to become queen, but after news got out about my life, the king and queen would axe that idea. The only good thing about Xander’s mishap with the media today was they most likely weren’t going to dig into my business yet.
Xander’s arms snaked around me. “I love the way your brain works, but I’m not in the mood.” He kissed my nose and then flopped down on his four-post bed.
I crawled my way up next to him, not caring about getting crinkles in my dress again. “Can I ask you something?”
“The point of you staying this summer is to get to know me, so shoot.”
“What happened when you worked out it was Roman we’d hooked up with?”
“What do you mean?”
“Were you angry he didn’t tell you who he was at first? Were you excited? Did you immediately want more?”
Xander’s brow creased in thought. “I was confused. I’d been with the guy for two years. He had this standoffish vibe a lot of the time, but he’s the only person I’ve ever called a true friend. At least, I thought he was. When he was reassigned, he flat out said to my face I was nothing but his crown prince. He’s only ever called me Xander once—when he told me my parents and sister were dead.”
“And why do you think he’d do that? Do you know I’ve heard him call you Xander at least six times today?”
He pulled back and stared at me through narrow eyes. “What’s your point?”
“I’m trying to get you to really think why Roman is reluctant for a repeat. I’ll give you the obvious answer which he keeps throwing in your face. He’s a member of the royal guard, and by fooling around with you, he’s putting his livelihood in danger. The other night was anonymous. Now, it’s real. It’s different with me because I have nothing to lose by being with you.”
He scoffed. “Wow, way to make me feel wanted.”
I ran my hand down his chest. “Not what I meant. There’s no risk for me. Chances are, after this summer, I’ll be heading back abroad—”
“Nope. You’ll be agreeing to take my hand in marriage.”
“Okay, before you go getting carried away with that, remember the king and queen have to approve of me first. I’m leaving nothing behind by being with you. I’m not risking anything. And unlike the crown chasers you hate so much, I won’t lie and manipulate you to hold onto the possibility of becoming queen. Should this work out—which, FYI, it won’t—but should it, I will accept the honour of being queen and take my duties seriously. It wasn’t the reason I approached you that night. Far from it. But my parents raised me for this shit, and I know I could do it—”
Dimples appeared in his cheeks. “First royal words of advice, queens don’t say shit.”
“Pretty sure they don’t have threesomes either, but the public won’t know about that. My point, if you’d stop rudely interrupting, is if I’m with you, we’d be working towards something, right? The future of our country and the royal family. What would Roman be working towards? Unemployment and a broken heart.”
Xander shook his head. “I would never jeopardise his job like that. I’d never fire him because I fucked him.”
“You wouldn’t, but your grandfather would.”
“Okay, you have a point there, but that’s easily avoided. I’ll give him my word we keep sex and his job separate. I don’t believe for a second he’d be risking a broken heart.” He lowered his voice. “I sometimes wonder if he has a heart. You should’ve seen the way he turned on me when he was reassigned. One day he was there for me, and the next day I was just a job to him. It’s why I don’t understand what happened the other night.”
Men could be so blind. “Do you want Roman for sex or for more than that? What is your plan here?”
“My original plan was to get laid. A lot. But this last week … the thought of us …” He ran a nervous hand through his hair. “I didn’t think it’d ever be possible, you know? To get what I’ve fantasised about?”
“So, you want this as a permanent arrangement? I don’t see how that’d work.”
“I don’t either. All I know is when I saw you two standing together at the press conference, I wanted to claim you both.”
What Xander was asking was impossible—at least in the long-term—but that didn’t stop me from wanting to give it to him. “All right then.” I went to get out of bed when he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back against him.
“Where are you going? I thought we were going to have sex.”
/>
“I thought you weren’t in the mood? Besides, I have a bodyguard to woo.”
Xander grinned at me. “I believe in you. I’ll take a nap, so I have energy for all the fucking the three of us will get up to later.”
“Sorry to disappoint, but it’ll most likely be you and your hand for the night. If you want this to happen, we may have to play the slow game.”
“I’ve never been good at slow.”
“Clearly. You asked me to be your queen after one night together.”
“I’d blame coming so hard numerous times that night for my lack of sanity, but I can’t because it’s the smartest decision I’ve made since becoming the crown prince.” He cupped my face and brought my lips to his. His mouth moved against mine before his tongue forced my lips to part.
Warmth pooled in my stomach and lower. “You don’t play fair,” I moaned.
His fingers trailed down my side, and tingles wracked my entire body.
“I should go,” I tried to say. Pretty sure it came out “Iflaomighaad.”
“I’ll be super quick, I promise.”
I burst out laughing. “Real romantic.”
Xander rolled us over, so I was pinned beneath him. “I never claimed to be the romantic type. I just need you; want to be inside you. You don’t even have to take off your ugly dress.”
Romance could bite the big one for all I cared. When Xander could almost make me come by grinding against me, yeah, I didn’t need flowers and whispered sweet nothings. My hips started moving of their own accord as pleasure thrummed through my veins.
Before it got really good though, Xander reached between us to undo his belt and pants. “Yup. You’re definitely the smartest decision I’ve made.” He rose up, shoved his pants down his thick thighs, and gripped his hard cock, pumping twice. “Roll over. I wanna see that ass while I fuck you.”
I shuddered in anticipation. “Yep, definitely no Prince Charming here.”
When I moved onto my stomach and stuck my ass in the air, Xander lifted my dress over my back and groaned. “Fucking hell,” he grunted. “I’ve never seen anything more perfect than your pussy.”