by Eden Finley
Roman grunted.
“Or, maybe I should tell him that I won’t let him go now that I’m so close to having him.”
Delia and I stared at Roman, who was flitting his attention between both of us. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Delia had a wicked grin on her face.
“I think we’re breaking him,” she whispered.
“I hate both of you.” Roman started moving, but instead of going towards the door like I expected him to, he charged over to us. He dropped to his knees in front of the couch and without warning took my mouth with his.
His kiss was unapologetic, and I let him have it. I let him take what he wanted from me because I was willing to give him anything. The fantasy of doing this was something I’d thought about for the entire two years he worked for me. It didn’t compare to the reality of having him this close to me. Inside me. He got under my skin and into my head. I wanted this man with me, by my side, and I never wanted it to end.
Slowly, I removed my arm from around Delia to run my hand through Roman’s blondish hair.
Delia shuffled on the couch next to me, and I assumed she was moving closer, but when I opened my eyes, I realised she was trying to slink away.
I yanked her back. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“You two have this covered, so, uh—”
Roman cut me off from stopping her. “No.” He reached for her and cupped the side of her face. “You and Xander are a package deal. I’m the intruder here.”
“Neither of you are intruding,” I said. “I want all of us. Together. We’ll work out the rules later. Right now, I need one of you to kiss me.”
They both smiled and leaned in.
“Better yet, how about you two kiss.” I pushed their heads together a little too hard.
“Ow,” Roman complained and rubbed his forehead where they headbutted.
“Sorry,” I said. “Still wanna watch you two, though.”
Roman and Delia stared awkwardly at each other. I should’ve asked what they’d been talking about all afternoon, but at that moment, I didn’t care. I was going to make both of them mine.
“You do realise you’ve kissed before? Amongst other things.”
“True,” Delia said. “I should be able to kiss you without feeling awkward.”
Roman laughed. “It’s a little weird though, right? If it’s not just hooking up—”
My phone started vibrating in my pocket. “Shit. Hold that thought.” It was my grandfather. “I have to go see what the king wants. While I’m gone, you two should … I don’t know, get comfortable.”
“Are you telling us to fuck?” Roman asked.
“If it’ll make you less weird with each other, yeah.”
It felt like hours later when I dragged myself back to Delia’s room. I checked my watch and realised it was hours. It was nearing one a.m.
Grandfather kept going on and on and on about this new piece of legislation I’d need to address parliament about. It was boring environmental shit. We worked through dinner, and he reminded me numerous times I couldn’t screw this one up like I screwed up at the library.
The new legislation was a bullshit piece of paper declaring the need to reduce deforestation in our small country. Our carbon footprint was minimal compared to others, but even though nearly all housing ran on solar and we had windmills generating electricity, that wasn’t good enough for the environmentalists. We needed more land, more infrastructure, but without ruining the forest. Waah, waah, waah.
I should’ve gone back to my own room. Roman would’ve gone home by now, and Delia would be asleep, but I was so sick of being alone.
This past year, I had no one.
I tiptoed my way into Delia’s bedroom and froze at the sight of Delia and Roman in bed together. Still in their clothes, bedside light on, Roman spooned Delia from behind. Both dead to the world.
Where there should’ve been jealousy—that they’d been together while I was gone—I was grateful that they had each other while I had to work. Being a future king, I’d spend a lot of time away from my wife. We might’ve been in the same palace, but royal duties outweighed quality time with family. It was that way growing up with Dad as the heir apparent.
I took my tie and jacket off when a piece of paper on the bedside table caught my eye.
The Rules.
Thou shalt say “thou shalt” when reciting the rules. Because it’s funny.
Delia should never think she’s funny.
Thou shalt not tell Delia she isn’t funny. That may result in Roman not getting any. From me her anyway.
Thou shalt write “thou shalt” under duress to say thou shalt try to hold jealous tendencies aside when it comes to the prince. He wants both of us and we need to figure out a way to handle that.
Thou shalt call the prince Xander. He hates being referred to by his title. A smart man told me that once.
Roman is that smart man. Thou shalt listen to him more often. Like when he says this is going to end in heartache.
Thou shalt be positive.
I think we’ve lost the point of the rules.
Kiss me.
I snorted. They were ridiculous, but they were mine. Or would be. I just had to find a way to make the truth of Delia’s origin go away.
Roman was still wary, and he had every right to be. I wished I could’ve made his doubts go away, but he was a realist. If someone found out about us, there’d be a shit storm. Not only within the palace but within the entire country.
I was asking them to live their entire lives in secret. Up until this moment, I didn’t realise the weight of that.
Roman cracked one eye open. “What time is it?” he whispered. Delia didn’t stir.
“It’s late,” I whispered back and held up the sheet of paper. “I see you two were productive.”
He smiled. “I like her. A lot.”
“Did you two …”
Roman shook his head. “We were waiting for you.”
“Sorry it took so long.”
“What was it?”
I waved him off. “Legislative crap.”
“Is that the official term?”
When I laughed, Delia whimpered and then let out a pig-like noise. It made me laugh harder. Roman tried to contain his chuckle, but his shoulders shook.
“Shhh.” I put my finger over my mouth. “Before we wake her up.”
“I should go,” Roman said, but Delia rolled in his arms and threw a leg over him. “Or not. I’m trapped now.”
“Stay.” I dropped my trousers and shirt to the floor with the rest of my clothes and got into bed in my boxer briefs.
Delia’s body was warm against mine as I slid in behind her. She was wrapped around Roman, and I around her. I’d never felt more at home in the palace. It might not have been normal to some, but to me, nothing could have fit better.
I’d never allowed myself the possibility of having more than one person in my bed at a time, even though the majority of my fantasies involved that. It wasn’t possible. And now, being so close to something I’d always wanted, I didn’t want to let it go. It might’ve been unfair to Roman and Delia, but it was the only thing in my life that was for me, and as selfish as it was, I didn’t want to let it go. Since the terrorist attack, it had been nothing but working to serve my country and be the king everyone would be proud of. What I had with Roman and Delia could’ve been the only way to keep me sane. It wasn’t a usual situation, but neither was being a future king.
“Roman?” I whispered.
“Yeah?”
“I’m going to make it work.”
“I believe you.”
Roman
I woke to a hard body pressed against me and a rough mouth on mine.
“Mm, that’s one way to be woken up,” I murmured.
Xander rolled on top of me, and I leaned up to kiss him again. My hand cupped his face as I pulled him closer.
“Is this really happening?” I asked, still half asleep. “I had
many dreams over the last three years that started out like this.”
Xander laughed. “And how did they end?”
“With lots of tissues.” My eyes cracked open. “Where’s Delia?”
“Shower. I couldn’t wait for her to get back.”
“This is why you need more than one person in your bed. You’re impatient.”
“There’s enough awesome in me to be shared around,” Xander said and then attacked my mouth again.
My hips bucked off the bed, my cock seeking friction against his.
“I love that I can do this now,” Xander said, breathlessly. “If I’d known it was a possibility, I would’ve pushed harder to win you over instead of joked around with you.”
I still couldn’t believe this was happening. The man I’d pined for, lived for, would die for. “Xander,” I breathed.
“Fuck, I could come from hearing that alone.”
I couldn’t help laughing. “Man gets off to the sound of his own name. Shocking.”
He stilled on top of me. “Don’t you get it? It’s because it came from the one person I’ve always wanted to accept me for the real me.”
“I’ve always accepted you, Xander. Always …” I desperately wanted to say I’d always loved him, but we weren’t there yet. Loving him from afar was one thing. Him on top of me like this, actually pursuing whatever the fuck we were pursuing … it was different. I cleared my throat and whispered, “Always will.”
The knock at the bedroom door startled us apart. Xander stared at the bathroom door where the shower was still going and then back to where the knock came.
“Alexander?”
Our eyes widened at his grandfather’s voice. Xander nudged me, and I dove off the bed. I hit the ground with a thud.
“Fuck.” I grunted.
“Alexander?” the king tried again.
Xander scrambled out of bed and found his trousers from yesterday. When he answered the door, he was breathless. “Grandfather.”
The king pushed his way into the room. If I was caught in here, I was fired. Or worse.
“I figured you’d be here,” the king said. “Something’s come up, and I need you to go on this overseas tour for me.”
“What? When?”
“Tonight. Six days in France, meeting with the president.”
“Why can’t you go?”
“Your grandmother put her foot down,” King Edmund grumbled. “My blood pressure is up.”
I tried not to laugh at the big, bad king who didn’t take shit from anyone having to stay home because his wife told him to.
“Okay, fine,” Xander said. “What do we have to do?”
“We?”
“Delia’s coming with me.”
“This isn’t a holiday, boy. She stays here. She’s more than welcome to stay in the palace, but this is a work trip, and you are not an official couple yet. It would be inappropriate for her to accompany you overseas. Dress and then come to my office, and I’ll brief you on the itinerary and what not to do while you’re gone.”
“Sounds fun,” Xander quipped.
As soon as the king was gone, I climbed to my feet. “That was close.”
“I don’t want to go to fucking France.”
“What’s this about France?” Delia asked from the bathroom doorway.
“I’ll be there for the next six days,” Xander said. His eyes roamed over her only wearing a towel and lit with heat.
“Xander, there’s no time,” I said. “You have to go pack … well, order your servants to pack, and then be in the royal offices before the king comes looking for you again.”
“Fine.” He approached Delia and wrapped his arms around her back. “You two play nice while I’m gone.” He kissed her softly, and his hand travelled down to her ass and gave a pinch.
Delia playfully slapped him with a laugh, and I couldn’t help trying to dissect and analyse their dynamic.
They were obviously comfortable with each other already, which was rare for Xander. He’d always been suspicious of people—of what they wanted from him—and while it was obvious to me that Delia didn’t want anything, I found it fascinating that he trusted her immediately. It made me want to know more about her.
I hadn’t seen him this relaxed since before the attacks, and that was all thanks to Delia. It made me appreciative of her, but I’d be lying if it didn’t also make me jealous.
Working out how the three of us were going to do this would be difficult. I wasn’t normally a jealous guy, but I’d never felt this way about anyone else other than Xander. My mind was open, but my heart was struggling to keep up with my head.
“Got to go,” Xander said. “I’ll see you guys in a week.”
When he left, I turned to Delia. “What are we going to do now?”
Delia waggled her eyebrows. “I can think of a few things.”
“When you said you could think of a few things, I didn’t think you meant this,” I complained as I followed Delia into another store. I hated fucking shopping.
“I figured we have to get to know each other because let’s face it, this situation is weird.”
“Little bit.”
We moved around clothing racks, and she pulled out a black silk blouse. “What do you think?”
“I think you’re asking the wrong guy. I’m not the shopping type of queer.”
She laughed. “Fair enough. Okay, first question. When did you realise you were bi?”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “Straight to it, huh? It was high school. My stepmother caught me making out with a guy and kicked me out when I was seventeen.”
“Your … stepmother?” She bit her lip as if she was trying not to laugh.
“Yes, my stepmother,” I said in a defeated tone. I knew where she was going with this.
“Please tell me you have two horrid stepsisters too?”
“Ha, I don’t. So there.” I folded my arms across my chest.
There was a pause as she assessed me. I was determined not to give anything away. “They’re brothers, aren’t they?” she asked.
I sighed. “Yes, I have two stepbrothers who are complete wankers. But that doesn’t mean I’m Cinderella.”
“Whatever you say, Cinderella.”
“Stop calling me that.” And shit, that reminded me, Xander still had my cufflink.
“Just call me your fairy godmother. With me, you and Xander can get what you’ve always wanted—each other.”
“You’re forgetting a major difference in that story to ours.”
She cocked an eyebrow.
“They had a happy ending. Do you honestly think the crown-fucking-prince of Ashwick could become king with two lovers?”
“If we were committed, it could work. I know if the palace allowed it, I’d make an awesome queen, but if you two ever wanted it to be just you two, I’d understand—I’d still take the crown so you two could be together. Seriously, my panties practically melt off me when the two of you are staring at each other from across the room.”
A passer-by snorted. Hopefully she didn’t recognise Delia.
“Maybe we should keep it down,” I whispered.
She leaned forward, her elbows resting on the clothes rack. “You called yourself the intruder, but it’s not hard to figure out it’s me. I’ll be honest with you. I’ve had three-ways in the past at the club. Always with another female and a male. It was fine for what it was, but I wasn’t overly into them. When you took that chair in front of us that night, excitement I hadn’t felt … well, ever, took over me. I’d originally approached Xander because he looked depressed as hell, and I wanted some fun.”
“Sounds about right,” I murmured. “Granted I haven’t seen a lot of him this past year, but when I did, he never looked happy.”
“Normally, after a night at the club, I’d never see my hook-up ever again. In fact, I had every intention of ditching Xander there that night as soon as it was over. But when he asked me back to the palace, something inside me
wouldn’t allow me to say no.”
“Why not?”
“I tried to tell myself that it was because he seemed vulnerable—like I was doing him a favour—but the truth is, I wanted more. Of both of you. We didn’t know who you were, so I settled for him. Then, when he asked me to marry him the next morning, I told him he was insane. But again, something inside me said I could do it. I wanted to see where this could go. I love being with Xander. When he’s not worried about becoming king, he’s fun and sexy, and so frickin’ hilarious. I like to think I’m the one who brings that out in him.”
“You are,” I admitted with no hesitance. He was different around Delia, but in a good way.
“I know there’s a ninety percent chance we don’t have a future …” She shrugged. “But I can’t bring myself to walk away from him. We were cut from the same cloth. We understand each other.”
“So, you’re in this for him? Not the crown?”
“I’d be offended if I didn’t know you were coming from a good place. The crown is the only thing working against Xander when it comes to me.”
“Okay, so you’re into having two guys at once, but are you sure you’re ready for it to be a permanent thing?” I asked. “That’s what Xander’s asking from us.”
“Are you trying to scare me off because you want him all to yourself?”
Is that what I’m doing? “I don’t know. Maybe? I may not have ever considered a relationship with two people before, but I’m open to the idea. My issue is with figuring out how it’s going to work. It’s not going to if you’re only half in or I keep getting jealous.”
“Well, I want this, and I think jealousy is a natural feeling to have, but you’re going to have to work on it because it won’t be good in the long run if you don’t know how to deal with it.”
“I want to work on it.”
“Well, you and I are the weak links here, right? Xander and I may not have had any deep and meaningful conversations yet, but we have that connection. You and I have scorching chemistry with him, but we hardly know anything about each other. Maybe we should spend the next few days changing that or figuring out our dynamic. Being in a relationship with Xander doesn’t mean we have to force something between us if it’s not there. Polyamory doesn’t have to be all or nothing. We could share him without being with each other if that’s what it comes down to. We need to figure it out between us. Just you and me.”