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.
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?”