Arthur had lectured me for half the flight.
“You can’t just show up there unannounced.”
“Watch me,” I’d grumbled from the seat next to his before taking a sip of orange juice.
“What if the media catches wind of our arrival? It’s not exactly like we’re traveling incognito in this thing.” He’d gestured to the private jet that was emblazoned with everything royal.
“I already told you. There’s a global affairs summit in Dallas this week. It’s public knowledge that someone from my office is attending. Why do you think we brought Martin?” I had glanced toward the back of the plane where one of our environmental specialists had been snoring and drooling in his seat. The poor guy had gotten only a few hours’ notice before having to meet us at the helipad.
“I still think you should have gotten a wig. I’ve been dying to see you as a blond. Ever since that photoshop prank when you were at Georgetown, I’ve thought—”
“Arthur, stop. You’re making me even more nervous than I already am.” I’d begun drumming my fingers on the armrest without realizing it. Arthur reached out and placed his hand over mine to stop it.
“He loves you, Lior,” he’d said quietly. “It will be okay, I promise. Felix is a good man.”
I’d looked over at him with gratitude before he rolled his eyes and forced a sleeping pill on me. “So help me god, if you don’t pass out for the next ten hours, I’ll have to toss you out the escape hatch,” he’d muttered. “Think of it as resting up before the sexfest.”
But now we were finally there, standing in Doc and Grandpa’s farmhouse in tiny Hobie, Texas.
As soon as Felix saw me, I had my arms full of him, squeezing him to me for all I was worth.
“Felix.” I breathed in his familiar scent, brushing my lips against the warm skin under his ear. “Oh god, you feel so good.”
His entire body was trembling against mine, and when I realized it, I pulled back and looked at him. “You okay?”
His brown eyes were shining as he gazed at me like I wasn’t real. “Are you kidding? I’ve never been better. I’m so proud of you, Lio. I can’t believe you just did that. Are you okay?”
“I am now.”
I brushed my fingers along one of his cheeks before leaning down and kissing the hell out of him. He tasted so fucking good, I could have gotten lost in his kiss for hours.
If only the air hadn’t split open with catcalls.
“Go get it, boy!”
“Show us some skin!”
“Felix gettin’ naughty with Prince Charming.”
“What do you call french kissing in French? Is it just kissing? That’s boring.”
“I call dibs next!”
“Introduce us to your boy toy, Felix.”
I pulled back and stared at a room full of people I could have sworn hadn’t been there a moment before. At least fifteen people in their twenties and thirties grinned at us from various seats and perches around the big kitchen and family room combo. Were they having a party?
When I glanced back at Felix, I saw his face ignite with embarrassment. “Dammit,” he muttered under his breath. “Prepare yourself. We’re called Wilde for a reason.”
Doc and Grandpa Wilde stepped forth from the throng and welcomed me to their home. I slid a possessive arm around Felix’s waist with absolutely no intention of letting him go anytime soon. His body melted against mine in response.
“Everybody,” Felix said loudly enough to carry across the group. “This is William Triannon Frederik Harald Christien Grimaldi, Prince of Monaco and King of Liorland. He prefers it if you bow deeply and kiss his ring, but—”
I interrupted, feeling a blush steal across my own face as I barked out a laugh. “Shut the hell up. Leave my ring alone, but you can kiss something else, smartass. How did you even remember all that?” I looked at the collection of Felix’s extended family. “Please call me Lior,” I said. It had taken me a while to accept the new version of my name, but I’d finally done it. Now, when Felix called me Lio, it was like staking a claim on me not many people were close enough to have.
As Felix walked me around, introducing me to everyone, I noticed how happy and relaxed he was. Seeing him ensconced in the house he grew up in surrounded by so many people who obviously loved him made me feel warm and full. I felt especially thankful to Doc and Grandpa Wilde for giving him the life he deserved, and I wondered, not for the first time, about whether or not it was fair to drag him away from the people and place he loved so much.
After an hour of getting to know his family and being teased for the lovesick way I stared at Felix and kept a tight grip on his hand, I heard him tell Doc he was taking me home.