“Whenever you’d like, as long as it doesn’t interfere with my work,” Felix said, his insides warming at the knowledge that Leodidwant to see him again.
“Or mine. Despite what Mattias likes to imply, Idotake my duties as king seriously.”
“You know, I believe it. My father wouldn’t be as loyal to you otherwise. You just like topretendyou’re some kind of rebel.” On impulse, Felix darted back over to the bed, leaned in, and stole a quick kiss.
“Are you sure you can’t stay?” Leo cupped his jaw, and Felix tried not to be distracted by how adorable a sleep-rumpled Leo was.
“I really do have to go. But you know where to find me.” With that, he slipped out the door and down the passageway, following his instincts until he found a corridor he recognised that led him back to the kitchens. It was early enough that it was empty, the work surfaces scrubbed clean, the next day’s bread dough proving in a warm spot, and the fires banked for the night. He headed out the door and across the courtyard, past the stables, and up the laneway that led to his own small cottage.
Once there, he changed into his nightclothes and settled into his bed, hoping to get some more sleep in the few hours that remained before dawn. The squeak of the bed frame as he rolled over was somehow comforting, and before long he found himself drifting off. His last thought before he fell asleep was to wonder if Leo would ever come and stay the night here, and if the squeaky frame would keep him awake, but he dismissed it. That wasn’t ever going to happen.
He was at the king’s beck and call, not the other way around.
* * *
Felix was dragged awake by the sound of a rooster crowing and despite his broken sleep, he was refreshed in a way that told him he’d slept the sleep of the well-fucked. Or, in this case, not-quite-fucked. Still, the principle was the same. He’d come more often last night than he could remember doing since he was a youth who had first discovered what his cock was capable of with a little encouragement from his right hand.
And he’d come in theking’sbed. By theking’shand. Because he was the king’s lover now.
He let that sink in for a minute.
Thanks to a case of mistaken identity and some shameless flirting, Leopold, ruler of Lilleforth, had chosen him as a bed partner. Felix waited for panic at that revelation to set in, but it was absent. Maybe it was because he had both Leopold’s and Mattias’s assurances that it was fine for him to consort with the king, or perhaps, on a more practical level, it was simply that Leo was enticing enough that Felix was prepared to take his chances.
Whatever the reason, Felix had no regrets about last night—other than that they hadn’t been able to procure a flask of oil.
The cock crowed again with its usual relentless persistence, and Felix shoved back the blankets. He dressed, took a piss, and washed, the cool cloth bringing back memories of last night. He pressed a hand to his arse cheek and yes, there was still the trace of a pleasant ache there. He prodded again, grinning at the memory of it. Perhaps he’d leave today’s ride for later, when he was less tender. Leo was obviously a practiced hand, and Felix could appreciate the skill it took to make a spanking sting in just the right way.
He couldn’t wait to do it again.
After breakfast, Felix pulled on his boots and made his way to the main stables. He was pleased to see that the floors had been swept, the horses were all groomed, and the tack hanging against the wall gleamed from a thorough cleaning. Obviously, Mother had made Davin earn his keep after all. He moved on to the separate stables that housed Blackbird and Shadow, approaching Blackbird’s stall with an apple extended on his flat palm. She wasted no time stealing the snack.
He laid a hand on her cheek and she leaned into the touch, and Felix spent a few minutes petting her before entering her stall and filling her feed trough. Next he fed Shadow, stroking the horse’s thick neck muscles as he murmured, “Did you know Leo’s letting me have you as my mount? Isn’t that good news?” Shadow nuzzled and huffed out his apparent agreement.
When she’d eaten, Blackbird tossed her head and danced lightly in her stall. Felix gave a soft laugh. “Impatient, girl?”
She tossed her head again in reply and butted against his shoulder, and Felix took the hint. Slipping a halter on her and attaching a lead rope, he guided her out of the stall and let her loose in the adjoining meadow where she trotted off, found a stretch of dirt, and rolled around in it for a few minutes before standing and ambling over to graze in a lush patch of grass.
When he released Shadow into the meadow, the horse quickly found some dirt to roll in as well. If Felix didn’t know better, he might have thought they were expressing their displeasure at him abandoning them yesterday afternoon, but no, horses were just like that.
It was fine. He was planning to groom them properly later anyway. For now, he’d leave them to their fun.
He was midway through mucking out Blackbird’s stall when there was the rap of knuckles against the door of the stables, and he looked up to find his father leaning there watching him. He paused in his efforts and, wiping a forearm over his brow, walked over to the door, blinking in the bright light. Judging by the way the sun had climbed higher in the sky, more time must have passed while he was working than he’d thought. His father pulled a cloth-wrapped parcel from the depths of his coat and opened it, revealing a roast beef sandwich. Felix took it with a grateful nod.
He was two bites in when his father said, “I thought you might need to keep your strength up, seeing as I heard that you’d spent the night cavorting with the king.”
Felix didn’t choke on his mouthful but it was a near-run thing, and his cheeks burned. “Nobody was meant to know!”
He’d promised to keep his activities quiet, yet his father had heard about his exploits before midday. Did the whole castle know?
His distress must have been obvious because his father was quick to reassure him. “Relax, son. Mattias felt I should be made aware that there might be some…late night meetings. That’s all.”
“Oh.” That made sense, Felix supposed. Still, it didn’t make this any less embarrassing. “Are you here to tell me I shouldn’t be doing this?”
His father fixed his gaze on his boots. “Actually, I’m here to make sure you haven’t been talked into anything you don’t want to do. Just because Leopold is the king, it doesn’t mean he gets to command you into his bed.”
A warm feeling spread in Felix’s chest. The last thing he wanted to talk about was who he was bedding, and the feeling obviously went both ways, but here his father was anyway, pushing his own discomfort aside to make sure Felix wasn’t being coerced. His concern was touching, if awkward.
It was Felix’s turn to examine his boots. “I, um. I propositioned him, actually.”
