Felix had laughed, delighted, when Leo had flipped him onto his belly, and when Leo ran a thumb down the crease of Felix’s arse, he’d found him already slicked and open.
“Thought I’d save you the bother,” Felix had said, grinning, “so you can go ahead and fuck me. Hard.”
And Leo had.
It had been glorious, sinking into that warm, welcoming heat, and Felix had let out the most delectable sounds as Leo had ploughed his arse hard and fast. There were few things Leo enjoyed more than a responsive lover, and Felix writhing and panting beneath him, letting out soft grunts and gasps when Leo drove in deep, had soon had him on the edge of release. With one final thrust, hands locked around Felix’s hips, Leo had spilled with a low groan, his cock pulsing and his body shaking with pleasure.
Then Leo had rolled them onto their sides and brought Felix to his own release with a deft hand. Afterwards they’d lain there for a little while, tangled together and panting, before Felix had sighed, his contentment obvious, and said, “We can do that again anytime you’d like.”
Anytime had turned out to be several hours later, soft kisses turning into a slow, lazy coupling with both of them barely awake, and it had been different from their earlier frenzied fucking, but no less satisfying.
Now that he was slightly more coherent, Leo had vague memories of Felix shaking him awake sometime in the predawn light, whispering that he had to go before placing a soft kiss on Leo’s cheek and slipping out the door.
Leo propped himself up, wiping his sticky hand on the bed linens. He wasn’t sure why, but Felix leaving before dawn unsettled him despite the fact that this was the way it was always done. The pretty lads came to his chambers, they shared a bed, and then they left. He’d never had the desire for anyone to stay.
He contemplated rolling over and going back to sleep, but after a few minutes of tossing and turning, he was forced to accept that he was far too awake now for that to happen. He sat up with a sigh. Perhaps he could go to his office and deal with the newest crop of paperwork. Then he’d have time to go riding later, now that he wasn’t dependent on Mattias to take him. Hiring Felix as his personal guard had been one of his more brilliant ideas, if he did say so himself.
He dressed and headed to the kitchens. Technically hecouldhave called for someone to deliver his breakfast, but this would be quicker—not to mention that the baked goods for the day would be coming out of the oven about now, and the thought of warm bread rolls made his mouth water.
For all that he was the king, Leo did like the simple pleasures in life—like fresh bread warming his belly, or a pretty groom warming his bed.
Upon entering the kitchen Leo found a seat where he’d be out of the way of the servants and nodded at the cook, who greeted him with a cursory bob of her head before fetching him a bowl of porridge with honey and dried apple, and two bread rolls topped with curls of butter. Leo devoured it all with gusto before accepting a mug of strong tea that he carried with him to his office before he was tempted to linger in the kitchen and waste his morning.
Once settled at his desk, he worked his way through the inevitable pile of correspondence. Most of it was for show: signing letters of congratulation to subjects who’d achieved some milestone, accepting or rejecting invitations from nearby kingdoms for public engagements, and the odd letter that Mattias felt required a personal reply, such as the poorly spelled appeal from a young man, written in ragged lettering, begging for a place in the Royal Guard and assuring the king that he was strong as an ox and loyal to the king and wouldn’t cause any bother.
When such letters had a note from Mattias attached, the answer was always going to be yes.
Leo penned the invitation to join the guard himself, because a letter written in the king’s own hand and stamped with the royal seal meant there could be no doubt to the validity of the offer. He put the envelope to one side and felt a small thrill of triumph when he realised that for the first time in weeks, his desk was clear.
Well,almostclear.
There, sitting to one side, was the letter from Evergreen informing him of Princess Sophia’s impending visit. He picked it up and read it through again. The visit wasn’t for a month, so there was time to prepare, and really, refusing wasn’t an option without causing offence. Leo sat back in his chair and rubbed at his temple with one hand. Evergreen was by and large a peaceful nation, given over mainly to agriculture. True to its name, the kingdom was nestled in a broad valley with plentiful waterways, decent rainfall, and rich soil, and the lush farmlands supported livestock and provided an abundance of fresh produce. As such, from a strategic viewpoint, even though Evergreen was small, it was important to foster good relations with them.
Leo just had to work out how to stay on their good side without having to marry someone.
He turned the embossed card over and over in his fingers, contemplating his options. He was confident he could safely host the princess and her entourage without it resulting in matrimony. The trick, he’d learned, was to inno wayindicate he was aware of the expectations of a proposal. It was a strategy that had worked in the past, and there was no reason to think it wouldn’t again.
And if he offered a favourable trade agreement, there would be no need for a wedding.
One thing he was certain of—he had no plans to marry anytime soon. He was aware that one day he’d be obliged to choose a bride and produce the required heir, but in the two years since he’d ascended to the throne, he’d succeeded in delaying the inevitable. It wasn’t even that he had anything against the parade of princesses and noblewomen sent his way. When he’d been a youth, he’d graced one young lady’s bed several times and found it pleasant enough, but it hadn’t been what he’d really wanted, and still wasn’t.
And he definitely wasn’t ready for marriage.
Not when he’d only just acquired a new companion, one who not only shared his tastes in the bedroom, but could match wits with him and make him laugh, and who didn’t kowtow to him just because he was the king. He smiled to himself at the memory of Felix grinning and wiggling his arse in invitation and wondered when he could ask him to come back. Not tonight—Leo wasn’t so foolish as to think he could take three nights in a row of barely any sleep—butsoon.
There was a knock at the door and Mattias entered. He looked at Leo, then at the cleared desk, then at Leo again, and broke into a wide smile. “Perhaps you should take lovers more often if this is the result.”
Leo flapped a hand at him. “Rude. You know I always do what’s required of me.”
“Eventually.”
Leo ignored the barb. “Now that you’re here, we need to hold a banquet for Princess”—he tapped the card—“Sophia of Evergreen. She and her retinue are passing through in a month’s time and have asked to visit.”
Mattias hummed. “And I’m assuming you’re not going to propose to this one either, which is a shame because Evergreen would make an excellent ally.”
Leo rolled his eyes. “Which is why I’ll invite them to formalise a trade agreement instead.”
Mattias plopped himself in the chair on the other side of the desk, then leaned forward and plucked the card from Leo’s hand. “My thoughts exactly. I’ll start making arrangements for the visit and sort out the banquet. Then we’ll draw up some proposals we can present to distract them from your lack of interest in their princess. A month is plenty of time to prepare.”
