Leo sat and reached over, cupping Felix’s face in his hands and kissing him passionately, cutting off whatever he’d been about to say. When he pulled back, he pressed their foreheads together. “Felix, I love you. When I thought I’d lost you, I vowed that if you came back to me, I wouldn’t risk losing you again. And you don’t seem like the type who would be happy sharing.”
“I’m not,” Felix admitted.
“Then marriage is off the table, heir be damned. I’ll let the throne go to Evan if it comes to it. I won’t care. I’ll be dead.”
Felix grinned, his heart skipping a beat as affection and relief overwhelmed him. “That is either the most romantic or the most macabre declaration of love I’ve ever heard.”
Leo laughed softly. “Let’s call it romantic. Now let me clean you up.” He let go of Felix’s face and climbed out of bed, and when he returned, he had a damp cloth. Felix let Leo wipe away his release, shivering at the coolness against his skin. “You know, this really is a delectable arse. I can’t wait to give it a thorough spanking,” Leo mused as he discarded the cloth and rubbed his palms up Felix’s thighs and over his cheeks, giving a light slap that made Felix shiver for a completely different reason.
He couldn’t wait to be back over Leo’s knee and under his hand. “Perhaps I’ll be extremely rude today and you’ll have to remind me of my place,” he said, grinning into the pillow.
“Oh, I foresee a good, hard reminder in your future,” Leo said lowly. “But for now, it’s not yet dawn. Shall we go back to sleep?” He turned Felix onto his side, plastered himself along his back, and threw an arm over him.
“Mmm,” Felix hummed. His eyes were already closing, the early hour and his post-orgasmic haze conspiring to draw him under. He smiled and let himself drift, knowing that Leo would still be there when he woke.
* * *
The next time Felix woke up, it was to someone knocking on the door. He patted blindly at the bed, but there was only a warm patch where Leo should have been.
When he opened his eyes, he saw that it was full daylight and Leo was shrugging into his dressing gown and hastening toward the door. He pulled it open a scant inch and told whoever it was, “Go away.”
A deep voice Felix recognised as Mattias said, “You can’t just stay in your room, Leo. We have things to discuss.”
“Felix is still asleep.”
“I’m not surprised, after his ordeal.”
“Falling in love with me is not anordeal, thank you very much!” Leo huffed.
“I meant the kidnapping,” Mattias said, amusement clear in his tone. “And wedoneed to talk about this.”
“There’s nothing to discuss. I’m keeping him.”
Felix sat up in bed and called out, “I’m not a stray kitten from the barns, Leo.”
Mattias chuckled. “Sounds like your boy’s awake.”
Felix shuffled out of bed and retrieved his trousers, dragging them on and collecting his shirt, because one audience with Mattias while naked in Leo’s bed wasplenty, thank you very much.
“Let him in, Leo. He’s right. We have things to talk about.” He stretched his arms over his head and arched his spine, letting out a yawn before going to join Leo at the door. He wrapped an arm around Leo’s shoulders and gave him a peck on the cheek, just because he could, and Leo’s expression softened.
Mattias stepped inside and gave Felix a tiny nod. “Your father and the princess returned last night, both of them unharmed.”
“Thank you.” Felix hadn’t really held any concerns for his father’s safety, but it was nice to have it confirmed. “And the idiot prince?”
Mattias’s smile held a hint of dark satisfaction. “He’s currently in the dungeons. A message has been sent to King Andros informing him of Stephan’s attempted regicide, and he’ll be sent home in disgrace. Sophia tells me he’s always been a power-hungry thorn in her father’s side, so the king will probably use this as an excuse to banish him. She’s going to suggest he be posted to supervise the pig farming district in the furthest corner of the kingdom, as a permanent role. Apparently, he hates pigs.”
“Sophia?” Leo said, eyebrows rising. “On a first-name basis now, are we?”
Mattias flushed. “She said I wasn’t to bother with her title, and one doesn’t cross a woman like that.”
Felix took a moment to pull his shirt over his head before saying, “She is rather impressive.”
“She’smagnificent.” Mattias breathed out. He stared at nothing for a moment before coming back to himself and clearing his throat. “Anyway. Sophia assures me that there will be no repercussions for Felix beating the prince half to death with a chair leg, given the circumstances.”
“Hehad it coming,” Felix said, completely unrepentant.
Leo rolled his eyes. “Well, thank you for letting us know, but whatever else we need to talk about can wait. I’m going back to bed now and so is Felix. It’s the crack of dawn.”
