“Yes, a walk,” Marchesi said faintly, swaying gently where he sat.
Evan stood and drew the ambassador to his feet, throwing an arm over his shoulders and pulling him close, mainly to keep the man upright.
When he glanced over, he caught a shadow of displeasure passing over Thomas’s features, and something like guilt squirmed low in his gut at the thought that it might upset the captain to see him touching someone else—which wasridiculous. They weren’t even lovers yet. The most they’d shared was some harmless flirting—and one spine-melting, toe-curling kiss that had heat racing through Evan’s veins every time he thought about it.
Evan found himself removing his arm from around Marchesi’s shoulder and guiding him to the doors with a hand on his elbow instead. He was rewarded with an upward twitch of Thomas’s lip that said the gesture was appreciated—and just like that, the heavy, unpleasant feeling in his gut vanished as quickly as it had arrived.
It was lucky that Evan was playing the tipsy fool. It meant he didn’t have to hide his smile of relief.
Marchesi was currently listing hard to the left, which boded well for Evan. His original plan had been to question the man and search his rooms as quickly as possible and hopefully find out who was behind the threat to the throne.
That was still the plan, but once the ambassador was dealt with, Evan had a new plan. He was determined to find Thomas and kiss him again—and this time he’d make sure they weren’t interrupted.
As far as plans went, it was flawless—right until the ambassador drew to a halt in front of Thomas, blinking up at him owlishly. “I know you,” he proclaimed. “You’re the captain!”
“Yes, sir,” Thomas said.
The ambassador beamed up at him, and it might even have been amusing except the next thing out of his mouth was, “Weren’t you and the duke kissing earlier?”
His voice rang out with the too-loud confidence of a happy drunk, falling into one of those unfortunate silences that occur in public spaces, and the words echoed off the high ceiling.
There was a collective gasp as the rest of the dinner guests turned as one, craning their necks like a gaggle of particularly curious geese to look at Thomas and Evan. Evan personally thought their reaction was a bit rich given that their king had married a groom and their stablemaster was in love withanotherprince—although of course Mother Jones hadn’t known Vasily was royalty when he fell for him.
Evan sensed Thomas stiffening next to him and waited to see how he’d respond. Being known as the captain’s lover would give Evan an excuse to be seen with Thomas at all hours and in all locations. Nobody would look twice at the duke and his latest conquest. But more than that, imagining Thomas as his lover made warmth curl in his chest, and suddenly he was desperate to be able to pretend, even for a while, that there was someone in his life who had chosen him to share theirs.
He turned to Thomas and raised an eyebrow in silent query. It was a lot to ask, and despite their earlier conversation, Evan understood that Thomas might have changed his mind. He didn’t think he would have—the captain didn’t strike him as a man who faltered once he made a decision—but still, he prepared himself for a refusal.
But Thomas gave a tiny shrug, his eyes dancing with amusement, and something settled in Evan at the knowledge that Thomas was willing to go along with this madness. Really, he had all the hallmarks of a great spy, and Evan would be sure to tell him that later. But for now everyone was still watching, and Evan found himself unsure how to proceed.
Before he could think too hard about it, the decision was taken from him. He found himself lifted off his feet by strong arms that settled under his thighs, holding him in place, andthen Thomas’s mouth was on his, kissing him with unexpected vigour.
Evan’s face heated and his heart pounded as he tangled his hands in Thomas’s hair and kissed him back. Having Thomas take charge again sent a thrill running through him, one he could easily get used to. He found himself hungry for more, and didn’t want the kiss to end. But he was aware of the stares and whispers surrounding them—and he hadn’t become the best at what he did by getting lost in the heat of the moment—so he reluctantly dragged himself away from the taste of Thomas’s lips, panting slightly, and said, “Does that answer your question, Ambassador?”
The ambassador gave a tipsy nod, eyes wide, and Evan shoved gently at Thomas’s chest. It was like massaging a rock. “I think I should take the ambassador for his walk now,” he said quietly. “I’ll find you later?”
Thomas nodded, eyes wide, and set Evan down. His cheeks were flushed, his lips were swollen, and his expression was both dazed and happy, like he wasn’t sure how he’d come to be kissing Evan but was perfectly willing to do it again given the chance.
Well, that made two of them.
Evan guided the ambassador from the room, humming cheerfully to himself. Just as soon as he had this spying business out of the way, he could spend the rest of the evening focusing on what was really important.
Seducing his captain.
Chapter Eight
Thomas had always thought of himself as unflappable.
As Captain of the Royal Guard, it was a point of pride that very little rattled him. Yet here he was pacing the floor of his cottage, his nerves jangling like a pail full of spoons while he waited for the duke.
It was ridiculous.
As soon as he’d finished his shift he’d hurried back to his cottage, only to spend the evening worrying that the duke wouldn’t find his quarters up to scratch even though they were as neat as a pin. Still, he’d made sure both his teeth and his sheets were clean and brushed his dark blond hair into some semblance of order. He’d kept his dress uniform on purely because he’d seen the way Evan had looked him up and down like he was some tasty treat from the kitchens.
He’d stuck his head outside no less than ten times, sure he’d heard someone approaching, only to be met with empty darkness. And now, as the evening dragged on and there was still no sign of his guest, Thomas was forced to admit with a heavy heart that it seemed like the duke had changed his mind and he was waiting in vain.
Or maybe he took the ambassador to bed after all.
Thomas shook his head to dislodge the thought and the sour twist in his belly that accompanied it.
