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No one will notice.Please don’t let anyone notice.
The only thing worse than watching my family go hungry today would be watching them go hungry every night moving forward. With no fae blood, no magic, no land, and no skills, it’s this job or being a whore. Those are my options.
“Besides, everyone will be focused on the sexy princes, not a pile of meat.” I’m tempted to dump the whole platter of meat into my pockets, but I get back to cleaning, knowing better than to tempt my luck.
“Although, I don’t actually know if they’re sexy. At least not all of them.” My mind wanders to Sulien. It’d been years since I saw him last, but I’m sure time won’t have changed him all that much. “Sulien is sexy as fuck. So sexy that he melts the panties of ladies everywhere. As for the other three, only time will tell.”
Laughing to myself, I shake my head. Trying not to remember the Prince Sulien from when I was a kid. The boy my grandmother would tutor. I was allowed to come with my grandmother to her sessions, which meant getting to know Sulien. He was smart, kind, and fun to be around.
And then grandmother’s eyes went bad, and we were tossed out of the palace. My only interactions with Prince Sulien after that were when I caught glimpses of him in town. By the time I was old enough to work at the palace, I saw him far too often, and yet I seemed to become invisible to him.
“Sexy, but an ass.” My jaw clenched. He could have a dick as big as my arm, and it wouldn’t be enough for me to forgive him. Yeah, maybe he wasn’t the one who decided my grandmother, father, and I were worthless after she lost her sight, but I’ve grown to accept that anything the prince wants, he gets, so he must not have wantedus.
“The fae princes get to come here and find their mates while I fluff the already fluffed pillows.” I twirl around, ready to leave the room.
“Oof.” I bounce back and almost lose my footing. I rebound and stand up straight.
Directly in front of me is a man’s chest. My gaze moves slowly up, up, up sweeping over an imposing chest, wide shoulders, and then the face that has haunted my dreams for far too many years. I hate that he looks even better. Prince Sulien. The man who is as hot and merciless as the summer sun, with a face that seems carved from stone.
He stares back at me, his eyes the color of canyons at sunset, a brownish-auburn color that I’ve never seen in the face of another fae or human alike. He doesn’t say a word to me, standing there hovering over me. His lips in a firm line. His gaze unforgiving.
My heart races.How long has he been here? Had he seen me steal the meat?If he did, I’ll be tossed out of the palace so fast my head will spin.And if he heard my other comments?
Fuck. What did I say?Nothing good, that I was sure of.
I open my mouth without thinking, and words start flying out. “You know, you’re the prince and all, but sneaking up on a woman is beyond rude. I could have been in a compromising situation. What if I was adjusting my clothing? What if I wasn’t wearing any clothing at all?”
He stares down at me, still silent, but his eyes twinkle, and the corner of his mouth quirks up almost imperceptibly. “Why would you be undressed in my room while you’re working?” He crosses his arms and leans back.
I mirror him and cross my arms as well, trying to buy time to come up with an answer to his very good question. “Maybe a bug flew into my shirt, and I had to strip to get it out.” I smile and nod my head.
Yes, that was a reasonable answer. Far better than telling him that I’m sure I’m not the first woman to find his room and undress, either with him or alone, and fantasizing about him.
I’m honestly proud of myself for keeping quiet.
And then he keeps talking. “Why would there be bugs in here? Isn’t it your job to keep this room clean? Are you not doing your job well?”
Dammit. He’s gotten smarter over the years. When my grandmother was tutoring us, I’d always been the quicker of the two of us. Oh, what wouldn’t I give for the days of him being a lovable dummy.
Not that I can say that, he’s staring at me, waiting. So, I start talking. “The windows have been open more lately to air the room out. And that’s not my point.” I wave my hands in front of me. “My point is that you barged in here—yes, it’s your room, but still. You barged in and snuck up on me, and scared the shit out of me.”
He lifts a brow, but I can’t tell what he’s thinking. “Noted. I need a bath. Are you too scared to run me a bath?”
“Scared?” I snort, but then switch to a more formal tone. “No, your Highness, I am not too scared to run you a bath. Right away!” I turn on my heels and head towards the bathroom.
As I prepare the water, he enters and begins peeling off his clothing. My jaw drops, and my gaze locks on him. I swear he takes his time unbuttoning his blue shirt, the one that makes his tanned skin look even more tanned. And when he drops it to the floor, I actually have to check that my panties haven’t dropped to the floor too, because he looks that fucking good.
His chest and shoulders are wide. His stomach is so muscled that every man I’ve ever slept with suddenly looks like a pile of horseshit compared to him. And his biceps as he reaches for the button on his boots—a shudder rolls through me—they’re actually rippling.
Is it getting hot in here?
“Did you want some lavender to help you relax?” I ask while he unlaces his boots.
“I don’t care,” he says, and his tone seems in agreement with his words.
“What about some hibiscus petals? Those are good for your skin. I don’t know where you’ve been, but if it’s been harsh on your skin…” I trail off, watching his boots and socks hit the floor.
When he doesn’t answer, I throw in the lavender, the hibiscus, and a few more items from the basket beside the tub. Honestly, I’m not looking. And who can blame me?
