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He bowed his head and nodded. His hand dropped from my neck to my chest, pressing over my heart. “I know. I knew what I was signing on for. So it’s probably better I enjoy the moments I can walk across the street on my own, right?”
I supposed he had a point.
“And you’ll have to move too. You can’t be Prince Camillo and live here. You’ll be mobbed.”
I knew that too. I was already making arrangements. My manager had a listing of places that I’d be able to afford on my current salary, and I wasn’t telling anyone this, but I also had two other possible projects lined up after we wrapped.
No one but the cast and crew had seen what I was doing so far, but life was already different. Which was what I wanted.
Wasn’t it?
“Come on,” Camillo said, pushing me back. “You can piggyback me.”
Well, if that wasn’t incentive enough to go, I didn’t know what was.
Fifteen
ALERIC
I tried notto feel embarrassed about my apartment. It wasn’t bad. It wasn’t messy or dirty, and yeah, the carpet needed to be replaced five years ago, and yes, there were oddly shaped water stains on the ceiling, but it was tidy.
It was nicely put together, and apart from those dishes I’d warned Camillo about, it was clean. It had to be that way. I had lived in such chaos after first separating from my parents, and I’d let myself wallow in both my internal and external mess.
Part of digging myself out of the hole was learning to be content with the place I called home. Everything was secondhand except my sheets and blankets, but everything was also so well-loved.
When I walked into the living room with Camillo attached to my back, I felt him squeeze my shoulders tightly. “Oh, Aleric. It’snice,” he breathed into my ear.
“You don’t need to lie to make me feel better. I know what it is.”
“No.” He squeezed harder. “Listen. It’s yours. Please sit me down so I can look at you.”
I walked him to the sofa and hesitated because it was nowhere near as nice or as stable as the one he had in his littleplace. But it wasn’t like I had much of a choice. “I also have a kitchen chair if?—”
“Here, please,” he murmured.
I turned around and bent my knees, ignoring the wobble in my thighs as I sank to the ground. I felt the weight shift as he released me, and I leaned forward so he could adjust himself. Then he touched the back of my neck.
“Aleric.”
I turned, still on my knees, feeling the concrete beneath the trodden carpet padding that was probably nonexistent by now. It took me a moment to find the courage to look up at him, but when I did, he gripped my chin and pulled me into a kiss.
It was soft but demanding, and it overwhelmed all my emotions until my embarrassment was nothing more than a tiny burning ember.
“This place is yours,” he said again, like that meant something. And hell, maybe it did.
“Better or worse than you expected?” I asked.
He sighed. “I’ve stopped letting myself have those kinds of expectations when it comes to you.” He stroked the side of my jaw with the backs of his fingers, tilting his head to the side as he studied me. “I like it here. It feels…safe. Quiet.”
Bowing my head, I nodded and took a fortifying breath. “I know it sounds ridiculous, but I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to give this up. I wish I could do what I love without having to sacrifice this part of me.”
I didn’t think he would understand, and by the look on his face, I was right. He’d never had that option before. He was born into royalty, and even if he abdicated—or whatever it was second-born princes did to give up their titles—he would die royalty. He would always be Prince Camillo.
“You have it for now,” he said after a few moments. He leaned forward again and kissed me. “So. About those dishes?—”
“No. My sink is too tall for you to reach,” I told him with a grin, grabbing his hands. Running my thumb over his perfectly shaped nails, I smiled at the thought of him sitting for a manicure. “And I wouldn’t want the hot water and washing-up liquid to ruin these.”
“Shut up.” He shoved me back into the coffee table, sending me onto my ass. His eyes went wide, but instead of apologizing, he burst into laughter.