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Luc

“D id you see her hair?”

I allowed myself a small smile as I stepped into the staff kitchen, the place in the palace where anyone who wasn’t a member of the royal family ate. While I was as close to the king as any non-family member could be, it would’ve been most inappropriate for me to eat with him, and that meant the king dined alone.

“Her hair is something else, but it’s that thing in her nose that I couldn’t take my eyes off of.”

“Is that how all Americans look? Hair in wild colors with metal in their faces?”

Laughter sounded from the table. It was at that moment I decided to make my presence known.

“You know, ladies,” I said, stepping from the entrance area onto the main dining floor. “King Alaric wouldn’t be pleased in the slightest to hear this kind of talk.”

The dining area was comprised of a handful of tables, each big enough to seat eight people. From what I could tell, nearly the entire staff of fifty-five was there, from gardeners to maids to chauffeurs and everyone in between. The cooks had prepared their usual family-style meal—big dishes of chicken and pork, bread, potatoes and butter being passed around, all from the farms around the city.

When they became aware of my presence, however, everything stopped. Members of the staff in the process of passing food froze, plates of meat seeming to float in the air. While I was technically a member of the service staff, my closeness with the king was no secret.

“Now, Lucas,” called out Winnie Mayer, a plump, gray-haired member of the cooking staff. “ This is where the gossip happens, not between you and the king.”

Laughs erupted, and I allowed myself a small smile at her barb.

“Fair enough,” I said. “All the same, it’s poor manners to talk about someone behind their back—princess or not.”

“We’re just having a laugh,” Maddie Hooker, one of the gardeners, said. “And more than that, don’t we have a right to know about the woman who’s going to be in charge of this kingdom one day?”

A finger stuck out toward Kinley Brown, who I knew had spent most of the morning with Ava, preparing her for lunch with Alaric.

“Lord knows she’s not saying a damn thing!” Winnie complained.

“Not all of us pass the time with that sort of talk,” Kinley said with a smile. “And besides, I already told you all you need to know. She’s kind and pleasant and has a sharp sense of humor. Luc, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I would agree on both points—your description and the fact that’s all anyone here needs to know. Now, I’m not one for controlling the conversation, but let’s allow the princess to have at least a few days to settle in before she becomes the top subject of conversation down here. Lord knows she’s going to be spending enough time on the tip of everyone’s tongue.”

Disappointed sounds rose from the staff, but there was no argument—they knew better.

With that, the group went back to their meals. I made myself a plate of chicken with a side of vegetables and found a seat at one of the tables. Normally, I’d spend dinner chatting with the staff, listening to how their workdays had gone. That evening, however, I had other matters on my mind.

One matter in particular—I couldn’t stop thinking about Ava. The worst part was I knew how wrong it was. I’d been entrusted to bring her back to the king. While I’d successfully done that, it should’ve gone without saying that looking at her with lustful eyes was absolutely out of the question.

Nevertheless, there I was, letting the image of her linger in my mind’s eye. I found myself thinking about her tattoo, picturing her bare legs, her thick thighs.

“You alright, sir?”

I shook my head, snapping back to the moment.

“Huh?”

I glanced up to see Maddie across from me, regarding me with an expression of mild concern.

“You looked a million miles away, Luc.”

“Just thinking about the day ahead. A hell of a lot going on with the princess now in Edoria.”

She smiled. “You’re right about that. But don’t worry a bit. I’m sure you’ll get it all sorted out.”

It was a lie. As a rule, I never liked to so much as bend the truth. What else could I have said? That I was fantasizing about the princess? My friend’s daughter and a woman nearly half my age? They would’ve run me out of the room on a rail.

I quickly finished my meal, getting up without a word.

“Now, Lucas!” Winnie called out over the din of the room. “I know you’re not sneaking out for the night without a slice of my apple pie!”

I smiled. “Winnie, if I ate your dessert every night, His Majesty would be rolling me around the place.”

“Take a slice!” she said, waving her hand. “You never know if you’ll be feeling peckish in the middle of the night.”

I’d worked with Winnie for long enough to know that when she insisted on dessert, there was no sense in refusing. I took a small slice of the pie, placing it on a plate before saying goodnight to the staff. Moments later I was in the main hall of the palace, the lights low, silence all around. Unlike the rest of the staff, I had free rein of the palace at all hours.

On the way up to my chambers, I stopped in the library, flicking on the low lights and letting my gaze move over the many spines on the shelves. I’d just finished my most recent book, Hard Times by Charles Dickens. I was in that wonderful in-between period of reading; the one where the last book was still fresh in my mind, but I was quickly overcome by the excitement of what to choose next.

I set the plate of pie down on a nearby end table and made my way to one of the shelves. I was in the mood for something non-fiction. I trailed my fingertip over the books before me, settling on a handsome hardcover edition about the Paris Commune. That particular period of history was on the blurrier side for me, all the more reason I needed to choose the book for my next read. Book in hand, I gave it a once over, a smile on my face as I scanned the cover before tucking it under my arm and heading out of the library.

Autumn would soon be arriving, which meant that the upcoming weather would be perfect for evenings in the library—a fire in the fireplace and a glass of whiskey close at hand as I worked through my backlog of books, my reading spot near an open window that afforded a view of the changing colors of the Edorian forests.

For now, I needed rest. In spite of my nap on the plane, I was worn-out from traveling. As I made my way back to my bedroom, I could already imagine crawling into my bed, relaxation washing over me as I drifted off to sleep.

Another thought quickly popped into my head, one most unexpected. I imagined that I wasn’t alone when I climbed into my bed… Ava was there with me.

God, get it together, Luc. I was becoming very frustrated with myself. My duty with the princess was done. Sure, I’d be seeing her around the castle, assuming she planned on staying. But I didn’t need to think about her any longer.

Yet thinking about her was all that I seemed to be doing.

It wasn’t long before I reached my quarters. My room was as simply appointed as ever, neat and orderly just the way I liked it. No one stepped in here but me, as I liked to be responsible for my own cleaning and organizing. The mere thought of one of the members of the maid staff changing things around while I was gone was unthinkable.

I set my book and slice of pie down on the nightstand next to my tightly made bed. As I stood next to it, I began to realize that I wasn’t going to be able to get to sleep without a little winding down.

I stepped inside my private bathroom, flicked on the light, and turned on the shower before stripping out of my clothes. The hot water was heaven on my body, and I couldn’t help but let out a long, pleasured ahhh as I stood there, letting relaxation take hold.

The moment my body became accustomed to the water, however, Ava popped back into my head. I imagined her stepping into the shower with me, the water cascading off her toned, curvy body. I imagined putting my hands on her round hips, pressing her against me, my stiff cock rubbing against her middle. I imagined reaching between her thighs, feeling a warmth greater than the steamy water from the shower…

It was all becoming very irritating. How the hell was I going to live next to Ava while these sorts of thoughts were so strong? I’d never had an issue with discipline before, but there was something about the woman that I couldn’t resist, couldn’t ignore.

The most frightening part was that I didn’t want to ignore it. Whatever it was, I wanted more.

I wanted her.

I felt a tingling down below. To my surprise, I had my hand on my cock. Just the thought of Ava was enough to make me want to touch myself, to bring myself to orgasm with her on my mind.

It was beyond frustrating. I was a man who prided himself on being in control. Yet there I was unable to get my mind off the one woman I absolutely shouldn’t have been thinking about in that way. With an annoyed groan, I turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, throwing a towel around my waist after spending a little time drying off.

I stepped in front of the mirror, running my hand over the steamy glass. Shaving before bed was foolish since I’d just have to do it again in the morning. All the same, I’d always found something meditative about the process, especially the way I did it with a straight razor.

I prepared a little shaving cream, dabbing it on with the brush until the lower half of my face was covered. Then, razor in hand, I began the process. Little by little, I shaved the stubble from my face, taking the cream and hair off with slow, measured strokes.

When I was nearly done, I brought the razor up to my face once last time, preparing to make another swipe.

“Oh. My. God.”

I turned, a flash of pain shooting from my face as I did.

“Shit!”

Standing at the entrance to the bathroom was Ava.

“Holy crap!” she cried, her eyes flashing. “You’re bleeding!”

I glanced down at my hand. Sure enough, a smear of blood was on both the razor and the side of my index finger.

“Oh-shoot-oh-shoot.”

Ava rushed over to me, clearly unaffected by the fact that she’d just barged into my bathroom while I was in there nearly naked. She put her hand on the back of my head and jerked me down.

“Easy!” I cried.

“Sorry! Just want to see. Does it hurt?”

The shock of seeing Ava had been greater than the pain of the injury. I glanced toward the mirror, noting that it was nothing but a simple red line about four centimeters long down the right side of my face.

“It’s fine,” I said. “Just… here.”

I stepped back from her, grabbing a cloth and dabbing the blood from my face. Once that was done, I took the styptic pencil from my shaving kit and used it to seal the cut. Within no more than ten seconds, it was done.

I sighed, leaning back against the sink.

That’s when it hit me. I was still standing half naked in front of the Princess of Edoria.

“Jesus, girl!” I said, my eyes flashing with anger. “Don’t you Americans know how to knock?”