Page 15 of Royally Drawn (Resplendent Royals #3)
The Morning After
KEIR
I woke to the gentle rock of the yacht and my phone buzzing beside me. I turned and saw Ingrid stretched diagonally across the bed, her legs wrapped in mine and facing the opposite wall. I left her to sleep and rolled out of bed. Turning off my alarm, I pieced myself together as best I could, putting my shirt back on. Last night had been a wild fever dream punctuated by sex I’d like to remember and a bit of ridiculousness in the cleanup phase.
I padded back to my room and changed into some fresh clothes. Nate was still asleep. This was all according to plan. I’d be exhausted and hungover but hoped I could avoid getting into it with Lars on our last day at sea. Tomorrow, we’d head back to Europe and out of paradise. While I had nothing but an amazing go with Ingrid, I wasn’t about to start a family war over it if it could be avoided. I wasn’t a dunce.
I decided to do a HIIT routine on the main deck and was still planking when Leah came out, holding a book. She pretended like she might sit on my back before giggling and falling onto the couch.
“How the fuck are you awake right now?” I asked her .
“I went to bed and put in earplugs to drown out the sound of people fucking. And you? Did you have the foresight to do the same?”
I came up from a burpee, unsure what to say. Maybe Edina’s wailing had given us cover? That would be an unexpected turn of events. I expected Lars might be blissfully unaware of me sleeping with Ingrid, but I expected better from Leah. She always just knew things.
“What?” Leah took my slow response as an invitation to ask questions.
“Uh… nothing. Just… slept.”
“No, I don’t buy it. Did you…?”
She didn’t have to say the words. I shrugged.
“God damn it, Keir!” She threw her book down
“What?” I shook my head. “What?”
“You are a beautiful, stupid human, you know that? It’s going to cause panic.”
“It won’t if little Miss Gossip doesn’t say anything about it,” I told her. “No one caught us. You and Nate know. That’s it.”
“She’s besties with your sister and Cici! Everyone will know soon enough.”
“Yes, but the women of this family are much better at using their brains and keeping secrets, yeah?”
“No, we’re just not idiotic people who are ruled by their genitals.”
“Oh, Leah, you should talk!”
She glared at me. “Being bisexual doesn’t make me some sort of super-sexed animal.”
“No, that’s not it. You have the libido of a sixteen-year-old boy. You’ve been mercilessly letting everyone around you know about it since before I could legally drive.”
Leah chuckled. “Fair. But straight people can be the same way. Duncan is just as bad. I have no shame. I don’t regret anything, either.”
“I know,” I smiled.
“And yet, you’re out here doing serious manly aggro things? So, it was no good?”
“You are so fucking curious. God, Leah, can anyone not ask?”
“Me? No. I must know everything. I’m too invested. I told her not to fuck you. ”
“Excuse me?”
“I am keeping the peace for the sake of Cecilia and her sister. Astrid’s wedding will be massive, too, and we’ll all have to go to Neandia for it. Well, maybe not me. But you will. I am unwilling to pick up the pieces you leave behind.”
I grumbled.
“What? Is she that bad? Cold fish? I guess she could get away with it being as hot?—”
“No, Leah. Jesus Christ. She’s not,” I sighed. “I’m trying to shake it off, though, and keep myself on the right track so I don’t cock it all up, okay? No, she was… wow.”
“The chemistry with you two is too much. I’m not surprised, just annoyed. Lars will be heartbroken because she is a kind soul, and he likes chatting with her. You know how shy he can be. It’s not easy for him like it is for you.”
“I can be shy, too!” I protested.
She rolled her eyes, “No, you can’t. You’ve never been. Neither of us knows the word.”
“I could be.”
“You could also be the PM, but you’re not.” Leah poked my chest. “You aren’t a wallflower like Lars, Mr Sexy Pilot. And while I cannot see the two of them ever working, she doesn’t end up with you, either.”
I crossed my arms. “And why not?”
“You sleep with her once, and here we go? The next time someone makes a U-Haul Lesbians joke about Lourdes and me, I will send them your way, Keir Robert!”
“I don’t mean it like that. I meant, theoretically.”
“Women aren’t theoretical. And I know she’s some sort of wet dream of yours—blonde, short, perky, a big ass—but like… she’s a sweet girl. And I think we all scare the shit out of her.”
“Give her more credit than that, Leah. Just because you don’t like her?—”
Leah shook her head. “Keir, I do like her. She’s funny and clever. I appreciate her ability to take all you men down a peg. But she’s young and ambitious. She is not the type of girl who’s going to wait around for you as you zig through the sky like a human crash test dummy. With her legs and ass, she doesn’t need to.”
I knew Leah was right about all of that, but I didn’t want to give up on the fact that maybe this could be not permanent but more regular.
“I was thinking a summer thing could be good?”
“What? So, you can anger Lars? The thing you said you didn’t want to do?” Leah asked. “You need to figure out what you want and what you’re willing to do. My advice? It was a hot hookup. Time to walk away.”
While I suspected that was all it was yesterday, I couldn’t help but think about how excellent Ingrid was. I couldn’t ignore the way she made me feel or how electric it felt to kiss her. It wasn’t just the look of her. It was her smell, her taste, and the sound of her climax that sent me over the edge. I was drawn to her. I wanted her—and I didn’t want last night to be the end of it.