Page 2 of Sweet on the Royal Guard

ZEKE

I scan the crowd, my eyes darting from face to face as I stand at attention. The sea of people swells before me.

It brings me joy to see the Lydovia Royal family is an integral part of our culture, especially considering Prince Charlie’s American roots.

It truly shows what my nation is made of and makes me happy and proud to be a Lydovian and a royal guard. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to be, and I love it.

But even as I focus on my duty, thoughts of Benedict keep creeping in.

“Hey, Zeke.” Luca’s voice crackles through my earpiece. “Are you gonna spill the beans on how you managed to get out of the palace undetected while wearing only your birthday suit the other day?”

I feel heat rising to my cheeks but keep my expression neutral. “Eyes on the crowd, Luca,” I mutter. “We’ve got a job to do.”

“Oh, come on, you can multitask. Spill the details already!”

I roll my eyes, grateful Luca can’t see my face or eyes beneath the dark shades. “There’s nothing to spill. Now drop it.”

But even as I say the words, thoughts of Benedict flood my mind—his shy smile, the softness of his hair, the warmth of his body pressed against mine. I shake my head slightly, trying to clear the images.

Focus, Zeke. Prince Charlie’s safety depends on you doing your job.

I redouble my efforts, scanning faces with laser-like intensity. My training kicks in as I note potential security risks, catalog suspicious behavior, and map out evacuation routes. Yet Benedict lingers at the edges of my thoughts like a persistent itch I can’t quite scratch.

What is wrong with me? I’m never distracted like this while on duty. But then again, I’ve never met anyone quite like Benedict.

I don’t know why he’s gotten under my skin in a way no one ever has. Maybe it’s the vulnerability I saw in his eyes, his quiet strength, the way he looked at me like I was someone worth knowing—it’s intoxicating. For the first time in my life, I feel nervous around someone, uncertain of myself.

“I saw him get in his car wearing joggers and a T-shirt that were way too small to be his,” Gabriel says, coming through the earpiece and joining the “annoy Zeke until he buys us donuts” party.

“I’m not apologizing for being resourceful,” I say.

I want to see Benedict again. To talk to him, make him laugh, hold him close. The depth of my feelings scares me because I shouldn’t feel like this about someone I only met once and know nothing about, aside from his first name and what he looks and sounds like when he comes.

I take a deep breath, forcing myself to refocus on the crowd. I need to be present, alert, ready for anything.

“Resourceful? I bet he knocked on someone’s door and ended up scoring a hookup,” Luca said.

Gabriel’s deep laughter comes through my ears. “You’ve seen him in the shower. Wouldn’t you take a bite if he turned up at your doorstep?”

“The only thing I’m interested in biting is Ryan’s…anything. Just Ryan.”

Gabriel’s groan makes me chuckle. “I don’t want to think of you and my boss together. Thank you very much.”

I ignore their chatter. I trust the team and know that while they’re teasing me, their eyes are on the prince and the crowd around us. The talk is just a way to decompress and keep us all connected.

The crowd swells around me, a pulsing mass of excitement and patriotic fervor.

Flags wave, children squeal, and the scents of grilled sausages and sweet pastries waft through the air.

It’s sensory overload, but I’m trained for this.

I scan faces, track movements, my mind cataloging potential threats even as the festive atmosphere tries to lull me into complacency.

Then I see him.

My heart does a little somersault. Benedict’s here, leaning casually against a lamppost, a newspaper held loosely in his hands. He looks…different. Softer somehow, in a chunky sweater that makes me want to wrap my arms around him.

“Luca,” I say into my comm. “I need to check on something. Can you cover my section?”

There’s a pause, and then Luca’s voice crackles back. “Sure thing, Zeke. I’ve got you covered.”

My feet move before I’ve fully processed the decision. With each step, my nervousness grows. What if he doesn’t want to see me? What if our encounter was just a fleeting moment, already forgotten?

I’m practically on top of him when he looks up, his eyes meeting mine, and a slow smile spreads across his face. My breath catches.

“Well, well,” he says as I approach, his gaze sweeping over my uniform. “Look who cleans up nice. I almost didn’t recognize you without the grass stains.”

I grin, relief and attraction making me feel a bit giddy. I remove my shades. “You like a man in uniform. Good to know.”

Benedict’s eyebrows shoot up, and he lets out a low chuckle that sends a shiver down my spine. “Speaking of clothes,” he says, lowering his voice. “I seem to be missing a pair of joggers and a T-shirt. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

Heat creeps up my neck, but I manage to keep my voice steady. “I might have some intel on that. Top secret though. Classified information.”

“Oh?” Benedict’s eyes sparkle with mischief. “And what would it take to declassify that information, Officer…?”

“Ivanov,” I supply, suddenly hyperaware of how close we’re standing. “Royal Guard Ezekiel Ivanov. And as for declassification, well…that might require some high-level negotiations.”

I’m torn between professional duty and the magnetic pull I feel toward Benedict. My eyes dart around, scanning for my team, before landing back on his face.

His hand touches mine, lighter than a feather, as he grabs my shades and puts them on his face. Damn, they look good on him.

“Consider negotiations open.”

I swallow hard, caught off guard by his boldness.

He raises a hand holding a small bag, reaches inside it with his other hand, and takes out an apple cinnamon donut. I don’t need to see his eyes to know they’re on me as he takes a bite of the donut.

The way he groans when he tastes the donut goes straight to my dick. “I had to see for myself what the fuss was all about.”

As he walks away, every bone in my body wants to chase after him. Instead, I watch him disappear into the crowd.

“Did you see that, guys?” Luca asks into comms.

My attention is pulled back to work as I look for the threat, but when I spot Luca watching me from his station a few meters away from the prince, I try to keep my face as expressionless as possible.

“Saw it,” Gabriel replies. “That’s the owner of the joggers and T-shirt. I’m betting a whole box of donuts on it.”

I ignore them as I resume my post. These guys are my dudes. I will tell them about Benedict…when I know exactly what’s happening. For now, I’m feeling protective of him and whatever this thing between us is.

One thing I do know. I’m returning his clothes soon—as in today.

* * *

The sun’s barely dipped below the horizon when I find myself standing outside Benedict’s cottage, my heart doing backflips. I take a deep breath, steeling my nerves before rapping my knuckles against the sturdy wooden door.

A moment passes, then another. The door swings open just as I’m contemplating whether I should knock again or cut my losses. Benedict’s eyes widen, surprise etched across his features.

“Zeke,” he says, leaning casually against the doorframe. “What a surprise.”

I flash my most charming grin, trying to mask the butterflies in my stomach. “I, uh, hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

Benedict’s lips quirk into a smile. “Not at all. Come in,” he says, stepping aside. “I see you’ve mastered the art of using the front door this time.”

I chuckle as I step inside, the warmth of his cottage enveloping me. “What can I say? I’m a fast learner.”

Once inside, I turn to face him, suddenly hyperaware of how close we are. “I came to return your clothes,” I blurt out, my voice a touch too loud in the quiet space.

Benedict’s eyes dance with amusement. “Oh? Usually, when people return borrowed clothes, they don’t come wearing them.”

I glance down at myself. Heat creeps up my neck as I shrug. “My bad.”

Grabbing the hem of the T-shirt, I pull it over my head. The cool air hits my skin, and I’m acutely aware of Benedict’s gaze.

As I start to push down the joggers, my cock, already half-hard, springs free. It’s impossible to hide my arousal now, not that I want to. I knew exactly what I was doing when I came.

Benedict’s eyes darken, his breath catching. He steps close enough that I can feel the heat radiating off his body. His hand reaches out, fingers brushing against mine.

“How will you get home without clothes?”

“I guess that’s a future Zeke problem.”

He runs his fingers up my arm and then back down. “Come with me,” he says softly, tugging gently on my hand.

I follow without hesitation, my heart pounding so loudly I’m sure he can hear it as he leads me toward what I assume is his bedroom.

Is he really going along with this? Not many men have ridden the crazy train with me, but as Benedict’s fingers intertwine with mine, all those thoughts fade.

The moment we enter the bedroom, his demeanor shifts. There’s an intense, almost desperate look in his eyes that sends a shiver down my spine. Before I can fully process it, he’s pushing me onto the bed, my back hitting the soft mattress with a gentle thud.

“God, you’re gorgeous,” Benedict breathes, his hands already working at the buttons of his shirt. I watch, mesmerized, as he strips, revealing more of his lean, toned body with each passing second.

He’s smaller than me, and some white hairs are mixed with the dark ones on his chest. I wonder how old he is, but it doesn’t matter to me, and clearly, it doesn’t matter to him either.

He climbs onto the bed, hovering over me, and suddenly, his lips are on mine. The kiss is deep, hungry, filled with an urgency that makes my toes curl. When he pulls back, his eyes search mine. “What are you really doing here, Zeke?”

I squirm under his touch, his fingers trailing fire across my skin. “I…I needed to see you,” I admit, my voice barely above a whisper. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you, Benji.”

A slow, sensual smile spreads across his face.

“Funny, I’ve been thinking about you all day too.

Seeing you in your uniform…” He leans in, his breath hot against my ear.

“Your muscles bulging, stretching that shirt. The way those pants hugged your ass and thighs. God, Zeke, you have no idea what you do to me.”

I can’t help the chuckle that escapes me, even as desire pools in my belly. “Sounds like you’ve given me a lot of thought.”

Benedict’s eyes glint mischievously. “Oh, you have no idea,” he purrs, and then he moves down my body, his lips leaving a trail of kisses in their wake.

When he takes my cock into his mouth, I arch off the bed, a gasp tearing from my throat. “Fuck, Ben-Ben,” I moan, my fingers tangling in his hair.

He works my cock with his mouth, driving me to the edge of madness. Then, just when I think I can’t take anymore, he pulls away. I whimper at the loss, but then he’s lifting my legs, pushing them back.

The first swipe of his tongue against my hole has me seeing stars. “Oh god,” I pant. “Benedict, please… I need you to fuck me.”

He looks up at me, his eyes dark with desire. “Now that’s what I was looking for,” he says, reaching for the bedside table.

“What’s that?”

As he positions himself between my legs, I’m filled with anticipation, my body thrumming with need. This is it, I think. This is everything I’ve been wanting, everything my body has been craving since I knocked on Benedict’s back door, before I knew he’d be the one on the other side.

“My name, Ezekiel,” he says, applying lube to my hole and gently pushing a finger inside. “When you call me by my name is when I know you’re ready.” He adds a finger. “When you switch off that busy brain of yours that doesn’t seem to take life that seriously, that’s when I know you’re ready.”

Benedict rolls a condom down his cock and aligns it with my hole, and as he starts to push inside me, I know he’s right. I’ve never been more ready for someone than I am for him.