Page 80 of The Frog Prince

“No,” Alwin whispered.

Otto gave his fingers another wiggle, inviting him in.

Alwin cuddled close, resting his head on Otto’s shoulder and curling up into a ball against his side on top of the blanket. Otto folded his strong arms around him and made himself comfortable.

“Good night, Alwin,” he said.

“Good night, young master.”

“I can’t wait to see what His Froggy Highness does with his days here,” Otto said and Alwin let out a croaky laugh, pinching his side.

“I’ll show you tomorrow,” he promised.

Otto hummed and settled, falling asleep within moments as the exhaustion of travel overtook him. Alwin fought against sleep for another hour, wishing he could stay awake forever just to savor the feeling of Otto’s arms around him.

Exhaustion caught up eventually, and he slipped into dreams of gold with his lips and fingers still tingling.

Thirteen

Otto

He woke up to something poking his cheek and pinching his eyelashes to peel his eyelid open. He swatted at the intrusion blindly.

“Stop that,” he heard Alwin whisper, then a frog croaked before hopping away from his face.

Ah, one of Alwin’s subjects was determined to wake him up, apparently. He forced himself to open his eyes, expecting the usual assault on his senses.

Instead he was greeted only by the brilliance of an emerald gaze a few inches from his own face. His heart began to pick up speed in a different, unfamiliar rhythm as he realized just how beautiful those eyes really were.

He lifted his hand and touched the tips of his fingers to the corner of one of Alwin’s large eyes, watching as he closed them and leaned his head into the touch. Otto reveled in it.

“Morning,” he said, his voice rough with disuse. He felt Alwin shiver next to him at the sound.

It drew his attention to how close together they’d been sleeping, and the memories of the night before flipped around in his mind like the pages of his favorite book.

Alwin’s lips under his own, his body cradled in Otto’s arms. The gentle vulnerability as he let Otto in. The permission he’d given to Otto that had made him feel like the most powerful man alive. He was allowed to touch Alwin. He was allowed into his personal space.

It made his blood rush south, and he felt his body react in a way he didn’t think either of them was ready for.

“Alwin?” he murmured, desperate to divert Alwin’s attention.

“Morning,” Alwin said, reaching up and covering Otto’s hand still on his cheek with his own.

“What time is it?” Otto asked.

“Barely dawn.” Alwin smiled softly.

Otto’s brows furrowed at that information and he rolled his head into a tilt. “Then why are you waking me?”

“You wanted to know what the Frog Prince does with his days, did you not?”

Surprised Alwin had taken his questions so seriously, Otto found himself blinking in shock. “And that starts at daybreak?”

“Frogs don’t understand the intricacies of the working day.”

Otto found his mouth curling at the corners as the ridiculousness of that dry, affronted statement sank in. “A prince’s work is never done?”

“Just so.”