Felix and the Prince (Forever Wilde, #2)

by Lucy Lennox

That was one of the shitty aspects of being single. No one to touch, no warm body to cling to on a cold night in bed, no one to complain to when things didn’t go your way.

It was the single most intimate and erotic experience I’d ever had. And I couldn’t help but wonder if it would remain so for the rest of my life.

But most of all, when I limped out of bed the next morning, I heard the quiet echo of his last words mumbled into my hair in the middle of the night. I’m not sure I can live without you.

My Etienne - whose heart shined like colored glass in the sun.

“If you don’t get your scrawny ass down here, I’m quitting the royal service and he can dress himself. I’d be just as happy dressing the rich and famous at Hermès.”

“I really care about him, Grandpa Wilde,” I said quietly. “When I left him at Gadleigh, it was like I left one of my lungs there too. I can hardly breathe.”

“He’s such a good fucking human being, you know?” I added in a rough voice. “So beautiful. His heart is so pure. He deserves so much

That was my heart right there, and it was walking around free as if it didn’t belong in the center of my chest.

“I love you,” he said. “Of all the vows I spoke during my coronation mass and all the promises I made to the people of Liorland in my speech, do not doubt that those three words I say to you now are the most important ones I said today. Do you understand?” My chin trembled as I nodded. “Say it, baby,” he breathed. “Tell me you understand how important this is to me. How important you are to me. Please.” “You love me,” I repeated. “But you have to understand I feel the same way about you.”

I was proud of the work I was doing even though my dedication to the studio was keeping me away from my family. Finally my cousin Saint called me on it one Sunday morning just before lunchtime. It was early spring, and the day was warm with a cool breeze blowing across the ranch. “Get the fuck in the house, we’re here for an intervention,” he barked. I could immediately see how he’d succeeded as a Navy SEAL and wondered if maybe they wanted him back. We needed another bossy Wilde man around the ranch like a hole in the head. “West says Wildes don’t do interventions,” I snapped. “Which means it’s a love posse. Which is like fifty thousand times worse.”

After trudging across the narrow gravel lane toward the old farmhouse, I noticed the familiar vehicles of more than just the Hobie Wildes. The Dallas Wildes were there too, which meant this really was a love posse. I hated those fuckers and their stupid-assed unconditional love. Every once in a while it would be nice to be neglected and ignored.

I saw his hand resting on Grandpa’s hip and took a moment to enjoy the visual sign of their connection. They’d always been the living proof that modeling truth helped others live their own. I looked around the room at the gay men and women among us and knew without a shadow of a doubt many of us would have never had the guts to live out and proud in our tiny Texas town without seeing Grandpa and Doc do it first. And now Lio was doing it on an international stage for all to witness.

His eyes flashed wide with frustration before he scrambled for the condom and thrust it at me. “Stop talking, Fee. Please.” As I opened and rolled the condom on with shaking hands, I muttered, “Give a guy a bejeweled crown and a shiny new chair and he thinks he owns the fucking place. Bossy mother—jesusfuckingchrist!” Lio’s slick finger hit the hot skin of my own hole and pushed right in before pulling back out again just as quickly. I whined at the loss of it and noticed him shoot me a look of satisfaction. “Quit your muttering and fuck me.”