Page 76 of Royal Crush

“Want to ride with me?” I asked Erik as we headed back into the main room to change. Most of the guys had gone after realizing they weren’t getting any hot gossip, but I didn’t trust there weren’t ears listening in.

He grinned as he slid into his non-sport chair and adjusted his feet in the rests. “Lead the way.”

It was nice that he knew better than to try and make overly personal conversation until we were truly alone. And he didn’t bother with small talk as we headed down the street and across town toward the café.

I could see Cillian behind us a few paces, but when it was obvious where we were headed, he turned right, and I hoped that if anyone was following us, hoping for a photo, they’d follow the royal car instead of mine.

We seemed alone on the street, so I pulled into the back lot, and Erik and I took our time getting out.

“I’ll call down for food unless you want to order at the counter,” I told him.

“Nah. I can’t afford to be tempted by all those pastries. I have a tournament coming up, and you know how carbs fuck up my system.”

I would never be into his whole fitness culture thing, but I could respect it. I led the way to the elevator, and it wasn’t long before we were behind the apartment door. It smelled like it normally did, except I swore I could still catch a hint of Aleric’s cologne, even if that was technically impossible. My eyes strayed to the sofa where he’d sat, and I shivered at the memory of feeling him pressed against me.

“Okay, you’ve got that mooning face on again. Tell me everything.” Erik rolled out of the kitchen with a bottle of water and one of the café’s homemade protein bars and came to a stop by the window.

For some reason, I was wildly relieved that he didn’t move to the sofa. I didn’t want to lose that spot to anyone else. Not yet. Not until I was sure this thing with Aleric was going to be for good.

“Aleric King,” I said.

Erik was clearly fighting the urge to roll his eyes. “He can’t still be that bad, can he?”

My ears flushed hotly. “Ah…no. No, he’s not.”

Erik’s brows flew up high on his forehead as the left side of his cheek bulged with the massive bite he’d taken. “Wait.” He began to chew, and it took a short forever for him to get through it. “Oh my God, what’s in this?”

“Dates,” I said. “Anyway, so the asshole director of this show?—”

“Oh, no. No. You’re not changing the subject.” He rolled a little closer and leaned over his thighs. “You and Aleric had sex.”

There was not a chance in hell my face wasn’t as red as a beet. “Um.”

He clapped his hands together loudly. “Oh my God, oh myGod.” He moved even closer. “How was it? This place isn’t bugged, right?”

“It’s not bugged. That’s not a thing. And it was…good.”

He raised a single brow.

“Fine. It was amazing. Mind-blowing. He made me feel—” I stopped. There weren’t really words for it.

Erik’s whole body softened, and he nodded. “I get it. Safe. Sexy?”

“Really sexy. But not in the way that other people have made me feel.”

Erik understood. He hadn’t had someone as bad as Hugo, but he’d had his fair share of people with a fetish. He was married and had kids now, so he didn’t have to deal with it the way he did when he was still single. But he remembered navigating the dating world.

“He wasn’t what I expected,” I went on. “I thought he was going to be some asshole diva who didn’t want me messing with his…I don’t know…flow or whatever.”

“So, all that complaining?—”

I scoffed. “Some of it was warranted. He was a real dickhead at the beginning, but he got better. He learned.”

Erik tilted his head to the side. “And you fell for him. Or he fell for you?”

“Both,” I said. I hoped. “He understands me in ways I didn’t expect him to. He’s been through a lot. He doesn’t talk about it, and he doesn’t share details, but I know he’s been through it.” I knew more than I was letting on, but I didn’t want to tell Erik that without Aleric’s permission.

“There are rumors,” Erik said quietly.

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