Page 38 of King's Warrior

“I took a bath and changed before coming to you.” Niam threw off the rest of his clothes to stand naked before Rufe. “I’ve been dreaming of this moment all day.”

Rufe flopped down onto the bed, dragging Niam with him. They kissed, and Niam's desperate moans showed Rufe how much he'd been missed and desired.

They lay on their sides facing each other, Rufe hard but wanting to take in the moment, Niam’s face bathed in firelight. The moment their lips touched again, the door flew open. “Captain Rufe? I’d like to talk to….” Avestan stood just inside the doorway, a look of shocked horror on his face. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

Rufe scrambled over Niam, grabbing his dressing gown from the floor. He’d lost any sense of modesty years ago, dressing in the barracks.

Avestan averted his gaze. “We can talk later….”

Rufe followed him out of the room, closing the door behind him. “You didn’t see that,” he insisted.

Avestan’s horrified expression shifted into a grin. “Does Draylon know?”

“What business is it of his?” Rufe folded his arms over his chest, trying to glower. He chuckled. “I didn't exactly hide it from him.” Why did Avestan ask? Did he know Rufe and Draylon had been occasional lovers in the past, or was he simply convinced that Rufe and Draylon told each other everything?

“Good. I’m sorry I interrupted, but I’ll be heading back to Cormir soon, and I came to let you know I promoted you to commander, with Draylon’s recommendation.”

“Commander?” Did that mean going back to Cormir? Rufe missed the warmth of his homeland, but he’d miss Niam more. Still, Commander? Pretty good for a social outcast.

“However,” Avestan continued, “considering new information, I just might have greater plans for you.” He grinned again.

Not good

Niam threw the door open, fully clothed. “Your Majesty, I….”

“No need to explain anything, King Niam. You’ll find I’m surprisingly discreet for a royal. Now, as too many are used to informality where Rufe is concerned, let’s find you a room where you’re less likely to be disturbed, and I’m told there’s a secret access. And I’ll have Draylon explain my new plans tomorrow.”

Chapter Fifteen

Moonlight pouring in through the casement window ignited the beautiful sleeper’s pale skin, creating highlights in his copper hair. The sleek lines of Niam’s body lay on full display, the edge of a sheet giving a playful peek-a-boo of the marvelous, rounded globes of his ass. A man who could have anyone or anything his heart desired. A literal king among men.

One currently lying in a luxurious feather bed with a battle-hardened soldier. Nothing smooth and unblemished about Rufe—he wore the marks of his life with, if not exactly pride, with at least acceptance, and he rarely slept on anything as soft as goose down.

Tonight, secluded from the world, neither king nor servant existed, rich nor poor, no pressing duties. They were simply two men enjoying each other’s company—multiple times.

Rufe sighed, taking in the vision beside him amidst the twisted sheets. “I’ve seen no one lit by moonlight like this before as it passes overhead,” he murmured to his sleeping companion. “I rarely want to stay the entire night with anyone.” No, usually, he’d have been gone the moment his partner fell asleep if they’d even bothered with a bed.

And certainly not in a castle, of all places.

Tomorrow, Rufe would brag to himself about the conquest. If he repeated that lie enough times, perhaps he’d believe it. Here he was, a soldier, a bastard with no lands of his own, bedding a king. No future lover could top this encounter. The memory of red hair, smooth skin, and green eyes would forever haunt him.

He bent, pressing a kiss to Niam’s forehead. Niam snuffled in his sleep. Any more adorable, and Rufe might have to settle back down and take this man into his arms again.

Instead, he rose, dressed hastily, and added logs to the fire. The cold and damp seeped into Rufe’s bones, old injuries, and some not so old, making themselves known. What he wouldn’t give to be in Cormir, with warm breezes blowing in from the sea.

But he wouldn’t be with Niam.

What Rufe had to be by dawn was long gone, leaving no traces but maybe a pleasant ache in Niam’s ass. The castle’s network of hidden passageways allowed him easy access to this room, the reason he’d installed Casseign to keep watch in the passage—and protect their secret.

The view from beside the hearth left Rufe’s heart both full and bereft. “Sleep well, my king,” he whispered into the near darkness. He reached into a recess on the mantelpiece, unlocking the unobtrusive panel to the right.

The door swung open. Wrapping resolve around himself like a cloak, Rufe nodded to Cass and fumbled by lantern light back to his own room, where he’d lie awake, alone and miserable until dawn.

When he must pretend through another long day that Niam meant nothing to him but an assignment to protect.

A note arrived with breakfast:

Meet me in my sitting room — Dray

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