Page 46 of The Royal Curse

The world floated away, unimportant and hazy. I needed him inside me, needed his kiss, his hands on my skin, his heat surrounding me—

I nearly levitated out of my own body as a heavy knock sounded on the door. Andreas yanked me upright and we sprang apart, my heart trying to rabbit its way out of my chest.

“Yes? What?” he demanded, sounding less than friendly.

There was a short pause before a female voice said, “Begging your pardon, sirs. But we found two pairs of pants out in the snow this morning, and your men say they’re yours, they think. We washed ’em and all. For future, you want them washed, you can put them in the hall, not out the window. Just saying. And I have them here.”

A heavy, fraught silence fell as all the blood in my body rushed away from my brain and into my cheeks. Andreas reached up and rubbed at his temples. His shoulders quivered. He was laughing, silently but so hard that his whole body shook. A hysterical bubble of some emotion I couldn’t quite define as amusement rose up in my throat. Horror, perhaps. Wonder, very likely. Utter mortification, most definitely.

I cleared my throat as best I could, but my voice still came out oddly high and thin as I said, “Thank you. Can you leave them in my room, please?”

“Happy to,” she said. “And if you have more washing, you can—”

“Yes, thank you, we get the point!”

Andreas doubled over, wheezing, his hands on his knees.

“Humph,” came through the door, and then soft footsteps whisked away.

“Oh, fucking gods,” he choked. “Fuck. Bloody buggering fuck.” He lifted his head, showing me red cheeks, glittering eyes, and a ridiculous shit-eating grin. “You sent them all the way—”

“Shut your gods-damned mouth right now,” I snarled, “or I swear by all that’s holy I’m going to magic you out the window, head-first.”

“I beg your pardon,” he said, voice thick with laughter. “I’ll, uh, I’m going to see if Carlo and Dario have left. If they need any further instructions.”

He opened the door, dashed out, and shut it quickly behind him.

An instant later, I winced as he positively roared with laughter, the sound receding as he walked away.

That absolute bastard. Had he no shame at all?

I fumbled my watch out of my pocket. Now I only had thirty-nine hours and fifty-eight minutes until I’d be able to test my potion’s efficacy. At least keeping off of Andreas’s cock for that long would be easy now that I wanted to slap his stupid face more than I wanted to kiss it.

My pants.

And Andreas’s pants.

In the inn yard.

I dropped into the chair nearest the fire and leaned my elbows on my knees, head hanging down. The gods really did seem to take special pleasure in toying with me.

If I ever got my hands on Ennolu, I’d throttle him. Right after Andreas.

Chapter Seventeen

By dint of hiding in my room, I managed to avoid Andreas completely for the rest of the day.

Of course, he didn’t seek me out, either. I tried very hard not to take that personally. But when a knock on the door made my heart skitter and my cock stir, I knew I was in trouble. The sinking disappointment that followed immediately was even worse. When I called out an answer, one of the guards poked his head around the door and told me that he was here to collect Andreas’s things, since Dario and Carlo’s departure and some rearrangements by the innkeeper meant he could have his own room.

I sat stiffly in my armchair by the fire while he took Andreas’s saddlebags, trying desperately not to remember what Andreas and I had done in this same chair. Twice. Vigorously.

“All set, Your Highness,” Ludo said, and retreated out of the room.

Leaving me alone. Without Andreas, who apparently didn’t mean to return at all. Who’d rather send someone else to bring him his things than even be in the same bedroom with me. Was he embarrassed about the maid finding our pants now that he’d had time to think about it? Or had my burst of temper driven him away?

I had to admit it: it was a lot less satisfying to hide from someone when he wasn’t trying to find me.

In a fit of dudgeon, I rang the bell and had a maid bring my supper to the room rather than go downstairs and face either Andreas or his conspicuous absence.

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