say the words to him in return. But it didn’t seem to bother him any as he climbed out of bed and walked away, whistling happily. She heard the water flick on, and he began to sing to himself in the shower.
He had a decent voice. He wasn’t a singer, but he wasn’t terrible either. She rolled onto her back as she listened to him. It was clear he was elated.
And she was too.
Maybe she was more contented than ecstatic like he was—but even when he was tormenting her, her heart had been soaring alongside her body.
She sighed.
Nero. A former slave, a murderer, and a Cardinal.
What have I gotten myself into?
Nero hadn’t been able to wipe the smile off his face all morning. Kema had taken one look at him, rolled her eyes, and called him a doofus. He didn’t care. He kissed her cheek and sent her to get Hugo for brunch.
Kema looked taken aback by the show of affection, but she shook her head and walked off without another word. He was humming to himself still as he walked out of the room with Hope. He had fetched her a more modest dress to wear for the day, and she had brushed out the tangles he had put in her hair. Her hair was still damp when she came out of the shower, and he wanted to tussle her up some more.
But she was going to get sore if he wasn’t careful. And he was planning on romping with her frequently. So, better to space it out. He’d have to break her in slowly. But…gods on high. He had tried to scare her last night. And instead, she had met him head-on and bossed him around.
Nobody had ever tried to do that, let alone been successful. He didn’t give control. He didn’t trust people. He had damn good reasons for being that way. But with her? He’d have rolled over and barked like a dog if she’d scratch his belly.
He trusted her. There wasn’t a cruel bone in her body. Evil—definitely evil—the way she had grinned at him when she had taken him into herself of her own volition. The way she’d tortured him like a demon. She could keep up with him.
Maybe he’d even let her choke him tonight.
He was humming, walking arm in arm with her, still brimming with joy as he walked into the dining room. Hugo was standing there, talking with Kema. He looked up at them and smiled. There was always sadness in that man’s eyes. No matter what happened, he always looked so forlorn.
It annoyed Nero this morning. This morning was about happiness. He had his girl—twice now. Pretty soon, he’d win her heart, and life would be as it should.
But Hugo was dying. He had no right to be dying. Not today, anyway. Today, Nero was happy, and he didn’t want to be sad about the only other Cardinal he could suffer going away.
Hope sat in her chair, and Nero took a spot next to her. “Good morning, Hugo.” He gestured for the West Wind to sit across from them.
“Good morning, Nero. Hope.”
He began serving himself from the plates of food around them. Hope was doing the same. The staff had learned to start putting things in predictable places for her. “Did you sleep well?” she asked the West Wind.
“I did. And you?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“We slept fantastically.” Nero grinned at Hugo, and the other man shook his head. The innuendo was clear.
“I heard quite the ruckus last night. A lot of broken furniture in the hallway.” Hugo glanced up at him leadingly. He looked over to Hope, as if inspecting her for broken bones or a bruised jaw. A purple blotch on her neck, sure, but everything else was where it should be.
Like he’d hit a girl.
Never.
Nero shrugged. “We had some trouble after Viktor went and tried to ruin everything. But we hashed it all out, and everything’s fine now.”
“Ah.” It was clear the West Wind didn’t believe him.
Hope smiled. “Really, Hugo, it’s fine. I promise. He didn’t hurt me. We’re okay. I think we’ve come to an understanding.”
Hugo glanced between them. He shrugged and shook his head, clearly confused. “If you say so. Ms. Hope, you really are a wonder. It’s clear you make him happy. I…hate to ask this, with him in the room, but—”
“He makes me happy, Hugo.” She smiled still. It was kind. She reached out and found Nero’s hand where it was resting on the table.