Up for Heir - Stella Starling Page 0,45

unless Leo missed his guess, on Leo’s newfound interest in Eddie’s gender.

Jules, as far as Leo knew, had never expressed a romantic interest in… well, anyone. He had, however, been spending an inordinate amount of time with his childhood friend recently—Dante, a prince from the island nation of Thedes who was currently a guest of the palace—and given that the two royal families had a long-running joke that the boys would eventually grow up and marry, it was almost too good of an opportunity to pass up. If Leo hadn’t been on his way out the door, not to mention still feeling a little miffed over the way Jules had been harping on the fact that Eddie was a commoner, he might even have taken the opportunity to fulfill his duty as an older brother and tease him about it.

Then again, maybe he wouldn’t, because it was true that Leo had been… well, not nervous, exactly, but he’d definitely had a few moments where he’d questioned how well he’d fit with another man after he’d finally acknowledged his attraction to Eddie, and if Jules was feeling anything similar, Leo wouldn’t want to tease him, he’d want to tell him to embrace it.

Leo enjoyed women—had enjoyed them extensively over the years, as a matter of fact—but he was also intimately familiar with the male anatomy, having spent a lifetime using his own, and applying that knowledge to someone as responsive and trusting and… and important to him as Eddie was had been a revelation.

On Monday, when he’d suddenly had Eddie in the back of the car—sweet, pliant, and delectably eager—any lingering trace of uncertainty had disappeared the moment Eddie straddled his lap. It had felt like something slotted into place. It had felt right. It had been instantly clear that Eddie was a more perfect fit for him than Leo had ever imagined he’d find, and Leo hadn’t just realized how ridiculous those sorts of worries were, he’d been overcome with a wave of alpha-male confidence that had been almost intoxicating.

He would always know what Eddie needed, because Eddie was an open book whose pages felt like they’d been written just for him. It had been easy—no, instinctive—to stop wondering about how to fit all their parts together and simply focus on all the things Leo had wanted to do since the moment Eddie had opened the door to his apartment that first time and allowed Leo to become part of his life.

Leo wanted to take care of Eddie.

He wanted to show him that he was treasured.

He wanted to make him feel good in every single way possible.

And the idea of doing all three of things for the rest of his life, of having Eddie for the rest of his life… well, yes, it would fulfill Leo’s duty to the crown, but he was starting to suspect that it would fulfill something else for him, too. Something inside him that he hadn’t even realized was hollow until Eddie had suddenly been there to fill it.

And okay, that was too much to lay on Jules just because his eyes had sharpened with interest upon hearing about Leo’s newly discovered bisexuality… but that didn’t mean that Leo couldn’t shake off the dregs of his earlier irritation by teasing his younger brother a little.

Leo pushed away from the doorjamb he’d been leaning on. “I’ve actually got an appointment—” thank you, Hugo, “—in twenty minutes, so I’ll let you get back to mooning over your future husband—”

“Oh my God, I’m not mooning over Dante,” Jules interrupted, rolling his eyes. Then he seemed to realize that he’d walked right into it, and spluttered out another denial. “I can’t believe… really, Leo? After whining over the way you’re expected to marry, you actually went there?”

“It’s not the same thing,” Leo said, something in his chest feeling almost buoyant. It wasn’t the same thing—the expectations on the heir versus a family joke that no one took seriously—but being able to joke about it at all was oddly freeing. He grinned. “But as your older, almost-already-engaged brother,” he added, winking, “I can tell you with confidence that if you’re not mooning over your fiancé, it doesn’t bode well for your future marital bliss.”

Fiancé. Leo hadn’t called Eddie that before, and just saying it made something warm and unexpected unfurl in Leo’s chest.

“Et tu, Brute?” Jules muttered with a dramatic sigh, flopping backward on the bed and almost taking Treble out when he did. Then he popped right back up.