Royally Screwed - Lynn Van Dorn Page 0,23

back to his parents.

“I was coming to see you,” Angelo said, “because I was worried you hadn’t responded to my texts. Then out of nowhere, Lord Dickface grabbed me. I was just giving him some friendly advice.”

“Right,” Yuri muttered. “Francis, we broke up. I don’t want you here.”

Angelo looked triumphant at that while Francis looked sulky. “I wanted to talk to you about that, but I couldn’t get in to see you. I thought that your betrothed might be able to get me in.”

“And why the fuck would I do that?” Angelo asked belligerently.

“Because we all know it’s a sham!” Francis exclaimed, making Yuri’s heart sink even lower. He was so, absolutely, buggered. “The idea of you being betrothed to Euripides is obscene. You’re not gay and he—oof!” Francis stopped speaking after Angelo slammed him into the stone wall, knocking the breath out of him.

Angelo gave Francis another shove and the other man stumbled and then fell onto the lawn. Angelo stalked over to Yuri and glowered at him. Yuri’s pulse tripled in speed and force.

“Careful, your highness,” one of the students/probable bodyguards said. “I’ve got orders to protect Prince Euripides from everyone. That includes you.”

“Sod off, Charlie,” the other one said. “Prince Angelo doesn’t count. Unless you see him lift a finger to hurt the prince, you keep your hands off him.”

Great. Not only were Angelo and Francis fighting over him, now these bodyguards were, too. Yuri had never noticed them before, but that was the point. They stayed eternally in the background until they were needed. Yuri wished they’d remained his unobtrusive shadows today.

Meanwhile, Angelo leveled his furious gaze at Charlie, the probable bodyguard. “Just where the hell were you when your prince needed you? Why did you let—”

“Angelo!” Yuri barked and Angelo fell silent, his cheeks and ears gone red. “Enough.” Yuri clutched his now aching head and closed his eyes. “God. This is a nightmare.” There would be no containing the scandal. Absolutely no way.

Yuri felt gentle hands slip under his to cradle his head. Without opening his eyes, he knew it was Angelo. It was his heat, his touch, and most of all, his familiar scent. It was unfair, so completely unfair, that Yuri couldn’t melt into the arms that held him.

“It’s not a sham,” Angelo said, but not loudly. Then his mouth was on Yuri’s and they were kissing.

At first, it was exactly like the kisses they’d practiced in Yuri’s room that had just about broken his heart. They had been sweet and gentle and entirely without passion. They had made Yuri, long after Angelo had left his room, cry more useless tears into his pillow. Yuri felt caught in a horrible limbo of craving Angelo’s attention, something he’d wanted his entire life, and wishing Angelo would leave him entirely alone. Angelo’s fake, forced attention was just too painful. He started to pull away.

Angelo growled low in his throat and tugged Yuri back. His lips fell on Yuri’s again and the kiss, somehow, became more. Angelo bit at his lips, making Yuri gasp. That allowed Angelo to plunder his mouth, which was exactly what he did. Yuri sucked on Angelo’s tongue, reveling in finally getting what he’d wanted for eons. Angelo’s taste flooded his mouth and Yuri felt he might never get enough of it. He plastered himself to Angelo, holding onto fistfuls of his light jacket and rubbing on him like a bitch in heat. They were no doubt putting on quite the show for the few spectators around them.

That thought was like being doused in cold water. A show. Right. That’s all it was. There was nothing at all real going on. Just Angelo swinging his dick around to claim something he didn’t even want just so no one else could have it. It made Yuri feel sick and he pulled back enough from Angelo to whisper, “I think you’ve given everyone enough of a show. Let me go.”

Angelo stiffened for a few seconds then stepped back. He still cradled Yuri’s face, though. There was a dazed look in his eyes, as if he was waking from a particularly vivid dream. “Yuri?”

It wasn’t fair that the best kiss of his entire life was entirely fake. He wanted more, and at the same time, he was afraid to let Angelo touch him again. Yuri was afraid the temptation of being given a tiny taste of what he’d always wanted, but no more than a taste, would drive him mad.

“Come with me, your highness,”