Royally Screwed - Lynn Van Dorn Page 0,76
going on between us, he’d go spare, I’m sure. Whenever I’ve brought up our betrothal, he smiles and says a lot can happen before I’m thirty and to not worry about it.”
“Oh,” Yuri said. This news wasn’t really any better than learning Philippe was a spy. Or had been a spy. Whichever.
“I really think you can trust Philippe. That we both can. Do you trust me?” Angelo’s face was tense with concern.
“Of course I trust you,” Yuri exclaimed. “That’s the worst part. You’re tearing apart everything I believed in for years and I still trust you. I’ve got the survival instinct of a concussed lemming.”
Angelo smiled then squeezed Yuri’s hand and threaded their fingers together. “I promise you can trust me, Yuri. I will never hurt you. I will try to keep anyone else from hurting you. Always.”
Looking into Angelo’s eyes, Yuri saw nothing but burning sincerity there. “Okay,” he finally said. “Yes. I believe you. Former spy or not, I can trust Philippe. Probably. Unless you’re wrong about him.”
“If I thought Philippe was any danger to you at all, I’d never let you live in the same house as him. Do you believe that?”
Yuri nodded shakily.
Angelo sighed with relief. “Good.”
“Will you go back with me?” Yuri asked. “When I return to Oxford? I need to have this out with Philippe, or I won’t be able to sleep in my own house, but at the same time, I don’t want to confront him alone. Which is mad, I know. Sometimes I feel like I know Philippe better than my own parents. But I want you there. Okay?”
Angelo frowned then nodded. “I can call in to work on Monday and tell them I can’t come in. I’m fairly sure most of what’s pressing can be done remotely, if necessary. Yes. I’ll go home with you.”
Yuri sighed. “Thank god.” Then he grinned. “Besides, this means more time with you. And more time hopefully means more sex.”
“I think you’re insatiable,” Angelo said.
“Not at the moment, though. I’m too full of uncertainty right now.” He burped, then grinned at Angelo. “Also pizza. Even if it was terrible pizza. I fed you crepes.”
“Which you ate nearly half of. And it was Philippe who fed me crepes, not you.”
“Espionage crepes,” Yuri said bitterly.
“Yuri…”
“I swear to god. Finding this out was the cherry on the shite sundae that was today. Or yesterday, I guess.” He took his hand back from Angelo so he could pick up his mug and drink his rapidly cooling tea.
Angelo’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. “What else happened yesterday?”
Yuri hesitated, then decided there was no point keeping it to himself. “I ran into Francis in Oxford.”
“What?” Angelo shouted. “Did he hurt you? Are you okay? Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”
“No, mostly, and sex.”
Angelo didn’t look any less thunderous. “Tell me what happened with Lord Dickface.”
“Not much, really. My security intervened. But he insinuated he wanted to blackmail me. He said he has pictures of me. Naked ones. And that if he didn’t get his way, he could share them with the world, which probably means a tabloid.”
“What does he want?” Angelo growled.
Yuri shrugged. “Me, I guess. I don’t know why. I’m not the only pretty boy in England who fancies a bit of pain. I don’t see why he can’t find someone who likes it more than I do.”
“What are the chances of Lord Dickface finding another gay prince to wield power over?”
“Oh.” Put that way, Yuri was probably fucked. “I’m not sure what to do, Angelo. I won’t get back together with him. Not for any reason.”
Angelo growled low in his throat. “He’ll touch you again over my dead body.”
Yuri took another sip of tea then said, “Francis told Malcom that he was armed, but he didn’t see a weapon. Still. I don’t want you hurt because of me.”
Angelo rubbed his temples. “What an absolute mess.”
“I’m sorry,” Yuri said in a small voice. “I didn’t mean—”
“No.” Angelo stood and went to Yuri’s side. “You don’t have to be sorry. This isn’t your fault. Come on.” He pulled Yuri out of his chair and held him close, burying his face in Yuri’s neck. His voice a bit muffled, Angelo said, “Right then. We’ll figure this out. I promise.”
Yuri had no idea how, but he nodded and held tighter to Angelo. “Right.”
Even as early—or late, depending on your perspective—as it was, neither Yuri nor Angelo felt like going back to bed. Instead, they stretched out on Angelo’s sofa and watched The Sound of