Theo has a boner. I can see the bulge under the blankets when I wake up to howling wind and rough seas, but I can’t be sure. It’s dark.
He groans, shifting his weight as he sleeps and pulling me into his chest. I walk my fingers over his pecs as my head stays nestled in the crook of his shoulder, closing my eyes for just a moment.
I know I shouldn’t be in bed with him, and I certainly shouldn’t be enjoying it as much as this.
It’s wrong.
He’s only a friend. There’s Luca to think about. There are decades of history between us.
But yesterday, we almost died. We’re all but alone on board, apart from the crew. What’s one night of platonic snuggling after an ordeal like that?
His cock throbs, and I realize ‘platonic’ might be the wrong word. The way my heart stutters when I see the movement under the sheets tells me that my body isn’t thinking this is platonic either.
I inhale, trying to rid my mind of my treacherous thoughts.
Luca and I aren’t together anymore, but that doesn’t mean I should sleep with his brother. The best thing for me to do is leave Argyle and not look back. Just like I planned.
“You’re awake,” Theo says in a low voice. I look up to see his slitted, sleepy eyes looking down at me. Theo’s arm stays wrapped around my body, his fingers tracing tiny circles over my shoulder.
I nod. “Yeah.”
“Storm sounds bad.”
I nod again. My mouth is suddenly dry. Every sense is heightened. The Prince is so close. Every part of him is near me. I’ve never been pressed up against him like this. I’ve never been in bed with him like this. Never even dreamed of it.
Never dreamed I’d like it as much as I do.
Words stay stuck somewhere in my throat. His hand drifts up to my head, and he combs his fingers through my thick hair.
“Thank you,” he says quietly. “You saved my life.”
“Well, I wasn’t going to let you die out there.”
His eyes are low. I like the way his fingers drift over my scalp, and how his heartbeat thumps against his ribcage. My own hand drifts over to his collarbone, his neck, his jaw.
When my fingers slip up to touch his lips, the tension in the air crackles.
It’s dark in here. Intimate.
Anything could happen.
I can see by the look on his face that Prince Theo isn’t opposed to something happening. All it would take is one movement from either of us. One kiss. One touch.
We’re standing on a knife’s edge, staring at each other.
Waiting for the other to act.
Waiting to see if it’s worth the consequences.
What would happen if we were together, I wonder? Would it be a one-time thing? Would it change my plans? Would it change anything?
Or would it just be a kiss? A memory? A mistake?
It would have to be a secret. Wouldn’t it? With everything that happened with Luca, being with me would be wholly inappropriate. Scandalous. Frowned upon. Completely out of the question.
Theo has always been the responsible brother. The future King. He wouldn’t want anything to mark his name with scandal, especially not a salacious affair. That would be too much like his mother. He would never want to do anything like that with me.
Right?
The Prince shifts his weight, pulling me closer.
“Cara,” he whispers. It sounds like my name is a healing balm to him. Like he enjoys saying it. His uninjured hand drifts from my scalp down my spine, sending shivers tumbling through my veins.
When his palm reaches the small of my back, he presses his hand into me. I melt into his body without resistance.
We’re both ready to jump. Consequences be damned.
Heat rips through me at the thought of pressing my lips to his. My body begs me to lean into him, to trace his lips with my fingers, to walk my hands down to the bulge under the covers.
It would be easy. It would feel good.
Instead, I pull away. I tuck my chin into my chest and roll away from Prince Theo, swinging my legs off the edge of the bed.
I hear Theo sigh behind me. He doesn’t have to say anything for me to know what the sound means.
He wanted it too.
“I should go back to my cabin,” I say, not daring to turn around.
“Yeah.” His voice is gruff. It tugs at my heart, sending echoes of desire rattling through my body.