Page 3 of Lorenzo & Lily

He was one of the two who had.

He heaved himself from the bed and strode into his bathroom nude, which was how he slept. He turned the water in his massive shower to ice cold, and stepped in to let the water sluice over his olive-hued skin. The chill washed away the heat of the memory. He rested his palms flat against the tile, and bent his head of black and silver-slivered hair.

His body was still lean and toned; his military training had been too ingrained for him to give it up. Even after recovering from his physical injuries over five-years ago, he’d continued with the brutal pace.

It’s what he would do now.

He flicked off the spray and stepped out, running a towel carelessly over his body before heading for closet. He slipped on a pair of running shorts, then grabbed his running shoes and carried them out to his terrace.

When he stepped onto the cool stone, he let out a deep breath, his shoulders relaxing for the first time since the dream.

Freedom.

He inhaled the cool, salty tang of Mediterranean air, and tossed his shoes on the floor. Then he walked to the stone railing and took in the view. Wide, open sea, and the dark night was inching towards dawn.

The Royal Castle was located in Masillia, the largest of Valleria’s seaside cities, and had been designed to seem as though it was floating on water. For him it was perfect.

No suffocating jungle air here.

He never even bothered closing his doors or windows. A security risk his older brothers pestered him about, but one he wouldn’t bow to. Once they’d realized that, they’d assigned him more Royal Protection agents, and one approached him now.

“Going for a run, Sir?”

Lorenzo nodded. “Who’s free?”

“Bash is lacing up, Sir.”

Lorenzo blinked. Edward ‘Bash’ Bashiera was his sister Catharine’s fiancé and, last he’d heard, had been three hours away with his sister where they resided in the Vallerian village of Chames. Though Eddie had once been a Royal Protection agent, he’d resigned since becoming engaged and now ran his own security firm. His former colleagues called him Bash, while most of their family called him Eddie. “What’s Eddie doing here?”

“He, along with Princes Marcello and Nathaniel, arrived just a few hours ago.”

What the fuck?“Why wasn’t I informed?”

“You were already asleep, Sir. We felt it best not to disturb you, as it wasn’t an emergency.”

The agents knew all too well how little sleep Lorenzo got. Sometimes he woke screaming, other times just a cold sweat. “Did I scream in my sleep?”

“Yes, Sir. It, er, woke the others.”

Damn.

Since he didn’t want Eddie to follow him, he ordered, “Prep an agent; I want them to follow us when we set off.” The agent nodded and left.

Lorenzo checked his phone as he slipped on his shoes and socks. Three messages he’d slept through: his eldest brother and heir to the throne, Alexander’s, as well as Marcello’s, and Lily’s.

His heart clenched at the sight of her name, and he quickly scanned the string of messages they’d sent back and forth, trying to find a time to meet. When they’d met again at Alex’s wedding three months ago, she promised to message him her details so that they could finally have their five-year-overdue discussion as to why she left him. Though she’d sent it right away, his family and royal obligations had made it difficult to find a time to meet. He’d already decided to finalize a time this week to settle it once and for all.

His thumb hovered over her phone number for several seconds before he shook his head and turned to his other messages. As much as he’d been eagerly anticipating seeing her again, he couldn’t think about her, not yet. Not until he knew what his family was up to.

He’d just finished reading his brothers’ messages when the knock came at the door, and Marcello entered wearing a pair of drawstring pajama bottoms, followed by Eddie who was dressed for a run like Lorenzo, with the addition of a shirt. Lorenzo preferred running shirtless, no matter what the weather.

Lorenzo’s eyes narrowed. “Why the fuck are you here?”

Marcello quirked a dark blond brow. “Hello to you, too.”

“It’s early. The sun’s not up. Why are you bothering me?”

Marcello shrugged. “You’re up and going for a run. Can’t be that early.”

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