Page 30 of Rogue Royal
“Hey, Tex. Please remind me why we put up with her!” Mav laughed when Tex entered the picture, placing her hands on Zara’s shoulders and leaning down.
“Because it’s better to keep her where we can see her.” Tex laughed when Zara swatted at her, then pressed a kiss to her lips and danced away.
Their relationship was easy, seamless. It was what Mav had always aimed for with his relationships but laying himself bare to someone he didn’t know well was difficult. Except with Douglas. Of course, there was embarrassment when he first started explaining what he wanted from the prince, but some things came tumbling out of his mouth before he realised he was saying them.
“That! That’s what I mean! What’s the smile for?”
Mav returned his attention to Zara and tried to temper his smile, but he couldn’t. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t lie to me, boy. You got laid!”
“No, I didn’t.” Though he had been swept away as if he had.
Zara narrowed her eyes. “Something happened.” She pouted. “Why won’t you tell me?”
Mav sniffed, dropping his gaze. He couldn’t tell her everything, but he could allude to a few things. “I’m testing the waters of a new BDSM…relationship.”
Zara’s squeal hurt his eardrums, and he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fantastic! Tell me everything!”
“I can’t.”
“Why?” Mav rolled his eyes again. She whined like a child.
He rubbed his face. “I signed NDAs. I can’t tell you everything.” He held up his hand when she went to interrupt. “But I can tell you some things.” She clapped her hands. “It appears my liking of textures and touch is a thing in the BDSM lifestyle. When I first heard about BDSM, I thought it was about pain and punishment, but I’ve seen it doesn’t have to be about that—if it had been, I wouldn’t be doing it.”
“I wondered. You’ve never expressly said you weren’t into BDSM, but it showed from your reactions to certain things. I’m glad you’ve found something to fit you. Who’s the lucky guy?”
Mav licked his lips. He spoke to Douglas about what he could and couldn’t say to Zara, and Douglas had agreed Mav could tell Zara about him because he trusted Mav’s taste in friends, but now that it came down to it, he was worried.
“It’s Prince Douglas, isn’t it?”
Mav couldn’t hide his reaction, and if Zara’s laughter was any indication, he looked a fool. “What…? How…?”
“It wasn’t hard to figure out. Everyone knows he’s a playboy.” Her expression tightened. “Be careful, Mav, okay? I know you work closely with him and know him better than I do, but I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“He’s not…how he seems in the media, Zara. There’s more to him that people don’t see.”
Zara nodded. “I believe you, but be careful. He has a whole royal family behind him. Don’t let him take advantage.”
Mav bit his lip to stop him from saying more, but he acknowledged her words. “I will be careful. When aren’t I?”
Zara grinned. “Are you going to play for me tonight?”
Mav sighed as if he was fed up but smiled. “Sure.” He grabbed his guitar, which had been next to him because he knew she would ask, and began warming up. He loved that she didn’t push for more information than he was willing to give. Hoping he wasn’t making a huge mistake with Douglas, he slid into a song.
****
Mav wrenched away from Douglas’s lips with effort, placing a palm on his chest and pushing. “We need to finish work first.” Sandwiched between the door and Douglas, he had never felt better while his blue silk shirt rubbed deliciously against his skin. It took him a moment to get his bearings again. “Your Highness, please!”
Douglas growled but released him and stepped back. “As you wish.” The heat in his eyes was unmistakable. “Work, then play.”
Mav inhaled shakily, running a hand through his hair and smoothing down his shirt, hissing when it slid against his overheated skin. Glancing at Douglas, Mav pursed his lips when Douglas quirked his mouth.
Clearing his throat, he sat opposite the prince. “You have a busy day today. At ten o’clock, you meet with the Secretary of State again. At one o’clock, you have lunch with Frederick. At three-thirty, a meeting with the Council for British Archaeology about becoming involved with them. At six, you have dinner scheduled with your parents—they would like an update about your…situation. After, you have a teaching spot at eight o’clock and the club at ten-thirty.”
Douglas grumbled, put his hands over his face, and dropped to his side on the opposite sofa. “I thought you were helping me, not filling my day with appointments.” His voice was faint, hidden behind his hands as it was.
Mav smiled. “I am.” At Douglas’s glare through his fingers, he added, “Except for dinner with your parents—which I have no control over—which of those appointments aren’t you happy about?”
