Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 96695 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 483(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96695 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 483(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
Hugo lifted his chin and met Farris’s eyes without flinching. “Actually, Prince Everand knows everything about my mother’s stories. I don’t keep secrets from him. There’s no need. I want him to know everything about my family and me.”
A hand suddenly rested on his hip, and Hugo barely had time to flinch as a muscular arm wrapped around him from behind. His head snapped to his right to find Prince Everand standing beside him, a smile on his lips, but his gaze could have frozen a river.
“Farris,” Everand hissed, displaying a grin that was all teeth. “Who let you out of your wallow?” The prince paused for a breath, allowing the gawkers to let out a few titters of laughter. “There’s no need to worry about my well-being. My treasure shares everything with me. And I cannot wait to meet his mother and younger brothers. If they are anything like Hugo, I know I’m going to adore them.”
“Really?” Hugo whispered. He winced. The word escaped him before he could stop it. Everand couldn’t have meant that.
“Yes, I thought I could meet them tomorrow when I take you home.” Everand’s gaze softened as he turned his attention to Hugo. The hand on his waist tightened, chasing away the last of the discomfort that had plagued Hugo during his conversation with Farris. “But you’ll have to help me pick out some appropriate gifts. I couldn’t show up empty-handed.”
Farris the Fart snorted. “Fine. What could someone like him have to hide? But have you been forthright with your treasure?”
Hugo almost sighed. This man was proving to be mean-spirited, and about as sharp as a mud puddle. Everand looked as if he was about to rip out Farris’s throat for mocking his pet name for Hugo, but Hugo would not allow the prince to make a scene.
“We’re taking our time,” Hugo interjected, keeping Everand from snapping. “Every day that we know each other, we discover something new, and I love him a little more. If I’m lucky, I’ll have a lifetime to spend learning his secrets. But if Ev chooses not to share all his secrets with me, I won’t love him any less.”
“Really?” Everand echoed Hugo’s whispered question from earlier.
“Yes.” He meant every word he said. Maybe it was fast, but Everand possessed his heart.
Everand spun Hugo away from the crowd of gossips and onto the dance floor. “We must waltz. Now.”
Hugo laughed and allowed himself to be twirled onto the dance floor. In Everand’s haste, he almost sent them careening into another couple, which caused them to erupt into giggles.
It was only after they had settled in the center of the floor that they could speak.
“Tell me again. You meant what you said?” Everand commanded.
“Yes. All of it. Too much? I don’t want you to feel pressured.”
“I’m not. At all. I…I…I have a somewhat reckless past.”
Hugo tried to school his features into a serious expression and failed miserably. “Yes, you’ve hinted at one.”
“Okay, but it’s not nearly as bad as I’ve hinted. I gamble, but not a lot. I’m not about to throw away the entire kingdom’s wealth on horse races. And I don’t drink that much. I’m also not a complete whore. It’s just that sometimes this life is…”
“Stifling?” Hugo finished for him.
“Yes! But when I’m with you, I don’t feel stifled. I feel free. As if I’ve sprouted wings.”
“I’m glad.” Hugo had been smiling so much that his cheeks were aching. How was it possible to feel so happy and not burst?
These weren’t words of love, but Hugo’s heart was still overflowing with joy. Maybe Everand would come to love him one day.
“We need to get out of here, Hugo. I need to kiss you, and if I do it on the dance floor, Mother would never forgive me.”
Hugo grinned, and butterflies took flight in his stomach. “Any ideas about how we can make our escape?”
“Several. Do you trust me?”
“Always.”
Nineteen
After their dance, Hugo slipped out of the ballroom under the excuse of “needing some fresh air.” The prince remained behind, chatting with other guests and sipping champagne. Hugo wandered slowly toward the gardens, admiring the blooming flowers and the elegant fountains.
From the shadows, a hand grabbed his wrist and pulled him into a hidden nook. Hugo grinned at that handsome face as Everand pinned him to the wall. Warm, soft lips found Hugo’s in a hungry kiss while a familiar woodsy cologne drifted past his nose. Hugo smiled and kissed Everand, clinging to his shoulders and pulling him in as close as possible. Strains of the newest song played by the orchestra drifted to his ears along with an indistinct murmur of chatter, but it was mere noise compared to Everand’s frantic breaths.
“Is this what you had in mind?” the prince teased. He dragged his mouth from Hugo’s to kiss his jaw.