Felix and the Prince: A Forever Wilde Novel Read online

  He looked at me with such innocence, I realized there wasn’t a hint of recognition on his face. Was it at all possible he didn’t know who I was?

  “Yes,” I said, clearing my throat. “My family has ties to the estate. Now Mari and Bert put up with me from time to time whenever I need to escape for a little while. They’re a bit like an aunt and uncle to me.”

  It was the truth, although clearly not all of it.

  “Wow. That’s incredible. You’re so lucky.”

  I swallowed a laugh before it could come out. Lucky? In some ways, hell yes. I had money, security, parents, friends, an education. But there were many things I didn’t have that others did. Privacy, freedom to choose my own way in the world, and the luxury of spontaneity.

  “Yes,” I murmured, bringing a mug of tea to my mouth. After taking a sip, I realized I was being rude.

  “I have a kettle in here. Would you like some tea? I’m afraid I don’t have any milk or sugar though.”

  His grin was smirky, and I raised an eyebrow in question. “Why are you looking at me that way?”

  “Tea? That’s very British of you even though you sound American.”

  “I’m neither, but I’ll admit to having an American parent,” I said with a wink. “And I studied at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, after going to American boarding schools.”

  “Ah, that explains the accent, then. Where are you from, if not England or the States?”

  I studied him for a moment, trying to discern if he was putting me on. “I live near the border of France and Italy on the Mediterranean,” I hedged.

  “Isn’t that where Monte Carlo is? How very James Bond,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. “Have you ever spotted fancy yachts or met any movie stars?”

  If he was putting on an act of adorable naiveté, he was damned good at it. But something in him tensed at the mention of movie stars, as if he hadn’t meant to say it.

  “Yes, that’s where it is, and yes, I’ve seen both celebrities and fancy yachts. Enough to sink the proverbial ship. How about that tea?” My hope was to distract him from the subject of home.

  “Sure. I’ll try it. Mari offered me some yesterday, but I declined. Maybe I need to bite the bullet. When in Rome and all that.”

  I stared at him. “You’ve never had tea?” Now for sure he was putting me on.

  His laugh was quick and easy. “Yes, I’ve had tea. Just not hot tea. Not much use for it in Texas.”

  I moved to the small corner of the room where I had a kettle plugged in and a box of my favorite teas. I selected a holiday mix I thought he might like.

  “Where in Texas are you from?”

  “Tiny town a couple of hours outside of Dallas called Hobie. Its only claim to fame is being located on a large boating lake. We get heaps of tourists in the summer.”

  “Ah, so you’re familiar with yachts too, then,” I teased.

  He laughed, and I was struck by how relaxed he seemed around me. It was unusual for me to meet someone new who didn’t treat me with kid gloves.

  “Yes, but we call them jon boats,” he said. I could tell he was messing with me, but his face began to pink immediately as if he couldn’t believe he’d had the guts to tease me. Was he flirting with me?

  I adored flirting.

  “Hm, that’s strange. I had a friend at Georgetown who was from Alabama. I could have sworn he said jon boats were crappy little things used for fishing.”

  Felix chuckled and turned his face away to hide his deepening blush. Oh god, the man was cute enough to eat.

  I handed him the ceramic mug of tea I’d steeped for him and made sure he had to brush my hand with his when he took it. His face was still flushed, and his eyes widened up at me when our skin touched.

  There was no mistaking the slight hitch of breath that came out of him. And if my ears hadn’t heard it, my dick still would have.

  Well… Fuck. Me.

  Chapter 6

  Felix

  I hid behind the thick mug as if it would be able to block my flaming face from view. The gorgeous man in the magical hidden room was turning me into jelly. I was a sucker for a handsome face, and his… his was almost regal in a way. Strong features, a prominent square jawline. Thick, dark hair with more than a day’s worth of sexy beard growth. Confident body language in spades.

  The man was like a grown-up version of me. Or who I’d be if I gained forty pounds of sleek muscle, matured about eight years, dressed in elegant but comfortable clothes like a Polo model, had mesmerizing blue eyes instead of shit brown ones, and finally got some poise.

  It shouldn’t have turned me on, but fuck if it didn’t. He was dreamy as all hell. The kind of vision that made me seriously consider maybe I’d entered into a fantasy when I’d stepped from the salon into the hidden room.

  “You never told me your name,” I said in a voice too squeaky to ever be considered mature.

  His intense cobalt eyes bore into me for a moment before he spoke.

  “Leo.”

  “Ah, like the horoscope sign,” I said. “You weren’t born in August by any chance, were you?”

  Shut up Felix. Jeez. He’ll think you’re a moron.

  His face softened. “No. And I spell mine differently. L-I-O.” He seemed to continue studying me as if waiting for a reaction.

  “I like it. It suits you.” I felt my face warm again and moved my chair back from the fire a little. As if it had been the flames heating my face rather than the intensity of Lio’s gaze. “I guess the polite thing to do would be to ask what you do for a living.” Could I be any more awkward?

  Lio seemed to have mercy on me and leaned forward with a sparkle of mischief in his eye. “Why don’t we try something different than the norm? What’s your favorite vegetable?”

  I thought for a second. “Zucchini. And you?”

  “Hmm, I do like that one, but I’d have to go with artichoke.”

  “Dammit, can I change my answer? I love artichokes. My grandfather makes the best ones,” I said, thinking of Doc’s steamed chokes with homemade dipping sauce.

  He shook his head, laughing. “Nope. You had your chance. Now you ask me something random.”

  “Okay. Let’s see… Stuck on a deserted island or a snowy cabin in the woods?”

  Lio made a show of looking out the windows and gesturing around us. “Deserted island, of course. And you?”

  “Snowy cabin. Although, now that I’m here, I can see the allure of a deserted island for sure.” I took another sip of my tea and tried to enjoy the nutmeg spices I could taste in it even though I’d decided I wasn’t a fan of hot tea. “Your turn.”

  “Dresser or bureau?”

  “What?”

  He smirked at me. “My American friends seem to interchange the words, and I’ve never understood it. The chest of drawers you keep your clothes in. What do you call it?”

  “Dresser, I guess. Although I’ve actually seen classified ads listing it as a ‘chester drawer,’” I said with a laugh.

  “No way. That’s awful.”

  “That’s Texas,” I corrected. “What do you call it?”

  “I don’t. I have a wardrobe.” His grin was cheeky and accompanied by a wink.

  Oh god. That wink. Kill me now. I might as well offer to suck his dick and get it over with.

  “Um, oh. Okay,” I stammered, trying so very hard not to actually offer to suck his dick. “I-I didn’t, uh, think of that.”

  He reached out to put his hand on my arm. “I’m teasing, Felix. We call it a chest of drawers.”

  I looked away, pretending to study the rest of the small room around us but really trying to pull myself together. I wasn’t sure I’d ever been alone with someone so beautiful and elegant before. At least someone I wasn’t related to. My grandfathers’ words about indulging in a sexy adventure rattled in my head, making my face heat even more.

  “You okay?” he asked. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you, Felix.”

  The sound of
my name on his tongue made me shiver. I still couldn’t look at him.

  “Are you cold? Maybe you should move back by the fire,” he suggested. His voice was still quiet and low as if he was worried a louder sound might scare me off.

  “I’m really hot.”

  Oh god.

  He barked out a laugh. “Your lips to god’s ears, man.”

  “No. Oh god. I didn’t mean it like that,” I groaned. I risked a peek back at him and saw a gentleness to his features despite his smile.

  “I don’t bite,” he said. “Come back, please.”

  If I came any closer to him, I’d spontaneously combust. Instead, I shot out of the chair and lurched toward the carved windows.

  “Tell me about your beautiful wood,” I suggested.

  There was a beat of silence as my words echoed around the small space.

  I let out a breath and decided to admit defeat. I just wasn’t cool enough to hang with this gorgeous man. Too much pressure to be someone I wasn’t. I was completely out of my element. Plus, a man like him would never be attracted to a geek like me. It was a classic case of the quarterback taking interest in the band geek or math tutor. It just didn’t happen in real life.

  “I think I should go,” I said with a wince. “Before I say something even stupider.”

  I heard him stand from his chair and approach me. My body was still angled toward the window so I didn’t have to look at him, but as soon as I felt his large presence behind me, I slumped forward, bending my shoulders in and crossing my arms around my stomach.

  This was so damned embarrassing. I honestly wasn’t used to meeting new people. I spent most of my days alone with research books and my laptop or in a glass workshop. Why did I even accept his invitation to sit down for tea? Maybe a part of me had thought this was an exotic escape from reality where I wasn’t the same introverted nerd I was at home. But it wasn’t.

  “Felix.” The deep voice behind me made me want to whimper and beg. I’d never noticed how sexy something could sound before.

  I shook my head and let out a chuckle. This entire situation was ridiculous. I was playing at living out a fantasy when, in reality, fantasy Felix turned out to be just as awkward and geeky as real Felix. “I’m a huge dork. Really. It’s lucky I didn’t break anything. I should really just go. It was nice to meet you, Lio.”

  I turned to make my escape and came face-to-throat with him.

  “Fuck, you’re tall,” I blurted at his shirt collar.

  “And you’re adorable as hell. Have dinner with me tonight.”

  I leaned my head back to look at him in shock. “Are you crazy? Didn’t you hear all the shit I just said? I’m a hot mess.”

  “You’re fun.”

  “I’m awkward,” I corrected.

  “You’re genuine,” Lio said with a grin.

  “You’re insane. Are you looking for trouble or something?” I asked, noticing a seriousness behind his teasing.

  “No, but I think I found it anyway. Meet me in the kitchen at seven o’clock, Felix. Dress warmly.”

  I shifted sideways to make my way toward where I remembered the panel opening having been. There was no obvious way to open it back up, though, so I stood there like an idiot trying to figure it out.

  When Lio leaned around me to reach for one of the glass balls dangling above, I caught a whiff of his scent. He smelled like a hint of spicy aftershave mixed with the clean sea air and nutmeg from the tea he’d made. It was a unique combination I knew would always remind me of this bizarre moment in a hidden room at Gadleigh Castle.

  As the panel slid open and I stepped forward into the colder air of the red salon, I heard Lio’s voice behind me.

  “Seven o’clock, Trouble. And don’t forget to bundle up.”

  I nodded, but I didn’t look back in case he’d be able to see the gigantic loopy grin on my face as I walked away. Maybe Grandpa and Doc were right.

  It was time for an adventure. Of the sexual variety.

  Chapter 7

  Lio

  I knew I was an idiot. And it wasn’t like it was the first stupid thing I’d ever done. I was the king of stupid things. Or, as the press had called me on a few occasions, the Prince of Stupidity. It was a title originally coined by my sister and overheard by a reporter when I was sixteen. They’d relished being able to use it since then, and unfortunately, I’d given them many chances, especially every time I left the club with multiple hookups. If only they knew half of that shit was for show. Being seen with women was the best way of hiding the fact I was with a man more often than not.

  But I justified my dinner invitation to Felix by acknowledging I was technically the host of the estate while I was there. It was my house after all. And while I was in residence, it was only polite to invite my guests to dine with me.

  There was a tiny little problem though. If I had any hope of continuing the ruse of not being anyone special, I needed to get a few people on board with the plan.

  I quickly made my way down to the kitchen to search out Mari.

  “Lior, would you like something to eat?” she said as soon as I entered the cavernous space.

  “No, thanks. At least not right now. Are you making something for dinner?”

  She stared at me with daggers. “You ask me such things. Since when have I not fed you, Your High—”

  “No! Shit. Jesus. Shhh,” I squawked, looking around. “Zip it with the honorific, please.”

  Her eyes widened.

  “Why are you even calling me that? You never say that shit to me,” I accused.

  “Because you were acting high-and-mighty, and I was reminding you that I’ve never let a royal—”

  “Zzzt,” I snapped again. “No mention of royal, please.”

  “William Triannon Frederik Harald Christien, what the hell has gotten into you?”

  I clenched my teeth together and thought of how best to approach the topic. Before I had a chance to say anything, my bodyguard Jon came in.

  “There you are, sir. I was looking all over for you.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Can we… Listen, is there any way we could all agree to put the whole…” I glanced around to make sure no one else was in hearing distance. “Royal thing away for a few days?”

  They both looked at me like I was crazy.

  I continued. “No ‘sir,’ no Lior, no prince or highness crap. Just Lio, plain and simple.”

  “But, sir,” Jon began.

  I held up a hand to stop him. “You work for me, right?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Then you have to do what I say, right?”

  “Unless what you say puts you in danger…”

  “Then I insist you stop calling me anything other than Lio while we’re at Gadleigh.”

  Mari looked at me with suspicion. “What’s going on? What’s gotten into you, boy?”

  “I just want a break from it, okay? This is the closest I ever feel to normal. I want to leave all that shit behind for a little while.” I pulled my upper lip between my teeth for a beat. “Okay?”

  Jon studied me before responding. “Yes, s… Lio.”

  “Thank you.” I turned to look at Mari. “And can you tell Bert also, please? And spread the word to the household staff?”

  “If that’s what you want,” she huffed. “But if I was prince of—”

  I cut her off. “You’re not.”

  She glared at me again. “And you’d better thank your lucky stars for that one, kid.”

  I leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. “Thanks, Mari. I owe you one. Now, about dinner…”

  After arranging everything, I headed up to my rooms to shower and dress.

  Arthur was there, reading the paper in front of the fire while griping about the cold wind coming off the sea.

  “This is why I wanted to go to the Maldives, but no, you wanted to come to Gadleigh,” he muttered. “Well, I hope you’re happy.”

  “I am, as a matter of fact. Happy and hoping to get lucky t
onight.”

  He folded the newspaper down and stared at me. “I beg your pardon?”

  “I met someone.”

  He looked around behind himself as if there were sexy men hidden somewhere in the room. “Where?”

  “Here. Downstairs,” I said. “You should have come with me. Maybe he would have flirted with you instead of me. You snooze, you lose.”

  “I was hardly snoozing. I was working. You know, that thing some of us do for money.”

  “Pfft. Working is for losers. You should quit that boring crap,” I teased. He was the most pampered man who worked in the palace, and he knew it.

  “Don’t think I haven’t dreamed about it on occasion. So, who is this lucky local?”

  “Not a local. He’s an American. And his name is Felix. He’s here studying the glass, and he’s cute as hell.”

  Arthur rolled his eyes. “Glad you have your priorities straight, sir,” he said, before leaving my room in the direction of his own.

  That’s when the stupidity of my actions hit me full force.

  I’d escaped to Gadleigh to spend some serious alone time thinking through my future. The future that demanded my playing the role of dutiful king with a queen, an heir, and a spare. Not a string of secret hookups with men.

  By the time seven o’clock rolled around, I was antsy as hell. My brain flipped back and forth between wanting one last fuck with an attractive man and trying to convince myself it was time to be done with foolish ways.

  The fling argument was made in a voice that sounded suspiciously like Iggy’s while the foolish warning was spoken in the voice of my father.

  Both voices fell silent when I saw Felix approach the kitchen. He was wide-eyed and clearly nervous. He walked into the space as if ready to ask permission simply to exist in this world. Something about him made me want to kiss his vulnerability right off his cute fucking face. I wanted to hand him the keys to the kingdom—to tell him it was my house and he was as welcome in it as anyone.

  But of course, I didn’t.

  “Hey,” I said, low enough to avoid startling him. “Here comes Trouble.”

  He smiled shyly.