NICHOLAS
GAbrIEL WAS LATE.
That wasn’t unusual. He’d never been one to stick to a schedule the way I had, and it was just a known fact at this point that you had to tell him an earlier deadline so he’d be on time.
Still, there were times when my brother’s lack of punctuality crossed the line from annoying to unacceptable, and keeping an ambassador waiting in the reception room was one of them.
“He said he was going to change before heading to the meeting, sir,” Baxter told me as I opened the door to Gabriel’s bedroom to find it empty.
“I’m sure he did.”
“Shall I send someone to find him?”
“No. I’ll do it.”
“Your Majesty—”
“It’s fine, Baxter. Just make sure to send extra tea and biscuits up to the ambassador while he waits.”
“Will do that now, sir.”
I headed down the corridor, checking each of the rooms, my irritation growing as they all turned up empty. Then I heard it—laughter trickling down the hall, the sound as familiar as my own reflection.
I headed toward the private library, and when I stopped in the doorway I saw Gabriel sitting at the small game table by the window, one ankle crossed over his knee and looking entirely too pleased with himself.
Nothing about finding him that way surprised me at all, but the person sitting opposite him did.
Noah Bennett.
He was in palace livery, his posture impossibly straight as he chuckled and concentrated on the mahjong tiles in front of him.
For a long moment I could only stare, because the scene was so out of left field that it took me a second to recalibrate, but then I couldn’t help but notice the way Noah’s smile changed his entire demeanor.
It was genuine, so open and bright that I felt a pang at the fact that it was happening without me. Here, in my library, at my table, but with my brother.
Noah glanced at the door, but then did a double take when he saw me and quickly shot to his feet, his smile vanishing. “Your Majesty.”
Gabriel took his time laying one of his tiles on the board and then grinned up at me. “Damn. You found me.”
“Did you believe I wouldn’t?”
“I was hoping you might be too busy ruling.”
“I am. That’s why you’re supposed to be in the reception room with the ambassador.”
Gabriel glanced at the clock on the mantel. “Ah.”
“Ah?”
“That would explain the feeling I had.”
“What feeling?”
“The sense that I was supposed to be somewhere else.”
I shook my head, looking over at where Noah stood beside the table, his hands clasped behind his back and his eyes lowered. If he thought he could blend into the wall and I’d forget he was here, he had another thing coming.
“Mr. Bennett,” I said, “is my brother holding you hostage?”
Gabriel put a hand over his heart. “Rude.”
Noah’s mouth twitched slightly as he struggled to keep his face blank. “No, sir.”
“Did he order you in here?”
“No, sir.”
Gabriel rolled his eyes. “I invited him. There’s a difference.”
“No, there’s not. Not when you’re a prince and he is our staff.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Noah’s shoulders straighten, while Gabriel waved his hand like that didn’t matter.
“He’s good,” he said, gesturing to the game. “Better than Baxter, but don’t tell him I said that.”
“Baxter doesn’t play mahjong.”
“Exactly. Noah’s much better.”
I wanted to groan, but didn’t need to react in such a way in front of Noah. “Gabriel, you’re late. Please don’t keep the ambassador waiting any longer.”
My brother sighed dramatically and got to his feet. “I’m wanted everywhere. It’s exhausting being so beloved.”
“I wouldn’t know. Now go.”
He clapped me on the shoulder as he passed and leaned in close. “Try not to scare him back into the walls. He was having fun.”
I clenched my jaw, but Gabriel grinned.
“Mr. Bennett,” he said, turning as he stepped into the hallway, “we’ll continue later.”
Noah bowed his head. “Your Royal Highness.”
Gabriel winked at me, nothing but mischief on his face, and closed the door behind him.
The silence was deafening as Noah remained standing by the table. From the looks of it, they’d been mid-game, the tiles scattered on the board.
I should’ve dismissed him and reminded him that my brother’s friendliness did not erase the rules of the house. That my private rooms were not downstairs game rooms, and that he’d already managed to stumble into enough inappropriate situations in his short time here.
But I was curious, probably a little out of my mind for even considering saying what was on the tip of my tongue, but I found myself doing it anyway.
“Sit down,” I said, gesturing to the chair he’d leapt out of.
Noah’s eyes widened. “Your Majesty?”
“You heard me.”
“I’m…on duty, sir.”
“You’re in my private library. I am the duty.”
“Yes, sir.” He took the seat opposite mine, his shoulders just as rigid as when he’d first noticed me, and something about that stiff posture irritated me.
“Relax,” I said, and when he didn’t move, I gestured with my hand. “Sit back in the chair.”
He smirked as he moved into the position I’d ordered him to.
“Is something amusing, Bennett?”
His eyes found mine across the game board, and as he gave the first full smile he’d ever aimed my way, I noticed the soft lines around his eyes and felt my heart beat a little faster.
“No, sir. It’s just…”
“Yes?”
“It’s difficult to relax when you’re ordering me to do so.”
“Oh.” I glanced down at Gabriel’s pieces. I had a feeling Noah had the advantage. “In that case, sit there and feel uncomfortable. Maybe then I’ll be able to correct Gabriel’s poor game.”
“He wasn’t doing too bad,” Noah said, and when I arched a brow, he shrugged. “Compared to our first game.”
My stomach twisted, and I wasn’t sure if it was over the fact that Gabriel had been in here with Noah much longer than I’d first suspected or because of the way Noah had just said, “our game,” like the two of them were some kind of item.
“I didn’t realize you had so much free time on your hands.”
Noah’s hand froze in midair as he raised his eyes from the board. “I don’t. But when His Royal Highness asks something of me, it’s my place to obey unless I’m otherwise occupied.” He placed the tile down and then had the temerity to ask, “Is it not?”
It was, of course, but that didn’t mean I had to like it. The last thing I needed was Noah getting comfortable around Gabriel, growing used to his warmth and charm, only to resent having to come back and serve me.
“It is—”
“And I made certain all my other duties were complete before I accepted.”
“I’m sure you did,” I stated, and suddenly felt as though I should apologize for questioning him. Instead, I lowered my eyes to the board and cursed at the tile he’d placed—two red dragons. It was a good move.
I glanced over my tiles, wondering why Gabriel had been so jovial before leaving, because he had shit for choices here. But when I looked over to see Noah reclined in his seat, his eyes focused on the board and his fingers steepled in front of his mouth, I had a pretty good idea.
Noah Bennett was a lovely distraction. With his thick hair swept back from his attractive face, I could see his thoughtful gaze clearly now as he looked down upon the board.
His expression gave nothing away, except for the intelligence behind his eyes as he contemplated every possible scenario for his next move.
“Where did you learn to play mahjong?” The question was out of my mouth before I’d even realized I was going to ask it. But his obvious skill at the game had to have come from somewhere, and I was curious.
“My mother and father,” he said without hesitation, that smile from earlier returning, much warmer and brighter this time. “Whenever it rained, they’d pull out the mahjong and chess boards and we’d all play as a family.”
“Ah, so that’s why you’re so adept. Valoria has a lengthy rain season.” He chuckled, and the sound was so carefree that I found myself asking, “Do you miss your family?”
Noah nodded, his eyes softening. “Every day. They live in a small cottage on Whitefall Cliffs. You know, down by—”
“The sea. Yes. I’ve been there.”
“Of course you have,” he said, and then shook his head. “I didn’t mean to imply you wouldn’t know your own kingdom.”
“I know that.” And I did—Noah had just been caught up in his memories and forgotten who he was talking to. Not a bad place to be if the memories were good ones, and from the look on his face, his family meant the world to him.
“When was the last time you got to see them?”
“At least a couple of years ago, maybe three. It’s difficult to get back there with a full-time job.”
“You’ve never taken some time off?”
“I’ve never asked,” Noah said. “I’m the sole provider for my family. If I don’t work, they don’t eat. Time off isn’t a luxury I can afford.”
His words weren’t said to evoke sympathy or guilt—he was merely stating a fact. So why did I feel both for him?
“It’s your turn, Your Majesty.”
While the smart thing to do would be to continue the game and let the conversation end, I couldn’t help but ask, “Both of your parents are still alive?”
“Yes, sir.”
He was a young man to hold such a position in the royal household, so it made me wonder… “Why doesn’t your father work?”
“He did. He was a senior footman to the Earl of Sonnenberg, until he was diagnosed with degenerative spinal stenosis. The long hours on his feet were difficult at first, and one year after his diagnosis it was close to impossible.”
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t aware.”
“That’s okay,” he said, and his small smile surprised me. “I’m more than happy to provide for them. My father made sure I had a wonderful childhood. The least I can do is make sure he’s comfortable now.”
I nodded, thinking back to my own father. A man who’d had everything in the world except time for his children. “And is he? Comfortable?”
“Yes. For the most part.”
I was about to ask him another question when he glanced at the clock on the mantel and sat up straight as arrow.
“It’s noon, Your Majesty.”
I frowned.
“You had a meeting with the minister of defense at eleven forty-five.”
Shit. How had I forgotten that, after just berating Gabriel? You were too busy talking with your handsome footman.
Refusing to show any kind of alarm at my forgetfulness, I got to my feet and straightened my suit jacket. “I’m well aware of the time, Bennett.”
“Of course you are, sir,” he said, looking up at me. It was protocol for him to stand, but the fact he’d either forgotten, or just chosen not to, made something in my stomach flip.
I liked him looking up at me.
“I’ll be leaving now.”
Noah slowly got to his feet, barely able to hide his grin. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
I nodded, unable to believe I’d just completely blown off the minister to spend the morning chatting with my footman. But as I turned and made my way across the library, I was acutely aware of Noah on my heels.
When we reached the door and he moved to open it, I quickly placed my hand over his and he froze.
There was no scenario in which what I was doing was appropriate, no reason I should be reaching out and touching a man that was hired to serve me, but after everything he’d just shared, I felt the need to connect with him.
“Your Majesty?” Noah’s voice was softer, deeper now.
“Thank you for sharing your family’s story with me.”
Those soft lines around his eyes reappeared with his smile. “Thank you for asking.”
I went to remove my hand and, as I did, traced my fingers along the back of his.
Whether it was by accident or on purpose, I couldn’t be sure. But when his warm hazel eyes darkened, I knew I needed to remove myself—and fast.
Noah Bennett made me forget time, place, and myself.
That was something I couldn't afford, no matter how tempting he might be.