Chapter 12 Theo
THEO
“IF YOU KEEP getting naked with me, I’m gonna start to think you like me.” I flicked my fingers along the surface of the water, sending a spray across the hot tub at Shep.
After I’d gotten a mouthful of Shep in the closet, I’d suggested skipping the rest of what was essentially a glorified picnic, and he was quick to agree.
How we’d ended up in the hot tub in my private garden I was a little fuzzy on, but in my defense, I’d had more glasses of champagne than I could count on one hand. Maybe two.
“Really, Theo?” Shep wiped at his cheek and shook his head. “You live to make me regret my choices, don’t you?”
“It does have a certain appeal. But are you really regretting spending a glorious evening relaxing? I doubt you do it often.”
It looked like he was about to refute that, but then snapped his mouth shut and reached for his champagne from the deck.
Getting Shep to indulge in anything was a win in my book, and as I watched him take a long sip, I couldn’t help but admire him.
It wasn’t just his personality that was a bit tight, it was his entire body, all those muscles perfectly lean and toned in a way that spoke of years of dedication in the gym.
He’d mentioned working out with his father’s Secret Service detail in the past, so it wasn’t surprising that Shep’s body was a work of art.
What was surprising was how massive his di—
A spray of water hit me square in the face, rudely cutting off my fantasies of Shep’s cock in my mouth.
“Hey!”
“You were staring.” He shrugged, looking unrepentant, and continued sipping his champagne.
His usually sandy-brown hair looked almost black all wet and slicked back from his face, which showcased a sharp jaw and those hypnotic, ice-blue eyes that were usually narrowed when he was looking in my direction.
“Not my fault when tu es bati comme un dieu.”
Shep growled. “Theo…”
I smiled, appreciating the fact that he knew a few pleasantries in French and nothing more. It had to drive him crazy not to understand me, which was why Benoit and I bitched together in French during Libertine meetings.
Maybe I did live to piss him off, but I couldn’t help myself. I was discovering a riled-up Shep was sexy as hell.
I stood up and reached for the bottle of Dom, filling up my glass and then doing the same to the one Shep held. He didn’t protest, which was another win, and as I sank back down to let the jets do their work on my back, I tipped my flute to keep my buzz going.
“We need to talk.”
Jesus. Four words that never failed to kill a mood. “Shep, don’t be a buzzkill. We’re having a good night.”
“We need to talk about the realities of your situation.”
“My situation,” I scoffed, and rolled my neck, the soft cracks releasing all my tension. “I love how some asshole pinning an incident on me is now my situation.”
“But you were there.”
My eyes flew open. “Let it go.”
“Can’t do that.”
“You could. You just won’t. We both know why.”
Shep worked his jaw and looked away as he twisted the stem of the flute between his fingers. “He demanded I bring you to him.”
I sputtered out a laugh, but Shep didn’t crack a smile.
“Wait, you’re serious?”
He nodded, still not looking at me.
The fucking audacity. I respected the hell out of King and would do anything for him, but his request to Shep pissed me off.
All this talk about how I needed to be here for the wedding and all the required events so that we could maintain a good relationship with my family, and this was when he wanted me brought out to see him? He couldn’t just call instead?
Then again, Shep wasn’t exactly forcing my ass on a private plane right now.
“You told him no,” I said, not bothering to hide the surprise in my voice. Shep never said no to King’s orders, ever.
He lifted a shoulder, continuing to stare out at the manicured hedges that enclosed my corner of the palace. When he didn’t deny my remark, I felt my jaw drop and set my drink aside.
“Hold on. King gave you a demand and you said ‘fuck off with that’? Holy shit.”
“I didn’t tell him to fuck off,” he said, rolling his eyes, but the gist of that conversation was clear: Shep had defied an order.
“Why?” The word was out of my mouth before I could stop it. “Why aren’t we halfway to New York by now?”
“You have duties.”
“And?”
“And Alessio’s looking into it. We don’t have a clear idea of who sent the video and why yet.”
“But King doesn’t believe me, does he? Shep?”
He finally met my eyes, but they were unreadable, like he had an impenetrable wall up behind them no one could get past.
“Well, nice to know our illustrious leader has such faith in me.”
“It’s not that—”
“Then what is it?” I leaned my head back on the edge of the tub. “From where I’m sitting, it seems he thinks I’m a liability. And if that’s the case—”
“He just wants to hear from you that what he’s seeing isn’t actually what he’s seeing. The fact you won’t pick up a phone and talk to him about it doesn’t look good, Theo.”
“And justify what this lunatic, whoever he is, did? Why would I do that?”
“To get King off your back.”
I lifted my head and aimed a sultry smile Shep’s way. “Last time I checked, it was you on my back, not King.”
Shep raised a brow. “I walked right into that one, didn’t I?”
“You do make it easy to get a rise out of you.” My eyes dropped to the bubbles and what they hid below his waist.
“Flirting with me isn’t going to make your problems go away.”
“It will right now.” I placed my glass on the deck of the tub and pushed off my seat to swim Shep’s way, and no one was more shocked than me when he didn’t stop me. “And that’s all I’m currently worried about.”
As I moved closer, Shep widened his legs. When I slid between them, he stretched his arms out along the edge of the tub.
Away from temptation? Probably. We both knew if his hands got too close, they were going to touch me.
“What are you doing?”
“What’s it look like I’m doing?” I said as I walked my fingers up his chest. I had no problem touching him.
“It looks like you’re trying to distract me.”
“Really?” I looped my arms around his neck and teased the wet hair at the nape. “Because from where I’m standing, I thought it would be obvious I want a cock rub.”
Shep’s lips quirked as he shifted on his seat and—mon Dieu—rubbed his hard-on against mine. “Like that?”
The rumble of pleasure that vibrated out of me was answer enough. But just in case he didn’t get it, I leaned back and arched my hips forward, grinding along his covered cock. “Just like that.”
Shep set his glass down and slipped his hands under the water, and the next thing I knew he was pulling me in close and cradling my ass.
“And after you finish getting off on me?” he asked, his lips hovering over mine. “Then what? Your problem is still there.”
My eyes drifted down to the mouth I’d recently become obsessed with, and I couldn’t remember what problem he was talking about, because the only one I had right then was the fact his lips weren’t on mine.
“Theo?”
“Huh?”
Shep smirked then leaned in to say by the corner of my lips, “You want my tongue in your mouth?”
“Fuck yes,” I said without an ounce of shame, and when he slid his tongue along my lower lip, I groaned and opened for him.
Shep pushed inside with the same force he did everything else. He was aggressive, demanding, and made every thought other than the taste of him vanish from my mind.
I’d been imagining this kiss ever since we’d come together before my brother’s wedding, and as Shep’s tongue swept inside and rubbed up against mine, I realized I’d greatly underestimated the impact it would have.
If I thought his body phenomenal, his commanding use of mine addictive, then his mouth was downright intoxicating.
I was fucked.
But I wasn’t going to think about that now. Non, there’d be plenty of time to worry about the implications of that later. For now, I was going to take what Shep was all too willing to give.
I ran my fingers through the back of his hair and twisted them in the damp strands as I moved up to straddle his body. When I seated myself in his lap, Shep growled and took hold of my hips, thrusting up against me.
“Fucking hell, Theo.”
I moaned and tipped my head back, reveling in the feel of his body under mine as Shep pressed kisses up my neck to my jaw. He scraped his teeth along it, then licked the condensation off my skin as he moved his way up to my ear.
“Just checking your jaw isn’t really broken,” he said, reminding me of just how hard he’d gone at my mouth earlier.
I turned my head and nipped at his lip. “Good as new. Want to try again?”
Shep chuckled. “As tempting as that is…”
“Oui?”
“I think I should get back to the mansion.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes, seriously. Despite your attempts to distract me, there’s still the underlying issue of—”
“Don’t say it,” I groaned.
“—the video.”
And just like that, my cock deflated. “Really, Shep, if you weren’t interested in round two, you could’ve just said so.”
He pulled me roughly against him, his erection proving that was definitely not the case. “And I think you need to be more concerned with the fact that someone is trying to fuck with you.”
“Not the person I want.”
“Theo…”
“What if I promise to deal with it tomorrow? You get naked with me now, and tomorrow I’ll track this motherfucker down.”
Shep started to laugh, a deep, throaty sound that made a delicious shiver run up my spine.
Putain, even his laugh is fucking hot?
“Don’t you have family obligations?” he asked. “Plus, how would you go about tracking this person down? Interrogate everyone who has it out for you?” He raised a brow. “That’ll take years.”
“Hilarious.”
“I’m just being honest. You need to go about your business like nothing has changed and let Alessio narrow shit down. Not run around questioning all your enemies.”
I knew he was right. Plus, most of my enemies were unavailable for questioning. I didn’t do well with double crossers, which was what made this so infuriating. Who the fuck had I let slip through my fingers?
“Fine,” I said, sliding off his lap and moving back to my side of the tub. “And I suppose you need to go and do Libertine business?”
Shep inclined his head and rose to his feet, and I almost missed his “I do,” because Jesus H. Christ, the man was built like a fucking god. One that currently had water trailing down every sharp angle of his cut physique.
“Theo?”
“Huh?”
“Try not to get into any trouble, would you?”
Then he had to go and open his mouth. He was acting like I needed to be monitored twenty-four seven.
I was an adult, for God’s sake. A member of the royal family. I could handle myself just fine, and had been for all these years.
But just for that little dig, I had to get in one of my own.
I picked up the bottle of Dom and refilled my glass, and as Shep slipped into a robe and belted it, I called out, “I make no promises.”
The satisfaction I felt when his shoulders stiffened was almost as good as my orgasm earlier. He glanced over his shoulder, and I saluted him with my glass.
With a final shake of his head, he muttered, “Fucker,” and walked out the door.