I really should've known that trying to probe into Sebastian's mind would earn me some uncomfortable questions of my own. I just hadn't been able to resist the lure of finding out more about him. The private things. And as I'd already crossed the line, there really was no going back. Too late to consider the consequences now.

"Your turn. What about you? Any siblings?"

I told the truth. "Yep. One. He’s in the family business and the pride of my father's eyes."

He frowned. "I'm sure your father is proud of you too."

"You’ve been listening, right? He's not. But it's okay. I don't think I want him proud of me for doing something I don't really want to do, you know?"

He nodded. "Do I ever." He bit his bottom lip and seemed to consider for a moment. "Favorite breakfast?"

I grinned. These questions I could answer. "Pancakes."

"Can you tell me the circumstances around the elevator situation? Why would he do something like that?"

I stiffened in his arms. But he held me close and kissed my forehead.

"You don't have to tell me. I was just wondering something about you."

"Who the hell knows. My, uh, cousin … Like I said, he locked me in a closet when I was little and wouldn't let me out for hours. At first I thought maybe it was a joke, but I realized he really just hated me. My parents were frantic. Then at the end of it, he acted like it was just a game."

"That sociopathic asshole. I have a cousin like that who did similar things. And of course he got away with it all the time."

I nodded. Of course there’d be similarity. I was talking about his cousin. But he doesn't know that. Because I was lying to him.

I shoved that aside. I would deal with that later. I was just grateful we were at my place. At least there were no bugs in here so Ariel hadn’t heard that little bomb drop about Lucas. I would tell her because it would inform what we were doing here, but shit. The real question was whether I should tell King Cassius that I knew.

Lucas was his fucking brother. And he had a sister. Hell. I’d deal with that later. Much later. But for the moment, we were in a cocoon, a safe cocoon of just the two of us and the hot sex. And some questions. Shit, I had all the questions.

“So how long has Lucas known about you?”

“We just connected.”

“Where did he grow up? Are you going to take him to see your parents? I can’t imagine what it must be like.”

He went quiet for a moment, and I shut my mouth. “Sorry. I’m curious. I don’t mean to pry with all the questions.”

He shook his head. “It’s fine. On one hand, it’s great. But there’s a part of me that’s, I don't know, annoyed, I guess. My father sounded so happy when I told him I’d found Lucas. I'm not used to feeling like I have competition—for anything. I don't think I like it."

“Of course you don’t like it. No one does.” I laughed. "I mean look at you. It's a wonder women across the globe don't drop their panties."

His gaze met mine. "You didn't."

“Yeah, well. You were a bit of a dick.”

He chuckled. “And you unsettled the hell out of me. I was merely defending myself from an unforeseen assault on the senses.”

“No. You were being a prick.”

“I swear to God, I thought I would have to beg for mercy the day you were using my shower. Hell, I almost did beg.”

I slid my fingers down his pectoral muscles and his abs, heading for my new happy place. “I bet I can make you beg now.”

Sebastian squeezed his eyes shut and groaned, but then he gently restrained my hands. "Trust me, I’m going to be buried inside you again soon enough. I’m going to suck on your pretty nipples … again. Tease you a little bit but never give you what you want until you beg.” His fingers skimmed just under my breasts. “Then I’m going to use my mouth on you. I’m going to lick and suck on your perfect pussy. Spread those gorgeous lips apart and go to town on your clit.”

Oh. Holy. Fuck. Me. “Sebastian … ” With his words, he slowly teased me, as if he had nothing but time.

“Shhh, sweetheart, I’m still talking. I’m going to slide my fingers inside you, adding one, then another while I suck on that perfect, sweet button. And then after that, I’m going to fuck you. I might want to start with you riding me. I think I might like the show of your perfect tits on display.”

Holy shit. I squirmed, and my core pulled tight. I liked what he was saying. I liked how he was saying it, his voice low and full of promise. Warming me from the inside out.

“No matter what else we do, I’ll want you on your hands and knees last. First, because it will give me the most perfect view of your ass. But also because I think I’ll be able to go deep. I want to see if you clutch the sheets. I also want to feel the way you squeeze my dick as though you’ll never let me go.”

“Sebastian, please.”

I was not above begging. I was wet, horny, and ached deep in my core. His skill for dirty talk was killing me.

He licked his lips as his large hand cupped my breast. “While I want nothing more than to make all of that happen right now, I still want to talk to you first. So for now, you're going to answer some more questions.” His thumb brushed over my nipple and I shivered.

“Sebastian, that’s not playing fair.”

“Who said anything about fair?”

He continued asking me every random thing he could think of. From my favorite color, to whether I preferred socks or tights. And even though he cataloged each of my responses, I knew it wasn't about that. He wanted the time with me. Just like I wanted the time with him.

We were both working on a borrowed chunk of it. We both knew we would eventually have to return home, and when we did, neither one of us could have the other. He was the crown prince, and I was his guard. Except he didn’t know that, but when he discovered it, he wouldn’t want to be with me anymore.

The knowledge made my heart squeeze. And even though he was hiding who he was too, I knew that mine was a far greater betrayal. I needed to tell him, but I couldn't. His life was in danger and I’d already seen evidence of that twice. The girl at the bar. The gunman. I didn't know who was trying to hurt him, but I knew that they were serious about it.

So I needed to do my job, and I could only do that if he didn’t know the truth. And despite how I felt about him, I could do my job well without letting any of that get in the way. Because I might not be the best King’s Guard, but I might be exactly what he needed in a Prince’s Guard. I understood him and knew exactly what he needed. I understood what he was trying to run away from, trying to escape. And if I could help him tap into some of that in a safe, controlled environment, I might be able to keep him safe for now.