It’s a mistake to be honest, but it would be worse to lie.
‘It was Fenwick,’ he answers, clipped and short.He could leave it there but he’s all too aware that Jules will take it that Fenwick simply hurt him in some way, attacked him or something.‘We fucked.I fucked him.I didn’t realise it was so bad.OK?’
Jules’ eyes go so wide Lachlan’s surprised they don’t fall out of his head.
‘You had sex with Fenwick?’Jules echoes, so angry his voice trembles.‘After what he did to you?Did he force you?’
Alistair is coming over.
‘Julian,’ Lachlan says seriously.‘I need you to focus.’
‘Answer me.’
‘No he did notforce me.Now please, pull it together.Your father is coming.’
‘Did you like it?’Jules demands.‘Tell me or I’ll make the biggest fucking scene on the—’
‘Yes, I liked it because I hate him, so it was fun to blow off steam.Please.’
Jules looks away and the mask snaps back into place.Alistair arrives before them both, still smiling of course but he’s not happy.‘Where were you?’he asks Jules without preamble.
‘My fault, sir.I pulled him aside to negate a small threat,’ Lachlan lies flawlessly, his hand on Jules’ lower back.
Alistair’s gaze flits to Lachlan and then away.‘What threat?’
‘Someone was a little too handsy.’
‘How handsy?’
‘Almost tore his shirt, sir,’ Lachlan answers mechanically, gaze sweeping.
‘Well,’ Alistair says slowly, ‘we wouldn’t want that, but no absence over a minute, Julian.You know that.’
‘It was my decision, sir,’ Lachlan reiterates, ‘to reset the energy.’
Alistair smiles despite himself.‘Reset the energy,’he echoes appreciatively.‘I like that.Very well.Back into the fray, then.’
?
The party goes on until dawn.
Jules is excused around five AM.
Lachlan sees him subtly pressing two fingers into his wrist several times.When he’s finally able to escort Jules back into the East Wing, Jules is the kind of exhausted Lachlan knows well.Wired,adrenaline-soaked, and jittery.
He goes with Jules into the Cove and then, because he knows they should talk, into Jules’ room, where Jules strips down to underwear.Lachlan turns respectfully, and after a minute, Jules makes an impatient noise.
‘You can look.’
Lachlan turns back around.‘Do you need anything?’
Jules eyes him, all watery rage and fiery depths.‘Doyou?’
Lachlan should say something, offer an explanation, anything.At the very least he should apologise, even if he doesn’t think he actually did anything wrong.He knows that much because Jules is clearly upset.
But fuck, Lachlan is tired too.
‘No, I don’t.’
