Page 54 of Fit for a King

So this, sneaking into a secret passage to get some alone time with Noah, was the most rebellious thing I’d done my entire life, and I didn’t feel bad about it at all.

In fact, I was grinning as I quickly made my way back to the entrance hidden in my bedchambers, already anticipating when I’d see Noah again. I’d only wanted to steal a moment, maybe even a kiss. I hadn’t expected it to turn into more so fast, but I should’ve known I wouldn’t be able to hold back when I finally had him alone. That mouth was irresistible, but so was every single part of him, and I didn’t care that it was wrong. We could keep a secret. At least until I figured out what I could do…

I pushed open the door, surprised that after all these years it still didn’t creak or make a sound. Then I bent down to fit through it and, once I straightened, jolted in surprise at what waited for me.

Or whom.

Gabriel lounged in the velvet chair by the fireplace, one leg thrown over the arm and a smirk on his face.

“Well, well, well. Isn’t this a curious little development,” he said, running his gaze over me like he was assessing every inch to see what story it told.

My shock at seeing him made heat creep up my neck as I turned to shut the door, my mind racing for whatever story I could come up with to satisfy my brother’s piqued curiosity.

“What are you doing in here, Gabriel?”

“We’re having dinner, dear brother—did you forget while traipsing through the palace?” He tapped the corner of his lips, and that smirk only continued to grow.

I ignored the obvious question in his eyes and kept my back to him as I discarded the jacket in my closet before that opened up a whole other can of worms.

“This isn’t the dining room.”

“No, it is not. And that isn’t the door you usually enter your chambers from.” Gabriel looked over to the main doors, then back to me. “What devious deeds have you been getting up to?”

I gave him my drollest look before closing the door behind me. “None that concern you, I assure you.”

Gabriel swung his leg down and got to his feet, crossing the room, stopping in front of me, and sniffing the air.

I reared back. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m smelling you…or should I say, I’m smelling someone else on you.” Gabriel began to walk around me, like a shark circling its prey. “Warm, cozy, a little bit woodsy. That’s definitely not your usual choice. Or Alejandro’s, for that matter. And I should know. I spent a good five hours or so schmoozing your fiancé.” He came back around to face me. “So, who have you been canoodling with in the tunnels, brother?”

Damn him and his knowing grin. It would serve him right if I punched it right off his smug face—except for the fact that he was right.

“No one.”

Gabriel cocked his head. “You’re lying.”

“No I’m not.”

I was acting like a petulant teenager. But there was no way in hell I was about to tell Gabriel that I’d just come in the hands of my footman. He’d never let me live it down.

“Okay,” he said much too amiably as he walked around me and headed toward my closet.

That persistent bast⁠—

“What did you throw in here?” he asked, opening the doors, and I quickly moved between him and the closet and aimed my best death glare right between his eyes.

“Drop it.”

“Drop what? A stained jacket? You do know you can’t hide this kind of thing from me, right? I wrote the book on stuffing clothes—and people—in closets and out of the way of prying eyes until I could have them discreetly taken care of.”

God, he was insufferable.

I took a deep, calming breath. “Fine. I was with someone.”

“Oh, I already know that. The question is…who?” Gabriel waggled his brows, then walked back to the seat and slumped down into it. “Is it that cheeky Charlie? He’s quite the little minx.”

My mind instantly went to the episode with the junior footman out by the tennis courts, and Gabriel let out a loud, booming laugh.