Chapter 3

Dinner ended in a haze of golden light and hushed conversation. Est was only half-aware of what he was eating – too captivated by the young prince across the table. William’s eyes kept returning to him, dark with something Est couldn’t quite name, making every sip of wine feel like a dare.

And then, as the last plates were cleared, the prince caught his gaze.

“Go with my stewards,” William instructed – voice low, confident – a faint curve of a smile on his lips. “They’ll take care of you. I’ll see you soon.”

Est swallowed, pulse skipping.
He rose, bowing his head. “As you wish, Your Highness,” and followed the servants out.

He was led to a smaller, more private bathing chamber.

Warm, jasmine-scented water steamed gently in a marble tub.

“Your Highness wishes you to be prepared,” one of the servants murmured – bowing low before gesturing toward a steaming bath that had been drawn.
Est nodded, trying to quiet the sudden rush of nerves in his belly.

He let them strip him carefully, hands deft and impersonal as they eased his tunic from his shoulders and unfastened his belt.
Still, he couldn’t help the way his muscles tensed under their touch, acutely aware of his nakedness – more so with each piece of clothing they peeled away.

He caught his own reflection in a polished mirror and hardly recognized himself – lean and strong from long hours of training, eyes dark with a mixture of apprehension and anticipation.

And beneath that – an unfamiliar hunger.

The water was warm – nearly scalding – scented with jasmine and something darker, spicier.
Est lowered himself into the bath slowly, hands gripping the edge of the tub as heat soaked into his tense muscles.

And then hands – gentler than he’d expected – began to wash him.
One servant worked fragrant soap into his hair, fingertips massaging his scalp until he felt a shiver run down his spine.
Another kneaded his shoulders, careful and firm, loosening knots Est hadn’t even realized were there.

And as they moved lower – sliding over his chest, his arms, then down the lines of his legs – he felt his breath deepen, heat stirring in his belly again.

When they were finished, Est rose from the bath dripping and warm.
The servants toweled him dry and pressed a robe of fine silk into his hands – so light it felt like mist.

And then – as if in some ritual – they dressed him. To perfection.

Then one of them paused – reaching for a small vial of oil – and brushed his hands along Est’s throat and chest, rubbing the oil into his skin in slow circles that left him tingling.

“You’ll need this,” they whispered – voice like a conspirator.

By the time the stewards led him back to William’s quarters, Est felt strangely weightless – as though he were stepping into someone else’s life.

And then the doors closed behind him.

The young prince was waiting.

William was seated at a small, carved chess table set in one corner of the chamber.
He glanced up as Est entered – and his gaze trailed slowly over him, appreciation lighting his eyes like a slow flame.

“You look beautiful,” William murmured – voice deeper, the kind that left heat unfurling low in Est’s belly.

Est felt color rise to his cheeks.

And then – as Est’s hands moved instinctively to untie his robe – William lifted a brow, amusement in his eyes.

“What are you doing?”

Est froze, looking up. William was leaning casually against the table, arms crossed, gaze sharp with a glint of humor.

“Undressing, Your Highness.” Est answered, brow furrowing.

William’s lips quirked into a small, knowing smile. “That will come,” he replied smoothly. “But not so fast.” He gestured to a chessboard set up nearby. “Sit. Play a game with me.” Est’s brow lifted, caught between surprise and intrigue.

“Come,” the prince murmured, going to sit down. “Companionship matters as much as obedience, Est. Humor me first.”

That sent a different thrill up Est’s spine – one far more complex than raw lust.

He took his seat. “Very well,” Est murmured.

And so they played – leaning close over the board as they moved pieces with thoughtful deliberation.

The game was close – tension drawing tight between them as Est countered William’s gambits with careful, measured moves.

And then, as they reached a stalemate, William sat back with a sly glint in his eye.

“I propose a different kind of stakes,” the prince murmured, voice like warm honey. “Each piece lost – we lose a piece of clothing.”

Est laughed, startled but captivated – heat coiling low in his belly as he met William’s gaze.

“You intend to see me naked,” he said, voice low.

William’s smile was slow. “And you, me,” the prince replied simply.

And that was all it took – Est nodded, feeling a spark of reckless desire flare.

Each move after that became charged with new energy.

A lost knight had Est tugging his boots off.

A sacrificed pawn had William shrugging free of his silken sash.

And as their game unfolded – a dance of intellect and desire – their clothing began to fall away piece by piece.

Est never knew he could admire a man like this.

Never knew that the play of light across lean muscle could make his mouth go dry – or that a dark-eyed glance could make his breath come faster.

By the end, Est was bare save for his breeches, heart pounding as he watched William peel his last layer free – all long lines and golden skin painted by the firelight.

“You’re beautiful,” William murmured – gaze drinking him in.

And Est could only breathe, “So are you, Your Highness.” as their game headed towards an end and the last of their clothes was abandoned.

And Est had never felt so aware of his own body – every breath slow and deep as his gaze followed the dark trail of hair down William’s torso, over strong thighs and the confident curve of him already half-hard.

Est’s gaze roved despite himself – drinking in the prince’s strong shoulders, the elegant curve of his spine, the flat plane of his belly.
And when William’s eyes met his, the prince’s mouth curved – slow and knowing – as if he could see every hungry thought in Est’s head.

“Exquisite,” the prince told him – voice hushed – eyes dark with hunger.

And Est – who had fought back a dozen times to lose, but couldn’t quite hide the sharpness in his gaze – finally allowed his last king to topple under the prince’s queen.

“You let me win,” William murmured, voice threaded with heat.

“Your Highness deserves to,” Est replied – hands braced on the edge of the table, gaze steady.

And Est felt every inch of his body alive – thrumming with a heady mix of nerves and desire.

He’d thought of himself as disciplined – serious – someone who rarely indulged.

And yet tonight, as William rose from his chair – tall and graceful – and came toward him like a promise waiting to be kept, Est felt his pulse jump wildly.

“You play well,” William murmured – hands reaching to trail across Est’s chest.

And Est’s lips parted – breath trembling – as he gazed up at the prince.

“You,” Est whispered – voice low, caught somewhere between admiration and confession – “you’re so much more than I thought you’d be.”

“And you’re more perfect than I imagined,” William murmured – reaching across the space between them – his hand closing warmly around Est’s wrist.
“Come here.”

Est hardly thought – only obeyed – pushing up from the chair and stepping closer on legs that trembled slightly with anticipation.

And then he was pulled down into the prince’s embrace – hands cupping his face, lips capturing his in a kiss so deep it stole the breath right out of him.

Gods – that kiss.

Est felt as if he’d been ignited – lips parting on a quiet sound as William’s tongue stroked into his mouth, savoring him like some decadent wine.
And when the prince’s hands slid to his waist, pulling him closer, Est went willingly – hands clutching at broad shoulders, heart thundering.

He’d never been kissed like this – never been touched like this – never been so utterly consumed.

And the prince was kissing him as though he could taste forever in him.

When they finally broke apart – breathless – William’s dark eyes glinted with heat.

“You’re trembling,” he murmured – voice low – gaze searching. “Is this all right for you?”

“Yes,” Est whispered – heart pounding as he shifted closer, hands trembling slightly against warm skin. “More than all right, Your Highness.”

And William’s smile was slow as sin as he pulled him back in.

“You feel so good,” the prince whispered – hands still warm on Est’s body – voice husky as he studied him.

This time they moved together, hands and mouths roaming – slow, careful, deliberate.

And Est lost himself in it – in the heat of the prince’s palms spanning his back – in the way they fit together like they had always meant to.

Est’s heart pounded against his ribs as William guided him down onto the bed – the prince’s hands sure yet gentle at his shoulders. The bed gave beneath them with a softness that was nothing like the tension roiling through Est’s body.

And then they were rubbing against each other – slick and warm – the silk sheets cool against their heated skin as William ground up into him with a quiet, urgent sound.

Est moaned into his mouth – hands sliding down his chest – relishing the feel of smooth muscle under his palms as they rocked together.

And William’s hands roamed everywhere – fingers tangled in his hair one moment, gripping his ass the next – encouraging him to press even closer.

“You feel perfect,” William murmured against his lips – voice breathless – and Est shuddered.

“Easy,” William murmured, lips brushing along Est’s jaw – a trail of careful, knowing kisses that sent heat spiraling straight to Est’s core.

Est’s hands fumbled against the prince’s shoulders, breath hitching as he felt those hands wander – smoothing down his chest, tracing each muscle as if he were something sacred.

“You’ve never been with a man like this before,” William observed – not a question but an invitation to honesty.

Est’s gaze flicked up – embarrassed, wanting, trembling. “You already know the answer, Your Highness,” he whispered.

And for a moment, William held him still – dark eyes locked on his – searching, seeing every ounce of his vulnerability.

“That’s all right,” the prince assured him – voice warm and low – a palm cradling his cheek. “I’ll show you.”

And gods, he did.

William took his time. His hands glided everywhere – firm but careful, kneading Est’s shoulders to soothe the tension there before trailing down to his chest. Every stroke and press of his fingertips had Est arching into him, aching in places he’d never thought of before.

When William finally bent to kiss him again – slow, wet, and possessive – Est moaned into his mouth, hands clutching at dark hair as lips parted for the prince’s tongue.

And that kiss deepened into something hungrier.

Before Est knew it, he was on his back and William was pressed against him – slick skin to slick skin – the prince’s mouth breaking from his lips only to trail down his throat. Teeth grazed his pulse, followed by the most deliberate, aching suck that left Est whimpering under him.

“You taste incredible,” William groaned – voice raw with hunger – one broad hand roaming lower, fingers spreading Est’s thighs with a gentleness that contradicted the way Est’s breath hitched and body shuddered.

And though Est’s hands trembled – though a part of him wanted to hide the way he reacted – William never stopped reassuring him. “That’s it,” the prince murmured – lips brushing over his chest as Est’s nipples tightened under his touch – “I want you to feel all of it.”

He kissed and licked and sucked until Est was trembling – hands clutching at him – and then, slowly, inexorably, that clever mouth began to trail lower.

Every kiss felt like a brand. Every touch was slow and deliberate.

And when William’s lips finally brushed the aching hardness between Est’s legs, Est’s head fell back with a choked sound – hands trembling at the prince’s hair.

“You’re beautiful like this,” William told him – hot breath ghosting over him – and then he was tasting him properly, lips closing around him as his hands held Est’s hips steady.

Est’s back arched – a string of breathless noises spilling from him – and gods, he was falling apart. Every slick slide of William’s mouth pulled him deeper under, every slow stroke of the prince’s hands left him aching for more.

“Your Highness – William,” Est moaned – fingers tangled in the prince’s hair – but William just held him, lips working him deeper until Est was trembling, voice catching as he broke.

“You taste incredible,” William murmured when he pulled back for breath – lips shining, eyes heavy-lidded.

“You want this, don’t you?” William asked – voice husky as he reached to retrieve a vial of oil – gaze never leaving Est’s.

“Yes,” Est whispered – desperate and dizzy – and then the prince was leaning down to kiss him, one slicked hand stroking between Est’s trembling thighs, stroking him with careful fingers as Est clung to him.

“Tonight – I want you to take me, Est,” the prince whispered – hands caressing Est’s sides – lips brushing his ear. “I want you inside me.”

Est froze, breath catching.

“You want me to – ?”

“Yes,” William replied – crawling up his body and kissing him hard, rocking their hips together – “I want you to fuck me. Fill me.”

And gods, that sent heat surging through Est so fast it left him dizzy.

“Your Highness,” he breathed – astonished – hands flexing where they rested against the prince’s chest.

And William’s smile was wicked and soft all at once as he pulled him close again.

“You’re sure?” Est asked, hands tightening at William’s waist – “I thought – I thought you’d want to …”

A wicked smile curved William’s lips.

“Oh, don’t look so surprised. I do want to, sometime…” he murmured, voice so low it thrummed through Est’s body – “But not tonight. Tonight I want to feel you. Tonight I want you to take me – to make me yours.”

And the way he said it – dark and aching with want – broke whatever hesitation was left in Est.

“Gods,” Est groaned – hands pulling him down into a kiss – “If that’s what you want, I’ll give you everything.”

“Good,” William whispered – hands tangling in Est’s hair – “And don’t worry – I’ll show you what to do,” he promised – lips tracing along his jaw – “how to touch me, how to move.

And when you do take me,” he added – voice dropping to a husky purr – “I want you to make me feel it.”

And gods, Est was dizzy with it – with the thought of the prince yielding to him – with the heat of William’s hands gliding down his spine.

“Yes,” Est whispered – hands gripping strong shoulders – “Please. Show me.”

And William’s gaze burned as he reached for a vial of oil on the bedside table.

“Here,” William murmured – one hand wrapping around Est’s wrist and guiding him to his entrance – “Use your fingers – go slow. Get me ready.”

Est obeyed – breath shallow as he slicked his fingers with oil and pressed carefully against him – and William moaned into his neck, hands clenching in the sheets as Est eased one slick finger inside him.

“Just like that,” William praised – voice trembling – “Gods, you feel good. Add another.”

And Est did – hands steadying as he felt William’s body gradually yield to him – rubbing careful circles inside him, listening to every sound William made.

William moaned – low and aching – pressing back into his hands with a trembling sigh.

And Est felt dizzy with the sound of it – with the heat of him – with the weight of the moment, charged and intimate.

“You’re doing so well,” William breathed – pushing back into his hands as Est worked him open – careful, deliberate, lips dropping to kiss the prince’s shoulders as he went.

“You’re so tight,” Est breathed – lips dragging across William’s throat as the prince arched into him – “You feel amazing.”

“More” William urged – voice breathless – rocking back onto his fingers as Est began to stretch him deeper.

“Yes,” William moaned – breath coming faster – legs spreading for him as Est obeyed his murmured guidance – stretching him deeper, until the prince was rocking his hips onto Est’s hand and whispering filthy encouragements against his ear.

And then – when the prince was trembling with need – William glanced back, lips parted, eyes gleaming.

“Come inside,” he murmured – voice like sin – hands clutching the sheets.
“I’m ready.”

And Est, heart racing, slicked himself thoroughly with trembling hands – moving between William’s legs as the prince wrapped his legs around his waist – dark eyes locked on Est’s face.

“I want you,” William whispered – voice wrecked and trembling with need – “I want you inside me. Fill me up.”

That was all it took.

“I’ll go slow,” he murmured – leaning forward to kiss William’s shoulder as the broad head of his cock pressed carefully against his slicked entrance.

Est pressed the tip of his cock to him – hands trembling – and pushed in slowly, carefully, inch by aching inch until he was seated fully inside him.

And then everything stopped – the world, the sound of his own breath – just long enough for him to feel the heat of William’s body around him, hear the soft gasp that escaped the prince’s lips.

“Oh gods,” Est whispered – trembling at the feeling – hands gripping William’s hips as he held him there.

He stayed buried deep inside, his arms braced on either side of William’s flushed body, his breath hot against the prince’s throat. He could feel William’s heart racing beneath his lips – feel the tremor in the prince’s legs still wrapped around his waist.

The heat of him, the tight, perfect fit, was almost overwhelming. Est had never taken anyone before – not like this. And to have it be him – this beautiful, powerful man, spread beneath him, breathless, eyes dark with desire – it was almost too much.

“Est,” William whispered – voice low, wrecked. His hands roamed up Est’s back, nails scraping lightly, a silent, desperate plea. “Move. Gods, I need you to move.”

And Est obeyed.

He pulled back – slow, savoring the way William’s body clung to him – and then thrust in again, deep enough to draw a shaky moan from the prince’s lips.

“Like that?” Est rasped, voice rough with wonder and want.

“Yes,” William gasped, head tipping back. “Exactly like that. Don’t stop.”

And Est didn’t.

He started to thrust – slow and deliberate at first – leaning down to kiss William’s mouth, his neck, his shoulders as they moved together.

“Yes,” William moaned – hands clawing down Est’s back – meeting him stroke for stroke as Est began to lose himself in the rhythm.

“You’re incredible,” Est groaned – breath hot against William’s skin – hands roaming as they rocked together.

“You too,” William moaned – voice breaking – “Harder. Give me more.”

And Est did – driving into him with deeper strokes – hands gripping him tight enough to bruise as William’s hands fisted in the sheets, his moans going sharp and ragged.

“You feel so good,” Est murmured – kissing him breathlessly as they rocked together – “I can’t get enough of you.”

“Yes – gods – just like that,” William moaned – hands gripping him as his legs tightened around Est’s hips – pulling him deeper – “Don’t stop – please don’t stop.”

And Est never intended to.

Every thrust was deeper – faster – William’s hands gripping him as Est pressed him into the mattress and fucked him harder – every filthy encouragement spilling from William’s lips making Est’s control splinter further.

“You’re mine,” Est growled – lips brushing William’s ear as they moved together – “Every inch of you is mine tonight.”

“Yes,” William moaned – breath breaking – hands dragging him closer – “Gods, yes – take me.”

“You’re so big – I love when you fill me like this – “

Est groaned – lips dragging across his ear – teeth nipping at his neck – hands spreading him wide as he fucked him into the mattress – every filthy slap of skin making William cry out.

Est held him close – chest to chest – one hand gripping his chin to turn his face into a heated kiss as they moved together.

He lost himself – driving into him with aching hunger – hands gripping his hips, mouth tracing every inch of his shoulders – until they were both trembling and slick with sweat.

“You take me so perfectly,” Est growled – voice low and filthy as he felt William shudder beneath him – “That’s it – moan for me – tell me who’s fucking you this deep – “

“You – Est – gods – yes – ” William sobbed – nails scratching Est’s back as he began to tremble – every stroke pushing him higher until he was babbling into Est’s neck, body taut and slick with sweat.

“Come for me,” Est murmured – hands gripping him tighter – “I want to feel you come around my cock – “

And William broke.

With a choked, trembling cry, William came hard – head thrown back, hands clawing at Est’s shoulders as his body spasmed around him – hot and tight and perfect.

And Est didn’t stop.

He bent over him and kept moving – deeper, faster, hands gripping his hips so hard they’d bruise – eyes fixed on William’s face as overstimulation wrung another gasp from him.

“Gods – Est – too much – ” William moaned – trembling as Est kept him pinned and pounded into him, slick heat and wetness allowing him to slide in and out faster, harder.

“You can take it,” Est growled – voice low and dark – leaning down to bite at William’s ear – hands roaming up his chest to pinch and tug his nipples – “You’re so fucking beautiful like this – wrecked and leaking for me – and I’m nowhere near done yet.”

And William could only moan – hands grasping at the sheets as his back arched, body writhing under Est’s relentless thrusts – overstimulated and needy and trembling with every deep stroke.

“You feel so good,” Est groaned – hands firm on William’s thighs to hold him open – “Gods, you drive me crazy – I’m going to fill you up so much you’ll feel me tomorrow – “

“Please – yes – come inside me – fill me,” William moaned – face flushed and eyes glassy with pleasure – his hands trembling as they clung to Est – “Use me – gods – Est – “

And Est lost himself in it – pounding into him with harsh, aching rhythm – every filthy sound driving him closer to the edge.

“You’re mine tonight,” Est groaned – breath catching – hands gripping him like he’d never let go – “Take all of it – “

And with a final deep thrust – and a shattered, wrecked moan into William’s neck – Est came hard inside him, spilling into him in long, hot pulses that had him trembling.

He held himself there – slick and spent and panting – feeling William trembling too, utterly wrecked under him.

Est was still inside him when his hands began to move again – smoothing up the prince’s spine, breath hot against his ear.

“You didn’t really think I was finished with you, did you?” Est growled – voice dark, hands gripping him possessively.

William moaned – already dizzy with sensation – his hands clutching at Est’s arms as he felt him swell again, already hard and eager.

“Gods – Est – you’re – “

“Still want you,” Est cut him off – lips dragging up his neck as he pulled back just enough to make William gasp – then eased all the way out with a filthy, slick sound.

And before William could catch his breath, Est flipped him over.

“On your hands and knees,” Est ordered – voice rough with lust – hands firm on William’s hips to pull him up.

A sharp shudder went through the prince as he obeyed – trembling hands gripping the sheets – breath hitching as Est knelt behind him and ran his hands down his back.

“You look perfect like this,” Est growled – hands spreading him wide – slick fingers teasing him for a breathless moment before Est pressed into him again with one slow, deep thrust.

William gasped – head falling forward – voice breaking. “Est – gods – yes – “

“You like that?” Est groaned – leaning over him – one arm braced on the mattress as he began to move properly – faster this time, every snap of his hips deeper and harder than before.

“Fuck – yes – keep going,” William moaned – hands bunching the sheets as Est began to pound into him in earnest.

“You’re so fucking tight,” Est growled – breath ragged – hands gripping him hard enough to bruise as he fucked him deep and unrelenting – wet, filthy sounds filling the darkened room.

And William’s every sound – every whimper and shaky moan – just pushed Est on.

“That’s it,” Est urged – voice deep and husky – chest pressed to William’s back – one hand sliding up to fist in his hair – “Take it – gods, you feel so good – so fucking good – “

“More – ” William begged – face pressed into the sheets – body trembling as Est drove into him again and again, relentless and rough.

“You want me to stop?” Est groaned – voice dark – kissing the side of his neck even as he kept up that punishing rhythm.

“No,” William choked – hands clawing at the bed – “Never – gods, don’t stop – “

And Est gave him exactly what he wanted – thrusts hard and deep and fast – hands gripping him possessively as the sound of their bodies echoed around them.

“Come for me again,” Est growled – voice low and commanding – one arm slipping around his chest to drag him up against him – “Let me feel you come on my cock one more time – “

And as Est hit that perfect, devastating angle again – William shattered – moaning loud and trembling all over as pleasure wrung him dry.

Est followed a heartbeat later – groaning his release into William’s shoulder – holding him tight as he filled him all over again – every deep thrust drawing out the high until they both finally stilled, chests heaving and hearts racing in the quiet dark.

And as the last tremors faded – Est eased him gently down into the sheets – hands trembling as he pulled him close.

“That was incredible,” Est whispered – voice hushed with awe – pressing a kiss to William’s shoulder as they lay tangled together.

And William – still trembling – let out a breathless, satisfied laugh.

“Yes,” the prince murmured, hands rubbing slow circles into Est’s back as they held each other – “I agree.”

For a few long, unhurried moments, Est remained draped over William, their bodies still tangled together, their hearts slowly settling back into a steady rhythm. The scent of sweat and musk and oil hung warm and close around them.

Gradually, Est eased his hips back and pulled out – slow and careful – his hands stroking down William’s sides as he did. William made a soft, overstimulated sound at the loss – arms trembling as he lowered himself onto his stomach, face pressed into the pillow, chest rising and falling rapidly.

“Shh, I’ve got you,” Est murmured, voice husky but gentle as he kissed along William’s spine. “Just breathe for me.”

And William did – breath evening out, though still trembling. Est shifted immediately to tend to him. With gentle hands, he brushed damp strands of hair from William’s face, lips pressing a light kiss to his temple.

“You were perfect,” Est whispered – so different now, voice all softness and devotion – one hand rubbing warm circles into the prince’s back as he let him settle.

“Mm,” William managed – dazed, utterly spent – his lips curving into the faintest smile. “You didn’t hold back,” he murmured, voice hoarse and pleased.

Est chuckled low and fond. “You told me not to,” he replied.

And then, slowly – as if a switch had been flipped – Est shifted.

He pushed himself up carefully on one arm, eyes already regaining their sharp, focused edge.

“Allow me, Your Highness,” Est murmured – voice calm and measured as though they hadn’t just shattered each other.

Before William could reply, Est was already reaching for a linen cloth and a basin of water left on the bedside table – hands moving with practiced ease as he began to clean the prince’s chest, his belly, then down his trembling thighs.

He moved with quiet, thorough precision – careful and unfailingly polite – his gaze flicking up only once to ask softly, “Was everything to your liking tonight, my prince?”

He spoke in the same tone one might use to ask about dinner or about one’s bath – as if what had just happened between them was merely part of some greater duty.

William blinked up at him, clearly caught off guard.

For a heartbeat, there was blank surprise on his face – lips parted, hands loose at his sides.

And then a slow, bemused smile tugged at his mouth as he studied the earnest set of Est’s brow.

“You really can do everything,” the prince murmured – voice laced with warm amusement.

Est’s hands paused briefly, blue eyes searching him with something close to concern. “Is there anything you would’ve liked for me to do differently?” he asked – quiet and serious. “Anything that could improve your experience?”

That coaxed a soft, genuine laugh from William – low and fond.

“Est,” the prince breathed – reaching up to catch his wrist, thumb stroking gently across his pulse – “you were perfect.”

And then, with a tug that was more gentle than commanding, William drew him back down into the bed.

“You did a wonderful job,” the prince assured him, lips brushing Est’s temple as he tucked him close. “More than I could have hoped for.”

Est stiffened a little at first – not from resistance but from habit – his hands hovering as though uncertain if he ought to stay.

But William’s arm was warm and certain around him, holding him there.

“Rest,” the prince murmured – voice husky with exhaustion and contentment. “That’s an order.”

And at that, Est finally melted into him – tension seeping slowly from his shoulders as he allowed himself to settle against William’s chest.

He listened to the steady rhythm of the prince’s heartbeat, to the gentle rise and fall of his breathing, and felt, for the first time in his life, the strange softness of belonging.

In the quiet of that shared bed – stripped of formality, stripped of fear – Est let his eyes close, the ghost of a smile on his lips as sleep began to pull him under.

And William held him there – close and safe.

____________

There you have it guys – Chapter 2. Full of messy, indulgent smut. The plot will really take off from the next chapter. 

What are you expecting?

Let me know. And of course, ENJOY!