“When I saw you at Monce,” Rupert admitted, “the first thing I thought was that man knows how to have a good time. You were smiling and laughing in a group of people, while I was sitting at one of the tables with Tristan, getting grumpier by the minute. There was a tiny part of me that truly wanted to be someone you would laugh with the way you were with them.”
“That’s so sweet, thank you, Rupert.”
“The more I learn about the man underneath those gaudy robes, the more I’m in awe of you, I genuinely am.”
“Rupert, you are being a sweetheart. Honestly, I’m touched. There’s a good chance I’ll be inviting you to stay for a nightcap tonight if you keep saying sweet things like that. If you were inclined to enjoy something like that with me, of course.”
A nightcap? Does he mean…?Rupert took an extra look at his husband. The heat in Winter’s eyes wasn’t a reflection from the fire, and Rupert had a sudden urge to check that his robe was covering his crotch area. Fortunately, or not, he didn’t have the time to reply. There was a discreet tap on the door and two footmen entered, carrying large trays with their food, which they started to arrange on the waiting table.
Rupert stood, reaching over and offering Winter his hand. “A nightcap shared with you sounds like a lovely idea,” he said softly as Winter rose from his seat. “I’d like nothing more.”
“Me, too, Rupert, dear. Me, too.”
Chapter Nineteen
Winter had spent his lifetime watching other people and picking up cues concerning their moods and emotions through slight changes in their body language. He could tell that Rupert was attracted to him sexually, and that was a bit of a boost. But as they made their way through dinner, which was delicious, chatting about inconsequential things, there was an undercurrent between them that intensified the more time passed.
On the surface, things were very friendly. Rupert shared stories about his various friends, and Winter responded in kind with occasional snippets about his siblings and some of his travels. A pleasant dinner date, in other words, was made easier for Winter since he’d shared the secret that had weighed him down when it came to his husband.
Rupert was horny, that was obvious. His voice deepened as he talked, and his hand on the table was edging closer to Winter’s with every passing minute. The issue Winter was wrestling with was that he wasn’t a hundred percent sure if Rupert’s apparent eagerness for intimate moments was because he hadn’t had a sexual partner since he’d gotten married, or if he had a genuine desire to go to bed with Winter.
The “going to bed” aspect was important. Winter wasn’t about to pleasure his husband and then send him on his way, nor did he expect or want Rupert to get out of bed as soon as the deed was done, assuming Rupert even considered that they would get that far.
A fumble in the outer chamber was also not on Winter’s list of things to do. Winter was prepared to wait if necessary. His ultimate goal was to have Rupert in his bed, prepared to stay there.
Later, after the food was cleared away, they were back in the chairs by the fire. Winter was nursing a small glass of wine. He decided, during a lull in the conversation, that the best way to broach the subject was to ask directly.
None of the information received about Rupert had suggested he’d ever had a male partner before, and as there were some fundamental differences between male and female physiques, Winter wanted some idea about Rupert’s thoughts about intimacy with him. He wasn’t sure how far Rupert wanted to go or what he might expect - if anything.
“Rupert, dear,” he said quietly, stroking up the side of the glass he was holding with a single finger, his look hopefully as seductive as he had planned it to be. “I do believe we’re sharing a nightcap, but I am also aware that here in Simigile, that nightcap usually alludes to more pleasurable connotations.”
Rupert blushed and shifted his feet, managing a nod but not much else.
“I had wondered, given some of the reports I had heard about your behavior before we’d gotten married, if dallying with a male was something that you do on a regular basis? Because if so, I have to admit, you’ve been extremely discreet about it.”
Rupert took a quick sip of his whiskey. He seemed to prefer a tumbler to a glass. “Any liaisons of an intimate nature were typically with women, mostly because…” He trailed off as if worried something he said might cause offense, either to Winter or his previous partners.
“You don’t have to explain.” Winter smiled warmly. “I imagine you attract the attention of many of the women in court. That’s understandable, especially given your rank and previously unmarried status.” Winter hesitated a moment, wondering if Rupert would respond. But his husband was just watching him,and Winter didn’t miss the tightness of his jaw and how rigid his shoulders were.
“I have no issue with your experience with females. I don’t need to hear all the delicious details. I was more wondering what your expectations might be regarding any intimacies in our own relationship.”
Rupert put down his glass with a clunk. “Honestly, I have no idea,” he said. “It has just crossed my mind that I may have given you the wrong idea when I shared how disgusted I was when Tristan offered himself to me. The idea of lying with a male wasn’t the disgusting element, but rather that it was Tristan who was offering himself. Tristan, a man I considered as close to a friend as I could have, and somebody that I hunted with and camped with, but it is not as though he had ever...”
Rupert stopped himself quickly. “Correction. I was going to say Tristan has never seen me naked, but that might have happened. Tristan has definitely seen me in a state of undress, but that has normally been in cases where he might have come to my bedchamber while I was bathing. But I have never touched him. He has never touched me. I have never had a desire for him to touch me…”
“Wait,” Winter interrupted quickly. “Rupert dear, I fear you’re getting off track. When you shared what happened between you and Tristan, I never assumed for a moment that you were against all intimacy between men. You would’ve married a female if the idea of being with a man was completely abhorrent.
“It’s perfectly normal for any person, male, female, royal, or otherwise, to decide they don’t want to engage in sexual liaisons with a particular person. They don’t have to have a reason, and that reason definitely doesn’t have to be because of the gender of that person involved.
“I just wanted to be clear about your expectations, and perhaps I should have been more blunt about it. How much intimate experience have you had with a male person?”
“None,” Rupert said firmly. “Until I got married, I never considered it. Might I also note that as a royal personage, you’re very blunt about matters that are rarely discussed, even, I imagine, between the closest of couples.”
Winter laughed as he could see that Rupert was retreating to his typical crown prince behavior – blunt, firm, a take-no-nonsense tone. Probably designed to be intimidating, but not to someone like Winter.
“I think you’d be very surprised about what close couples discuss behind closed doors, Rupert dear. You were the one who advocated for blunt speaking between us, and I agreed it was a good idea. I can be blunter still - I wish for nothing more than to take you through to my bedchamber, a place that I hold sacred and private. I want for you to lie with me and for us to explore each other and to see where that takes us. But I also want to be sure that if and when..." He stopped for a moment and chuckled.
“It’ll very definitely bewhenwe find our mutual releases and have cleaned up as is necessary between two males - mess is the sign of a good time – but I want to be reassured you’re going to stay afterward. I want to know that you’re going to be in my bed when I wake up in the morning because if you would rather have a quick fumble on these chairs, I may have to rethink my offer of the nightcap.”
