(GAVIN)
I don't want to walk into breakfast with the other Alphas. I already know how this conversation is going to go.
If it were up to me, I would've continued to lie in bed with Liora all day, but she has a schedule to follow, and so do I.
As I get ready to go to the room that the four of us have breakfast in… together… every day, I feel my heart hammering in my chest.
This is bizarre. We are sharing a woman! A beautiful, intelligent, sexy woman.
I straighten my tie and think about how amazing Liora felt. I am one lucky bastard to be the one who got to claim her virginity.
No matter what happens in the contest, whether or not I impregnate her and become the next king, or I end up losing, no one will ever be able to take that memory from us, the night we shared when she surrendered herself to me, and I was the first man ever to feel her body wrapped around his.
With a deep breath, I head down the hallway, hearing voices from behind the heavy wooden double doors as I approach. I have a feeling I am the last to arrive.
Walking in, I pause in the doorway as a hush falls over the other three Alphas. They are all staring at me, wide-eyed.
Waiting.
I clear my throat. "Good morning, gentlemen," I say, assuming my regular seat at the table. "What are we having today?" The castle chefs always serve us a ton of delicious food every morning, and I am starving.
Having sex always takes a lot out of me.
The others say nothing, only exchange glances. I know what they want, but I'm not going to be the first to volunteer it.
"Pancakes? Omelettes?" No one answers. "Gosh, I hope it's not chicken." The urge to meow comes to mind, and I can't help but laugh.
"What the hell is so funny?" Theo asks.
"Oh, it's an inside joke," I tell them. "You would've had to be there." "An inside joke between you… and Liora?" Leo asks, and I can see in his eyes that he's jealous.
I shrug. "Well… yeah. Don't worry. You'll get your chance to impress her with your wit." I'm not smiling anymore. The realisation that Leo will be taking my place next to Liora in bed–inside Liora in bed–later today makes my stomach tighten.
I don't think I'm a fan of this arrangement.
He nods. "That's true. I will be getting my chance. Soon." He grins at me.
I swallow hard as a servant girl brings us huge plates of eggs, bacon, and biscuits. She smiles at each of us, her grin a bit seductive, but she's not that pretty, and we all ignore her. Even if she was pretty, all any of us can think about is Liora.
And this servant girl has a disproportionately large nose. None of us really likes a girl with a giant schnozz.
"Well, I guess you're not going to tell us anything then?" Nico asks as he spreads his napkin in his lap.
Picking up my fork, I say, "What is there to tell? Don't worry, guys. It was all business. Liora is… a professional."
"Are you calling her a whore?!" Leo's silverware clatters onto his plate.
I roll my eyes as I attempt to disarm him. "Of course not," I dismiss. "I mean, she was very much aware that we were just… doing what we were asked to do. It's not like there was any… emotion involved."
"There wasn't?" Theo sounds surprised. "With you?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask him, no longer interested in my food.
"Nothing," he assures me. "It's just… you're kind of an emotional guy by nature, Gavin. You wear your heart on your sleeve."
"That's not true," I argue, and the other two laugh and nod in agreement with Theo. "Well, it doesn't matter," I tell them. "What's done is done, and now it's everyone else's turn." I force a smile to my face, but I'm sure it looks like a grimace.
"Well, I would thank you for passing the baton," Leo begins, picking his fork back up, "but I wouldn't want anyone to be confused about which one of you I'm planning to sleep with tonight. I'll take the gorgeous blonde girl, thank you very much."
That got another laugh out of the others, and I chuckle a bit, too, just trying to seem normal. He wouldn't have to worry about touching my baton. That isn't how I swing.
But then… he will be touching Liora. Everywhere.