“I'll see you arrested,” Francis spat at him. “And that you're thrown out of the country. You have no idea what kind of power I wield, but don't think I won't hesitate to use every resource I have to destroy you.”
That made Angelo laugh. “I'm a prince, you worthless drizzle of piss, and not one of those poor ones with a title and nothing else. Your father owns a huge estate? My father owns an entire country. There's nothing you can do to me, including trying to have me deported, that wouldn't cause an international incident. Considering my country has several trade agreements with the UK, I have a feeling even your father wouldn't get far. We've got way too much oil and we're a far more reasonable trading partner than the Saudis. And then there's all that tea, coffee, and cocoa beans we export to you.” Angelo grinned, showing all of his perfect, white teeth. “There's no reason why Tanzhir can't take its trade elsewhere. Our trade alliance with the UK is old, but not set in stone, and other countries have already expressed interest in being preferred trading partners.”
Francis looked a bit dazed, which might have been from bumping his head, or possibly he hadn't been expecting a lecture on trade when all he'd set out to do was bully a foreigner.
“Bollocks,” he said, but he didn't sound sure.
Angelo shrugged. “Believe it or don't. It doesn't matter.” He slammed Francis again against the stone wall. “But stay.” Thud. “The hell.” Thud. “Away.” Thud. “From Yuri.” Angelo let Francis go and he staggered away. “And if you come back to bother him, I will end you. Now bugger off.”
But Francis had stopped paying attention to Angelo. He looked over his shoulder. “Sweetheart. I'm over here! Do tell your over-eager attack dog to stand down.”
Angelo turned and there stood Yuri, an incredulous look on his face. Behind him stood two “students” whose eyes and stances gave themselves away as disguised bodyguards. They weren't doing anything yet, but both looked to be poised to step in the second they were needed.
“Fuck,” Angelo said.
9
Yuri Gets a Taste
Yuri had never been so simultaneously irritated and turned on in his entire life.
Angelo had never been like this in public, never been so brash and emotional. At least not when it came to Yuri. He found it pleasing in a way it shouldn’t have been. It wasn’t that Yuri was in love with Angelo, exactly. He was just there. He’d always been there. The boy, and then the man, who dangled just out of his reach like Tantalus’ grapes. He’d come to terms years ago that Angelo would never desire him in any way that Yuri wanted or needed. He’d done his best to shut off the part of himself that had yearned for Angelo for years. Francis had helped him a great deal toward that goal. At first. Before—
Yuri shut the thought down. This wasn’t the time. “What the bloody hell is going on? Someone knocked on my door and told me you were fighting out here. What the actual fuck, guys?”
A small crowd, Yuri noticed, had started to gather, despite the two students behind him that tried to get everyone to disperse. His heart plummeted. This confrontation would first be gossip, and then news that made it back to his parents.
“I was coming to see you,” Angelo said, “because I was worried you hadn’t responded to my texts. Then out of nowhere, Lord Dickface grabbed me. I was just giving him some friendly advice.”
“Right,” Yuri muttered. “Francis, we broke up. I don’t want you here.”
Angelo looked triumphant at that while Francis looked sulky. “I wanted to talk to you about that, but I couldn’t get in to see you. I thought that your betrothed might be able to get me in.”
“And why the fuck would I do that?” Angelo asked belligerently.
“Because we all know it’s a sham!” Francis exclaimed, making Yuri’s heart sink even lower. He was so, absolutely, buggered. “The idea of you being betrothed to Euripides is obscene. You’re not gay and he—oof!” Francis stopped speaking after Angelo slammed him into the stone wall, knocking the breath out of him.
Angelo gave Francis another shove and the other man stumbled and then fell onto the lawn. Angelo stalked over to Yuri and glowered at him. Yuri’s pulse tripled in speed and force.
“Careful, your highness,” one of the students/probable bodyguards said. “I’ve got orders to protect Prince Euripides from everyone. That includes you.”
“Sod off, Charlie,” the other one said. “Prince Angelo doesn’t count. Unless you see him lift a finger to hurt the prince, you keep your hands off him.”
Great. Not only were Angelo and Francis fighting over him, now these bodyguards were, too. Yuri had never noticed them before, but that was the point. They stayed eternally in the background until they were needed. Yuri wished they’d remained his unobtrusive shadows today.
Meanwhile, Angelo leveled his furious gaze at Charlie, the probable bodyguard. “Just where the hell were you when your prince needed you? Why did you let—”
“Angelo!” Yuri barked and Angelo fell silent, his cheeks and ears gone red. “Enough.” Yuri clutched his now aching head and closed his eyes. “God. This is a nightmare.” There would be no containing the scandal. Absolutely no way.
Yuri felt gentle hands slip under his to cradle his head. Without opening his eyes, he knew it was Angelo. It was his heat, his touch, and most of all, his familiar scent. It was unfair, so completely unfair, that Yuri couldn’t melt into the arms that held him.
“It’s not a sham,” Angelo said, but not loudly. Then his mouth was on Yuri’s and they
