Page 35 of Idaho

"Too late, Duchess, but it's fine. I'll take you."

"O-okay." She gave Thomas a weak smile as he left.

Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I shot Toxic a text to let him know Thomas was leaving and to see if he could have someone make sure he got off the property. The door shut behind Eva's bodyguard, leaving us alone. She looked so damn cute, wringing her hands together as she tried to decide what to do with herself.

"I'm going to go take a shower and make my bed," she said, breaking the silence between us.

"I could help you."

The scandalized look on her face made me laugh. "With the sheets, Duchess. Though if you need someone to scrub your back, I have no problem doing that either." It wasn't unusual for me to flirt, but I had to be careful. The way her cheeks pinkened at my words made me want to grab her and see how much I could make her blush.

"That's okay," she told me, voice prim and proper. "I can handle it on my own, thank you."

I dipped my chin down to my chest as she sailed past me. She was all grace and pride, and I couldn't help but watch her out of the corner of my eye until the door to the master suite closed. Sighing, I tilted my head back, staring at the ceiling, and tried not to think about how fucking perfect she was.

I wasn't fool enough to think that the guys weren't making bets now on whether I was going to give in and fuck the gorgeous woman in the room next door. But now, knowing who she was, Lock was going to kick my ass if he found out I was even thinking about her like that. There was a speech in my future about what would be expected of me when it came to watching over her. Not that he usually interfered in anyone's sex life, but when you had a true blood royal in the house, expectations were different.

Shoving off the counter, I went and sat on the couch. I'd move over some of my stuff later. For now, I needed a fucking nap. I stretched out, folding my arms behind my head, resting my boots on the cushions, and closed my eyes. Priest had done a damn good job of finding furniture that was big enough for men of our sizes. This would be a comfortable place to sleep. Not that I needed comfort. During my time in the special forces, I'd slept in the sand with my head on my pack. I could pretty much sleep anywhere and ran on very little of it anyway. It served me well in civilian life.

I must have dozed off because I woke up to the sound of Eva's door opening. She walked out wearing the same clothes, but her hair was wet and pulled up into a ponytail. Her face was glowing and she looked even younger than she was.

"Hey."

She jumped at the sound of my voice and spun around to face me. "Oh, I didn't know you were still here," she said, hand over her chest as though trying to calm her racing heart.

"Sorry." I sat up, swinging my legs over the side of the couch and resting my elbows on my knees. "Didn't mean to scare you."

"It's fine." She gave me a small smile. "I'm just a little jumpy."

"No wonder why." I looked at the watch on my wrist. "Why don't I make you some breakfast, then you can lay down and sleep for a while?" It was only noon. "You have a long time before the party tonight. We can go get your stuff in a few hours."

"That sounds lovely." She went and sat at the table, watching me expectedly.

I chuckled inwardly as I stood and went into the kitchen. "Do you know how to cook?"

She blinked at me then at the stove as I set two pans on it. Priest had this place fully stocked with everything but food. We'd have to stop by the grocery store after we went to pick up her stuff.

"Not really," she said, answering my question.

"Thought not." I was decent in the kitchen, but it wasn't anything to write home about. Mostly I'd been taught to cook serviceable meals, so I wouldn't starve to death if the cook I hired quit. "Wait here a minute." I walked to the door and opened it, then turned and gave her a piercing look. "Seriously, don't move."

"Where are you going?"

"Shopping."

I left her sitting there, looking confused, then walked down the hall. I didn't bother to knock on the door that I knew was Lock's apartment. It wasn't locked, so I went right in. Rummaging through his fridge, I pulled out everything I would need for breakfast.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Lock growled from behind me as he came in.

I didn't bother turning around. "Making Eva breakfast."

"And you couldn't do that in your own fucking kitchen?"

"No food," I told him as I shut the fridge and turned to face him. My hands were full of the food I'd pilfered. "We'll get groceries in a few hours. I'll replace what I'm taking." I started to walk past him, but he stopped me with a hand on my arm.

"I'm not a fucking idiot, Idaho."

My brows shot up. "Okay."