Amongst Thieves

17.

Surprisingly, Ress was waiting for Maize when she returned to her room.

And unlike Maize, he looked like he had the best night's sleep of his life.

"And where were you?" he asked as he rose from the cushioned chair in the room's small sitting area.

"Not sleeping with my former best friend," she informed him as she closed the door tight behind her.

His eyes widened. "How did you know?"

"Because I heard you all the way up here?"

His jaw dropped and Maize couldn't hold back her laughter.

"Calm down. I went looking for you last night and happened to be lucky enough to come across you mounting Cade in your quarters. You really need to make sure your door is latched before you start your romps, otherwise I would have just walked by thinking you were just another servant getting in their nightly tryst.

"You stayed to watch?"

"Only for a minute. If I didn't already know your history I would have invited myself in."

Ress unceremoniously collapsed back on the chair. "Oh gods, Maize, what have I done?"

"Other than fuck Cade?" she asked as she moved to her armoire, looking for something to wear that would be comfortable enough to get her through a day of sleep-deprived court life.

"He came to me!"

"You could have said no."

"He was very insistent."

"All the more reason."

"He said he missed me."

"I'm sure the years of guilt have worn on him."

"And he said he was sorry."

She paused. "You heard him out?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder back at him.

Ress nodded. "Every last word."

"And you believed him."

"I wouldn't have brought him to bed if I didn't."

She sighed, deciding on a simple green velvet dress with a scooped ned and long sleeves. Maize would have been nothing short of a hypocrite if she challenged him further. "Then who am I to question your judgment."

"You're plenty."

She turned to face him, and he was watching her intently. "Just please don't do anything that will compromise this mission."

"Have I ever?"

"No. Usually, it's me who's the cause for concern, but with Cade now in the mix, there are going to be even more people who don't need to know why we're really here."

"Says the one who seems to have the Prince's full and undivided attention."

Maize pursed her lips as her cheeks reddened.

Ress raised his brows while watching her. "Where were you last night anyway?"

"Not fucking my former best friend."

"Yes, we've been over that. And I'll make it up to you, I assure you. But you said you came to look for me, and then left when you figured out what was going on... but you didn't come back here. Where were you?"

"How do you know I didn't come back here?"

"Because once Cade left to return to his wife, I came here looking for you."

"For a second round?"

"You tell you how stupid of a thing I had just done."

"I could have been indisposed."