Lily said to me, “Don’t you dare let him talk about the prince like that!”

But I was feeling so angry.

The words Evan was saying probably should have offended me. At other times, I would’ve been protective of anyone speaking ill of Nolan, ever.

But Evan squeezed my hand, and all I felt from him was love.

“Thank you,” I told him. “But that won’t be necessary. I love you for offering, though.”

Lily didn’t appreciate the joke.

“Nolan is your mate,” she growled at me. “How can you let this wolf say such a horrible thing about him?”

But Lily didn’t always get to be the boss of me. I told her to be quiet.

“I love you too, Yena,” Evan replied. “I’d do anything for you, you know.”

“I do know. Thanks.”

Evan slipped his hand out of mine and stood up.

“So, what do you say we do something fun today?” he asked. “Something different, that’ll take your mind off this bullshit?”

“That’s sweet,” I answered. “But like what?”

“I dunno.” Evan started stretching his arms, swinging them around as he walked across the room. “We could go to that old ice cream shop we used to go to, back when we were kids.”

“Is that place still there?”

I smiled, remembering it. It was a tiny, narrow, brightly lit shop about an hour’s drive away in a sleepy little beach town, where Peter and Tina had taken us a few times for day trips. I hadn’t been there in years.

“Think so,” Evan said, “but I haven’t been in forever. Probably not since last time you and I drove down, that weekend after I got my license. Remember?”

I looked at the window instinctively, thinking about the weather. Of course, the curtain was pulled tightly closed over it, and I already knew it was just pitch dark outside.

“It’ll be cold today,” I said.

Evan laughed. “When is it not? Think it’s ‘sposed to be dry, at least, so safer for a drive.”

“You know what, that sounds like a great plan. But let’s go for our morning run, first? I need to earn the calories for the ice cream.”

Evan didn’t respond right away. He went over to the door and started fidgeting with the doorknob, looking anxious all of a sudden.

EVAN

“Sure,” Evan said. “Yeah, that’s a good idea.”

He’d been wondering if Yena would want to work out with him again, after last time. Their moment in the woods.

It kind of surprised him when she casually brought it up like this, like nothing had happened…

“I’m going back to sleep for now, though.” Yena laid her head down on the pillow.

“Yeah, you get some more rest. Just meet me downstairs when you’re ready to go.”

She yawned. “You’re not gonna go back to bed?”

Evan sighed.

He wished he could jump into Yena’s bed with her. Fill the space between her backside and the wall with his long, slender body, and press himself up against her…

“Nah,” he said. “I might go do weights in the garage. I’ll make you some fresh coffee later, so it’ll be ready when you’re up.”

“Mm-kay,” Yena muttered sleepily. Her eyes were already closed tight again.

Evan shut the door gently behind him and went back to his room to change and start getting ready for his day. He sure didn’t want to lie down alone in his own cold bed right now.

Downstairs, he started a space heater warming up the garage then made a pot of coffee for himself.

He didn’t really need help feeling awake. Talking to Yena had gotten him wired. But he was also feeling scatter-brained and spacey, and needed to find some way to get focused.

Getting going on his weightlifting routine helped a little. Evan counted his reps out loud as he went, getting into a zone with the workout… getting out of his thoughts and into his body.

But when he took a break and headed back into the kitchen for a glass of water, Evan found Yena was there already.

“Couldn’t get much more sleep,” she said when he came walking in, panting and sweaty.

She was sitting at the kitchen table, wearing a fluffy bathrobe over her pjs and sipping coffee from her Y mug. A fresh pot was brewing on the counter.

Evan nodded at her, still catching his breath. He got a glass and filled it with water from the sink.

His face was glazed with sweat. He lifted the collar of his shirt and mopped his face dry with the fabric. Something he did all the time.

He looked up and was surprised to see that Yena was looking at him… actually, she was staring at his abs.

He dropped his shirt and Yena averted her eyes.

She bent her face to her coffee mug and drained the last bit of liquid from it, slurping noisily.

Evan felt compelled to look away, too. He cleared his throat.

“Sorry you couldn’t sleep,” he said. “Too cold?”

Yena nodded. “Yeah, I don’t know… maybe I got spoiled at the palace.”

“Well, that sounds like something that could happen,” Evan said with a chuckle.

Yena laughed too, then sighed dramatically.

“You done with your weights?” she asked.

Evan had only been halfway through his intended workout.

He shrugged and said, “Could be. It’s still a bit early to start running, though. Still dark out.”

He looked out the window. The sky’d been black a few minutes ago, but it was starting to get a little lighter with that early glow that came before the sunrise.

“Just come sit and have some coffee with me,” Yena said.

Evan got himself a fresh cup and then went to sit next to her at the table, like she’d asked.

“Ooh,” she said, right before he sat down. “Refresh mine?”

She held her empty mug out to Evan and gave him an innocent smile.

“Of course, Princess,” he said, winking at her.

Something about calling her that, though… it made a strange look flash across Yena’s face. He couldn’t tell exactly why. Maybe because she wasn’t going to be the princess much longer.

Evan poured Yena’s coffee with his back to her and silently reprimanded himself.

He didn’t mean to, but he’d gone and made her start thinking about Nolan yet again.

He brought over her coffee, along with milk and whipped cream from the fridge, and joined Yena at the table.

“You know what the best part of coming home has been?” Yena asked. She poured milk into her steaming coffee.

“What?”

She turned and looked Evan in the eye and said, “You.”

It made his chest feel tight. Like if he tried to reply, no words would’ve been able to come out.

Yena shook the whipped cream can, then made a big pile of it on top of her coffee. Then, of course, she tilted her head back and filled her mouth with it, too.

She looked at Evan and giggled, struggling to keep her lips closed over all the whipped cream while laughing.

“Alright. Me too.” Evan opened his mouth wide.

Yena put the nozzle just inside his mouth and pushed it down. Filled up his mouth with whipped cream. And – definitely on purpose – held it down just a little too long.

Yena cackled, and Evan did his best to hold back his own laughter, trying to swallow down as much of the cream in his mouth as possible, and wiping away the extra that Yena had sprayed on his lips and chin.

“Nice,” he said when his mouth was clear enough. “Very mature.”

He licked his lips.

“I’m sorry,” she said, smiling big. “I couldn’t resist.”

Then she reached out and wiped the side of his lip with her thumb, rubbing off a rogue bit of whipped cream. And then put it into her own mouth and sucked it clean.