She turns when the door opens again, and Dahlia appears. She says a few words to my girl, but I can’t hear what they are. Then, Dahlia tosses something that glints in the sunlight. My girl catches it easily, and I realize it’s the keys to the orange Jeep in the driveway.
My girl—I shouldn’t be calling her that, but I can’t think of her any other way—waves at Dahlia and heads for the Jeep with a smile.
Now, I’m sprinting. I make it to my bike in ten seconds flat, throwing my helmet and jacket on and straddling the seat. I crank the engine and skid around the corner just as the Jeep disappears around a bend at the other end of the street.
My heart races. I’m speeding down the residential streets, and I don’t care who sees me. When I get the Jeep back in my sights, I release the throttle a bit and slow down. My mouth is dry. My pulse is hammering.
She’s right there.
The woman who’s driving me mad, who won’t tell me her name, who has Dahlia Raventhal lying for her… she’s in the next car.
And I want her.
I’m not even mad anymore. I don’t care about the past, or about the Raventhals. I don’t even care why she doesn’t want me to know her name. I just need her.
I need to make her mine. I need to throw her over my shoulder and carry her back to my bed. I need to fuck her into oblivion until she screams my name.
As she makes her way deeper into the heart of Grimdale, my senses heighten. My blood runs hot, but it’s only at the thought of feeling her body against mine again. She turns down a tree-lined street and I accelerate to catch up. When I turn the corner behind her, the orange Jeep is already parked outside a house.
My girl is walking up to the front door. I pause at the end of the street, flipping my visor up and watching her. She hugs the woman who answers the door, and then disappears inside the house.
Who the hell is she?
That’s the question that propels me forward. Even though every instinct is telling me to hang back, to think, to be smart about this… I need to know. I park my bike behind her Jeep and take a deep breath.
The house is tidy. It’s freshly painted with a lush green lawn. It’s small, but it’s well-kept. I pull my helmet off and hold it in my hand as I peek inside the Jeep.
There’s nothing of note in it—nothing that would tell me who this girl is. I swing my eyes back up to the house as my heart starts pumping.
I have no plan. There are no thoughts in my head except find out who this girl is. My feet carry me to the front door before I can stop myself, once again compelled to ring a stranger’s doorbell just to find the girl I slept with last night.
This isn’t me. I’m not this desperate, out-of-control, girl-crazy guy who chases after women.
Women chase after me.
Being here goes against everything I stand for. I never care. Yet, something about this girl is irresistible. She doesn’t act how I expect her to. She doesn’t move, or dress, or carry herself like any other woman I’ve met.
She’s different.
I like her. I like her a lot more than I’m willing to admit to myself—and a lot more than I should after just an hour with her.
I’m the Prince of Farcliff, though, so fuck it. These people are my subjects, and they will answer the goddamn door and let me in to their house. I have nothing to hide, and nothing to fear.
I ring the doorbell again.
Any second now, I’m going to find out who my mystery woman is, and I’m going to teach her a hard lesson about disobeying me. When I ask her what her name is, she better answer me, or there’ll be hell to pay.
I straighten my shoulders as I hear footsteps on the other side of the door. I’m ready for this. I own the ground beneath my feet.
Whoever she is, she’ll be begging me to fuck her by the end of the day.
But when the door opens, my conviction turns to uncertainty as one of the only men that I truly respect appears in the doorway. Francis Valencia frowns at me, tilting his head to the side.
“Charlie?”
“Francis? What are you doing here?”
He frowns, grinning. “I, uh… I live here. What are you—I mean, pardon my manners. Please, come in,” he stammers. “It’s an honor. Tina!” He calls out over his shoulder. “Set another place at the table. The Prince is here.”
“What?” Someone screams, and the crash of dishes shattering on a hard floor makes us both jump.
14
Elle
Three plates shatter at my feet. I don’t even realize they’ve slipped out of my hands until there’s broken ceramic spread halfway across the floor. Eyes wide, heart thumping, I glance at Tina.
“What did he just say?”
“The Prince, honey. It’s okay, Frank knows him. Don’t move, you’ll cut your feet. I’ll grab a broom.”
“Dad knows him?”
What in holy Farcliff is going on?
Tina appears with a broom just as Frank and the freaking Prince of Farcliff walk into the kitchen. I’m frozen, trapped by the broken plates and unable to move a muscle as the Prince looks me up and down. His eyes are burning so hot I want to disappear, but I also never want him to stop looking at me like that.
“What happened?” My dad asks, glancing at the shards on the floor. “It’s not like you to be clumsy.”
“Don’t worry, Francis, I often have that effect on people.” The Prince smirks at me.
My face darkens as a blush stains my cheeks.
“Are all princes as presumptuous as you?”
I know I shouldn’t speak to him like that, but he’s here in my space. He’s in my life. Prince Charlie isn’t supposed to be here. He can’t be here. I spent the last twelve hours convincing myself I’d never see him again.
“Elle!” Tina says, tutting as she sweeps the pieces of broken plate away from me. “Be respectful. This is our future King.”
“Elle, is it?” Hearing my name on the Prince’s lips does something to my insides, like a bolt of lightning straight to the pit of my stomach. “Nice to formally meet you.”
Frank frowns, not understanding what the Prince means, and I have no desire to explain how informal our first meeting was. I clear my throat as Tina sweeps up the last bit of broken china at my feet.
“Excuse me,” I mutter in a strangled voice, bolting to the bathroom down the hall.
The walls are closing in on me as I lock myself inside. I lean my back against the door, gulping down air as I squeeze my eyes shut.
He’s here. In my parents’ house.
My dad knows him?
I jump at a knock on the door. “Elle?” Frank’s voice is full of concern. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I answer unconvincingly. “Be out in a sec.”
His footsteps fade down the hallway and I take another breath. Glancing at myself in the mirror, I can’t help but wish I’d worn makeup. I didn’t exactly think I’d be seeing the Sex God Prince of Farcliff at my parent’s Grimdale home, though.
I smooth my hair down and tug at my t-shirt. Why didn’t I wear something more flattering? I’m not even wearing a proper bra. Squeezing my eyes shut, I shake the thoughts away.
What happened last night was just a one-time thing. The Prince doesn’t care that I’m wearing an old t-shirt. He had his fun last night, and he’s probably just here to see Frank.
Not me.
That’s what I tell myself with every step that carries me back to the kitchen. It’s an open-plan room, with a small dining table opening up into the living room beyond. My mom is putting out another set of plates as my dad and the Prince play with the dogs outside.
“Are you okay, honey?” Tina asks.
I force a smile. “Just a bit shocked.”
“I was too, when Frank told me the Prince had been helping out at the shelter.”
He what?
Tina shakes her head, smiling. “Prince Charlie has a certain… reputation, and I was shocked that he loves animals so much. He’s really good with them.�
�� She nods to the backyard.
I stare at the two men outside, and damn it, she’s right. One dog is rolling around at the Prince’s feet, and another is sitting beside him, rubbing a big furry cheek on the Prince’s royal freaking leg. Prince Charlie must feel my gaze, because he glances at me and a wicked smile tugs at his lips.
I look away. If Tina notices, she pretends not to.
So, we gather at the table and my nice, comfortable lunch with my adoptive parents turns into a decidedly uncomfortable lunch with the man who screwed me senseless last night.
“How’s training going, honey?” Tina smiles at me, as if this is a normal meal and there isn’t literal royalty sitting to my left.
“It’s good. Coach thinks I have a real shot at winning the singles event at the regatta this year.”
“The Spring Regatta?” The Prince’s eyebrows shoot up.
I force myself to hold his gaze, even though my entire body is burning up. I nod. “Yeah. On the Farcliff U team. I didn’t qualify last season, but I’ve got a real chance this year.”
The Prince frowns slightly, staring at my face more closely, and then nods. His knee brushes mine and a lump forms in my throat. I don’t move my leg, and neither does he. The pressure of his knee against mine makes me want to faint.
I can hardly breathe. Charlie, on the other hand, eats as if nothing is happening.
He’s toying with me.
“Of course you have a chance, Elle,” Frank says. “You’ve done nothing but train since last year.”
“It’s still seven weeks away,” I manage to say as the Prince nudges me with his leg again. “I’ve still got a lot of work to do.”
I can’t taste any of the food I’m putting in my mouth. I’m having trouble stringing simple sentences together, and breathing is becoming a serious problem. It feels like my whole head is bright red, even my scalp. All I can think of is the Prince’s leg touching mine, and how much I never want him to stop.
This is very, very bad.
I turn to the Prince. “I hear you’ve been helping Frank at the shelter?”
I shouldn’t have said anything to him, because now his gaze is on me. His eyes drop to my lips and heat zips through me, settling between my legs. I squeeze my thighs together and force another bite of food down.
“I have. Francis is one of the only people I’ve met that has truly good intentions. I try to do what I can to help.” The Prince tilts his head, looking at me curiously. “Do you always call your parents by their first names?”
I glance at Frank and Tina, smiling. “I’m adopted. But no, sometimes I call them Mom and Dad.”
Tina’s eyes sparkle. “I remember the first time you called me Mom. You were, oh…” she taps her chin with her finger. “You were seventeen years old, I think. I just about died of happiness. Three years it took for her to call us Mom and Dad.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “Takes a lot for me to trust someone.”
“I get that,” the Prince says, his piercing gaze set on me. After a long moment, he glances at Frank again. “How are things at the shelter this week?”
“They’re fine. Same as usual. What we really need is for people to spay and neuter their pets,” Frank points his fork at the three of us in turn. “That would solve most of the issues we have with strays and abandoned animals. It should be a crime not to do it.”
A small smile tugs at my lips as Frank launches into a speech I’ve heard a million times before. He’s right, of course, people should spay and neuter—and he sees the worst of it every single day. All the abandoned, mistreated animals that have nowhere to go—Frank takes care of them. Every time he’s forced to euthanize an animal, he comes home shattered, silent and heartbroken. When he finds a home for one of them—many times right here, until Tina puts her foot down as the house becomes overrun with animals—he’s the happiest man in the Kingdom.
I steal a glance at the Prince. Apparently, he takes care of those animals too. In all the rumors I’ve heard about him, I’ve never heard anything about Prince Charlie liking dogs. It’s always stories about women, and drinking, and fights. Or, when he was younger, they were stories about illicit affairs with older women.
Nothing about volunteering at the Grimdale Animal Shelter.
“I’ve tried to petition the King to do something about it, Francis.” The Prince shakes his head. “He won’t listen. I promise as soon as I’m King, there’ll be some new rules in place when it comes to pets. Your idea for a mobile spay and neuter unit is fantastic. I’d like to provide some funding.”
Frank’s eyes light up more than I’ve ever seen them. “Your Highness, that would be… well, that would be life-changing!”
Prince Charlie nods. “It’s an easy solution to a big problem.” He looks at Frank with a sparkle in his eye. “But I’ll only do it on one condition.”
“What’s that?” Frank asks, his eyebrows tugging together. “Anything.”
“Call me Charlie, for Farcliff’s sake. How many times do I have to say it?”
Frank laughs, shrugging. “Old habits. If it makes you feel any better, I called our new dachshund Charlie.” He motions over his shoulder to the little sausage dog jumping all over the older, bigger animals.
“You named your dog after me?” The Prince grins and I bite back a laugh. “That does make me feel better, actually.”
“He may have named him Charlie officially, but Frank still calls the dog ‘Your Highness’,” Tina laughs. She looks at Frank with such love in her eyes that it makes my heart squeeze.
I stare at Prince Charlie as a laugh brightens his face, and it pulls at my heart. He actually cares about these animals, maybe even as much as Frank does. Sitting here, at our humble dining room table in the heart of Grimdale, it feels like he belongs.
In that moment, I realize I’ve judged the Prince a bit too harshly. There might be more to him than I’d previously thought.
As if he reads my thoughts, Prince Charlie flicks his gaze over to me and sends another wave of heat flooding through my body.
15
Charlie
I don’t remember the last time I had a family meal. It was probably before my mother died, which means I would have been a small child.
I came to this house with the intention of finding out who Elle is… I’d never have imagined she would be Francis and Tina’s daughter.
When the plates are cleared and lunch is finished, Elle gives Tina a hug. “Thanks for lunch, Tina. Delicious as usual.”
“You’re leaving already?”
“We have a team meeting. Coach gave us yesterday afternoon off for the…” Her eyes flick to me. “…for the people who were invited to the Prince’s Ball, so we’re meeting today to get focused again.”
“Okay, well it was good to see you, Elle. Don’t wait so long next time. You should come for lunch every Sunday like you used to.”
Elle smiles, and I feel almost jealous.
I clear my throat as the two of them hug. “I should get going as well,” I stand up and shaking Francis’ hand. “Thank you for having me.”
“It was our pleasure,” Tina wraps me in a big, motherly hug. It surprises me, but after a second I hug her back, squeezing my eyes shut. It’s been a long, long time since someone hugged me like that.
I pull away and take a deep breath. Elle is already at the door, slipping on her shoes. She gives me a quick nod and waves to her parents before slipping out the door. I catch up with her at the Jeep.
“So, no goodbye for me? That’s not very polite. Where’s your respect for your Prince?”
“What are you doing here?” She asks, turning to face me. “Did you follow me?”
“Yes.”
Her eyebrows jump up. She wasn’t expecting me to tell the truth. “Oh.”
“You never told me your name.”
“Do you hunt down every girl you sleep with like this?”
“No, only you.” I take a step closer as her breath hitches. The curtains in
the house’s front window move, and I grin. “They’re watching us.”
“They’re watching you, Your Highness.”
“Charlie.”
“Your Highness.”
“You don’t like doing what you’re told, do you?”
“No more than you like minding your own business.”
I grin. “You want to go for a ride?” I nod to my bike.
Elle’s eyebrows draw together. She inhales, and finally shakes her head. “I actually do have a crew meeting. I wasn’t lying about that.”
“Afterward, then. I’ll pick you up at Farcliff U.”
An irresistible pink flush creeps up her cheeks as she shakes her head. “No, that wouldn’t… That’s not a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“Having the Prince of Farcliff show up to pick me up at a team meeting would be…” Elle bites her lip, searching for the right word. “A distraction.”
“You didn’t seem to mind the distraction last night.”
“That was—”
“That was what?” My eyes narrow.
“Different.” Elle turns her head away and I tilt her chin back to me with the tips of my fingers.
“I thought you were going to say it was a mistake.”
“No,” she whispers. “Never a mistake.”
“So come ride with me tonight. I’ll pick you up at home, so no one sees except Dahlia. She already knows what happened between us, doesn’t she?”
Elle licks her lips, and it takes all my self-control not to kiss her right then and there on her parents’ front lawn. She toys with the car keys between her hands, taking a deep breath. Finally, she lifts her eyes up to mine and nods. “Okay.”
“It’s a date.”
“What should I wear?” She blushes right after the words blurt out and then shakes her head. “I mean… I don’t know. Is that a weird question? Sorry. I don’t really date.”
“My preference is that you wear nothing, but that might not be convenient for riding a motorcycle,” I say, leaning into her. Elle’s eyes glimmer, and I continue. “Wear something you won’t mind getting destroyed when I tear it off that perfect body of yours.”
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