Dateless

by Emily Evans

  I loved the feel of his lips. “I have a ballgown to return and a long walk past security to get to my room.”

  “Stay.”

  I loved that. I slipped away. “I have to go back.”

  “I’ll walk you.” His voice was husky, too.

  “Okay.” I smiled at him

  He took my hand.

  Chapter 24

  Tap. Tap. Tap.

  The knock came against the door to my small Downing Street apartment. I hopped up, wearing my favorite purple eyelet sundress and my biggest smile. I flung open the door, ready to greet Wythe with a…

  Peppa and my sister stood in the doorway.

  That brought me down from the highest euphoric peak to…. I don’t know… to work thoughts and family drama. I’d hoped to never see Peppa again. And my sister… What was she even doing here? It had been so peacefully silent since I’d stopped checking her messages. I didn’t want to see either of them. My insides sank. I tried to put a social smile back on my face, but I couldn’t. This was not how I wanted my morning to go. I wanted to concentrate on the glow in my heart, and Wythe. Nothing else. I wrapped my arms around my waist.

  My sister rushed forward and hugged me, familiar perfume, familiar hug, and it was all super weird.

  “You have a visitor. Visitors aren’t allowed. You know that from the packet. Security couldn’t reach you. I had to go and sort it and escort her upstairs.” Peppa still smelled like cucumbers and rosemary. How had she managed it? Why had she managed it? “Did your sister come to help you pack? Interns should be out by tonight. The packet said that.”

  I ignored her. She’d been irritating and worse all summer. She no longer had any power over me. I wouldn’t pretend she did.

  Felicity looked around. “You really live at Downing Street?” My sister had to be jetlagged, but she didn’t look it. She must’ve changed at the airport because her peach halter dress wasn’t crumpled, and she wore full makeup.

  I ignored her question in favor of one of my own. “What are you doing here?”

  “Our parents reminded me to visit the grandparents before summer’s out.”

  Lie. Did she think I’d still fall for her crap? I arched my eyebrows. Our grandparents were British. We scheduled visits. We did not pop in. My look called her on her untruth.

  Felicity shrugged and shifted on her feet. “I thought I’d surprise you.”

  I’ve never been one for surprises.

  “Visitors are not allowed,” Peppa said.

  I wished she’d just leave.

  “My sister is not deaf,” Felicity said, frowning at the reminder that she was the visitor. Felicity turned from Peppa to me. She waggled her finger. “You haven’t been responding to my texts.”

  And it had been glorious. I shrugged.

  An uncertain expression crossed Felicity’s face at my lack of reaction. I’d normally be responding fiercely by now. That was our dynamic.

  Felicity waved toward the room. “This is rather small. So London, right?”

  The dig didn’t bother me. “Yeah,” was all I said to her. I took a seat on the chair, where I’d draped the blue ballgown before my shower. I scooted the skirt over, so it wouldn’t crumple anymore. I’d be buying this dress from Georgiana. It was now tied to quite a memory.

  Felicity plopped down on the couch, while Peppa hovered at the door. “You’re really staying here? On the property.” My sister sounded both impressed and a little peeved.

  I should have thought to tell her that sooner. It was special that I had gotten to stay here. Historic, really. It didn’t really matter now. “Yep. This is it.”

  Felicity pulled out her phone. She turned it around, so I could see the screen. She stood on the top row with a ton of interns, smiling, in a perfect photo. “Here’s me with the White House interns.”

  “Good for you.”

  “It was a really big deal. The White House, you know.”

  I really didn’t care.

  “Ours was, too,” Peppa said. “For those who made the cut.”

  I’d hoped Peppa would leave, but she still stood there. Either she thought Felicity was a security risk or she wanted her gray eyes in my business.

  “Good for you both.” I didn’t mean it or not mean it. I knew Felicity would make the photo; it wasn’t a surprise. I licked my lips and put it out there. “I didn’t make the intern photo here.” Then I shifted my gaze to Peppa, letting my eyes go hard enough so that she’d know I should have been included. Peppa shifted and looked down at her feet.

  Felicity smirked, not even trying to hide her gloat. She’d won; I’d come in second again.

  I would say I’d learned from the British to keep my pain on the inside, and that I was keeping up this cool exterior on purpose, but I wasn’t. I wasn’t annoyed at the smirk. It was so weird how Felicity’s smirk didn’t have any power over me. If anything, it amused me. I’d done my best here. I hadn’t let Wythe down as a friend. We’d ended up together, which was crazy sweet icing on a scone. I loved London. I loved him. Life was good.

  Felicity eyed my blue ballgown.

  I’d no doubt drawn her attention by toying with it. It was silk, how could I not? Silk, which just the night before had been pressed against Wythe’s tuxedo as we kissed. I felt a blush start in my cheeks, and I beat away those thoughts.

  “I don’t recognize that dress,” Felicity said. “Gorgeous. Where’d you get it? Did you buy it here?” She wanted me to fight. To defend the cost. To justify the extravagance. There was really so much power in not engaging. Who knew? How very… freeing. I tilted my head back in the chair and just looked at her, not responding, as if her questions were uncouth or intrusive.

  Tap. Tap. Tap.

  Peppa opened my door.

  The PM entered. Felicity and I popped up. This morning had just gotten weirder. Peppa stepped back, her gray eyes big.

  Felicity knew who the PM was right away. She went to my side and elbowed me, her mouth gaping. Prime Ministers must see that look so frequently they thought open-mouthed expressions were normal, like everyone had excessive whites to their eyes and showed their gums. I introduced them.

  The PM was polite but only focused on me. “I cannot thank you enough for this summer. For your contributions.” Heat crawled up my neck to my face. I hadn’t been a perfect intern. I wasn’t the worst. Well, with the gym’s fire alarm and the dog show’s alarm, I may have been the worst, but my intentions had been good. Peppa neither contradicted the PM nor added to the PM’s thanks.

  “What you did for Caroline.” The PM shook her head. “If I’d known a puppy would make her calm down, I would have gotten her a dog years ago.” She wrinkled her nose. “They prefer cats here, and I thought when Caroline was older, and I was out of office, then she could get a dog. Who knew how much she needed a pet?” It was a politician’s way of saying she’d been wrong without saying she was wrong. “She just adores little Teacup.”

  I was glad for Caroline. I knew what a dog meant. I was getting Trapper back when I went home.

  Tap. Tap. Tap. I went over to the door. My little room couldn’t really hold more guests.

  Wythe.

  I beamed at him. Coy was probably called for, but I beamed at him.

  “Hey.” Wythe grinned at me, a silly smile, a happy smile. I loved it. “You look…”

  Felicity cleared her throat.

  Wythe spared a glance around the room, and his smile turned to a slight frown at the crowd. I gave a quick introduction to Felicity.

  “Good Morning, Wythe. I was just praising Kira here for helping out with Caroline.” The PM turned to the door and looked back at me. “If there’s anything I can do for you…”

  I shook my head. “I have everything I need,” I said, and I meant it.

  Wythe held up his hand. “Recall the intern photo. Kira missed it while helping me, so she wasn’t in it. Arrange a reshoot.”

  I appreciated that he suggested it, treasured it, but I shook my head again. “I
t doesn’t matter.”

  “If she doesn’t care about the photo, there’s no sense in calling everyone back,” the PM said.

  Peppa cleared her throat. “Prime Minister. There is something you need to know.” She looked hard at me.

  Geez. Really. Don’t. Whatever mess you’re trying to stir up, Peppa, just don’t.

  “The fraternization rule.” Peppa looked at Wythe. His face was expressionless, but his jaw had tightened, and his eyes had a hard edge. I tried to keep my own face from flushing, but that was not possible. Peppa cleared her throat. “The fraternization rule was broken. Between your son and Kira. They are dating.” She said it like she was announcing that an overly large underground rat had crawled up to Downing Street from the river and was dripping water on the rugs.

  The PM scrunched her face. “Good for you two.” She frowned at Peppa. “That’s really their personal business, isn’t it?” The PM tapped her fingertips together. “Peppa, make that intern photo reshoot happen. But understand, Kira’s getting the photo for helping Caroline.” She smiled big and gave me a hug. “If she wants a photo for dating Wythe, we’ll make that more of a family photo.”

  I stood there, not knowing what to do. Relief. Comfort. Joy. Who knew London would be so emotional for me?

  The PM left.

  Wythe came over to me and put his arm around my shoulders. He kissed the side of my head. “We will do that.”

  “I’ll sort it.” Peppa choked on the words. “The intern photo, that is.”

  Wythe squeezed my hand. “Come find me when you’re done here?”

  I nodded and watched him. My heart panged. How could I miss him already? I had it bad.

  “He’s being really nice. Probably because you aced that class at Oxford together. I could have helped him with that.” Peppa went to the door. “I’ll arrange the shoot. It’s not really appropriate to call everyone back together at the last minute, but it looks like I’ll have to.” She left, too, finally, leaving me there with my sister.

  “You’re going to Oxford?” Felicity said. “You’re dating the Prime Minister’s son? We’re twins. How do I not know any of this?”

  “Why do you think?”

  Felicity shifted and looked away.

  “I’m over the competitive thing.” And I was. She’d have to engage all by herself. “I have a lot to sort out here. I’ll walk you out. You can do some sightseeing or something. We can meet up for tea before you leave.”

  Felicity nodded. “He is hot.”

  “Yeah.”

  Felicity left with that. No jabs.

  All I’d had to do was not react to her. But I hadn’t been able to do that until I was satisfied with my lot. I was more than satisfied really. I was happy. I was going to go find Wythe, and my intern photo shoot would happen. To quote Jane Austen, I was “completely, and perfectly, and incandescently happy.”

  ***

  A week later, I was packing for home and I found my paperback copy of Unicorn Romance. I’d finished it, but it wasn’t really something I wanted to pass on to another reader or leave behind. Yeah, it was that embarrassing of a read. But it was a fun escape.

  Wythe would be packing now, too. Or his staff would. He’d miss his staff in America. But he’d like it there. Or would he bring his staff with him? That was his concern now. I wasn’t his intern anymore. I didn’t know exactly what life would look like with us together at college in America, but I was excited to find out. Turns out a P.M. could get a kid into a University in America as easily as she had here.

  I thumped the spiral unicorn horn on the book’s front cover. Ha. I flipped through the pages, looking for the section on hoof clinking and folded down the top corner, dog-earing the pertinent Unicorn Romance scene. Wythe had to see this. I trekked downstairs to his rooms.

  Tap. Tap. Tap.

  I went in, waving the book.

  Wythe sat in his window seat, one knee up, one leg out, his foot square on a woven daffodil.

  “I thought I’d show you something.”

  “Absolutely.” He pulled me on top of him, so I was on his lap. I leaned into his shoulder and showed him the book.

  Wythe checked out the unicorn lovers on the cover and shook his head. “No.”

  I thumped the spine. “Listen to me read some, and I’ll give you a kiss.”

  His voice thickened. “A bribe?”

  “If you like. It’s your choice.”

  His mouth twitched. “Sometimes, you sound so American.”

  “And you always sound so British.”

  His fingers trailed up my forearm. “And you like it.”

  “I do like it.” I held the book up. “I love your accent. Your voice, really. Maybe even as much as you love me.”

  “Impossible.” His blue gaze was serious and possessive. He brushed a quick, stirring kiss against my lips.

  I tapped the book on his arm before we got crazy distracted.

  He looked at the cover, and he couldn’t deny the recognition that flashed in his expression.

  I knew I had him. I leaned into his shoulder, relaxing against him so we could both see the page at the same time.

  I read to him.

  Brady-corn entered the forest. The mossy undergrowth tugged at his hooves, sending shimmers of pleasures through up to his horn.

  Wythe groaned.

  “Shush, if you’re going to engage in interspecies hoof clinking at public libraries, you should understand what it means.”

  Wythe ran his hand over my arm. The weight and warmth distracted me for a moment. Then I powered on.

  Brady-corn said, “Aurelia-corn, you deign to meet me?”

  Aurelia-corn turned her head away.

  “Forgive me. The forest nymph was… Well, she was…”

  I raised my head. “The forest nymph backstory was…”

  “I get the gist. Go on.” Wythe motioned to the book. “If you must.” He performed a rubbing motion with his hand against my back, moving it up and down slowly. It was almost enough to make me toss the book aside. Almost. I drew in a breath.

  “A mistake?” Aurelia-corn asked, feisty anger in her voice.

  “She was not you. Not you,” Brady-corn said passionately. “Not you. You are my mossy bed, my tavern, my cavern.”

  “Oh. Oh. Brady.” Aurelia-corn covered her mouth with her hoof. Then, slowly, surely, she bent her left back knee, and she raised her hoof in offering.

  Brady-corn stumbled forward. Eagerness rushed his body. In one smooth, magical motion, he knocked hooves with her.

  They shimmered into human form and fell upon the spongy forest ground and each other in a great tangle of unbridled passion.”

  “Unbridled? Really?” Wythe asked.

  Humor bubbled through me. “Yep.” I closed the book. I had to tease him. “See, so when you extended your hoof to that reader in the library, you were consenting to shimmer into human form and go at it there in the lobby.”

  “I got it. But I was not agreeing to slake anything.” His voice was deep and dry and amused.

  “You sort of were.”

  “I was not.”

  I laughed. “Ignorance of the law is no excuse…”

  Wythe pulled me closer and let his hands roam higher, making the words a challenge. “Read me some more.”

  THE END

  Secret Series Books by Emily Evans

  Dateless (Kira & Wythe) – Secret Series Book 1

  Perfect (Georgiana & Zane) – Secret Series Book 2

  Dating the Quarterback (Sterling & Chelsea) – Secret Series Book 3

  Dating the Duke (Imogen & Thorn) – Secret Series Book 4

  Other Young Adult Romance by Emily Evans.

  Accidental Cinderella

  Accidental Billionaire

  The Accidental Movie Star

  The Accidental TV Star

  Accidental Action Star

  Accidental Rock Star

  Dancers, Quitters, and Garden Gnomes

  The Boarding School Exp
eriment

  Prep School Experiment

  Do Over

  Stay

  The Prince with Amnesia

  Whenever

  Acknowledgments

  Considering all the quotes, I’ll share another one. This one from my brother Wayne—who told me, “Stop talking about writing, and just do it.” So, chase down your dreams, readers.

  Thanks! You’re awesome: Michelle, Gail, Teresa, Veronica, Jennifer, Stacy, Joellen, Barbie, Nash, Brennan, Joseph, Megan, Wayne, Mishann, Rachel, Darlene, Jeff, Heather, Trevor, Mom, Dad, and all my supportive aunts, uncles and cousins. I’m so lucky to have you in my life.

  Thanks to the wonderful editor Tracy Seybold!