“You’re what?”
“I’m leaving. Next week, I leave for the United States, then maybe Farcliff, Canada, and who knows? I want to see the world.” She glances at me, her bright, wide eyes peering deep into my soul. “I applied to a bunch of music schools, but I haven’t gotten into any of them. Most of them didn’t bother replying. Could be a blessing in disguise. This way, I can just leave and see where the wind takes me.” She lets out a long sigh. “I’m thinking I’ll start with Los Angeles. It’ll be relatively warm there, so not too much of a shock to my system after growing up in the Caribbean. I’ll see if I can get a record deal, or at least make some contacts in the music industry. If not, who knows? I can do something else. I always wanted to be a singer, but maybe I’m just not good enough.”
“Bullshit,” I answer. My chest is tight. Cara’s leaving? For good? First my mother, then Luca, and now Cara, too? I clear my throat. “Your voice is amazing.”
“Not according to the dean of admissions for most of the top schools in North America.”
“Whatever. Screw them. Sing me something. I’m your future King.”
“Playing the King card now, huh?” She grins, shaking her head. “What if I refuse?”
“I’ll make you walk the plank. I’ll tie you up to the mast and never let you leave.”
Cara’s laugh rings out in the silent night. “So, life as normal, then. Trapped here to do someone else’s bidding.”
My eyes prickle and a lump forms in my throat. I wasn’t expecting that. It takes me a few seconds to compose myself. “Is this because of Luca?”
She answers with a sigh.
In a way, I’m happy for her. I think Cara deserves to make a new life for herself. She stopped singing around the time she was promised to my brother Luca. It was arranged by our parents, but it still felt natural. They loved each other.
Then, Luca jumped off a cliff and broke his back. He moved to Singapore to get treated, and he pushed us all away. Refused to have us visit. Stopped taking Cara’s calls.
I saw her break. We suffered alongside each other, until we drifted apart.
Maybe leaving is a way for her to heal. To find her voice again.
She deserves a fresh start. Cara’s always been independent, and I doubt even Luca could have kept her in Argyle for long. They would have had a happy, adventure-filled life together while I stayed at home and ran the Kingdom. I was always a little jealous of Luca—and of Cara, too—but my duty to the Kingdom was more important than any spontaneity.
Now, more than ever, my responsibilities have to take precedence. My father is sick, and I know I’ll have to step up soon. In a way, this solstice sailing trip is a goodbye to my youth. I didn’t think it would be a goodbye to Cara, too.
“Do you miss him?” she asks in the silence.
I turn to look at her, the moonlight glowing over her smooth skin. Cara doesn’t meet my eye. She keeps her gaze on the stars as I stare at her profile.
Has she always been this beautiful? Maybe it’s the light of the moon and the gentle rocking of the boat. Maybe it’s the two glasses of wine I had with dinner, but Cara seems to have a glow about her that I haven’t noticed before. I stare at the curve of her neck and the delicate fullness of her lips, almost forgetting that she asked me a question.
“So… do you miss him?” she repeats softly, staring up at the stars.
“Who, Luca?” I finally answer, the words almost torn from my throat. My brother’s name tastes bitter when I say it.
Cara nods without looking at me.
I grunt. “Of course. He’s been gone three years. I wish none of this had happened. I wish he hadn’t jumped off that cliff. I wish you hadn’t been there to see it. I wish everything was back the way it used to be.”
Is that true, though? Do I want things back the way they were before? When I’m lying here alone with Cara, I wonder if maybe I don’t want things to go back at all.
Silence hangs heavy between us. “How about you? Do you miss him?” I finally ask.
Cara inhales and turns her head to look at me. A soft, warm breeze flows over us, carrying the scent of salty air and seaweed. Her almond-shaped eyes drill into mine as she tucks an arm under her head.
“I missed him desperately for a long time,” Cara finally answers. “If he had told me that he wanted to break up with me, I think it would have been easier. But he just pushed me away and forced me to just…give up.” She winces, shaking her head. “I shouldn’t say that. He broke his back and it was incredibly difficult for him. I wanted to be there for him.”
“But he wouldn’t let you.”
Her eyes meet mine, and the depth of her sadness almost knocks me back. When my brother had his accident, my whole family was in shock. Hell, the whole Kingdom was in shock. Luca was airlifted to the hospital in Argyle, and then transferred to Singapore for a series of risky operations to try to stitch his spine back together again.
We tried flying to be with him. We tried calling. We tried talking to him.
He retreated from all of us. He was medicated, in pain, and facing a lifetime without the use of his legs. I tried to understand his reaction, but it was tough to be shut out.
Being here, on the boat with Cara, I realize that she probably suffered more than all of us. They were a couple. She was supposed to marry Luca, and then all of a sudden, she was alone.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you,” I blurt out.
Cara’s eyes widen, as if she’s surprised that someone would even think about her feelings. She shakes her head. “Don’t be sorry. I’m not yours to worry about.”
Isn’t she, though? It feels like she should be mine to worry about. I stretch my arm out toward her. “Come here.”
She hesitates for a moment, and finally shimmies closer to me. When Cara’s head rests on my shoulder, a wave of calm washes over me. The weight of her head on my chest, and the warmth of her body next to mine feels…right.
It feels like she’s supposed to be there. She fits against me in a way that I didn’t even know was possible, like our bodies were made for each other. Two puzzle pieces carved from the same block. An extension of each other.
My body starts to heat up. Warmth starts in the pit of my stomach and slowly snakes its way through my veins. It’s an unfamiliar sensation, full of lust and desire. It spreads like a slow burn through my abdomen, making my cock harden and my fingers twitch to explore Cara’s body.
But I resist.
It’s wrong.
I can’t.
We’ve been friends for years. Since we were kids! She dated my brother from the time she was fifteen until only a couple of years ago. She was going to be my sister-in-law.
I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to ignore the thumping of my heart. Cara’s head rests on my shoulder, and she drapes her arm across my chest. Her skin is warm against mine, and all I want to do is trail my hand along her arm, feeling her velvet skin beneath my fingertips.
As she settles into me, the soft noise that slips through her mouth makes my body burn hotter.
Stop it, I tell myself.
I inhale slowly through my nose, trying to ignore the creeping heat spreading through my body. Can she hear my heart racing?
“Come on,” I say, shimmying away from her. “Let’s play cards.”
Mostly, I just need to get Cara away from me. I shouldn’t be feeling these things about my brother’s ex-girlfriend. We’re just friends.
Right?
Cara’s lips stretch into a smile. We stand up. The boat rocks gently, throwing her toward me. Cara giggles, catching herself against my chest.
I look down into her eyes, feeling that same stirring of my heart once again.
Clearing my throat, I pull away and nod toward the main cabin. The chef has cleared the table, so it’s free for us to play cards.
It’s part of our tradition. We don’t actually play cards. We build card castles.
Simple, really. The more the boat rocks, the more the cards fall. The m
ore the cards fall, the more you drink. The more you drink, the harder it is to build card castles. And on, and on, and on.
Tradition.
Cara slips into the booth seat at the table and pulls out a deck of cards from her bag. They’re the same worn cards that we’ve used for the past ten years. All three of my brothers, Cara, and I would play card castle games for hours when we were younger. She always had the same deck, ready to pull out of her bag whenever it was needed.
That’s one thing I like about Cara. She collects things that mean something to her. They’re never expensive things, even though her family is wealthy. The things she collects are usually small, like a worn pack of cards or a couple of nice shells that she finds on the beach. She doesn’t value the things that most people in my life hold dear—expensive cars and clothes, jewelry, and money. She values things that have meaning.
Real meaning—like a pack of worn playing cards, frayed edges and all.
Maybe that’s why she needs to leave. The things that hold her in Argyle—stability, safety, a big house that her parents built—don’t mean anything to her. She wants to find her own treasures along the way.
I head for the bar and pull out a bottle of whiskey, flashing a grin at her.
“You ready?”
“Ready to win.”
The rules are simple. The person that builds the tallest card castle in an allotted amount of time wins. The other person drinks.
We start the first round, and my card castle crumbles as soon as the boat rocks. Cara laughs, nodding to the bottle of alcohol.
“Drink.” Her eyes flash.
The alcohol burns on the way down. Cara giggles, and sets the timer on her phone again.
It’s a silly game, but we’ve been playing it for years. Cara’s tongue pokes out of her mouth as she tries to steady her hands, starting on the second level of her card castle.
My cards are slipping already. I haven’t even been able to get the first two to stand up against each other.
My pathetic structure collapses. “I think you rigged these cards.”
“I think you’ve sucked at this game for years.” Cara quips. The buzzer sounds, and her smile widens. “Drink.”
I take a swig of whiskey, shaking my head as I wipe my lips on the back of my hand. “You’ve definitely rigged this.”
“In all the years we’ve been doing this, how many times have you won?” She arches an eyebrow.
We both know the answer to that question: zero. My hands aren’t steady, and I just can’t get the cards to stack up. Add the rocking of the boat and a few drinks, and I’m completely hopeless.
At least I enjoy whiskey.
I just shake my head and pour some alcohol into her glass. “You should drink for speaking to your Crown Prince in that tone.”
“Oh, pulling out the royal card again. I see how it is. You’ve changed, Theo.”
“I’m not above using my title to get what I want.”
“And what do you want?” Her eyes darken, and heat flames in my gut.
Instead of answering, I just drink.
Cara laughs, and I realize just how much I’ve missed that sound. She used to be a fixture at the palace. We grew up together, and I called her one of my closest childhood friends. Things changed when she was promised to Luca, obviously, but we’ve always been close.
The past three years I’ve seen less of her than ever before, and I’ve missed her more than I realized.
She shows me her phone screen, her finger hovering over the timer button. “Are you giving up, or should we go another round?”
“I never give up.”
Cara grins. My heart feels easy. I watch her stack her cards higher and higher, and I resign myself to getting very, very drunk with one of my closest friends.
How could I not? It’s tradition.
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ALSO BY LILIAN MONROE
For all books, visit:
www.lilianmonroe.com
Brother’s Best Friend Romance
Shouldn’t Want You
Can’t Have You
Military Romance
His Vow
His Oath
His Word
The Complete Protector Series
Enemies to Lovers Romance
Hate at First Sight
Loathe at First Sight
Despise at First Sight
The Complete Love/Hate Series
Secret Baby/Accidental Pregnancy Romance:
Bad Boss
Bad Single Dad
Bad Boy
Bad Billionaire
The Complete Unexpected Series
Bad Prince
Heartless Prince
Cruel Prince
Broken Prince
Wicked Prince
Wrong Prince
Fake Engagement/ Fake Marriage Romance:
Engaged to Mr. Right
Engaged to Mr. Wrong
Engaged to Mr. Perfect
Mr Right: The Complete Fake Engagement Series
Mountain Man Romance:
Lie to Me
Swear to Me
Run to Me
The Complete Clarke Brothers Series
Extra-Steamy Rock Star Romance:
Garrett
Maddox
Carter
The Complete Rock Hard Series
Sexy Doctors:
Doctor O
Doctor D
Doctor L
The Complete Doctor’s Orders Series
Time Travel Romance:
The Cause
A little something different:
Second Chance: A Rockstar Romance in North Korea
Table of Contents
Title Page
Contents
Copyright
Foreword
1. Margot
2. Dante
3. Margot
4. Dante
5. Margot
6. Dante
7. Margot
8. Dante
9. Ivy
10. Margot
11. Dante
12. Margot
13. Dante
14. Margot
15. Dante
16. Margot
17. Dante
18. Margot
19. Dante
20. Margot
21. Dante
22. Margot
23. Ivy
24. Dante
25. Margot
26. Dante
27. Margot
28. Dante
29. Ivy
30. Margot
31. Dante
32. Margot
33. Dante
34. Margot
35. Dante
36. Margot
37. Dante
Epilogue
Wrong Prince
1. Cara
2. Cara
3. Theo
Also by Lilian Monroe
Wicked Prince: A Secret Baby Romance (Royally Unexpected Book 5) Page 22