by A. J. Rosen
I nearly choked on my water, hearing her say pumpkin. If Kris was sober, she would die from embarrassment to see herself acting like this.
“For you? Always, mi amore.” Domenico winked and she giggled. And I suddenly felt the need to throw up.
“Hmm, alítheia í thárros?” My best friend drummed her fingers lightly on her chin before finally coming to a decision. “How many girls have you been in love with?”
Domenico, looking at her with a stupid smile on his face, planted a kiss on her nose. “Just one. Unless you also count my mamá, then two.” He drunkenly wiggled two fingers in the air.
“Moms don’t count—you love your mom, but you aren’t in love with your mom. There’s a difference,” I piped in.
“Okay, so one it is,” Domenico replied as he bounced the ball and it landed on Vlad, who had to down three shots of tequila as requested. Classic. Vlad was about to throw the ball when Adrian and his fan club came to join us at the table. He sat between me and Vlad while the rest of the girls squished in where they could.
A blond girl, who somehow managed to squeeze between Domenico and Vlad, asked to take a turn. Without saying anything, Vlad held out the ball for her and she took it from the palm of his hand. She purposely bounced it in Adrian’s direction and—surprise, surprise—she commanded him to kiss her. Realization dawned that this game would probably turn into a competition of how many girls could hook up with Lord Adrian Ambrosia by the end of this night.
As the girl leaned in, Adrian directed pensive eyes at me and I returned a questioning look. He gave me a rueful smile before he turned, putting his charm back on. “Come here.” Adrian kissed the blond with a little more enthusiasm than was strictly necessary—at least in my opinion.
The ball kept bouncing here and there, mostly falling into Adrian’s lap or one of the girls’ laps. It was past midnight, and all I wanted was to be home in bed, finally getting to the resolution of And Then There Were None. Then the ball landed in my lap.
“Are you scared, Montgomery?” Adrian asked, his eyes playful.
“You wish.”
“Swear on the River Styx, Montgomery, would you give me a hug now?”
“You sure you don’t want to give me an order instead?”
“Nah, where’s the fun in that? I want the truth.”
I shrugged nonchalantly. “Of course, it’s no big deal.”
“Oh really?” A devilish smirk came to his face. His voice was silky as he laid out his challenge. “Prove it.”
I thought for a moment.
“Fine.” I stood up, grabbed his hand, and pulled him to his feet. “Come here, bud,” I said in a sarcastic tone. Putting my arms around his middle, I squeezed him in a big bear hug. To my surprise, he reached around me and fastened his hands on my lower back. A delicious shiver ran down my spine, like a bolt of electricity, as he proceeded to hold me a little tighter, a little longer. I waited for him to let go, but he didn’t. It took nearly everything in me to force my brain to work and my mouth to whisper to him, “I think that’ll do.”
He tensed up before dropping his hands and letting me go. I quickly scooted back to my seat and threw the ball, wanting to get my turn over with. It bounced and landed in Domenico’s lap, and without putting any thought into my request, I ordered him to sing “Hey Jude” in Italian.
One of the girls jumped up and grabbed Adrian just as he was about to sit down. “Let’s go dance! This is getting boring.” Her girlfriends followed her lead, dragging Adrian away as he gave me a shrug that said What can I say, girls like me, and I’m too much of a gentleman to turn them down.
Vlad stood up and headed in the direction of the men’s room. Domenico finished his rendition of the song. He looked a little sleepy, and I wasn’t convinced he had given us an entirely correct translation. While still sitting, he took an awkward bow, nearly knocking his head on the table, then drooped his head down to rest on Kris’s shoulder. Adrian was now dancing with the girls. “I’m glad Adrian’s having fun,” I said to Kris. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you, but we ran into Marsela the other morning before the whole punching incident.”
“Ouch.” She cringed, then shook her head. “He tries to look carefree and all, pretending that he doesn’t give a damn, but he’s hurting, and being back here only makes it worse.”
The more I considered the soul-mate bond, the more I was persuaded that the ability to reconnect with our soul mates was more a curse than a gift. I really hoped Adrian and I would find the way to return the gift to the gods so that he would be free to fall in love with anyone he fancied without ever worrying that one day a soul mate would appear and ruin another relationship.
After a minute of silence, Kris suddenly exclaimed, “Hey! Why don’t we keep playing?”
“It’s just the two of us.” I laughed. “Unless you want to wake Domenico up. It’s his turn.”
Kris looked down at Domenico, who was sleeping peacefully. “Vlad will be back in a sec, so we’ll have company. I’ll take Domenico’s turn; I don’t think he’ll mind.” Kris carefully took the red ball out of his grasp. He stirred in his sleep and she rubbed the side of his face affectionately before throwing the ball on the table. I wasn’t surprised when it bounced and landed in my lap.
“Okay, bring it on, Kris. I don’t have secrets to hide—you know them all, and there’s nothing I am afraid of doing.”
“I can’t argue with that. Order, hmm? Thárros,” Kris said, as if tasting the word in Greek would give her some ideas. Putting one finger on her chin, my best friend gave me a once-over as if hoping to get inspired. Then a glint of playfulness shone in her eyes. “I know exactly what I want you to do.”
“Name it and it’s done, Your Highness.”
Kris leaned in, her large green eyes focused intensely on mine. “I want you to kiss Vladimir.”
My cockiness ceased to exist in lightning speed. No amount of caffeine could have made me as wide awake as I was then. And right on cue, there was Vlad, walking to our table.
“You’re crazy.” I could feel my cheeks burning. Kiss Vladimir Ambrosia?
“Who’s crazy?” asked Vlad as he claimed his seat next to me.
Creamy mashed potatoes!
“Kristen, for saying nachos and vanilla ice cream are a match made in heaven. Everyone knows that’s just gross, but apparently not your beloved sister. I’m just trying to convince her that this combination would be a complete disaster.” I was running out of breath by the time I finished concocting my false explanation. I gave Kris a look, hoping she had understood what I was trying to imply.
She did not. Or maybe she just chose to ignore it because she kept kicking me under the table while Vlad was distracted by his phone. “Disaster, Kris, it will end in a disaster,” I hissed under my breath. There was no way on earth I would kiss her brother who, up until mere days ago, drove me absolutely nuts.
“Or you’re just too chicken to try it.” Drunk Kris was maybe even more stubborn than me. She continued kicking me until I was convinced I would be covered in bruises.
“Oh fine, I’ll do it,” I hissed at her.
I shifted to position myself so that I could just smack my lips on his cheek then make a quick getaway to the bathroom. I took a deep breath as I surveyed his dark hair and his sculpted body. A wave of nerves washed over me. I avoided looking at his lips. His forehead creased in serious lines as he read whatever it was he was looking at on his phone.
I could do this. It wasn’t a big deal. I had watched tons of couples kissing on screen. I could just pretend I was an actress and this was just a movie—an act. I mean, it sort of was an act. It was an order. Something I had to tackle and be done with.
Bracing myself, I leaned toward him. My heart was beating faster and faster. I closed my eyes and my lips made contact with his warm skin. When I opened my eyes again, they were instantly locked with
his.
“Sorry,” I muttered quietly, ducking my head to avoid his eyes. “We’re still playing the game and Kris ordered me to kiss you. I should’ve asked you first. I’m sorry.” Maybe the floor would open up and swallow me whole.
“Game over.” Kris giggled and then dropped her head on top of Domenico’s, her eyes closed and mouth slightly open.
“Okay. Time for a bathroom break now.” I tried to get up to make my escape, but my body refused to cooperate.
Vlad reached his hand out and gently tilted my head up, looking at me with such tenderness. He leaned forward and spoke with a playfulness in that deep voice of his. “Don’t you think a kiss should be more like this?”
His eyes closed as his lips descended to mine. It was my first kiss and my body reacted before I even knew what it was doing. I couldn’t stop myself from wrapping my arms around him. My heart pounded and the world around us dropped away. It felt good. Then it got better as my lips moved on their own and the kiss deepened. His lips were warm, like chocolate lava cake. Vlad seemed to know that he had made his point because after only a few seconds, he pulled away.
We stared at each other for what felt like a long time and I became afraid that he might see things that I didn’t want anyone to see. He looked at me as if he could see through my walls and peek into my soul.
I faked a cough and grabbed my glass, emptying the remaining water, hoping that would cool my cheeks and distract me from the handsome man sitting beside me. The handsome man I had just kissed! Putting the glass down, I checked my watch. “It’s almost two, we should get home. I think we better call the driver. There’s no way they are going to be able to walk back to their suites.”
Vlad bobbed his head and moved beside Kris, who had fallen asleep with her head still on Domenico’s. I was relieved she had not seen what had just happened because I wasn’t sure I was ready to talk about it—or be teased for it.
“Let’s go, Krissy, we need to get you home.” His voice was firm, but there was no mistaking the affection there.
Kris blinked a few times before finally focusing her sleepy eyes on her brother. “But it’s not morning yet. I’m not leaving my bed, Vlady.”
I tried my best to suppress my laughter at hearing the childish nickname.
Vlad managed to convince Kris that the seat she was in was, in fact, not her bed, and I helped her walk out of the bar and into the fresh night air while Vlad helped Domenico. The Ambrosias’ driver was waiting outside. Vlad and I secured the couple in their seat belts in the back seat, and then he talked to the driver and gave him clear instructions to get both of them home safely. Their driver had been with the family for years, and we both knew Kris would be safe.
“Do you want shotgun?” Vlad asked.
I looked hesitantly at the car. Carlo’s accident was still too raw for me to even think about getting into one. “Thanks, no, I’d rather walk. I could use the fresh air, and it’s not far.”
He seemed to understand my hesitation without me having to say anything. “I’ll walk with you then.”
He closed the car door and the driver waved as he went on his way.
Before we started walking back to the Hyped, I took one final look around behind me to see if I could spot Adrian. Maybe he had gone out for another cigarette. With no luck, I turned back to Vlad. “Shall we?”
He nodded.
Adrian had been missing for a few hours now, and I could only imagine where he had disappeared to—and with whom.
Chapter Fourteen
Vlad insisted on walking me to my door at the Hyped. My parents weren’t there, but the note pinned to the fridge informed me that they were at Tiana’s birthday party and would be back later. Wow, it was already past two o’clock in the morning. How much later did they mean? Seeing the note, Vlad offered to stay on the couch so I wouldn’t be alone.
“You don’t have to worry. They’ll be back soon. Go home. Get some rest. I’m fine.”
“Avy.” His voice left no space for argument. I knew that I wanted him to stay. But I wasn’t about to let him know that.
“Whatever you want.” I shrugged. “But you’re taking the couch.”
With that decided, I went to grab a blanket and one of the pillows from my bedroom, then headed back. As I stepped into the living room, Vlad was taking his shirt off.
Holy piña colada! My eyes took in the thin, dark trail that ran down the middle of his eight-pack and circled his navel before disappearing beneath the waistband of his pants. I swallowed hard and did my best to look away. My eyes wouldn’t cooperate. Poseidon, help me. I wanted to say something witty, something that indicated that his body on display had no effect whatsoever on me, but I couldn’t think of anything. The blood had drained from my head.
He folded his shirt neatly and placed it on the table. He glanced up and saw me. “Are those for me?”
I washed off the dreamy look that no doubt had been on my face. “Yeah, here.” I passed them to him and murmured, “Good night,” before hurriedly going back to the bedroom.
“Good night, Avy.” I heard his words as I closed the bedroom door.
Sleeping. Although the room was silent, my mind couldn’t stop mulling over everything that had happened. Carlo’s death, which endlessly reminded me of losing Bryan; Carlo’s twin brother turning out to be my best friend’s soul mate; the woman in the jail cell and how I had been strangely forbidden to ever speak about it; and of course, reliving the kiss with Vlad. It had been the weirdest forty-eight hours of my life.
Around five in the morning there was a huge crash outside my door. Panic-filled thoughts flew through my mind. What if the lady had escaped? Was she coming for me? I tried to calm myself down; it was probably just Vlad tripping on something on the way to the bathroom. I lay back down.
“Okay. I am calm. Calm is me. I find the calmness in me. I pull the calm energy from my surroundings.” I breathed in and out, getting into my Zen zone.
Another noise followed and I jerked upward again. Silently crossing the room, I turned the doorknob slowly, careful not to make a sound. My hours awake in the dark meant I could see well without the lights on, and Vlad’s figure lay still on the couch. My eyes darted to the kitchen. My breath hitched. I saw someone; their back was to me.
I wouldn’t make the same mistake twice and try to chitchat with an intruder, as I had with the woman in the cell. I crept closer, until I was within swinging range, and could see that it was a man.
Now was my moment. I cleared my throat and as the man turned in surprise, I swung my fist, hitting him as hard as I could. He doubled over in pain.
“What the fuck!”
“Dad?”
Holy Hermes, please transport me elsewhere!
I found the lights and switched them on. Yep, the intruder was my dad.
“Avery Montgomery!” he growled. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I thought you were a robber or something! What are you doing?” I retorted.
Vlad scrambled up from the couch. Shiitake mushroom! I really didn’t want him to see me get scolded by my dad. Oblivious to the tension building in the room, Vlad walked in, tugging his shirt down, which he’d clearly just thrown on. “Mr. Montgomery.”
“Lord Ambrosia.” The fact that my dad loved catering to the whims of the Royals could actually work in my favor for once. “Pardon me, I didn’t realize you were here. My apologies for awakening you.”
My dad shot me an icy glare, as if his banging and crashing and general robbery acting weren’t what actually woke Vlad up.
“No, please don’t apologize,” said Vlad kindly. “I insisted on staying here—I didn’t want Avery to be alone. Your couch is actually quite comfortable.”
My dad’s look was lethal. Vlad said quickly, “I’ll just pop to the bathroom and then be on my way.”
Once Vlad was out of earsho
t, my dad said, “Why did you let him sleep on the couch? He’s a Royal. He should be in a bed.”
“You’re saying you’d rather I had invited Lord Ambrosia to sleep in my bed?”
The cold, hard stare, mastered over the years, had terrified me when I was small. But I was no longer a kid and I was in no mood to back down to his controlling nonsense.
I sighed. My eyes caught sight of a red purse on the counter, which could only belong to my mom. Only then did I realize that I had not seen her since she came to visit me in jail. “Dad, where’s Mom?”
“She’s staying at Tiana’s,” he said.
“Why? She was the one who chose what clothes I should wear and wanted to make sure I did okay at my first Gathering, but I’ve hardly seen her.”
“She’s going shopping with Tiana in the morning.”
“Seriously?! It’s her friend over her daughter. Again.” I still found it dodgy. “But if Mom is going shopping tomorrow, won’t she need her purse?”
My dad looked up at me then snatched the purse off the counter. “I came here to grab it for her. She accidentally left it. We’ll finish this discussion another time.”
And that was it, no further explanation. He left me standing there, furious. He hadn’t even asked how I had gotten out of jail.
Chapter Fifteen
The only thing that was guaranteed to make me feel better when there were no Twinkies around was hot chocolate.
I filled the kettle with water, put it on top of the stove, and turned on the burner. I dumped two packets of hot chocolate into a mug as I waited for the water to boil. Vlad came out of the bathroom, but not before making sure the coast was clear.
“Please don’t tease me about my sweet tooth. I’m so not in the mood,” I said.
Vlad leaned against the counter, close to me. “I was just going to say that I wouldn’t mind one myself.”