"Because she's in love with him!"
The words burst out and even if she bit her lips until she drew blood, she couldn't unsay them. Panicked, she looked at him, hoping that for some miracle he'd gone deaf for a few seconds.
"Oh, don't look so terrified. I'm not blind."
Relief washed over her and she rested her forehead on his shoulder. It didn't count as betraying a secret if the other person already knew it. She smiled sarcastically to herself. She was getting awfully good at justifying her blunders.
His arm snaked around her waist and he pulled her closer, allowing her to hide her face in the hollow of his neck. Her nose was pressed against his skin. He smelled so good. It was such an old fragrance she didn't even remember its name. She didn't even know they still made it.
She was twelve the summer her grandmother, Tatiana, had taken her to the perfume's launch. She had visited the Royal Palace with her grandmother and general Lewis, her grandfather, after the fashion show. The gardens were resplendent in the bright July day. They sat on a bench in the shadow of an oak tree. The general told war stories, and her grandmother braided her hair. She mellowed into Carter's arms, while the music wrapped around her soul.
The sudden pressure on her hand jerked her back to reality. When she was back in her proper position she darted a glance at Carter, who was still squeezing her hand to the point of pain. He was staring at her with the same fiery anger she saw in his eyes when he confronted her about Isabella. He must have realized he was doing it, and he rearranged his features into his usual carefree expression. The TC mask as Alice called it.
"I have a feeling we're going to see a lot of each other from now on," he said in a casual tone that matched his mask.
Her hand instinctively tightened on his shoulder. He grinned, delighted to feel the effect he had on her.
"You're so good at hiding your true self, little monster. I'll have a lot of fun tearing your mask to shreds."
"Don't you have a million other things to do? More important than exacting vengeance on me?"
"I can multitask. And I can delegate. But most of all, I can prioritize."
"And you see pestering me as a priority?"
The song was over. If he had any decency, he would escort her to her seat and leave her alone.
"Pestering," he said slowly, pulling her hand toward his lips. "I like that word."
Her heart went crazy when she felt his lips brushing against her skin as he spoke. He pressed his lips on the back of her hand, and kept them for a few seconds longer than it was polite. His voice was heavy with honey and venom when he delivered his whispered threat.
"It sounds so much less violent than ruining your life."
Author's Notes
Next books (September releases)
If you enjoyed this story, I would be forever in your debt if you leave a review. It would help other people who love the same things you do find this story. And I'll be absolutely delighted to find out what you think.
Do you want more Illyrian shenanigans?
I send secret stories sharing the fantasies the characters have about each other while they slowly burn before their Happily Ever After. These stories are not part of the Love in Illyria books published and they have of a more steamy-sexy-smutty (sometimes graphic) tone.
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After the TC and Alice's HEA in Heiress vs Rockstar
Next books in the series are
Bella Illyria
and
Forza Illyria
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Rockstar vs Heiress Page 13