In King Rian’s palace. And my jaw was basically on the floor.
Emilia had had a taste of this world before. When she was younger and when her dad was still alive, she’d been to functions like this. She been to this palace, actually. But me? Holy shit. Yeah, the orphan daughter of two disappeared parents raised by her cook grandmother? Never did I ever imagine I’d be in the actual honest to goodness palace.
At first, even I was a little nervous about seeing Marta and the bitches, but the whole ball wore masks. We slipped ours on and made our way towards the ballroom, and when we stepped inside?
Holy shit. Gorgeous.
The place was like something out of a fairytale. Gowns and tuxedos and crowns everywhere. Across the room, up on a small stage, sat the man of the hour — King Rian. Okay, silly crush or not, I had to hand it to Emilia, the man was very handsome. I turned, grinning and shaking my head at the moony look on her face. Oh, she’d seen him too alright. I turned back, and I was about to make a crack about telling her just to go up and ask him to dance, when suddenly, two figures stepped up and slid into the chairs next to him.
And my heart flipped.
Holy shit.
They were wearing masks too, but, come on. No mask in the world could hide handsomeness like that, or raw hotness. The two of them were both the same build — muscled, tall, broad shoulders. With strong, chiseled, regal-looking jawlines, and damn did they look good in tuxedos. I blushed, biting my lip as the heat slid through me.
Rian turned and spoke casually to them, and suddenly, I knew who they were, and my eyes went wide in recognition.
…Adam and Shane McDermott. The Princes of Nessa.
A.K.A., the men from my filthy fantasy the other night. I blushed furiously behind my mask, my breath catching. God, they were even hotter in the real than they’d been in my dreams, or in magazines. The two of them grinned roguishly, clearly joking about something with King Rian as they sipped drinks and gazed out over the crowd.
God, this place was fancy. I turned, my eyes bugging out as I caught sight of King Hayden and his bride Queen Callie. And next to him, the Duke of Bandiff, Xavier, with his gorgeous Lola.
I shook my head, swallowing. Suddenly, I felt every inch the phony I was for even being there.
“I’m, uh, I’m going to go find us some drinks, okay?”
Emilia nodded quietly, clearly thinking the same thing as me. “Yeah, sure.”
“Maybe we’ll…” I frowned behind my mask. “This could be a quick night out? Maybe?”
Emilia laughed nervously. “Yeah, might be."
“Okay, one drink it is.”
I turned and started to slip through towards the bar off to one side of the ballroom. There was a crowd, off course, but I waited, slowly pushing my way to the bar itself and trying to get the bartender's attention. Which, of course, he ignored. Part of me was positive even he could tell how much I didn’t belong in that place.
“Ed.”
A hand reached over me — clear over me — a finger raised that instantly got the bartender's attention, who scampered right over.
“Three champagnes, please.”
“At once.”
The man turned, and my jaw dropped as the fury rose. I whirled.
“Hey! I was definitely waiting longer, ass! Who the fuck do you —”
My heart stopped, and my breath caught.
Oh, you’re fucking kidding me.
Two chiseled jaws pulled into gorgeous, white grins. Two sets of eyes glinted dangerously and temptingly behind two masks. Two men who I knew from my fantasies smiled roguishly right back at me as I tried to swallow my words.
“Wow, that’s…” One of them cleared his throat. “That's quite a mouth.”
I blushed furiously. “I — sorry, I didn’t know…”
“You were trying to get a drink.”
“Yeah.”
“And he was ignoring you.”
I swallowed, still blushing and still trying to make myself believe that I was seriously face-to-face talking to the McDermott Princes.
“Look, I — You’re —”
“Who we are is two guys trying to get you a drink,” the one chuckled. He glanced over me. “Ed, just make sure it’s the good stuff, okay?”
The bartender smiled and nodded, putting away one bottle that I’m sure was already worth more than I made in a month and reaching for something even crazier. I turned back to see the both of them grinning at me.
“Trying to impress me?”
The second one, with a little more scruff on his face than the first, grinned.
“Is it working?”
I swallowed the blush from my face, stiffening my shoulders and determined not to be this moony, start-struck girl in front of them. “Nope. Wrong girl, sorry.”
“Right girl,” the first one growled. “Wrong approach.”
I bit my lip. “I — I was actually getting a drink for me and my friend.”
The first prince grinned again. “You drive a hard bargain. Ed,” he called over me again. “Four actually, and thanks.”
“At once, Your Highness.”
Ed handed us three glasses and grabbed a fourth, filling it with absurdly expense bubbly and handing it my way as well.
“Who are you?” the second man asked quietly, intensely — his eyes piercing into me.
“No one,” I said quickly.
“I find that impossible to believe.”
I smiled. “Just a random. Trust me, no one you know.”
The second man grinned. “Gorgeous, if we knew you, I guarantee none of us would be here right now.”
I raised a brow. “And why is that?”
“Because we’d have you all to ourselves somewhere else.”
I blushed wildly, my heart flip-flopping as the heat exploded through me.
“Bold,” I said quietly, eying them.
“Too bold?”
I shrugged. Truth be told, I didn’t have words. I couldn’t even remember how to speak. But, the silence seemed to come across as “mystique,” by the way they glanced at each other and grinned, their jaws clenching.
Mystique was hardly my thing, but, screw it. I could roll with it for one night pretending to be someone I wasn’t anyways. But then, the longer I talked to them, as jaw-droppingly hot and incredible as they were, the better my chances of being caught, and I knew it.
Besides that, I was pretty certain they had me confused with someone else. Or if nothing else, confused with someone actually a royal.
“I should go,” I said quietly.
“So soon?”
“Stay, have a drink with us,” the first growled.
“I —” I stammered. “I can’t. I have to find my friend.”
“Who is I’m sure fine.”
I smiled. “I’m sure she is, but…” I wanted to say “but am I,” but I was pretty sure I couldn’t. Or if I even should.
“Thank you, for the champagne,” I said, swallowing.
“Anytime.” The first one said, those gorgeous eyes piercing into me and turning my insides to warm jelly. He opened his mouth to say something else, but then he closed it again, like he’d changed his mind.
“Tell us your name.”
I just shook my head.
“We’ll tell you who we —”
“You’re Prince Adam and Prince Shane McDermott, of Nessa,” I blurted out. Oh so smooth.
They grinned, the second one chuckling lowly. “So much for masks.”
“Thank you, Your Highnesses,” I said again, quietly. “I do have to go.”
I turned, and I left, doing everything I could just to walk and not run.
I felt like an idiot just walking away like that. But then, I knew I’d feel like a bigger one if they figured out who I was. Or who I wasn’t. I groaned, gulping half of my drink as I strode back to where I’d left Emilia.
…And quickly realized, she was gone.
I whirled, my eyes darting around the huge fancy ballr
oom. Shit. Where the hell was she? I poked my head into the hallway, but still, nothing.
I grumbled, setting the two champagne flutes on the edge of a table and yanking my phone out of my clutch. I called her, but it just rang and rang, until I stuffed the phone away.
Okay, now what?
I was getting nervous. Being here was one thing. Talking to two gorgeous royal princes was another. That was how we’d get caught, and that was how we’d get into serious trouble.
I nervously slugged back more of the bubbly, glancing around.
Okay, damn, the champagne was good. And it was going right to my head. Or maybe that was the blood rushing faster as the fear of not knowing where Emilia was set in. I took a breath.
Okay, calm down.
We were at a palace. And Emilia was an adult. She was fine. There were guards everywhere. No one was taking advantage of her, she wasn’t in danger. I shook my head, trying to quell my fears.
She was probably off exploring or something. I yanked my phone out again, and sent her a quick few “call/text me when you're back” texts, and sighed, putting it back away and picking up the drinks again. I sipped from one, and then absently from the other. When suddenly, there was a voice behind me, right in my ear.
“Double fisting, are we?”
I gasped, whirling and then feeling my breath catch as I looked up into their eyes.
Them. Again.
I swallowed, heat shuddering through me as the two McDermott brothers loomed over me.
“No, I —” I shook my head. “My friend had to go do something.”
“I see.” The one with the thicker scruff on his gorgeous chin shrugged. “Want to get out of here?”
My eyes went wide. “Pardon?”
“With us, I mean. Do you want to go somewhere that’s not full of people?”
I raised a brow sharply and he chuckled. “Shit, I’m fucking this up, aren’t I?”
“Not if you’re a serial killer.”
The two of them laughed.
“Well, you know who we are. We’re the ones who should be scared of what the hell your intentions are.”
“Very true.” I nodded in fake seriousness. “You have no idea what I could be hiding under this dress.”
“Oh, I think we have our ideas.”
I blushed, furiously, biting my lip.
“C’mon, beautiful,” he said, grinning roguishly at me. “I just mean somewhere where we can talk without any of our advisors or other annoying people hounding us.”
I chewed on my lip, fingering the glasses in my hand.
“Don’t you have to be here for the ball?” I rolled my eyes sarcastically. “So the king can find his queen?”
They rolled theirs right back.
“Yeah, not our scene.”
“What is?”
“Wherever you are,” the first one tossed back.
“You’re big on the lines, aren’t you?”
He shook his head. “We’re just big on you, actually. The mouths just keep moving.”
I grinned, heat teasing over my face and through my body.
“It’s just… I don’t know, this is just a little surreal for me.”
“What is?”
“That I’m having a drink at a royal ball with two famous princes?”
They chuckled.
“Famous for what?” The second one grinned. “And c’mon, like this is anything new to you?”
“Maybe it is?”
He frowned “Who are you, mystery girl?”
“Nope, not telling.”
“A duchess?”
“Nope.”
“Princess?”
I barked out a laugh. “Colder.”
“Well, who?” The first McDermott brother wrinkled his brow. “Shit, you’re not someone’s queen are you? Married and all?”
I snorted at the thought of me a queen. “Uh, no.”
He grinned. “Good. Cause I’d hate to have to steal you from someone.”
Heat bloomed through me.
“C’mon, give us something.”
“I’m a cook.”
“You can cook?”
“No I mean I’m —” I stopped myself. Because you know what? I wanted to see how far this could go. It was insane, but I wanted to see where this fantasy could lead — or how far I could take this farce before it got out of control, or before I got caught. So, I decided to roll with it.
“Yeah, I cook.” I smiled.
They glanced at each other, grinning, before they turned back to me. “Bullshit. Princesses never know how to cook.”
“Trust me I can.” I shrugged. “Name it, I can cook it.”
They eyed me, grinning these lopsided, totally gorgeous smiles.
“You do any baking?”
I grinned. “I love to bake.”
“How about cakes?”
My lips spread into a huge smile. “My specialty, actually.”
The first prince shrugged. “Prove it.”
I laughed. “What, here?”
“This castle does have a kitchen.” He frowned. “It’s got like four, actually.”
My look hardened a little as I darted my eyes between them. “Wait are you serious right now? You really want me to bake for you? Now?”
“Unless you don’t want to be outed as a cake fraud.”
I rolled my eyes as they chuckled.
“You know what,” I finally said, shaking my head. “Game on.”
Are you crazy?
Maybe, but it was too late to go back. Or maybe I just didn’t want to go back. Maybe I was too curious to say no.
They grinned. “Perfect. Let’s go.”
“Lead the way.”
Chapter 5
Adam
“Well, shit.”
I glanced at Shane, who chuckled slowly, shaking his head as he looked at me. We both turned back to our mystery girl, who was busy putting the finishing touches on two sheet pans. We’d been down in one of the spare baking kitchens of Rian’s palace for all of thirty minutes, and this girl legit had a cake about to go into the oven.
“Okay, I’m an asshole.”
“Oh yeah?” She grinned, turning to us. “Why’s that?”
“‘Cause I did not believe you.”
She giggled. “Well, maybe you won’t get any cake then.”
“Uh, yeah, I’ll definitely be having some cake.”
She grinned, biting her lip. “I think maybe you’re just used to getting what you want, Your Highness.”
Damn, did I like that mouth on her. And that sass. And that way she sort of turned the whole royal thing around, like it was this negative aspect to us instead of something she was after, like most girls you met as a prince.
“You think so, huh?”
I moved towards her, and she swallowed, her face going red.
Fuck I wanted her.
I’d wanted her since the second I laid eyes on her, but after thirty minutes in that small kitchen with her and Shane, I fucking wanted her. My cock ached in my tuxedo pants, my balls tingling as they filled with cum for her. I wasn’t some caveman — not some overly crazy savage or some shit. I was a prince for God’s sake. And yet, I craved her like a wild animal craves its prey. I wanted her completely, and utterly — legs spread, moaning for me as I plunged every inch of my cock deep inside her tight little royal pussy.
I quickly knocked back my champagne, quelling the heat. I turned and when I caught Shane’s eyes, I could see he was thinking the same thing.
Shit, we’d never gone here before.
We’d never both felt like this for any girl, that was for sure. But we’d never both gone after a girl like this. There’d been that one date a month or so back, but, that wasn’t to be. That’d ended in us paying her not to go to the papers after she called us “disgusting.”
That’d stung, but maybe she was right.
I shook my head. No, no way. She hadn’t been. It's not like Shane and I wanted to fuck each other. I mean, sh
it no, nothing like that. But what we did want was something that’d been brewing for too long. So long that it was close to exploding to the surface.
We wanted the same girl, we just didn’t know who she was. But that night, it appeared we’d found her.
But where the fuck did we go from here?
“Okay, this is…” Shane shook his head. “Can we ditch the masks? It's hot as hell in here.”
She bit her lip coyly, like she was thinking about it. But Shane just shrugged and pulled his off. I did the same. Shit, she already knew who we were anyway, right?
We turned back, and slowly, still chewing on her lip, she slid her hands up and peeled off the mask.
Damn she was beautiful. So beautiful it took my fucking breath away. Those shapely blue eyes. That perfect tempting mouth and soft lips. That body. Fuck. I’d wanted her before. But with the mask off, I craved her.
“Do we get a name?”
She hesitated.
“Just a first one?”
Slowly, she nodded. “Vi.”
Shit who was this girl? I wracked my brain for any ladies or duchesses or princesses I knew named Vi, but nothing was coming to mind.
“Pleasure, Vi,” I purred.
She nodded. “Same. Surreal, but same.”
“You keep saying that,” Shane said slowly.
“Well, you’re still two famous princes that I’m in a kitchen having a drink with.”
“And making a cake for, don’t forget,” my friend chuckled.
She laughed. “Right, right. Oh, shit, hang on.” She turned, jumping back to the oven and punching in numbers on a timer above the stove before she turned back.
“Right, so…shit.” She looked down and groaned, her gorgeous blue dress sprinkled with flour and flecks of the chocolate she’d hand grated into the batter.
“Damn, my dress.”
“Personally I think it looks even better.”
Vi chuckled. “Is that because you’re hungry for cake?”
“Amongst other things.”
She blushed furiously, as we both turned to let our eyes slide over her.
“We could always wash it,” Shane said quietly.
Once Upon A Scandal: Royally Screwed: Book 6 Page 3