“Alden. What are you doing here…mate?”
The words are friendly — the voice he says them in are considerably less so. I pull my hand out of Alden’s grip with a tug that makes his brows lift.
“Just getting to know our princess a bit better.” Alden crosses his arms over his chest. “Seems she’s been sorely neglected, these past few weeks.”
I think Carter’s head might actually explode, when he hears that. His eyes narrow to cerulean pinpricks. He’s careful not to look at me.
“Is that so?”
I swallow nervously as Alden shifts his body weight forward. “She’s your new sister — you should really take better care of her.”
“Looks like you’re handling things just fine, from where I’m standing.”
I wish the floor would swallow me up.
I wish a meteor would strike the castle.
I wish Chloe would come around the corner.
Literallyanythingto get me out of this conversation.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you,” Alden says conversationally.
Carter doesn’t respond except to shrug.
Alden’s brows quirk. “What have you been up to?”
“Oh, just busy making up for lost time.” His tone is lethally soft — thunder rumbling, the first hint of an impending storm. “After a week of isolation at the Lockwood Estate, where the hottest prospect was Patricia, the fifty-year-old cook, I had a lot of…” He pauses. “…pent upenergy…” A smirk. “I needed to blow off. Thankfully, the three Swedish models I met last night were more than happy to oblige.”
I flinch.
Alden laughs, as if he understands only too well. “Ah. I’m sure the women of Vasgaard are relieved to have you fully operational once again.”
“Mmm.” Carter’s eyes flicker to mine and hold. “Maybe I’ll bring the models to the coronation. See if I can make Octavia blow a gasket.”
“You have a death wish, mate.”
“Maybe I do.” He’s still looking at me, that intense gaze holding me captive more effectively than chains. I’m locked onto him in turn — pulse pounding, barely breathing. Wishing like mad that the feeling spreading through my veins resembled anything close to the indifference projected on my face.
Would it bother you, little sister?his eyes seem to ask.Seeing me with someone else?
Before I can do something stupid, like break down in tears, I rip my gaze away and turn to face Alden. My voice is so falsely bright, I barely recognize it as my own.
“This was so much fun, but I really should be getting back to work — that essay on social cognition isn’t going to write itself. Thanks again for the distraction, Alden. I’ll see you in a few days, at the coronation.”
“Oh—” His brows lift, startled by my brusque departure. “Save me a dance, Princess?”
“Of course. Though I can’t promise I won’t step on your toes.”
Before he can say more, I pop up onto my tiptoes, deposit a quick kiss on his cheek, and turn to slip inside my room without once looking back at the man standing down the hall, watching me with laser-like focus. It’s probably rude to close my door in Alden’s face after he’s been so kind to me, but I don’t really have a choice — not unless I want a witness to the emotional breakdown I’m about to have.
Shaking with rage and humiliation and,yes, a heady dose of unquenched yearning, I sink down to the floor, hands pressed over my face to contain my tears. They leak out through my fingers anyway, hot and furious as they streak down my cheeks.
This is insane,I scold myself, even as a sob rattles my chest.You just had a perfect first date with a perfect man… and here you are, emotionally crippled by a two second interaction with your asshole stepbrother?
Forget about Carter Thorne.
You only want him because you know you can’t have him.