Page 72

“What if he’s in on it?” Henry asks, clearly amused now.
I feel the tension start seeping out of me. I shrug. “Poison? Suffocation?”
His eyebrow arches. “First, your sister would be very upset if you killed her husband. She’s pretty crazy about him, too. Second, suffocation is a very aggressive way to kill someone. I don’t think you’ve got that in you, Gem.”
“First,” I counter. “Scarlett would be a lot less crazy about him if he’s actually a bad guy and he’s forcing you to work for him with blackmail or something. Second, I’ve got it in me if you need me to have it in me.”
Something flickers in his eyes. Heat? Yes, but also something that looks like gratitude? But that doesn’t make sense.
“Third,” Henry says. “You’re telling Prince Cian O’Grady’s bodyguard that you are willing to do him harm.”
I narrow my eyes. “Yeah, I am. What are you gonna do about it?”
Henry’s smile is slow and has a touch of the wickedness that makes my panties wet every time. Henry Dean is the only man to ever do that to me with a simple smile.
“I’m not sure,” he admits. “But I think it would be difficult to avenge my friend because we’d both enjoy all the things that came to mind far too much.”
I smile and lean in. “Well, for the record, I’d do whatever I could to save you. Say the word.”
He takes a deep breath. “You’re just determined to make it so I can never get over you, aren’t you?”
That makes my smile fade. But the wetness in my panties becomes an even bigger issue.
I don’t want him to get over me.
I don’t want to get over him.
This is going to be a big problem, but there’s really no way around it now.
Finally, he shakes his head. “No, Gem, I’m with Cian voluntarily. But it’s more than just because he and I are good friends. I need you to know that I’m not choosing him because ofsomething like I love to play video games with him or because I love the private jet thing.”
“But you do love to play video games with him, and that private jet is amazing.” I feel this urge to keep things light. I can sense that whatever he’s going to tell me isnot.
“I do, and it is,” he agrees. “But I can play with him online wherever I am. And I think he’d let me borrow the jet pretty much any time.”
He’s right. “So what’s it about?” I guess I’m ready to hear it.
“It has to do with my family. My parents. And Alfred Olsen.”
We’ve never talked about his family. Honestly, when we did talk about our pasts and histories, we spent a lot of time on mine because my family situation, my father being the pastor of the megachurch that seems to rule over half the town, and my single-mom sister Henry’s best friend was in love with, was all central to why Henry and I even met.
But I want to know everything about Henry, so I lean in. “Alfred Olsen? Linnea, Astrid, and Alex‘s grandfather?”
Henry nods. “He was also King Diarmuid’s best friend and one of his closest advisors. In fact, there were many times that without Alfred’s level-headedness and his general optimism and compassion, Diarmuid would’ve definitely made different decisions.”
“Like what?”
I’ve never tried to hide my fascination with the royal family. Once we found out that my sister actually had a one-night stand with a real prince, it was impossible not to get caught up in all of the stories, history, and gossip around them. The podcast fed that fascination and, of course, every little bit of information Henry would share.
It’s still bizarre to me that we know people who are actual royalty. Sure, Cara is a small country with very little international power or influence, but still, their mind-blowingwealth, their quirky history, their charming country…it’s all enthralling. Even if it’s much different from the movies and novels, there is still a fun fantasy-adventure feel to the whole thing.
“I want to hear it all,” I tell him.
“Alfred and Diarmuid met when they were young men. Before Diarmuid was king. Alfred came from an influential, wealthy family in Denmark, even before Diarmuid actually made him a Duke. Diarmuid took over the throne at thirty-nine after his father suddenly died. He knew he’d be king someday, but he wasn’t fully prepared. Alfred helped him through a lot in those early days. Along with Queen Roisin and Diarmuid’s friend Oisin, Alfred helped Diarmuid become the king he is.
“But Alfred was often frustrated with the fact that Diarmuid wanted to keep Cara quiet, under the radar, and more or less cut off from the rest of the world. Cara relies almost entirely upon their trade relationship with Denmark. Denmark is their only true ally, and Alfred knew it wasn’t good for Cara to be at the mercy of the whims of the government there. He wanted Cara to expand its friendships and kind of come out of its shell.
“But Diarmuid was afraid they were too small for other countries to care about? That maybe someone would try to take them over or something? That they needed that friendship with a larger, richer country to protect them?” I ask. “That makes sense to me.”