Page 2 of A Queen and HER Bad Boy (Spies and Royals #4)

He quickly introduced them. “This is Charisse Oshear!”

Ah, yes, one of the Oshear heiresses from America.

Her family made luxury water toys, like submarines and superyachts.

Bris was right when she’d pegged her as a debutante.

Her daddy had loads of money that he’d heaped on his two little girls, and Charisse was their baby.

Looks like she had her sights set on a new daddy, the “Duke of Peleus.”

“Charmed,” Charisse said, her eyes on Gena. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

Wow, Achilles—your girlfriend has a voice that belongs to a twelve-year-old! Petty? Yes. True? Also yes, but that hadn’t stopped Achilles from seeing her finer qualities.

“Happy to meet you,” Gena answered in kind, her usually friendly tone only slightly repressed. Her eyes were on her brother in reproach, likely because he hadn’t said anything about his new girlfriend before now.

Charisse’s gaze alighted on Bris, and she seemed much less charmed.

Ha! What had Achilles told her about the spoiled princess? Nothing good by the way the heiress’s mouth pressed into a thin line. “Princess Briseis Mnon Tyndarian, yes? I understand you all grew up together?”

More than that—they’d been inseparable.

Her eyes went to Achilles and, noticing the fleeting amusement at her discomfort before he shuttered it, she turned her dangerous smile on his girlfriend instead. “Please, call me Bris. That’s what the Duke calls me.”

Duke. Princess. All that nonsense of titles and prestige faded away into familiarity in the years of growing up together in a somewhat normal household—as normal as losing more loved ones than they could count and dealing with Bris’s absent father had been.

“That isn’t what I call you,” Achilles said flatly.

She swallowed her discomfort. He called her Prissy… because she was a prissy little brat and it rhymed with Brissy, which also wasn’t her official name.

Gena let out a breath and quickly filled in the silence. “Bris is almost like a sister to us… well, not a sister because, well…” her cheeks flushed. “Of course, we’d love her to be a part of our family, but it’s not uh…” and she was really floundering now.

Had Gena harbored some sort of romantic ideal between Bris and her brother? It seemed almost impossible, seeing as they fought all the time. Gena sought out her older brother for his help with a tortured look, but also there was something else there, a plea for him to be a decent human being.

He immediately took pity on Gena. “Not a sister—she’s certainly not that, but we’ll call her a close family friend.”

“Yes,” Gena said. “We’re so lucky to have her in our lives.”

He winced—it was almost imperceptible, but Bris had been looking for any sign of his dislike, and there it was!

She’d be blind not to notice how he’d distanced himself from her since his stepfather had tried to push an arranged marriage on them on the Island of Scheria.

It didn’t help that her father actually seemed to be considering the idea.

If saying she was a princess sounded archaic in this modern world, even crazier was the idea of forcing them to marry!

And of course, Achilles wasn’t having it—that was both gratifying and lowering.

He covered his stormy expression with a fond smile at his sister. Achilles was a full five years older than their Gena, and her fiercest protector. His loyalty was one of the things she loved most about Achilles.

Loved?

Well, they’d chosen their own pathways now.

He was showing them exactly how little her father could control him.

Now it was her turn. She tilted her head at Achilles, forcing her voice into the nagging tones of a bossy sister.

“Where’s your tie, Killiefish? You know if you couldn’t figure out how to put yourself together, we could’ve tied it for you. ”

His eyes drifted to the hem of her dress, and he smirked. “I could ask the same thing about your shoes!”

“That was me!” Gena cut in. “My heel broke, and Bris—well— Bris said no one would notice what she looked like.”

Only Achilles would and in front of his now sneering girlfriend! “You gave my sister your heels?”

Bris squirmed when she noticed the slight shift in his eyes and how they softened on her like they had nearly a year ago. The last thing she needed was for him to think he owed her. “It wasn’t that big of a deal. Just drop it.”

And he didn’t. “Why wouldn’t anyone notice you?”

She squirmed under his probing look. Of course, they would, but no one dared give the spoiled and fiery princess a hard time about anything.

Would he actually make her spell it out?

Bris hesitated under the pseudo-sweet gaze of his new lady and shrugged.

“My skirt is long enough to cover my feet. Now go bother someone else, will you?”

She might as well have told him to jump off a bridge for how much he listened.

His eyes traveled to her toes peeking out from under her hem.

She’d painted her toenails blue… not the best bridesmaid color.

She crossed her legs in defiance, but that only revealed more of her bare feet.

She fought the fidgets and next her outrage when she caught his eyes sweeping over her gold dress.

Now he’d see how much the colors clashed!

He ripped his gaze away. “Is your father around?”

Glancing back, Bris searched the crowds for where the aristocratic patriarch might be making his rounds. He’d invited high-profile guests to Venice’s wedding for the sole purpose of parading the hapless groom around as the new ruler of Tirreoy.

It took her far too long to spy her father’s straight back in the chaos.

Chises Mnon Tyndarian’s once jet black hair was streaked in white, and his muscular build had gentled after more comfortable living in London.

He leaned in close to a French ambassador.

Sure enough, after dictating his son take his rightful throne, their father lost no time in gaining every political advantage at his fingertips.

Poor Venice! Her brother’s wedding was starting to resemble a crowning ceremony!

“Over there!” Bris pointed to where her father stood at the far end of the Grecian pavilion. Achilles was free to march his girlfriend in that direction and make his final stand against him. “I’m sure my father will be thrilled to see you.”

More like livid, especially with this new show of rebellion.

Achilles’s jaw hardened. “Good. I need a few words with him.”

“Be sure to circle back,” Gena said eagerly. “I told Bris you’d take her out on the dance floor.”

He glanced over at Bris, looking distracted. “Huh? Oh, uh… we’ll see.”

That meant not in this lifetime . Gena wasn’t as well-versed in Achilles’s language as Bris was. No way was he getting the upper hand in this game of indifference.

“Don’t bother,” Bris said. “I don’t want you stomping all over my bare toes.” She winked at Charisse. “You’ll be fine. It doesn’t hurt as much when you’re wearing heels.”

Achilles directed a dry smile at her. “Wait, actually… I can come back for you. I wouldn’t want you drying up like a spinster in the corner over here.”

Gena gasped and elbowed her brother.

Bris seethed. “I’ll pass—I’ve been hiding from undesirable men all night.

” Although honestly, Achilles had the right of it; she needed a man of her own.

If not for the sole purpose of snuffing her father’s overbearing plans to marry her off, then it was to show Achilles exactly what he was missing.

“Of course…” her attention drifted to the redheaded hottie she’d been avoiding meeting eyes with all evening, “maybe I could let one catch me.”

Achilles glanced behind him and immediately stiffened when he saw the man in question. “Sir Jax Montgomery? I didn’t think you could do worse than Turner, but you certainly have a gift for picking them out, don’t you?”

She scowled at the reminder. Turner had been a fluke! Her irresistibly charming bodyguard had ended up being a spy for the Myrdons and had tried to kill her brother and then her.

Did Achilles not think she could do better than that jerk? She’d show him! Forget trying to hide her bare feet! She was swinging them in rage. “Jax Montgomery? Is that his name? Thanks for the introduction. Now I just need to say, hi.”

“I can’t wait to see how this one goes,” Achilles said with a dark laugh. “He’s worse than an assassin; he’ll talk your ear off until you beg him to put you out of your misery.”

Her chin shot up, even as Sir Jax Montgomery shifted and met her eyes again. This time she smiled at him. And no, she had no intention of talking to this handsome stranger tonight.

A shopping spree was less risky than taking a new man into her life.

Yes, a shopping spree! As soon as her brother drove off with his sweet little bride, Bris would retreat from all this drama and hunt for the perfect heels to replace the ones she’d surrendered, and then she’d get lost in a bucket of deluxe chocolate ice cream and put on some deliciously syrupy romcoms at home.

Wait, no! Romances weren’t allowed! Crime documentaries! Yes, that would be the key to hardening her poor heart.

And she still needed to put Achilles in his place. “I’m surprised at you, Killiefish. Do you think I’m picking up this guy for his conversational skills? I’m out for some fun. Maybe he can take me away from all this boredom.”

“With no shoes?” he asked. “That would be exciting. What’s he going to do, throw you over his shoulder and carry you off? That might cause some talk.”

“Don’t worry about me—I’ve got skilz. No one will see us slip away.”

“Nice try.” He broke into a smirk. “All eyes are on you tonight.”

Bris’s stomach dropped to her bare feet.

He’d thoroughly shocked her with the dry observation, and judging by Charisse’s glares, she’d taken it the exact same way that Bris had.

She tried to gather her composure under Gena’s pleased smile.

“You mean everyone but you, right, Achilles?” Bris shot back. “ Your eyes aren’t on me?”

Achilles stepped back, his expression turbulent. “Don’t try me, Prissy. If you think you can run off with Jax Montgomery tonight, just wait and see how fast I’ll carry you back. Then we’ll cause some talk.” His hand tightened over Charisse, and he dove back through the crowd.

She sighed. Well, that wasn’t how she’d planned for that conversation to go! No matter how much she sliced it, diced it or pared it—that man only saw her as a little sister. She should throw her arms around his neck and kiss him until he changed his mind.

No, girlfriend… crime documentaries.

That would save her from further embarrassment tonight.