Page 170 of Royal Bargain

I wave it off. “Misunderstanding. I was framed. Also, that woman needs to stop following me.”

He raises a brow. “So you’re trouble.”

“Please,” I say, stepping closer. “You’re the one named Lucky. I feel like I’m the one who should be worried.”

He leans in, eyes glinting. “Or maybe you’re the lucky one tonight.”

I grin. “Oh. I definitely am.”

We’re a few songs and two more drinks in when it starts to spiral—in the best way. He dares me to sneak behind the bar and swap out the bartender’s playlist for a rock cover of “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” I dare him to tip the waiter with a drink umbrella and tell them it’s “a rare Brannagan family token.” We get them to page one of Rory’s bodyguards to move their car three times.

Somehow, we end up in the wine cellar.

It’s cooler down here. Quiet. Bottles line the walls like a secret stash of forbidden treasure. I run my fingers over the labels, pretending I know what any of it means.

“Do you think if I smash the most expensive bottle, the whole building will self-destruct?” I ask.

He laughs, tugging a dusty bottle off a shelf. “Only one way to find out.”

I steal it from him and bolt.

“Hey!” he shouts, chasing me up the stairs, both of us laughing like idiots. We burst out into the hallway like teenagers sneaking out of prom.

When we slow down, we’re breathless, flushed, and drunk on more than just wine.

We stop at a quiet corner of the reception tent, hidden behind a curtain of ivy and fairy lights. I lean against the wall, and he stands in front of me, close enough that I can feel the heat rolling off his body.

“Okay,” I say, catching my breath. “I’m going to need you to explain something.”

He raises a brow. “What’s that?”

“How the hell did someone like you end up in a family like yours?”

He grins. “Same way you ended up at a wedding you weren’t invited to.”

I smirk. “Fate?”

“Nope,” he says. “Bad decisions.”

We both laugh.

And for a moment, in this tucked-away corner of someone else’s love story, I forget about the test in my trash can. About Ingrid. About everything waiting for me outside this perfect, reckless night.

For now, there’s only him.

He’s still looking at me like I’m a mystery he wants to solve. Like I might burn him if he gets too close—and he’s thinking about stepping into the fire anyway.

I take a slow sip of wine, then tilt my head. “You up for doing something totally crazy?”

Lucky’s grin curves like a challenge. “I’ve been looking to do something crazy.”

I step closer, heart thudding, breath tight with wild energy. “I say we get out of here.”

I pause. My lips quirk upward.

“And elope.”