Page 71 of Royal Trouble
Her grinned down at her. “Absolutely. Was it working?”
“Right up until your plan went up in flames,” she shot back, batting her lashes innocently.
Fuck. This woman. She totally got him in a way no one else did. Which was why he needed to bite the bullet and ask her the question he’d been working up to.
“I’d like you to be my date to Liam and Elena’s wedding.”
Everly’s smiled faded. “You can’t be serious. That’s a terrible idea.”
“Actually, it’s brilliant,” he countered. He’d known she might react this way, but knowing it and experiencing it were two different things. The resistance had nothing to do with him and everything to do with being thrust into the spotlight, and of seeing her father, but damn if it didn’t sting just the same. “Even Liam and Elena think so. They’d love to see you again and there’s no one else I’d rather have on my arm.”
She chewed her lip, no doubt weighing all the things that could go wrong against all the things that could go right. “You say that now, but when the court gets wind of it, you might feel differently.”
“I don’t give a fuck what those entitled pricks think.” For the first time in his life, it was true. Everly was the best thing to happen to him in ages, and he wasn’t going to ask her to stay in the shadows because people might gossip about them. The entire country had been whispering about him his whole life, regardless of what he said or did, and he was done trying to win their approval. “I want you by my side at the wedding.”
“I don’t know.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, looking defeated, and he wanted to throttle every single person who’d ever made her feel like she didn’t belong, like she was less than. “It’ll be like school all over again with the whispers and the snide comments. That’s the last thing you need with the launch of the Blue and Gold Foundation.”
“So what?” he challenged, deciding to try a different approach. If he couldn’t argue her logic, he’d just have to appeal to the sassy spitfire he knew was hiding inside. “You’re going to let a bunch of self-indulgent, inbred pricks drive you out of your home and dictate who you can date?”
“We aren’t dating,” she said quickly.
“Aren’t we?” He arched a brow in challenge. Perhaps he’d been unclear in his intentions. He was a bit rusty at this. The last time he’d had a girlfriend had been at Elmhurst, and that relationship had fizzled out when he’d overheard her telling her friends she didn’t give a damn if he was a cheat or illegitimate, because he was second in line to the throne. The experience had pretty much soured him on relationships, but Everly was different. They were cut from the same cloth, and he wanted to give this thing between them a go.
“I don’t expect anything from you, Xander.”
“I know,” he said, cupping her face and stroking his thumbs across her cheeks. The woman was so bloody stubborn, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. “This isn’t about expectation. It’s about what I want, and what I hope you want, too.”
She was silent for so long he began to wonder if she was, in fact, going to tell him to pound sand. Wouldn’t that be a kick in the balls? Getting rejected by the first woman he’d actually wanted to date in over a decade.
“Come on, love. Put me out of my misery.”
She nodded, a small smile curving her full lips, as if she didn’t dare let it shine full force. It didn’t matter. It was enough to send his spirits soaring, and he crushed his mouth to hers, satisfaction coursing through his veins as her soft lips moved hungrily over his.
When they finally came up for air, she asked, “So, you’re really serious about the wedding?”
“Yes.” He cupped her arse and gave it a playful squeeze. “Just promise me you’ll buy the proper dress size this time. As much as I adore your bum, we can’t have you upstaging the bride by flashing the entire nation.”
No Love for Lotte
Looks like the Lady Dupont’s royal aspirations may be coming to a bitter end, and we’re here for it. Palace insiders say that after a failed attempt to catch the attention of the heir, LD set her sights on the royal spare. I guess it’s true what they say, when you’re a power-hungry social climber, a crown’s a crown.
Rumor has it LD’s been angling to get HRH Prince Alexander to escort her to the royal wedding, with no success. It might be time for the lady to wave the white flag. You know, since her last date with HRH ended with him getting cozy in the parking lot with another woman. (We still don’t know what he did after, but we have our theories.)
So, is it just us or is there something deliciously satisfying about seeing the girl we all love to hate get her just desserts?
As for HRH, we’re told his plus-one for the big event will be Everly Wilson, a Valerian native living in NYC. If the name doesn’t sound familiar, it’s because she’s not a regular at court. Perhaps a good thing, since we doubt the Lady Dupont will take this sleight lying down (unless of course it’s on her back).
And we have to ask…what are the freaking odds that both HRHs are smitten with New Yorkers? Must be something these boys like about big apples and apple pie. No official word from the palace, but we figure it’s just a matter of time. Until then, we’ll be on #RoyalWeddingWatch!
Chapter Eighteen
Everly checked her expression in the rearview mirror. As expected, there was a goofy grin on her face she couldn’t seem to hide. Probably she should give up trying. Sure, not everything had fallen into place, but for the first time in a long time, she felt like she was on the right track.
She was dating a freaking prince—something she still struggled to wrap her brain around—she’d reconnected with her sister, and she was expanding her horizons as a writer with a new project that left her both unsettled and exhilarated. It was still early stages, and there were no guarantees any of it would work out, but she had a good feeling.
One that had inspired her to spend the afternoon dress shopping for the royal wedding. She’d splurged on a gorgeous blue dress and fascinator the saleswoman said perfectly matched her eyes. Xander was going to love it. The dress was more than she could afford to spend, but how many times would she have the opportunity to attend a royal wedding?
If this didn’t justify splurging, she didn’t know what did. After all, this was the wedding of the century, and she definitely didn’t want to be memorialized wearing an ill-fitting department store bargain.