Royal Chase

I closed the blinds when they got into his limo, and locked the front door. I went into the bathroom to touch up my makeup one last time. Sterling sent me a text saying he was on his way, but that there was some traffic. I figured Nico was probably to blame for that. I texted my parents to let them know that I might be a little bit late, and my mother responded to say that they were going straight to the ceremony at the Byrd Center on campus, and they would save Sterling a seat.

I heard a knock on the door and thought that Kat had locked herself out. It didn’t surprise me at all that she’d left everything behind when she’d caught sight of Nico. “Next time make sure you get your key . . .” I said, and then my mouth forgot how to talk.

Dante stood there in an expensive Armani suit, and he held out a bouquet of lemon lilies. I had forgotten how good he smelled, and how much I loved it when he smiled at me the way he smiled at me right then.

I hadn’t seen him since our blow-up at New Year’s Eve, and I didn’t understand why he was here. I didn’t think we had anything left to say to each other.

“May I come in?”

Chapter 19

Can I borrow a kiss? I promise I’ll give it right back.

I stepped aside and he entered the apartment. I closed the door behind him and just stared at him. He was literally the last person I expected to see. He handed me the flowers.

“I’ll go put these in water.” My brain finally remembered how to use words, and I hurried into our kitchen to pull myself together.

Why was Dante here? I grabbed a vase from under the sink and filled it up. I hadn’t seen him in nearly five months. He texted me almost every day, but I hardly ever answered him. I was trying to move on with my life, and thinking about him and about what had happened between us was not helping with that.

I had done my best not to encourage him, but here he was. I put the flowers on our tiny kitchen table, and he stood in our living room, waiting for me. “Thank you for the flowers. How did you know they were my favorite?”

“Knowing your commitment to your name, I took a wild guess,” he said, and I wondered if he really had, or if Kat had told him. “I like your outfit.”

I looked down at my red gown and felt my face flush. The color red reminded me of times and things I did not want to be reminded of.

“What are you doing here?”

“I graduated yesterday—Nico said he was coming here, and I thought I’d tag along.” He didn’t sound like himself. He sounded wary and unsure. It was weirding me out.

“What did you get your degree in?” Now I just sounded like the stereotypical blonde. I was in the midst of this highly charged situation, and I was asking him random things that didn’t really matter. I should have been focusing on the fact that he just got his bachelor’s degree. That he was too young for me. Instead I paid way too much attention to how his mouth moved.

“Philosophy.”

Of course. “Underwater basket weaving was all full?”

He laughed, and he seemed more like Dante again.

“But why did you want to tag along?”

He walked over to me, and my pulse thundered as I scooted back, running into a wall.

“I wanted to see you.” His voice was low and turned my brain to mush. He took my cap off and tossed it on the table. I should have moved or run away screaming, but I just stood there while he got even closer, and let out a little sigh when he put his fingers in my hair. I absolutely should not have been letting him touch me, but it felt so good.

And it was all there, all the things I had deliberately forgotten—the deep longing, that pull between us, so magnetic, so electric, so undeniable.

“I’ve missed you so much,” he said in a whisper just above my lips. Some part of my brain turned back on and reminded me that I couldn’t let this happen.

“Wait,” I said, putting a hand on his chest. “I’m engaged.”

He went very still. “Ma che? What did you just say?”

I swallowed and repeated myself. “I’m engaged. We can’t . . .”

He dropped his hands from me, but he didn’t move. I had thought Nico or Kat might have mentioned it to him, but they obviously hadn’t. His gaze flicked to my left hand, still on his chest. “You’re not wearing a ring.”