Page 18 of Gilded Princess

My steps slow and I look from side to side, seeing if the eyes on the paintings follow me. The sconces along the wall cast strange shadows on the unfamiliar faces. And then my mind immediately jumps to a scary movie where some serial killer waits behind the walls, using the eyes of the portraits to stalk his victims and—

No. Stop. You’ve been here a dozen times—maybe more—and nothing bad has ever happened.

I take a deep breath and let it out slowly, picking up my pace again. A few steps later, I reach for the gold inlaid door handle, turning it and pushing the heavy door open.

Darkness greets me.

Chapter Seven

MADDIE

It takes me a moment to remember that the few windows in this ladies’ lounge are covered by thick velvet drapes, and not even the waning sunlight filters through them.

I blindly reach out for the light switch with my left hand.

Then I feel it.

A crackle of awareness shoots through my body, followed by a dash of fear.

Goosebumps light a path down my body all the way to my toes when I feel his heat at my back. In the span of a heartbeat, maybe two, he steps into me, his front flush against my back and wraps his hand around my outstretched one.

“I heard you were looking for me.” His breath stirs the hair next to my ear as he talks.

“Who are you,” I breathe out. Excitement thrums in my veins, chasing away the fear. My muscles tense against the urge to spin around and touch him. To flip the light switch on and see his face properly for the first time. To feel the softness of his lips against mine again.

“Who do you think I am?”

I wet my lips. “Aries. You’re my Aries.”

“Hmm.” He makes a noise in the back of his throat, and I swear I feel his chest rumble against my back. “And have you been asking around for me?”

Despite the thundering of my heart, excitement pounds heavy in my limbs. I can’t believe he’s here—that I found him. Or he found me.

But now the real question is: What am I going to do about it?

“I didn’t go around asking about you. But I—I did want to see you again.”

He places his hand on my stomach, his fingers splaying wide. My body arches without conscious thought, and I hear my breath hitch. The noise is loud, cutting through the absolute darkness of this room.

I lick my lips as adrenaline and lust war with my common sense. This is crazy—I’m not the kind of girl who gets turned on by a stranger’s hands on me in the dark.

Right?

That narrative has been forced down my throat for so long that I no longer know if it’s how I really feel or if it’s what I’m supposed to feel.

My eyes widen, as if that’s going to help me see anything. Fear pricks me, fast and quick, at the all-encompassing darkness.

“Close your eyes, Raven.”

It’s like he knows I’m close to freaking out.

I’m at a crossroads now.

Ten minutes ago, I stood in the middle of a sea of people and bemoaned my outlier status, begging the fates to give me something to end my boredom. And here I am—here he is.

I’d be a fool to not take advantage of the gift fate is offering me.

I exhale and let my lids close, my lashes fluttering. I take a tiny step backward, pressing into him. His hand presses against my abdomen in response.

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