Page 70 of Royally Tempted

Was I ready to admit this? To them? To myself?

“I don’t want to let you go either,” I whispered, my eyes closed. “Eitherof you. And I don’t know what that means, and I don’t know how people would look at us, and I don’t know where we go from here, but—”

“Shhh,” Caspian’s lips at my ear soothed me, calming me. “We’ll figure that part out, I promise. And fuck what other people think, right? Trust us, that’s a lesson we were born into.”

“Go show your face, baby,” Cade said. “And then meet us later.”

I shivered at the thought, my body already yearning for more of them.

I nodded. “Okay. Later?”

“Absolutely,” Cade murmured, kissing me. I turned again to kiss Caspian too, before pulling away from them.

“I really do have to go,” I whispered.

“Go,” Caspian grinned. “But you know that we’re coming for you later.”

I grinned. “You promise?”

“With everything we have.”

I kissed them both once more before I turned and dashed out the door, back to the ball.

Chapter 8

Ilana

Ifeltlike I was floating as I practically skipped down the halls of the castle. I felt like a total dork, like I was in some sort of cartoon movie with little hearts bubbling around me, or like I was about to burst into song with woodland creatures. It was eye-rollingly ridiculous, but I didn’t care. I was happier than I’d ever been.

My mind was still spinning about what had just happened, and my body was still buzzing as I made my way back to the ball. Okay, I’d make an appearance, I’d smile and make the rounds, show people that I hadn’t disappeared, and then I’d—

“Oh! Ilana!”

I almost jumped out of my skin as the guest bathroom door swung open and my sister Imogen stumbled out.

“Im!”

Her hair was a total mess, her cheeks were bright red, and her dress wasn’t eventiedall the way up the front. I saw her doing the exact same thing to me, her eyes going to my hair that was no longer up, and to what I was almost sure were bruises on my neck — bruises from two men’s lips.

“Oh myGod!” she hissed, her eyes going wide. “What did you just—”

“Me?”

I raised a sharp brow at her and she blushed right back.

“You’re missing a tie on the top of that gown,sis.”

She flushed dark crimson as she looked down, hastily tying the last title bow on her dress.

“And who mightyouhave been with?”

“No one,” she spit quickly.

I smirked, crossing my arms over my chest and totally playing the big sister card. Yeah, I’d just been fooling around, but I wasdyingto know what she’d just done. And withwhom.

“You just half took your dress off and decided to mess up your hairstyle and makeup, huh?”

“Well looks who’s talking!”

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