Page 16 of My Prince

“Yeah,” he said, his tone matching mine. “It is.”

We fell into a comfortable silence, the kind that comes from shared understanding. I tried to ignore the cold water and the goosebumps on my skin. It was oddly comforting to have him there, even if he was drinking a beer and waiting for me to finish my bath.

After a few moments, I heard him shift and take a long swig from his can. “You know,” he started, breaking the silence, “I’ve been thinking.”

“About what?” I asked.

“About how things have been... crazy lately,” he said slowly. “And how I dragged you into all that mess today.”

I shifted uncomfortably. “It’s not your fault, Fade.”

“Still,” he said, his voice reflecting a deep frustration. “I never meant for you to get hurt. And I didn’t want you caught up in this.”

I glanced toward the bathroom door, thinking about how it all had started. “I knew there were risks. I mean, I didn’t think those risks would lean toward being in the middle of gunfire in a donut shop, but I guess that is life sometimes. I’m a big girl, and I made the choice to follow you. It’s not on you. Besides, I’m pretty sure you saved me today. If you wouldn’t have got me to the floor, I would have been toast.”

“Yeah, I think everyone in that place was lucky today.”

I could hear in his voice that even though he was tough and whatnot, today had been a lot for even him.

“Can I ask a question, Fade?”

“Off the record?” he questioned.

“I’m a production assistant, Fade, not a news reporter.”

“Off the record?” he repeated.

“Off the record,” I muttered.

“What’s your question, cupcake?” he conceded.

“If this was just some random shooting today, why are you feeling guilty about it? Did today have to do with the club? And the gym explosion? And then the garage explodes? And even Anthony and Faye?”

“That’s way more than one question,” he drawled.

“Start with the first one,” I laughed.

“Remind me what the first one was.”

“Why are you feeling guilty about the shooting?”

“Who said I was feeling guilty?” he countered.

I laid my head back and sighed. “The fact you’re right outside the bathroom while I take a bath says you’re feeling guilty, Fade. We barely spoke twenty words before today.”

“What were your other questions?” He sidestepped around the whole feeling guilty.

“Did the shooting have to do with the club?”

“Next,” he called.

I giggled and couldn’t help but smile. “Is all of this connected to the club?”

Fade sighed loudly. “Well, I think I better get going for the night as long as you’re okay.” Yeah, I wasn’t going to get that information out of him so easily.

“Wait,” I hollered, a bit too loudly. I didn’t want him to leave just yet. I rose from the tub, water cascading off my body, the bubbles dissipating into the air. As I swung my leg over the edge of the tub, my foot hit the slick tile floor, and I felt myself slipping. “Oh god!” I screamed, panic surging through me. My life flashed before my eyes, and all I could think was that I was going to die naked on the bathroom floor.

Before I could even process what was happening, Fade swooped into the bathroom, moving with an almost magical speed, and caught me before my naked body hit the floor. His strong arms wrapped around me, my wet, slippery form pressing against him. Water dripped onto the floor, and my hair was plastered to my forehead and back.

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