Page 18 of My Prince

I chuckled, a bit of the tension easing. “That’s putting it lightly.”

We stood there in silence for a moment, the events of the day weighing heavily on both of us. I was grateful for his presence, even if it was a bit awkward.

“Fade, I’m sorry about earlier,” I said, breaking the silence. “For falling and... you know.”

“Don’t apologize,” he replied quickly. “You don’t need to apologize for anything. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

I smiled, feeling a bit of the warmth return. “Thank you.”

He nodded, and the room fell into a comfortable silence again. I found myself drawn to him, despite everything. Maybe it was the adrenaline from the day’s events, or maybe it was something more.

“Why did you come over?” I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.

“I wanted to make sure you were alright,” he said simply. “After everything that happened today, I couldn’t just leave you alone.”

I felt a surge of gratitude and something else, something deeper. “Thank you.” I had Garett and Mark mere feet away from my place, but it was nice that Fade was worried about me. I didn’t really have anyone that worried about me.

“Anytime, cupcake,” he said with a wink, easing some of the tension.

I laughed softly. “You and that nickname.”

He grinned. “It suits you.”

I rolled my eyes playfully. “If you say so. You seem to be stuck on it.” I cleared my throat and quirked my lips. “Well, you can see that I’m okay. Did you need anything else?” I wasn’t trying to chase him away. I couldn’t understand why he was here.

“Just wanted to make sure you were okay.” He looked around. “I haven’t been in one of these in a while. Normally, they sit empty.”

I wistfully looked around. “I actually like it here. Sure, it’s small, but it’s just me.”

“Garett and Mark are next door?” Fade asked.

I nodded. “Yup.”

“Good.”

I tipped my head to the side, curious.

“You should be safe here.”

I wasn’t aware that my safety was an issue. “Um, okay.”

Fade’s eyes scanned me from head to toe, and I could feel my body heating up under his gaze. The way he looked at me made my skin tingle and my heart race.

“I better get going, cupcake. You’ll be at the clubhouse tomorrow?” he asked.

I nodded. “I have a production meeting in the morning, and then I’ll be over.”

“Interview?”

I was shocked that Fade was bringing up the interview and seemed ready to do it. “Uh, if you’re up for it, yes.”

Fade nodded and placed his hand on my arm. His touch was warm, and I found myself enjoying it more than I should have. “I’ll see you later, cupcake.” He affectionately squeezed my arm, and then he turned to leave.

The door shut behind him, and he hollered, “Lock it.”

I rushed to the door and threw the deadbolt. “And the back door, too!” he ordered.

I rolled my eyes. “Got it!” One good thing about living in a tiny house was that I could lock the back door and be back to the front window in no time to watch Fade get on his bike and drive away.

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