Page 5 of Thrones We Steal

He snorts. “They were ranked the second-most unreliable cars in the world, right after Chrysler. Let’s face it. Wesbourne’s future does not lie in car manufacturing.”

“At least I’m willing to support my country through thick and thin.”

“How many times have you had it in the shop in the past three months?”

“Zero.” The real answer is two, but he doesn’t need to know that.

“God, Celia. You are too dedicated for your own good.”

“Coming from someone who professes an allergy to the word dedication.”

“Hey, I can be dedicated. There’s this whiskey—”

I hold up my hand. “Please stop talking.”

I cancel the ride on my app, leave the driver a generous tip for their trouble, and slide my phone into my bag. My eyes fall to the console between us where a slim leather wallet is wedged. I don’t need to touch it to know exactly how soft it is. My stomach clenches and I turn away.

Of all the people to be driving down the road—a mostly deserted road at that—it had to be him. The anticipation I felt earlier is sucked away. The car throbs with a sickly silence.

He slices through it. “How’s your fiancé?”

“Fine.”

“And wedding plans? Coming together well?”

I shoot him a look from the corner of my eye. “Yes. My mum helps a lot.”

“She approves of him then?”

“What are you driving at?”

“Just that if he has Rosalind’s stamp of approval, he must be pretty great.” He raps his fingers on the steering wheel. “But I wonder—is he really everything you want?” There’s a kind of wince in his voice.

“Implying what?”

“Just questioning if you’re ready to spend the rest of your life with the same person.”

“You just insulted my level of dedication. I should think the answer would be obvious.”

“We also addressed your inability to choose a reliable model.”

“For your information, Beck is everything I’ve ever wanted. He’s incredibly smart, he has strong values, he’s loyal and kind. Responsible.”

“Sounds like a job resume.”

“At least he has a job.”

His laugh is abrupt. “Yeah, he works for me.”

“He doesn’t work for you. He works for the Crown. There’s a big difference.”

“There’s a slight difference. And I have a job too, by the way.”

“Last I checked, seducing women and partying all night weren’t considered jobs.”

He pulls a package of gum from the console and offers it to me. I shake my head. He pops a piece in his mouth. “Sometimes there’s more than meets the eye.”

“And here’s me thinking your looks paved your way through life.”

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