Page 18 of The Wanted Prince

“Me too,” I said, and I couldn’t help smiling. I still remembered the girl she’d once been, in her cream-spattered party dress, soggy with tears. I hadn’t understood why she was crying. She’d been the best part of that boring party. I wanted to tell her that, so I went and sat with her, and her smile was like sunshine breaking through clouds. Not a polite smile, but a real, joyful grin.

“I believe in you,” she said. “You’re good, in your heart. Maybe you’ve done wrong, but you can still set it right. And if I can help with that?—”

I leaned in, impulsive, and cut her off with a kiss. Maybe I’d needed to hear there was good in me. Maybe it was her sweet scent, the heat of her skin. I don’t know what it was, but it felt right in the moment. More than just right. Like I had to kiss her. And she must have agreed, because she kissed me back. She pressed up against me and hooked her leg over mine. I ran my hands down her arms and then up her back, feeling the tug of her robe on her skin underneath.

“Alessandro…”

I moaned at the sound of my name on her lips, the soft way she said it, like something precious. She kissed me again, and I needed all of her. I dug both my hands into the spill of her hair. Pressed my face to her neck to breathe her in. She sighed and arched. I tugged at her belt. She vibrated against me, and?—

“Was that your phone?”

I gaped, struck stupid. “Huh?”

“Your phone.” She reached behind me and found it still buzzing. “It’s going crazy. You should probably?—”

“Yeah.” I took it from her, breathing slow to calm down. Still, my pulse thundered loud in my ears, my heart keeping pace with my notifications. They came thick and fast, PrinceTracker, socials. Texts from Dom, Carlo. Nothing from Father.

“They know,” I croaked.

“That we’re here together?”

“What? No, not that.” I held up my screen. “But they know I’m missing. ‘A source from the palace.’ Either somebody leaked, or Father did this. To make sure I’m found before news of the theft breaks.”

Laura groped for her own phone and thumbed it to life. She swiped twice, then laughed, then covered her mouth.

“What?”

“It’s not funny, but you should see these theories. You ran off with some girl. You ran off with some guy. You caught a stalker in your bathroom, and now you’re in hiding.”

“That happened one time,” I said, without looking up. “She got herself hired as a maid at the palace, passed all the background checks. Went through the training. All just to pilfer a pair of my drawers.”

“Your underwear?”

“People are disgusting.” My heart sank as my screen teemed with notifications. People were gross, and they were nosy. Now the word was out, they’d be on high alert. One false step, one slip, and our goose would be cooked.

“We’d better move fast, then.” Laura squeezed my arm. “Why don’t I go downstairs and find us some food? You can start calling the names on your list.”

I stared at her hand, still clasped on my arm. “I can’t call them,” I said.

“Why not?”

“Because people lie. Because someone still is lying. I need to see their faces when I ask, was this you? I need to show up and shock them, catch them off guard.”

Laura’s eyes widened, and I could feel her wheels spinning: this was far more than she’d signed on for. More intrigue. More risk. This was the moment she’d tell me enough. I wanted to reach for her, to ask her to stay, but instead I sat frozen. If this was the end for her, I’d let her go. I wouldn’t fight her, or try to change her mind — because I knew I could if I tried. And I could hurt her, like the names on my list.

I’d never let myself do that. Not to Laura.

CHAPTER 7

LAURA

For once, my head and my heart were in agreement, screaming one thing with each panicked beat. Run, run, run!

I had to get out of this before I blew up my life.

Alessandro’s phone was still going, one constant buzz. An endless vibration, his life pushing in. For a moment, I’d felt safe, shut away from the world. Cocooned in our attic room, safe from the storm. But now I could see where the skylight was leaking, the start of a water stain darkening the rug. If that wasn’t the universe flashing a warning, I didn’t know what was.

“You could talk to your brothers,” I said, to put off the moment I’d have to end our adventure. “Maybe they’ll cover for you, at least for a while.”

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