Page 33 of Ruthless Royalty

I push off the tree, heading toward the SUV without a word. The night’s been a blur of adrenaline and tension, and I need to clear my head. But of course, Connor jogs up beside me, grinning like the smug bastard he is.

“I’m ridin’ with you, G,” he says, slapping me on the back before hopping into the passenger seat of my SUV.

I don’t argue, I never do with Connor. He’s too stubborn to bother fighting about something as small as who rides where..

As I toss the paintball gun into the backseat, he hops into the passenger side, kicking his feet up onto the dashboard like he owns the damn thing. I slide into the driver’s seat, the leather cool against my back as I start the engine.

“You’re quiet,” he says after a moment, glancing over at me with a sideways smirk. “That’s not like you, Gio.”

I shrug, my eyes fixed on the road ahead as we pull away from the clearing. The forest disappears in the rearview mirror; the trees replaced by the sprawling estate of Willow Bridge.

“Just tired.”

Connor chuckles, shaking his head. “Aye, tired, my arse. You’ve been distracted all fuckin’ night. I saw the way you were lookin’ at her.”

My hands tighten on the steering wheel. “Who?”

Connor raises an eyebrow, clearly enjoying himself. “Don’tplay dumb with me. Chiara. You think I don’t notice? You’ve had your eye on her since the start of this week. Hell, probably before that.”

I keep my eyes on the road, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing me react. “You’re imagining things, Connor.”

“Am I now?” Connor leans back in his seat, his smirk widening. “So you weren’t just chasin’ her through the woods like a dog after a fuckin’ bone?”

I clench my jaw, my pulse picking up again at the memory of her slipping through my fingers. “It’s Legacy Week. She’s one of the initiates I chose. I was doing my job.”

Connor snorts, clearly not buying a word of it. “Sure, sure. And it’s just a coincidence that she’s the only one who managed to get away from you, yeah?”

I shoot him a glare, but he just laughs, throwing his head back against the seat. “C’mon, G. You think you’re bein’ subtle, but you’re not. You’re fuckin’ obsessed with her. And trust me, you keep actin’ like that, and she’s gonna catch on sooner or later.”

“There’s nothing to catch on to,” I snap, my voice harsher than I intended. “Chiara’s just another initiate. She’s good, sure, but that’s it.”

Connor raises both hands in mock surrender. “Alright, alright, relax. But you know as well as I do, she’s not gonna stay single for long.”

I grind my teeth, the thought of someone else getting close to her sending a jolt of irritation through me. It’s ridiculous. Chiara’s off-limits. But Connor’s words hit a nerve.

“You’re reading too much into this,” I mutter, gripping the steering wheel harder. Connor looks at me like I’ve just said something stupid, which, in fairness, I probably have.

“Mate, I’ve known you a long time, yeah? And I’ve seen the way you look at her. It’s not just about the game. There’s morethere. And if you don’t fuckin’ act on it, someone else will. Mark my words.”

I let out a long breath; the tension coiling tighter inside me. “You’re wrong, Connor. I’m not interested in Chiara like that.”

Connor scoffs. “Bullshit. If you’re not interested, why the fuck were you so hell-bent on catchin’ her tonight? You let the others go, Gio. You didn’t give a shit about anyone else.”

I grit my teeth, refusing to admit he’s right. I won’t give him that satisfaction.

“Look,” Connor continues, his voice dropping a little as he leans forward, elbows on his knees. “I’m not sayin’ you have to marry the girl, but if you’re feelin’ somethin’, you’ve gotta stop pretendin’ like you don’t. She’s smart, she’s strong, and she’s got every fuckin’ eye on her right now. You know what that means? Someone else is gonna come along and snatch her up. And if that happens, you’ll have no one to blame but yourself.”

I don’t respond; the words hanging between us as the road stretches out ahead. Connor’s not wrong, but he’s not right either. There’s more at stake than just feelings, more than he knows.

But something about the way Chiara’s been getting under my skin … it’s starting to fuck with me.

“You’re overthinking it,” I finally say, trying to brush it off. “She’s not my problem.”

Connor shakes his head, smirking like he knows something I don’t. “Aye, keep tellin’ yourself that, mate. We’ll see how long that lasts.”

I park the SUV, cutting the engine. Connor hops out first, stretching his arms above his head. “Time to get back to the fun, eh?”

I nod, but my mind’s elsewhere—on Chiara, on the chase, on everything Connor just said.

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