Page 26 of Royally Drawn

“The chemistry with you two is too much. I’m not surprised, just annoyed. Lars will beheartbrokenbecause she is a kind soul, and he likes chatting with her. You know how shy he can be. It’s not easy for him like it is for you.”

“I can be shy, too!” I protested.

She rolled her eyes, “No, you can’t. You’ve never been. Neither of us knows the word.”

“Icouldbe.”

“You could also be the PM, but you’re not.” Leah poked my chest. “You aren’t a wallflower like Lars, Mr Sexy Pilot. And while I cannot see the two of themeverworking, she doesn’t end up with you, either.”

I crossed my arms. “And why not?”

“You sleep with heronce,and here we go? The next time someone makes a U-Haul Lesbians joke about Lourdes and me, I will send them your way, Keir Robert!”

“I don’t mean it like that. I meant, theoretically.”

“Women aren’t theoretical. And I know she’s some sort of wet dream of yours—blonde, short, perky, a big ass—but like… she’s a sweet girl. And I think we all scare the shit out of her.”

“Give her more credit than that, Leah. Just because you don’t like her?—”

Leah shook her head. “Keir, Idolike her. She’s funny and clever. I appreciate her ability to take all you men down a peg. But she’syoungand ambitious. She is not the type of girl who’s going to wait aroundfor you as you zig through the sky like a human crash test dummy. With her legs and ass, she doesn’t need to.”

I knew Leah was right about all of that, but I didn’t want to give up on the fact that maybe this could be not permanent but moreregular.

“I was thinking a summer thing could be good?”

“What? So, you can anger Lars? The thing you said you didn’t want to do?” Leah asked. “You need to figure out what you want and what you’re willing to do. My advice? It was a hot hookup. Time to walk away.”

While I suspected that was all it was yesterday, I couldn’t help but think about how excellent Ingrid was. I couldn’t ignore the way she made me feel or how electric it felt to kiss her. It wasn’t just the look of her. It was her smell, her taste, and the sound of her climax that sent me over the edge. I was drawn to her. I wanted her—and I didn’t want last night to be the end of it.

Let Down Gently

INGRID

Everyone took their time waking up on the last full day of the trip—everyone but Keir and Leah, who’d already managed to work out on deck before anyone else even opened their eyes. I was mostly sad to hear I’d not been there to watch. I couldn’t stop staring at him. It was a problem. I tried hard to play it cool, but I was lousy at acting like he wasn’t a gorgeous, statuesque man who could melt me with little more than the stroke of his fingers.

And even after the chaos of last night, he’d only grown on me. He’d respected me, cared for me, and held me. My news took him by surprise but didn’t turn him off. Our world hadn’t imploded overnight like I’d feared. Instead, we packed out for a Jeep safari to a waterfall. Unfortunately, in my attempt to be “cool” or “chill”, I’d ended up in a car with Lars, Betty, and Ollie. Betty wasinsistentshe wouldn’t go with any of the couples and was afraid of letting her eldest brother drive. I was also avoiding Keir, so I hung back with her.

“Don’t put me back here! The backseat makes me nervous!” Betty said as we mounted up.

“I’ll sit back here if you want to hop up front,” I agreed.

“Ollie’s driving,” Lars said in Norwegian.

“Damn straight. Because I don’t drive like an old woman,” Ollie said in English.

I giggled but soon found myself in the backseat with Lars on an incredibly rough road. To say it was awkward was an underestimation. I lurched around, Lars helping steady me at some point when I felt I might flyoutof the jeep.

“Can you slow the fuck down?” Betty demanded. “Jesus fucking Christ! I didn’t want to go with any of the pilots because I thought they’d be too intense.”

“They’re more reliable, aren’t they?” I shouted. “Since they… I don’t know… fly things?”

“Leah is lucky to have a driver’s licence still,” Lars laughed. “Honestly, so is Keir. Why anyone lets them fly planes, I don’t know. Neither one is to be trusted—both are lead-footed.”

“I thought she didn’t drive now?” Betty said. “She refuses to.”

“Because she’s famous, and people chase her,” Lars said. “Famous people are always too busy to drive.”

I laughed. “She’s famous? And Keir isn’t?”

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