Page 28 of Take My Crown

“Loads of times,” shrugs Romy. “I figure that my charming personality will make it work one day.”

“Oookay.” Just what I needed. Another Academy arsehole. “Have you seen Archer? I need to leave.”

“My dumb pick-up line isn’t that bad, is it?” Romy asks, looking crestfallen. “Shit. The whole point of my throwing this party is so I had an excuse to talk to you. If you’re going to leave, I might as well tell everyone else to go home too.”

I did a double take. “You threw this party for me? Isn’t that a bit over the top? We go to the same school. Why don’t you just talk to me there?”

“I tried, remember?” Romy replies. “You made it very clear you weren’t interested. I wanted a chance, any fucking chance, to get you to look my way. Hell, I would make the whole of King Town into a circus if that’s what it takes.”

I laugh despite myself. “For someone called Romeo, you’ve got a lot to learn about women.”

“Why don’t you teach me?”

The twinkle in his eye tells me maybe I am the one about to learn something.

Chapter Fourteen

Ivy Archaic

Romy takes my hand and leads me away from the dance floor to a door with a security guard standing in front of it. The guard nods at Romy, opening the door for us and closing it again once we have walked through. The second it shut the music became muffled, suggesting the door is a lot thicker and heavier than it looks.

We walk together down a short corridor and through another door which opens up to a large room. There is a bar to one side which looks even better stocked than the one in the main hall. In the middle of the room is a conversation pit lined with sofas and lots of scattered cushions.

“Drink?” Romy offers. “And then maybe you can tell me what has pissed you off?”

Realising I have left mine back at the bar, I nod. I could use a drink. I have no intention of telling Romy anything about Declan and really, it’s my fault. Declan and I aren’t dating, we have no claim on each other and I have no right to be mad.

But my heart calls him a traitor and thinks differently.

“Make yourself comfortable. I’ll fix you one of my special cocktails.”

Romy goes behind the bar and grabs a few bottles, liberally pouring liquid into a mixer.

I go to the conversation pit and sit down, sinking into luxurious, soft cushions.

“Here you go.” Romy sits next to me, handing me a glass with a multi-coloured drink in it, a layer of yellow turning green and then blue. He holds up his own drink, and we knock the glasses together. “To the start of a beautiful friendship.”

“We’ll see about that,” I murmur, keeping my gaze on his as I take a sip. Romy is really a sexy guy. A sensation of flavour explodes on my tongue from the first sip. “Oh. My. God. This is incredible! What’s in it?”

“That would be telling.” Romy tapped the side of his nose with a cheeky grin. “Let’s just say I put a few things in that I had a feeling you might like. I invented it just for you. I will call it a Beautiful Ivy.”

“You had to do it, didn’t you? You had to fall back into cheesy.” I shake my head, secretly flattered he is going to so much trouble.

“What can I say?” Romy shrugs. “Most chicks dig it.”

“I think you’ll find most ‘chicks’ are humouring you,” I correct him. “I mean, anyone who can throw a party like this whenever they like is bound to have gold diggers throwing themselves at them. Add in your sexy ass and pretty face…you could say anything and girls would still jump into bed with you.”

“It’s so hard being me.” Romy dramatically places the back of his hand against his forehead. “Having to sleep with all those gorgeous women, never knowing whether they want me for my money or my enormous cock. It’s a tough burden, but I do my best to bear it.”

I laugh despite myself. Yes, he is cheesy and arrogant, but there is also something very charming about Mr Navarre.

“But enough about me,” says Romy. “I want to know about you, Ivy Archaic, woman of mystery. No one even knew there was an Archaic heir and suddenly you show up at the Academy, all sexy and alluring.”

“Sexy? Me? Hardly.”

“Oh, Ivy. You shouldn’t put yourself down. You’ve got eyes a man can lose himself in and a body…” He lightly runs the back of his hand across my exposed tummy. “Legs for days is not the word. The moment I saw you, I knew I wanted to get to know you better, but do you have any idea how intimidating you are, Ivy?”

“Right. I’m supposed to believe the school’s literal Romeo is too afraid to approach me?”

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