Page 66 of Cold Heir

I smiled, already knowing why.

“You’re anxious to tell the others the truth, aren’t you?”

He laughed when my guess hit the nail on the head, and so did I. “I shouldn’t even be thinking about that right now, I know, but—”

“Say no more. I was honestly thinking the same thing,” I revealed, inching back so he could climb out of my bed.

He didn’t move in a rush, though. A barrage of soft kisses rained down on my neck and chest.

“If you’re up to it,” he said with heavy lids as he scanned my naked frame, “I can return in the morning.” The offer was loaded, lacking the innocence I think he meant to uphold. I saw right through him, and leaned in to softly bite his lip.

“I’ll definitely be up to it,” I assured him.

He stood, and I lay there, watching his statuesque silhouette saunter away from my bed. “Would you like me to come with you?” I offered. “That way, if they’re angry about what we’ve done, I can help soften them up.”

He passed a smile over his shoulder, as he slipped back into the pants that had been removed so hastily.

“No, just rest,” he commanded. “I’ll take care of it.”

Again, I wasn’t used to being shielded from things, but it felt nice, comforting. A girl could get used to it.

He returned to my side for one last kiss, before leaving me to bask in the afterglow alone. Grinning, I pulled the sheet over my face. Of all the things I thought I’d be feeling at this point in my stay at the palace, these emotions I carried were not among them—peace, happiness … love.

No, I hadn’t uttered the words to any of the three yet, but I felt it beyond the shadow of a doubt. I loved them. Each in his own way, yet I did.

Finally pealing myself out of bed, I headed into the bathroom to engage in my favorite pastime. And tonight, with the heist we pulled off, I figured I deserved it. Bubbles and a few drops of oil made it perfect, as did the addition of candles and the gentle storm that encroached upon the Capitol.

When I finished in the tub, and let the water drain, I opened my bedroom window to let in the fresh air, enjoying nature’s serenade as thunder rumbled in the distance. There was no denying it, I was still giddy from what I shared with Silas. He was so much more than I expected.

A completely irrational thought entered my head then, and I didn’t bother overthinking it as I reached for my link to my team. If ever there was a time it made sense to wake Liv in the middle of the night, it was tonight. Even as I dialed her, I was grinning from ear to ear.

“Everything okay?” she answered groggily, and I only felt alittleguilty for disturbing her.

“Everything’s great,” I beamed, slipping a pair of stretchy pants beneath the nightshirt I’d worn earlier, re-securing the bun Silas had undone. “I just need to talk.”

She was quiet on the other end, and my face hurt with how hard I grinned.

“Cori, it’s nearly two in the morning, and you’re beingreallyweird right now,” she chuckled, yawning right after.

She wasn’t saying anything I wasn’t aware of already. Iwasbeing weird, because I didn’t do giddy, but that’s what Silas and the others made me feel.

Giddy.

Happy.

Wonderful.

Her bed creaked in the background. “Ok, spill it,” she finally demanded. “Whatever it is, just … lay it on me.”

Clasping my hand over my mouth, for the first time maybeever,I felt like a girl my age—not one with the weight of the world on her shoulders.

“Things happened tonight. Heck, things have been happening all week,” I explained, recalling each encounter I had with the princes. “And I just thought you’d like to know that I took your advice. I decided to let myself be happy. And the darnedest thing happened.” A quiet laugh slipped out of me.

“What’s that?” There was a smile in Liv’s voice when she asked.

“I think it’s working,” I shared.

Glancing around the blue suite, it dawned on me that this was the first time the space actually felt like mine. For once, I didn’t feel like an imposter, like a fraud. I felt like I, Corina Prescott, was right where I belonged. And that wouldn’t have been so if I didn’t have my team back, if the princes hadn’t made that happen.

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