Page 65 of Reckless Royalty

Bloody hell, he smells like sin.

The sound of the shower stops, and I sit up, trying to shake off the strange sense of intimacy that’s settled around me. When the bathroom door opens a few minutes later, I expect him to come out fully dressed, ready to keep a safe distance.

But instead, he walks out in nothing but a pair of gray sweatpants, his hair damp and wild, drops of water still clinging to his skin.

Oh God. Mistake. Major mistake.

He walks over to the bed and sits down next to me, and I feel my pulse spike, every nerve in my body alert and aware of just how close he is. For a moment, neither of us says anything,the silence stretching out in a way that’s both comfortable and nerve-wracking. Finally, he clears his throat, breaking the tension.

“So… tell me about yourself,” he says, leaning back on his elbows, watching me with a curious look. “What was your life like before all this? Apart from your singing, that is.”

The question catches me off guard. It’s been so long since anyone’s asked me about my life, about who I was before all of this chaos. I hesitate, but his gaze is steady and warm, and I find myself wanting to share.

“Well… my dad passed away when I was a teenager,” I begin, my voice quiet. “After that, my mom decided we’d move back to her old hometown in Romania. It was a fresh start for all of us, you know? We spent five years there, trying to build a life again.”

Mihai nods, his expression softening as he listens. “Sounds like a big change. Was it hard?”

I swallow, nodding. “Yeah, it was. But it felt… right, somehow. Like we were where we were supposed to be. My mom always talked about Romania like it was magical— like it was home. So, I tried to believe that too.”

He shifts slightly, his gaze intense, focused on me in a way that makes me feel both exposed and understood. “And your sister? She liked it there too?”

“She did,” I say, smiling a little at the memory. “She was so young, but she loved everything about it. The mountains, the people, the way everything felt close-knit, like one big family.”

A heavy silence settles between us, and I can feel the weight of it pressing down, bringing back memories I’ve tried to bury. I look down at my hands, twisting my fingers together, and Mihai notices immediately.

“What is it, Maddy?” he asks, his voice soft, urging.

I take a shaky breath, feeling the familiar guilt rising in my chest. “I… I chose the restaurant that night,” I whisper, barelyable to say the words. “We were supposed to go somewhere else, but I wanted to try this new place, and they agreed. They went along with it because it was my birthday. If I hadn’t…”

My voice cracks, and I bite my lip, fighting to keep the tears at bay. But they come anyway, spilling over as the weight of my choices crashes down on me. “If I hadn’t picked that place, they’d still be here. It’s my fault.”

Mihai is silent for a moment, and I don’t dare look up, afraid of what I might see in his eyes. But then he reaches out, his hand resting gently on mine, grounding me.

“Hey,” he murmurs, his thumb brushing over my knuckles. “You didn’t know, Maddy. There’s no way you could have known what was going to happen.”

I shake my head, the guilt so deep it feels like it’s carved into my bones. “But it was my choice. They followed me. They trusted me, and I led them straight into?—”

“Listen to me. This wasn’t your fault,” he interjects gently. “You can’t carry the weight of their decisions or their actions. It’s not fair to yourself. You were just living, Maddy, like anyone else would.”

I let out a shuddering breath wiping at my cheeks as his words sink in, though they don’t quite erase the guilt.

“I keep going over it, replaying it in my mind, wondering if I could have done something, anything to change it.”

He shifts a little closer. “Maddy, sometimes… sometimes bad things just happen. No rhyme or reason. And it’s not fair, but blaming yourself isn’t gonna bring them back.”

I nod slowly, trying to let his words settle over me, to let them soothe the ache I’ve been carrying. He’s close, his touch gentle, and somehow, it makes all of this just a little easier to bear. I focus on his hand wrapped around mine, the warmth, the steadiness.

“Come on,” he says softly, shifting just a bit closer. “Let me take your mind off it. I can tell you about the time Marina nearly got me banned from getting a driver’s license. It’s a hell of a story.”

I glance up at him, managing a faint smile. “She got you in trouble?”

He chuckles, a low sound that makes me feel lighter. “Oh, more than you’d believe. She may look sweet now, but Marina had this way of convincing me to do the most reckless shit.” He leans back, his gaze turning nostalgic as he remembers.

“One time, she convinced me to ‘borrow’ our father’s car. We were thirteen, and I, like an idiot, thought I could drive because I’d watched enough movies to‘know the basics.’”

I cover my mouth, already stifling a laugh. “Oh no…”

“Oh yeah. We snuck out with the keys while he was in a meeting, and I was all set to impress her. Got about two blocks down the road before I drove straight into a hedge—nearly took out the whole garden of our neighbor’s house.” He shakes his head, a grin tugging at his lips. “She swore she’d never let me live it down.”

---