Page 77 of Until the Stars Fall

Until he gets it resized, that is.

But when I slipped it onto my finger, it settled into place as if it had been made for me. Absurd. It was obviously an extra piece from the royal treasury that just happened to be my size.

Flexing my fingers, I tried to ignore the new accessory as I walked into the front room to study my new living area. A small dining table with four matching chairs, upholstered in a lovely rose-gold velvet, sat off to the left. On the opposite side of the room, a chaise and a small sofa were placed in front of a fireplace, framed by bookcases that were sadly empty. Not that I felt much like reading. It would have been nice to have something to peruse while I waited though.

No sooner had I lowered myself onto the chaise than a knock at the door pushed me back onto my feet. Smoothing the knee-length skirt of my dress down, I rushed for the door and stopped. My heart thumped wildly, and I tried to draw in a breath to settle it, but it refused.

It’s just Connor.

Yes, my fiancé.I gritted my teeth. I could do this. If it meant living, I could do this. It was only temporary, as he’d said.

Another knock startled me, and I shook my head at his impatience. Pulling the door open, I donned a scowl, or tried to. Connor wore a simple dark gray, button-down shirt tucked into perfectly tailored black trousers. I’d never seen him dressed so casually, and the crooked grin plastered on his face sent my heart fluttering against my will.

“Can I come in?” he asked, flicking his eyes to the room behind me.

I tried to get my bearings by pulling in another breath, but all it did was bring a fresh wave of his cologne toward me, that same stars-be-damned sexy smell that he’d left on my clothes that day in the—

“Thank you,” he said as he stepped past me.

I whirled on him, irritation pulling my brow tight. “I don’t remember inviting you in,” I said, placing my hands on my hips.

He eyed me over his shoulder and shrugged. “The look on your face just now seemed invitation enough.”

CHAPTER 37

Connor

Lieke slammed the door closed, and a smile tried to weasel its way onto my lips as I turned away from her. I fought it back though. Why did she have to look so cute when she was irritated?

She darted around me and pressed a hand to my chest, as if that could physically stop me from moving further into her room. Still, I humored her and stopped, stepping back and struggling to ignore the unwelcome warming in my core. Watching her blue eyes lock onto mine in challenge made that nearly impossible.

She glared up at me. “You cannot just—”

I raised my brow but said nothing. Surely she realized who I was, whose house we were standing in, and what I had just done for her. She didn’t back down though, and the fire in her eyes continued to blaze.

“I cannot just what?” I finally asked when she still hadn’t finished her sentence. She blinked a few times, as if my question had broken her out of some reverie. “Where did you get lost just then, Lieke?”

At that, she set her jaw, and her eye twitched slightly. “What? No stupid nickname anymore?”

“I didn’t think it was befitting of our new relationship.” I shrugged. “But if you really want one…”

Pursing her lips, she studied me for a moment and then huffed out a breath. “Only if you can do better thanblondie.It was a bit basic; I’d expect better fromYour Highness.”

She used my title with far less reverence than Matthias did. Casually I sauntered away from her and settled myself into the armchair in her sitting room. Lieke remained standing stiffly, though she’d turned to follow me with her eyes.

I let my gaze rove over her as if I were contemplating a new nickname for her, but I was actually attempting to determine what steps we needed to take to sell this farce.

“Shall I spin for you?” she asked in a mocking tone.

“If you’d like,” I said.

“Oh, well, at least I have a say in something.” She lowered herself into a curtsy before rotating slowly in place.

Stars, this woman.

I released a sigh and forced my face to relax.

Apathy would be better than bitterness if I was to convince her to play her part. Getting her to feign affection for me seemed nearly impossible at the moment, but we could at least work on her appearance while I figured out how to win her over—even if only artificially. The dress didn’t quite fit her, but it would suffice on such short notice. I made a mental note to send the tailor to her after breakfast.

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