Page 31 of Fallen Prince

I shook my head to clear it. The fact that I was thinking about Max was a total red flag. If Nikolai intimidated me as much as my stalker, that wasn’t a good basis for a relationship.

I needed to put both men firmly out of my mind. They were clearly dangerous for me in different ways. Nikolai was tempting and impossibly gorgeous, whereas Max was… I didn’t really have words for how Max made me feel. There were too many conflicting emotions where he was concerned: fear, anger, pity, gratitude.

My stomach flipped, and I took a decisive step toward the chocolate fountain. “I need sugar,” I announced, imbuing my voice with as much confidence as I could muster.

Isabel sighed. “Don’t we all?”

She clearly didn’t approve of the fact that I was running away from a man as appealing as Nikolai, but my friend was loyal to her core. If I didn’t want to think about darkly imposing men, she would distract me.

And I definitely didn’t want to think about Nikolai or Max.

CHAPTER 12

Allie

“Are you sure you don’t want us to stay for a little while longer?” Charlie asked, her cornflower blue eyes soft with concern.

My friends waited beside their limo, hesitating to get in and abandon me.

“I’ll be okay,” I promised. “Daddy said he’s making his final goodbyes. Most of the guests have left already, anyway. I promised I’d catch a ride home with him.”

“But why aren’t you riding with us?” Davis asked with an exaggerated pout. “We all came here together. We deserve a little more limo time.”

I laughed and waved them into the waiting car. “You guys enjoy as much limo time as you want. I think my dad wants to check in with me. I wasseriously awkward around the Ivanovs. He’s probably worried that I’m upset. You know how protective he is.”

Isabel offered me an understanding smile and opened the door, ushering the other two inside. “I know it’s probably taken all of his restraint to stop himself from constantly checking in on you this summer. We totally get it. If he needs to talk to you tonight so that you can keep living your fabulous, independent life with us, then that’s okay. We need you to be able to come out with us whenever you want.”

She pulled me into a tight hug, and I returned it with a fierce squeeze. “Thank you.”

“Anytime,” she promised. “We’ve got your back.” She disengaged and joined the others in the limo. After the door closed, they rolled down the window so they could wave at me as they pulled away. I heard the distinctive pop of a champagne cork, and Davis let out a whoop of excitement.

My heart tugged toward them, but my smile stayed in place as I waved after them. Isabel understood. I needed to talk to my dad if I wanted to maintain my freedom.

Even if that freedom did come along with a dark stalker.

The phantom feel of Max’s strong arms closing around me as he pulled me out of the way of the oncoming car drew a shiver to the surface of my skin.

He’s not stalking me anymore,I reminded myself. I hadn’t seen so much as a glimpse of him since he’d walked away from me three days ago, returning to his sister for verbal torment.

My chest squeezed. No matter how unstable he was, Max didn’t deserve her cruelty. Those caustic remarks about his accident probably were a contributing factor to his madness. I still couldn’t understand why he would risk kidnapping me for her sake. He must be very close with his father.

His father, the infamous mobster who’d been sent to prison by my dad.

Sometimes love is hard, but blood is everything.The memory of his tragic declaration made my heart twist. Love shouldn’t be hard.

“Are you cold?” I jolted at the close proximity of the deep, masculine voice. A large, warm hand touched my shoulder, steadying me. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

I realized I’d hugged my arms close to my aching chest while I’d been thinking about Max and his awful family. And I recognized the heat of that casual touch.

Nikolai Ivanov stood just at the edge of my personal space: a respectful but intimate distance. I had to crane my neck back to meet his eyes. His sheer size and that striking blue gaze stunned me all over again.

“Here,” he offered, unbuttoning his jacket. “If you’re waiting for you dad, there’s no need for you to stand here shivering.” He draped the garment over my shoulders before I could formulate a coherent sentence. It was warm from his body heat, and it smelled like his intoxicating cologne.

“You don’t have to do that, Nikolai,” I protested, even though he was already withdrawing those big, masculine hands, leaving me huddled in his huge jacket.

The midnight breeze was barely chilly on this summer night, and I really hadn’t been cold.

His sensual lips twisted in a cocky smile. “It’s Niko. And I know I didn’t have to. But it gives me an excuse to talk to you. Now, you can’t try to run away again.” He fingered the lapel, just over my collarbone. “Not unless you want to steal my jacket, which would be a shame.”

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