Page 7 of The Royal Flame
We both startle, but I don’t pull back, instead resting my forehead against hers.
“Wow,” she whispers breathlessly.
“Yeah, definitely wow,” I agree, closing my eyes and breathing in her scent.
She smells like she always does, all sugary and warm.
“Are you okay?” she asks while resting her hand on top of my chest where my heart is beating as fiercely as a damn hummingbird’s wings.
I take one more inhale of her scent before leaning back to look at her. ‘You were taken, and you’re asking me if I’m okay?”
She nods. “You seem uneasy about something.”
How the hell can she read me so well when we’ve only known each other for a few weeks?
“I do need to talk to you about some stuff, but after you tell me what happened to you?” I tuck a strand of her hair behind my ear. “I’m sorry I couldn’t stop it from happening.”
“Oh, River, always wanting to protect me.” She smiles, but it fizzles quickly. “Can we talk inside?”
I nod, pull back, lace my fingers through hers, and guide her back to the elevator.
From this side, my fingerprint is required to gain access. Once my thumb is scanned, the door opens, and we enter. The doors click shut, and I press the correct floor button to begin ascending.
Maddy glances behind us. “I’m glad there’s no windows on this one.” She twists back to face me. “I’m not sure I’m mentally capable enough right now not to have a total meltdown with my acrophobia.” She frowns. “Well, I guess I still have to get on the other elevator…” She shakes her head at herself. “God, I need some rest.”
“After we talk, we should go to bed.” I skim my thumb across the back of her hand. “And while we’re on the elevator, you can lean against me and close your eyes.”
She nods, releasing a shaky exhale. “I just hope I don’t have a panic attack.”
A few minutes later, we find out the answer as we enter the other elevator. Doing as I suggested, Maddy curls up against me, closes her eyes, and breathes in and out. I trace a path up anddown her back, whispering encouraging words. She manages to make the ride without completely panicking, but she does bolt off of it so swiftly that she trips and bangs her hip against a table in the entryway.
“Ow,” she gripes as she rubs her hip. “That was so spazzstic.”
“It was pretty smooth,” I tease her as I exit the elevator.
Finn saunters into the room then. “Hey,” he says to me, then his gaze lands on Maddy. “Did you get hurt?”
“Sort of.” She rubs her hip a few more times. “I tripped into the table.”
“Smooth,” he jokes, eliciting a nasty look from her.
He smiles, but his lips immediately tug downward as if remembering tonight's events. “What the heck happened, Mads?”
“A lot, actually.” She scratches at her arm and shifts her weight. “Those guys that took me… They were my dad’s bodyguards.”
“Wait… I thought your dad was in jail?” I say as the elevators close behind us.
“Well, the person I believed was my father for most of my life is in jail.” His lip curls with bitterness. “But apparently, every single person I know is a liar. And I don’t even have all the details yet, so who the hell knows how bad things will get.”
Confusion swirls around me. “How do you know all of this?”
“Do you remember that guy Grey from the grocery store who knew my Aunt Ellie?” she asks, and I nod. “Well, his bodyguards were the ones that took me tonight. After I got into the car, they dropped me off at this house that belongs to Grey. He told me he believed I was his daughter and wanted me to take a DNA test. And the results came back as a match. That’s not even the craziest part, though,” she says through a yawn while stretching her arms above her head.
Her back arches as she does, and it causes my attention to drift to her chest. I hurry and yank my attention elsewhere. Now isn’t the time to be checking her out.
“Let’s go sit down and talk,” I suggest as I place my hand on the small of Maddy’s back. “You look like you’re about to doze off.”
She rubs her eyes with the heels of her hands. “I feel so exhausted. It’s been a long night.”
