Page 59 of The Royal Flame
“Don’t apologize for her,” he mutters, shaking his head.
He’s been strangely quiet and it has be a bit concerned that perhaps my mother was too much for him and he’s regretting getting mixed up in my life. Not that I can blame him.
He isn’t even holding my hand, but we are out in public. Still, I’m nervous as we limo arrives, and he we climb in. The divider window is up and the instant the driver closes the back door, I twist to River with every intention of giving him an out.
But before any words can leave my mouth, he’s devouring me with his lips, kissing me and parting my lips with his tongue as he tangles his fingers through my hair. I grip onto the front of his shirt as I struggle to keep up with his desperate kisses and holy shit, every time he tugs on my hair, I practically orgasm. As much as I’d love to continue doing this, I want to know what’s being his frantic desperation.
“River,” I whisper as he kisses me…
And kisses me…
And slides his palm up the side of my leg…
“Mmm…” He murmurs between kisses.
“Are you okay?” I manage to get out as he grips my thigh and tugs me closer to him.
“No, not at all.” His breath fans across my lips as he quietly sighs. Then he rests his forehead against mine. “Maddy, I’m so fucking sorry you had to go through all of that growing up. I knew you’re mother was bad, but seeing act like that, and listening to you talk about all that stuff she did to you… How you had to watch her do heroin… And her saying you were lucky because she didn’t sell you…” Shaking his head, he slants back, and carries my gaze. “I don’t want you to have to deal with this shit anymore.”
“I don’t either, but unfortunately, it’s in my blood.”
“No, it’s not. You’re Royal, Maddy. And I want to treat you like one.” He plucks a soft kiss from my lips. “I’m going to get you out of this—all of this. Away from north side, from this hunt. I’m going to figure out a way to protect you.” He kisses me again before I can protest.
I’m fairly certain he does it on purpose, and while the old Maddy would get irritated, this new, confused one melts into his touch. We probably would’ve kissed forever if the limo hadn’t abruptly swerved.
River tightens his hold on my waist as he mutters a string of curses. An intercom clicks on and the driver’s voice fill the back.
“Sorry about that sir. A woman ran out in the road.,” he says.
“It’s fine,” River replies then focuses on me again.
“I’m going to say this even though I know you’ll protest, but I think you should return to the academy and I’ll go meet you ex-mother.” He tucks a lock of my hair behind my ear. “You don’t have to see her again if you don’t want to.”
“I don’t want to see her, but I need to go,” I tell him. “And yeah, part of that has to do with me not wanting you to have to deal with her. But I also want to hear what she has to say. And I want to make sure she doesn’t try to lie. I can read through her bullshit pretty well.”
River slightly bobs his head up and down. “Let’s go to the bank then. We’ll get the money and then before we meet her, I want to make a stop at the library.”
“Why?”
“I want to see if there’s any books on the society in the restricted section.”
“You want to see if you can find out about that island?”
“I do. I doubt they’ll be any books, but you never know. It’s part of history and history always has a way of recording itself somehow.”
“Okay, let’s go to the library then,” I say then adds, “But?—”
“I know,” he cuts me off, brushing the pad of his thumb along my bottom lip. “You’re going to pay me back the cash I’m giving your ex-mother.:
God, he knows me way too well.
Part of me loathes that.
But part of me like it.
The ride to the bank is fairly short, but I almost doze off with my head resting on River’s shoulder. I’m unsure why I’m tired, other than maybe I’m emotionally exhausted—my ex-mother has always been good at doing that to me.
Again, I’m plagued about the reason why Ellie would have that woman raise me, even if it was to protect me. Wouldn’t it have been better to put me up for adoption. Perhaps that’s why she didn’t do that, though, because at the end of the day, she still wanted to be near me.
