Page 4 of A Queen and HER Bad Boy
Achilles glanced behind him and immediately stiffened when he saw the man in question. “Sir Jax Montgomery? I didn’t think you could do worse than Turner, but you certainly have a gift for picking them out, don’t you?”
She scowled at the reminder. Turner had been a fluke! Her irresistibly charming bodyguard had ended up being a spy for the Myrdons and had tried to kill her brother and then her.
Did Achilles not think she could do better than that jerk? She’d show him! Forget trying to hide her bare feet! She was swinging them in rage. “Jax Montgomery? Is that his name? Thanks for the introduction. Now I just need to say, hi.”
“I can’t wait to see how this one goes,” Achilles said with a dark laugh. “He’s worse than an assassin; he’ll talk your ear off until you beg him to put you out of your misery.”
Her chin shot up, even as Sir Jax Montgomery shifted and met her eyes again. This time she smiled at him. And no, she had no intention of talking to this handsome stranger tonight.
A shopping spree was less risky than taking a new man into her life.
Yes, a shopping spree! As soon as her brother drove off with his sweet little bride, Bris would retreat from all this drama and hunt for the perfect heels to replace the ones she’d surrendered, and then she’d get lost in a bucket of deluxe chocolate ice cream and put on some deliciously syrupy romcoms at home.
Wait, no! Romances weren’t allowed! Crime documentaries! Yes, that would be the key to hardening her poor heart.
And she still needed to put Achilles in his place. “I’m surprised at you, Killiefish. Do you think I’m picking up this guy for his conversational skills? I’m out for some fun. Maybe he can take me away from all this boredom.”
“With no shoes?” he asked. “That would be exciting. What’s he going to do, throw you over his shoulder and carry you off? That might cause some talk.”
“Don’t worry about me—I’ve got skilz. No one will see us slip away.”
“Nice try.” He broke into a smirk. “All eyes are on you tonight.”
Bris’s stomach dropped to her bare feet. He’d thoroughly shocked her with the dry observation, and judging by Charisse’s glares, she’d taken it the exact same way that Bris had. She tried to gather her composure under Gena’s pleased smile. “You mean everyone but you, right, Achilles?” Bris shot back. “Youreyes aren’t on me?”
Achilles stepped back, his expression turbulent. “Don’t try me, Prissy. If you think you can run off with Jax Montgomerytonight, just wait and see how fast I’ll carry you back. Then we’ll cause some talk.” His hand tightened over Charisse, and he dove back through the crowd.
She sighed. Well, that wasn’t how she’d planned for that conversation to go! No matter how much she sliced it, diced it or pared it—that man only saw her as a little sister. She should throw her arms around his neck and kiss him until he changed his mind.
No, girlfriend… crime documentaries.
That would save her from further embarrassment tonight.
Chapter Two
Nexttime,Achilleswouldbe better off biting off his tongue before acting like such a complete idiot.
Why had he challenged Bris like that anyway? Now he’d have to keep an eye on her all night to stop her from doing exactly what he’d warned her not to do. She was that spoiled and stubborn!
Why couldn’t he ever control what came out of his mouth when she was around?
Pushing through the crowd with Charisse at his side, he tried to do one thing right as he headed for the source of all his troubles. Chises Mnon stood on the other side of this pavilion with the whole population of the rich and famous standing in his way.
His emotions and logic were on opposite sides of a teeter-totter, wrestling for power. He’d thought he’d get himself well in hand tonight until he saw that Bris had given up her heels for his sister.
That was a big deal for Bris. The girl lived and breathed fashion. Of course, she looked amazing—no matter what she did. Her swinging bare toes drove him crazy. The silky gold material of her dress shifted with her every move, showing off her shapely legs.
If he didn’t know better, he’d think she knew exactly what she was doing to the heart that he’d been trying to wrestle down like a bull.
Why couldn’t he remember that Prissy was hard to handle, tempestuous, soft… the gold of her gown shimmered over her like a mermaid tail. What did she need shoes for? Then he wouldn’t have seen how she’d painted her toenails blue. He was a sucker for her painted nails.For all of her.
He groaned.
Yeah, trouble! The threat of an arranged marriage with Bris burned through his mind as a reminder. Chises Mnon would use her as the bait to tame the Myrdons once and for all! One; the Myrdons had their own ulterior plans for power; two, they’d already used Achilles and thrown him away when he’d turned against them. And three, he needed to steer clear of that powder keg—why should he care if he loved to fire Bris up so she could splash an ice-cold slap over him that only fanned the flames.Their passionate, chilly quarrels had become a bad habit for the both of them.
It had always been that way while they were growing up. They’d been through it all together, and now the only uncharted territory was pressing her close and kissing her… he almost stumbled over his feet at the direction of his thoughts. But now that he’d started, he couldn’t stop imagining her in his arms.
What would it be to have Bris as his wife? He’d make her so breathless with his kisses that she’d never get out another taunt… though nothing would extinguish that mischievous spark in her eyes.
