Page 48 of Royal Catch
“Maybe you believed in my lie because you needed someone different around here to shake up the status quo. I never had any bad intentions, I swear. I never expected to fall for you so fast, so deep. It’s crazy how much I love you.”And hopeless.
He remains stone-cold silent, his expression closed against me.
An icy shiver runs through me, and my teeth chatter. “Maybe one day you can f-forgive me.” I cross my arms, hugging myself. “I’ll never forget our t-time together.”
He exhales sharply. “I’m getting you out of here.”
“Thank you!” I call to his retreating back.
Several excruciating minutes later, where I fear he’s changed his mind and decided to leave me to the spiders and giant rats, he returns with the key and springs me free.
I leap into his arms, wrapping my arms and legs around him and peppering his face with kisses. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
“You should never have been thrown in the dungeon in the first place,” he mutters, walking with me in his arms toward the stairs.
“The queen hates me.”
“More of a strong dislike. She’s not in a good place.”
I squeeze him tight. “You saved me from the spiders and giant rats.”
“I suppose I’m your knight in shining armor.”
“You definitely are.”
He sets me down at the top of the stairs. “What am I going to do with you, Polly?”
“It’s Anna.”
He closes his eyes for a second. “Yes, Anna.” His eyes meet mine in a rueful look. “Polly suited you.”
“It is a cute nickname.” I go up on tiptoe and whisper, “Take me to your room for one last night together. I leave in the morning.”
He grabs my hand and walks at a brisk pace, taking me in a convoluted path, through a large kitchen, up a back staircase, and through a series of hallways I’ve never seen before. Finally, we arrive in the upstairs hallway that leads to his room. He’s hiding me. From the queen or from Francesca, I don’t know and I don’t care. All that matters is that I get to have him one last time.
We arrive in his room and he shuts the door and locks it. I whip off my sundress, standing in only my thong and heels. I skipped the bra since it was a skinny-strapped halter top. I’m wearing little flower pasties for modesty’s sake. See? I can do modesty.
He slaps a hand over his forehead. “You weren’t a virgin either, were you?”
“Welp, the real Polly is a virgin.” I peel off the pasties and flick them over my shoulder. “And I wanted you so badly. Would you rather we never touched each other?”
He’s on me in a flash, pulling me roughly to him. His rock-hard erection presses insistently into my stomach. “You have no idea how difficult it was for me to go slow. I was so careful I sweated through that first time. I’ve never been with a virgin before.”
I slide my fingers through his hair, cupping the back of his warm neck. “You were wonderful. I think that’s when I fell in love with you.”
He freezes in place.Rewind.Stop loving on him!He’s changed his mind on the whole love thing because I’m a liar who betrayed him. My gut rolls, and I think longingly of the dungeon with its welcoming cobweb decor.
I pull away, but he holds tight and draws me closer, turning me in his arms, his chest warming my bare back. He places a soft kiss on the side of my neck, and I melt against him, closing my eyes.
“Who are you, Anna? What parts of you were real?”
I open my eyes and see our reflection in a full-length freestanding antique mirror. He’s still dressed. I’m in a thong and high-heeled sandals, but I’m not cold with his arms wrapped around me. Our eyes meet in the mirror. I so want to reach him, to feel close to him again. “My heart, my personality, my age, my dying father—all very real. Though technically he’s my foster father. Mike. I’m an orphan. Well, I recently learned I’m what you’d call a ‘foundling,’ which means my parents are alive and gave me up for adoption. I was never adopted, so orphan fits the way I’ve always felt. Anyway, I bounced through a lot of foster homes. They’re, like, temporary homes for kids with no family. I mean, kids don’t always bounce as much as I do. I got in a lot of fights with the other girls because I wouldn’t put up with their bullshit and got kicked out.”
“Now I see why you were such a good competitor. You play to win.”
I laugh a little. “I guess it’s in my nature. Mike was my last foster home when I was seventeen. He’s the closest thing to a dad I ever had.” My voice comes out hoarse, my throat tight. I clear my throat. “He was a handyman. He could fix literally anything—electric, plumbing, drywall, appliances, you name it. He taught me. It’s not hard once you have the knowledge and the right tools. I can fix most anything now too.”Almost anything. I can’t fix us.
His brows lift in surprise. “Can you?”
