Page 31 of The Broken Queen
I had to try and give her hope that we’d get out of here. I walked closer and got her attention. “Hey.”
Her blue gaze snapped over, meeting mine. Her mouth tilted into a smile as she made room on her lounger for me. I slid onto the cushion and let out a heavy sigh.
“That bad, huh?” She laughed while reaching for her book.
I wanted to ask if she was okay, but I already knew the answer.
I placed my head on her shoulder and began to read over her shoulder. “I’m going to push Adrian to get us out of here, but it’s hard to get him to just sit down long enough to have that conversation.”
Alex made a humming sound. “You mean the conversation regarding his alliance and the farce that it was?”
My gut twisted into a knot. Yeah, that part.
“I know he deviated from some initial plan…” I started, but she stopped me with a shake of her head.
“Presley, you know better than that. Don’t justify his behavior simply because he developed feelings for you.”
“You sound like your brother,” I mused with a sigh.
She glanced over at me, as if she were waiting for me to continue.
“Kingston said almost the same thing when I called last night. He still hates me, that much is clear.”
Alex released her book, allowing it to drop to her lap, and grabbed my hand. “You’ve developed feelings for Adrian, right?”
Something like guilt twisted around in my chest, but I lifted my chin and owned it, meeting her intense stare. “I have.”
“Then why do you care if King hates you or not?” Her brow raised in challenge.
“I don’t.”
I did, though, and I knew I needed to get a handle on why it mattered so much. The fact that both brothers hated me enough to steal my virginity only to use that against Adrian would be enough to sever our ties forever. It didn’t matter what they thought of me.
A ping sounded from my phone, making me look down.
Adrian: Just pulling up now
Sliding out of the lounger, I glanced down at Alex and reached for her hand. “He’s here. I need to go see what I can do. But I promise you, if he keeps putting this off, we’re going to scale those damn cliffs, I don’t care. We’re getting out of here.”
She laughed as I walked away, but I was serious.
I was done being here.
Adrian walkedinto the bedroom with the grace of a ruling monarch, but the bags under his eyes looked as though he carried the same weight as one. He wore a navy-blue suit with a wrinkled white shirtbuttoned beneath it. His brown shoes were scuffed and even had a few dark, mysterious blotches on them.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, moving from the bed.
He began taking off his jacket and cuff links, but didn’t reply. I tried not to take it personally, but it stung. I waited for him to remove his dress shirt and shoes, until he was just in his slacks.
“Adrian.”
Finally, he turned to me with those ocean eyes that matched the waves currently crashing against the cliffs below. “I know what you want from me…” He ran his fingers through his hair and let out a heavy sigh. “I’ve been trying to push things off because I don’t know how to?—”
His voice cracked, and the vulnerability in his expression had me moving closer. I was in his arms with his mouth at my ear, his fingers trailing through the curls in my hair. “You used to wear this in a crown, always braided…these past few months it’s been down. You’re nearly nineteen now. I had this idea for your birthday…”
I smiled into his chest, but his severe sigh returned, and he pulled back.
“I know you need to know all of it, from the start. I’m going to tell you, and then I’m going to find a way to get you home. I promise.”
