Page 61 of The Prince's Game
My shoulders fell. “I think it’s too late for that.” A truth I reconciled myself to when he left for France. Five days without him was hell. Not knowing what he was doing with Amber was worse. He texted me every day but never called. They were sharing a suite in Paris. He couldn’t risk her overhearing him, and my heart didn’t want to know what was happening between them in that hotel room.
“Are you going to be able to say no?”
“I don’t have a choice, Rach. I have to reject him even if it kills me.”
“What if you tell him how you feel?”
“It won’t help. He’s made it very clear how he feels about marriage, and besides, it’s not the happily ever after that I want. It’s him.”
“So tell him that.”
She made it sound so easy. He would be horrified if he knew how I felt. Our connection went deeper than lust, but he made his stance on relationships very clear. This was temporary between us. My suggesting otherwise wouldn’t change his mind. It would only break my heart and make things awkward for us going forward. I had a future business to think about. He might be a silent partner, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t see him again. Better to maintain status quo, enjoy the moment, and get over him in the privacy of my own apartment hundreds of miles away.
“Yo, Summers. Time for makeup.” Brenda gave a double tap against my closed door to punctuate her words.
Great.“My babysitter’s back. Gotta go.”
“The makeup artist? Even at his house?”
“Yeah, the producers required it, and she’s outside my door.”
“Wow. That’s . . . wow.”
“Right?” Another knock had me rolling off the bed. “I’ll talk to you soon, Rach.”
“Okay. Adiós, amiga.”
I rolled my eyes. “Your Spanish is still awful.”
“You love it.”
“Uh-huh. Bye, Rach.” I hung up, stashed the phone, and opened the door to find Brenda with her arms full of supplies.
“What’s up with the locked door, Summers?”
“Can’t a girl have a moment of privacy?” I countered.
“Not when you’re on a reality television show.”
I snorted. “Whatever.” I let her in and paused on my way to the couch. “Hold on. Why do I need makeup?”
“Because the prince is on his way here to pick you up for your weeklong date.” She held up a pair of jeans, boots, and a white sweater. “Cute, right?”
“Very, but pajamas are more appropriate for ten o’clock at night.”
“You can change back into them on the plane. Now scoot it, missy. I only have thirty minutes to work my magic, and you need to do something with your hair.”
“With such short notice, and just before bedtime, a ponytail should suffice.”Did she mention a plane?“Where am I going?”
“It’s a surprise, sunshine.”
“Hence the lack of notice?”
“Oh, you can blame your prince for that one. He wasn’t supposed to get you until tomorrow, but apparently he couldn’t wait another day.”
My cheeks heated.He’s on his way home right now? Why didn’t he tell me? He usually gave me a warning, but he kept me in the dark this time.What are you up to, Evan Mershano?“All right, make me reality-show-worthy.”
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