Page 38 of A Royal Disaster
Not at Sunday dinner. Not ever.
He wasn’t even her real boyfriend. It would be a disaster. Lying to her aunt was shameful enough. Lying to her entire family was a whole other level. Besides, it would never work. They’d see through the charade. Or, worse, like Tía Rosa, they’d start dreaming of a Nuyorican royal wedding and they’d be crushed when this farce came to an end.
Truth be told, Lena was starting to wonder how she was going to handle it. In just twelve short days—yes, she was counting—her entire life had changed. Sure, a lot of it sucked—like the paps that were always hovering outside—but Liam had become a bright spot in her life. She relished their stolen time, their quiet talks, and the daily flower deliveries he handpicked. She’d come to realize that under the polished royal veneer lay a man just as real and vulnerable as any, and despite his best efforts to hide it, she could see how the crown and his parents’ impossible expectations weighed on him.
And then there was their scorching chemistry. Every time she so much as looked at him, she feared her panties would go up in flames. She’d had lovers before—not many—but enough to know that what she and Liam had was a rare connection.
One they’d never get to fully explore.
They were from different worlds. His full of wealth, privilege, and royal decrees. Hers full of delinquent notices, lawsuits, and the world’s worst luck.
Which was why she needed to remember that none of this was real, even if—for the first time—she wished it were. Lena had always been proud of her work at the studio, and she still was, but she couldn’t deny that the thought of returning to her real life didn’t seem so great.
Not without Liam in it.
She stole a glance at the prince, smiling as one of the kids accidentally brushed a blob of yellow paint on the sleeve of his T-shirt. He took it in stride, adding a blob of his own yellow paint to the other side, eliciting a squeal of laughter from the little boy beside him.
So he had been listening when she talked about balance in art.
Lena shook her head and moved on to the next table, answering questions and offering instruction. She needed to stay focused on the class. The children deserved her full attention, even if her life was unraveling at a breakneck pace.
When she got to Ella and Dante’s table, they bombarded her with questions about the prince, their eyes bright and hopeful.
“Mami says you’re going to be a princess,” Ella announced. “Can I be one too?”
Dante rolled his eyes. “It doesn’t work like that. You have to marry a prince—like Elena—to become a princess. Right?” he asked, looking to Lena for confirmation.
“All girls are princesses,” Lena said matter-of-factly, dodging the question as unease stirred in her belly. This was getting out of hand. It would only get worse if he came to family dinner. Her family would read too much into it.
She’d have to talk to Liam, make him see reason. He could make up some excuse about business meetings. Or royal duties.
On a Sunday?
Whatever. He’d figure it out.
“Your paintings look great,” she said, steering the conversation away from princesses and royal weddings and the train wreck that was her life. “Your brush technique is getting really good, Ella. Have you been practicing at home?” Ella nodded, puffing out her chest just a little. “And Dante, your color palette is awesome. The contrasting colors work beautifully together to really make the tree pop.”
She watched for a few more minutes, stealing glances at Liam while the kids painted. He caught her only once, and when he did, he gave her the damnable wink. The one that made her knees weak and her panties wet.
“I hope you paid the insurance bill this month,” Nia said, sidling up next to her.
“Why?” Lena demanded, fear clawing at her chest. Mierda. Had something broken? They couldn’t afford repairs on top of everything else. “Did something happen?”
“Not yet, but if you keep staring at HRH like that, this whole place is going to go up in flames.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lena said, dragging her gaze from Liam and forcing herself to meet her friend’s stare, head-on.
“Girl, come on. You two have been making sex eyes at each other all afternoon. Hell,I’mstarting to get turned on. It’s like watching the start of a porno.” Nia paused, a mischievous grin splitting her face. “Have you two been getting it on in the studio after hours?”
“Shh!” Lena said, grabbing her friend’s elbow and leading her away from the kids. “Someone’s going to hear you, and I do not need details of my sex life in the papers.”
Nia squealed. “So it’s true? Tell. Me. Everything.”
“There’s nothing to tell,” Lena said, shaking her head adamantly, “but that wouldn’t keep the paps from printing it and citing ‘a source close to the couple.’”
Nia shook her head in agreement, gaze fixed on a cluster of women who were undressing Liam with their eyes. “Is it me or are there more moms than usual?”
Normally the parents just signed their kids in and picked them up after class, but it seemed there was at least one adult for every kid in the class. “Grab some brochures and start handing them out. Maybe we can sign up a few new students today.”
