Page 36 of Wicked Dreams (Fallen Royals 1)

He grins at me, all charm, and Lenora sighs from the other side of the room.

“You weren’t supposed to come in,” I say through my teeth.

“What was I supposed to do? Honk from the curb?” He frowns. “That’s not very nice of me.”

“Exactly. You’re not nice.”

He takes my hand and puts it on his arm. I curl my fingers around his biceps, kind of hating the formality of this, and he takes me over to where Lenora and Robert are standing in the kitchen.

“Ah, honey, that sweater is beautiful on you,” Lenora says.

“Thanks.”

Caleb looks me up and down. “It is nice to see you outside of our uniform.” And then he reaches out and shakes Robert’s hand. “Nice to see you both,” he says. “We’ll be on our way. Does Margo have a curfew?”

There he goes using my name again. It does weird things to the butterflies in my stomach.

Lenora and Robert glance at each other.

“Oh,” she says, “this is the first time we’ve had to discuss it. What do you think, Rob?”

“Midnight? Is that too late? Too early?” He laughs.

I shift on my feet, eager to be gone.

“Only too late if she’s secretly Cinderella,” Caleb says. “I’ll get her back by then.”

“Have fun!” Lenora wraps her arm around Robert’s waist.

I barely have time to wave before Caleb has steered me outside.

I slide into the passenger seat of his Audi, trying to hold back my…

Anticipation?

Fear?

Whatever it is, it coils in my stomach like a living thing.

Caleb gets in the driver’s seat. “Want to drive?”

“No.”

“Why not?” He starts the car, the engine turning over with a soft purr. “Afraid you wouldn’t be able to handle her?”

“It’s not that.” I look out the window.

“Tell me.”

His hand touches my thigh. He finger-walks his hand higher, a devilish smile on his face. We’re still in the driveway. My foster parents are right there, probably peeking out from the window.

“Stop.” The coiling heat in my stomach moves lower.

“Do you mean that?”

I shiver.

“Margo.”

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