Page 54 of Wicked Prince

It's dangerous, considering how easy it would be to get lost in those eyes. They’re hypnotically intense spheres of light that make it so tempting to believe his lies.

The lies I think even he himself has started to believe.

"What is 'this,' Lorenzo?” I demand when he doesn’t reply. “Being your dirty little secret? If you aren't even willing to go public with the fact that you're dating Kayleigh, why the hell should I believe you would ever want an actual relationship with someone like me?"

"Don't be like that," he says with a heavy sigh.

"Am I wrong?" I press. "Are you really going to tell me you're not just trying to keep your options open? That's the only reason you'd keep your relationship with her under wraps."

"It's not a relationship, it's a strategic move," he says emphatically. "When I take over the family, I'm going to need allies."

"For what?" I ask, frowning. "That won't be for another, what—ten, maybe twenty years?"

He falls silent, and for the first time since this conversation began, I'm curious about his motives for reasons other than personal. I can feel him putting a wall up, though. Even more of one than usual, so I doubt I'll get an honest answer to that either.

"It doesn't matter," he finally says, brushing it off just like I expected. "And it doesn't have to affect us."

I laugh bitterly. "Us? There is no us, Lorenzo. I'm not going to be your secret fling, and I'm sure as hell not going to be your mistress. If marrying Kayleigh is your long con, you're going to have to find someone else who's willing to put up with your bullshit."

"You're more than that," he says, his tone softening as he takes another step toward me. His cologne tickles my nostrils, making me dizzy. "Much more."

"Prove it," I insist, forcing myself to hold his gaze. "You don't want me to run away? Well, one of us has to. Either you walk away from your fake relationship, or I walk away from this. The choice is yours."

I can tell he wants to argue, but the fact that he doesn't is telling.

Before I lose the nerve, I continue, "It's now or never, Lorenzo. If this all means as much to you as you say it does, then are you willing to come clean? Are you willing to break it off with Kayleigh and come forward to tell both of our parents we're dating?"

He doesn't answer. His jaw is clenched and frustration is burning in his eyes. I can tell this conversation isn't going away he wanted, either.

Once I realize he's not going to answer at all, I step away, pulling out of his grasp.

This time, he lets me.

"That's what I thought."

"Amelia, please," he says, even though his voice is laced with defeat. He knows the answer to all these questions, even if he doesn't want to say it out loud any more than I want to hear it.

I ignore him and force myself to keep walking before he has time to come up with any more lies I’m much too eager to believe.

The ones my heart has convinced itself of are more than trouble enough.

ChapterTwenty-Two

AMELIA

Two Months Later

I've never considered myself to be particularly coy or contradictory. For the most part, I say what I mean and mean what I say.

And yet, despite the fact I told him I didn't want to hear anything from him again, I feel disappointed that it's been two months and Lorenzo still hasn't sent any more cryptic invitations via courier, or cornered me in any hallways—or anywhere else, for that matter.

I really am a mess. If there were any lingering doubt, it's all vanished now.

I guess if nothing else, at least my family has been equally MIA.

It’s fortunate, too, because I've been in no mood for their bullshit. Less so than usual, anyway. It's not like I haven't accepted things, but that doesn't make it easy. I'm also acutely aware that my ability to accept something intellectually and my ability to grasp it emotionally are two very different things.

Like I said, a mess.

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