Page 13 of Shattered Reign

The screen on the device lit up, confirming that it was the time that Easton had told me he wanted to meet up. I stuffed my phone in my purse and grabbed my coat before making my way over to the door.

I looked out of the peephole to make sure it was him. With a slow and steady breath meant to calm my nerves, I reached for the door handle. I pulled the door toward me and watched as Easton’s gaze swept over my body.

The way his eyes moved, showed me he was taking in every inch of the image in front of him. My cheeks warmed at his appraisal, and I smiled as it seemed he liked what he was seeing. I could tell that he was trying his best not to grin too broadly as well.

He, too, was dressed to impress. His tailored dark suit fit him to aT, and he’d forgone wearing a tie tonight.

“You look stunning,” he said, barely above a whisper. His eyes hadn’t left me since I’d opened the door. It was as if he wasn’t completely convinced I was real and thought I might fade into the night sky, never to be seen or heard from again.

Hell, that was what I’d done just before leaving Brentson.

As I made a move to step into the hallway, Easton stopped me. “Wait, there’s something else. Take a few steps back and then turn around.”

I made sure that he was holding the door before I followed his directions.

“Now put the things in your hands down and hold your hair up.”

“But why?”

“Just do it, princess,” his voice dropped slightly.

I couldn’t control my body’s reaction to his command. I looked over my shoulder at him but still found myself moving my hands toward my hair. I couldn’t believe I’d gone from hating that term of endearment to being thrilled whenever he used it. Once I’d done as he requested, I watched as he maneuvered himself to place something cool along my neck. I glanced down and found a small gold crown with diamonds on it that was connected to an equally delicate chain. My mouth dropped open in shock as I felt his soft touch on the back of my neck, making sure that the necklace was fastened.

“I’m so confused,” I said as I tried to process why he would have bought me such a thing. If I was being honest, my confusion didn’t just start with the necklace. It was simply next in a line of surprises since Easton first appeared.

“This necklace is a reflection of my admiration for you,” he said as he walked around so that he could face me. “While I call you princess quite often, you’re much more than that to me. You reign supreme in just about every avenue of my life. That is a crown fit for a queen.”

His words shook me to my core as I tried to fight the overwhelming urge to cry. Ruining my makeup before we left the hotel wasn’t on my agenda. Then again, none of this was. “I hate you for trying to make me cry.”

“That is never my intention unless they’re happy tears. Are you ready to head out?”

I nodded as Easton grabbed my coat and helped me into it. Once I had the rest of the things I was planning on taking tonight, we walked out of my hotel room and down to the lobby together, this time opting for the elevator because of the shoes I was wearing.

There was a black town car waiting for us outside of the hotel, and once we were safely in the vehicle, the driver took off. And I still had no idea where we were going.

My hands rested in my lap as we made our way along, nervously shifting because I had no idea what to do with them.

Easton reached over and held one of them, rubbing my knuckles with his thumb. “Everything okay?”

I nodded slowly. “Yes, just somewhat nervous about tonight. You could probably put my nerves to rest if you told me what we were doing.” I looked over at Easton and found a smirk on his face.

“I could, but I won’t. It’s going to be a lovely surprise.”

“Could you at least tell me how long it will take to get there?”

Easton leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Not long enough for us to have a quickie in the back seat.”

I couldn’t help but think about the last time Easton and I were in a car together. He’d been driving and I was in the passenger seat on the way back from Brentson’s football stadium. It ended with Easton pulling off into a deserted parking lot and showing me how badly he needed me after his game.

We made small talk for several minutes, and suddenly, the car began to slow down. There was no way that we were far from the hotel, not given how long the drive was. When it started to connect where we were, I turned to Easton and his eyes immediately met mine.

“Here we are, princess,” he said as the car came to a stop.

My mouth dropped open, and before I could respond, our driver opened the door for me.

There was no way that we were about to do what my brain was telling me was about to happen.

9

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