Fifteen
“And you said you didn’t want to come out!” Eloise yelled over the music, her body wiggling next to me as she flicked her hips to the beat.
In all honesty, I still didn’t. Clubs were not my scene. After the long day, I wanted to find a comfy sofa and watch movies the rest of the night, but Eloise was a force and wouldn’t take no for an answer.
It helped to have Mina and Landen here, wanting to spend every bit of time I could with them. Ben, Charlie, Hazel, and Theo were by the bar as El, Landen, Mina, and I danced.
“Better enjoy your last nights of freedom.” Mina bumped Landen’s hip, making his expression crunch down with anger and take a long drink from his bottled beer.
“What does that mean?” My eyes darted between them.
He glared at Mina, continuing to dance.
“Like she’s not going to find out.”
“Tell me!” I demanded, tucking strands of loose hair behind my ear. “What aren’t you telling me?”
Landen rolled back his shoulders, taking a huge intake of air, ire riding his brows.
“Cheers to my arsehole father.” Landen held up his beer in the air. “He won.”
Trepidation swallowed thickly down my throat.
Landen shook his head, fighting back emotion. “I’m going into the royal military academy.”
“What?” My hand went to my mouth.
“Like you are really shocked?” He took another sip, staring off.
“No… but…” I had hoped. Wished for once, Fredrick would put his son first. Hoped he’d take a moment and get to know Landen. My uncle seemed to like the idea and role of a son but didn’t want to know that person came with his own desires and personality.
“Landen.” My voice cracked, not knowing how to make it better. We had always been honest with each other, not giving platitudes or false optimism.
“That’s why I didn’t want to tell you tonight.” He sent Mina a look again. “Complete buzzkill.”
“I’m gathering that is not something you want.” Eloise tilted her head.
Landen laughed sardonically.
“I get it.” She wrapped her fingers around his wrist, forcing him to look at her. “To have to live the life your parents set out for you. Ignore everything that makes you happy… date and marry only ones they deem worthy. Fuck… I get it.”
Hearing Princess Eloise’s posh voice say fuck made a smile dance over Landen’s face, a true laugh bubbling from him.
“Yeah, I guess you would.” Landen bobbed his head, recognizing Eloise had it far worse than him. “Your Highness.” He bowed dramatically, furling his hand around.
“Shut up, tosser,” she teased back, both of them laughing. “We all know what it’s like.” She motioned around to the group. “As a cathartic exercise, each yell out what you had to sacrifice because of who you are.” She held out her drink in the middle of our circle.
“Being in theater.” Landen put his bottle next to Eloise’s.
Mina put her drink in with theirs. “Always having to explain my heritage; staying quiet when someone says something racist and demeaning.”
“Wow, put mine to shame, will you?” Landen nudged Mina, making her knock him back. I hadn’t been gone long, but I could already feel their bond had grown without me. “Spence?”
I took a breath, feeling the pain of mine still lash at my heart. “Giving up my acceptance to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.”
“What?” All three swung to me. I never told Landen or Mina I got in.
“You got accepted to RCVS?” Mina’s mouth dropped open.
“You didn’t tell us?” Hurt streaked Landen’s face.
“I couldn’t…”
“We are your best mates!” Mina exclaimed.
“If I had told you guys, it would have made it real.” I downed my vodka and soda, the music shifting to another loud song. “Break me even more.”
“I don’t understand.” Eloise glanced around us. “Did you get this before you and Theo became a permanent thing or after?”
“Before.”
“That is one of the most prestigious schools.” Eloise tilted her head. She probably didn’t see why, at my rank, I would turn it down. “How could you not go?”
My gaze skimmed to Landen, his mouth crumpling with ire.
“Father.” Fury burned his eyes.
“Yes, and Dad also said we couldn’t afford it,” I muttered.
“Bloody hell, Spencer. That is a huge accomplishment.” Eloise gaped at me. “Theo told me you were smart and into animals, but I had no idea how much. That’s incredible.”
I blinked, trying not to cry, the sting still raw.
“Doesn’t matter.” I tried to smile. “If I’d gone, Theo and I most likely wouldn’t be together.”
Everyone stared at me.
“Your turn now.” I pointed to Eloise, lifting my drink in the air.
A faraway haze glittered through her green eyes before her mouth turned into a forced smile, her bottle lifting in the air. “Possibilities…”
“Fuck,” Landen hissed. “Cheers to that.”
We all raised our drinks, the sound of glass clinking as we slammed them together.
“Tonight, we say fuck off to our parents, society, and most certainly racist arseholes!” Eloise yelled with enthusiasm. “Fuck them all!”
“Fuck ’em all! Cheers!” This time our prost was filled with liberated glee.
As we started to dance to the music again, I watched Eloise’s gaze shoot to the corner of the room, her expression solemn, holding for a beat before a jolt snapped her back to us like she realized what she was doing.
She turned back to me, smiling and laughing, that somber moment gone.
Subtly, I let my attention move to where she looked. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting to see, maybe nothing, or possibly Ben… but in the corner, blending in with the shadows, his eyes watching Eloise and not the prince was…
Dalton.
“I’ve missed you.” Hands came down on my hips, his cologne cutting through the smell of booze and sweat. I pressed back into him, our bodies moving together. His lips skimmed my throat, exploding desire over my skin.
I was tipsy enough that my inhibitions were lowered, and the feel of him sparked need through my body, squeezing my thighs. Grinding into him, I twisted my head to the side, peering back at Theo with a sassy smile. His blurry eyes were filled with the same emotion.
Need. Want.
Sex. Now.
Our friends danced around us, but more and more Theo and I became our own world, our breaths growing faster, our touches becoming longer, our moves more sexual.
He bent down, his mouth coming down on mine.
“Theo…” I whispered, knowing what I wanted was expressed in my tone.
“Want to leave?” He nuzzled against my neck.
“Yes.” I nodded fervently, wishing we could be home right now.
“Okay, I’ll let the team know.” His hands moved down my thighs, the fabric of the tight jeans I was wearing tingling my nerves.
Of course, we couldn’t just sneak out, hop into a taxi, and go back to one of our flats. The Prince of Great Victoria would never be able to do anything as simple as that.
Theo picked up his head, looking to the corner where he nodded at Dalton. While I saw Dalton speak into his earpiece, I noticed the two figures next to him.
Lennox and Hazel.
His back was to the wall, and he was dressed like he was here to enjoy himself in dark jeans, black T-shirt, and boots, with a leather bomber jacket.
His scruff was a little thicker, his hazel eyes gliding over the room.
No one would think he was anything more than a sexy-arse guy at the club, but I could see the tension in his frame. Alert and on.
The blonde rubbing up against him completely sold the “guy in the club” look. Hazel was turned into him, her hands running over his arms, touching his waist, leaning into his ear.
Even drunk, she still had an elegance I couldn’t fathom, but the way she touched him, her hand moving down his stomach to his crotch, was anything but classy.
She was not hiding; she wanted him.
Irritation coated my skin. “Is getting laid part of the job?”
“What?” Theo’s head turned, following my snarl, a mischievous smile lighting up his face. “Good on them.” He chuckled. “He needs to have a bit of fun.”
“On duty?”
“I promise I will protect you.” Theo wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a hug. Burrowing my face into his chest, I shielded my annoyance. Don’t be so uptight, Spence. Who cares if they hook up?
Theo squeezed me tighter against him, his mouth dipping to my ear. “I so want to be alone with you right now. Hell, I’m going to miss you while I’m away.”
“What?” I yanked back, my brows furrowing.
He cringed like he had let a secret slip, his head dropping.
“What are you talking about?”
“I was going to tell you when we got home.” Sheepishly, he gazed at me. “I really was.”
“No…” I stepped back. “You’re not doing this to me again. Please tell me you aren’t.”
“It’s not like that this time, I swear. This is only for a week. And I swear I didn’t know until Dad told me this morning at the meeting.”
“Theo…”
“I promise, Spence, I didn’t mean to keep it from you. Just with everything coming at us today, I forgot.”
“Forgot.” I blinked. “Forgot that you were leaving for a week?” I folded my arms. “When?”
He licked his lips, creating more annoyance to twist my spine. “Tomorrow.” He peered at his watch. “Actually today. In four hours.”
“Of course.” I rubbed my forehead.
“Are you mad?”
Closing my lids for a moment, I wanted to scream but took in a deep breath. I didn’t want to be this girl. The girlfriend who was always mad, needy, and demanding.
“I’m irritated you didn’t tell me. You want us to be a team, right?” I motioned to us. “You imagine this will advance between us?”
“Are you trying to ask about if I’m proposing to you or not?” He grinned cheekily, rubbing my arms and stepping in closer.
“No. That’s not…” Another deep breath. “You need to talk to me. Keep me in the loop. You can’t avoid talking to me because you don’t want to fight or upset me. That’s not how we are going to work.”
“I know.” He leaned his head back. “It’s just I knew you were still uncomfortable in the palace, and I felt bad about telling you you’d be alone for a week, and then today, all the parents meeting…”
“So, you didn’t forget.”
He glanced to the side.
“I’m so sorry, Spence.” He faced me again. “I promise I will be better about telling you.”
“Highness?” Dalton stepped up behind the prince. “The car’s ready; everyone is in place.”
My head jerked to the side, seeing Lennox was absent from his spot. Along with Hazel.
“Is my sister coming?”
Dalton’s lips pressed together. “No, the princess has firmly declared she is staying.”
Did I imagine the tinge of frustration in his voice? My imagination was getting the better of me.
After quick goodbyes to everyone, Dalton whisked us to the doors.
“I will warn you there are a lot of paparazzi and people out there. Someone must have leaked your location.”
“Bound to happen at a club.” Theo shrugged; no big deal to him.
Though there were no pictures allowed in this private club, the means of letting the world know the location of the prince were endless.
Social media really had changed everything.
Everything was instant and in real time.
The privacy you used to be able to have was long gone.
Waiting for the first sighting of the prince, the anticipation in the crowd strung energy through them like clotheslines.
“Theo!” A girl screamed when Dalton opened the door, setting everyone off like a charge exploding in the night. Theo darted out first, jogging for the large SUV primed at the corner.
Girls screamed, bulbs flashed, and the papzz yelled Theo’s name over and over. The press at the polo match was afternoon tea compared to this.
“Theo, I love you!”
“You’re gorgeous!”
“Theo, marry me!”
Theo was the equivalent of a rock star. People did whatever it took to get to him, wanting to say they touched him, while the paparazzi got only inches from his face, their cameras blinding.
They shoved against the line of bodyguards protecting Theo as Dalton yelled at them to move back.
Didn’t they see their need to be the one to touch him could kill him?
Would they even stop if they trampled him?
This level of frenzy shivered horror through me.
“I got you,” a husky voice muttered in my ear, a hand going to my back.
I peered at Lennox at my side. His face was serious, but his touch was soft.
I didn’t respond, but knowing he was there and feeling the press of his hand on my back were calming.
I felt stronger, like I was invincible next to him. “Let’s go.”
Gulping, I dashed out, following the path to the car, the shrieks as people spotted me stabbing into my eardrums like arrows.
“Spencer! Spencer! Spencer!”
“I hate you!”
“Spencer! Spencer!”
“Fuck you, you ugly gash!”
“You don’t deserve him!”
A plastic cup was chucked close to my head.
“Bloody hell,” I yelped under my breath as Lennox used his body to cover mine.
“You’re almost there,” he said in my ear, pushing me faster.
I hopped into the SUV, Lennox slamming the door behind me. I plopped next to Theo in the backseat, Dalton in the middle row. Theo’s arm stretched over the top of the seat, his leg crossed over his knee as if he was relaxing at the beach.
“Go,” Lennox commanded as he jumped into the passenger seat, the driver peeling away as girls pounded on the window, some paparazzi running for their cars or mopeds.
“Come here, luv.” Theo wrapped an arm around me, pulling me in, his mouth brushing my earlobe. “We’ll be home soon.”
Not one ounce of my earlier need and lust was left in my body. Adrenaline pumped in my veins, my limbs trembling, but all I could hear were the foul comments yelled at me.
“Don’t let them bother you. They just get overexcited.” He kissed my temple, acting like we were still in that sex-induced state, while I felt like I had been brutally stripped and raked over coals before being thrown in a frozen lake.
I had never thought I had thin skin, but tonight showed differently.
I would have to turn off and become anesthetized to it all.
It would be the only way to survive.