Amelia
No. No. No.
Why is my life nothing but one big disaster right now? Why does God or the universe hate me so much that it keeps putting me in these situations again and again?
My heart pounds in my chest, my head throbs, and every inch of my body aches from the impact.
Still, I meet Nicolas’s piercing gaze. I swallow hard as he approaches, dark and imposing in full leather, and I try to ignore the flutter in my chest when he gently takes my hand and leads me with him.
Not rough. Not harsh. Just firm, but surprisingly gentle.
I can’t look away. Phil always had a magnetic pull when he wore his biker gear, but Nicolas is on a whole different level.
His hair is tousled, a black scarf peeking from the open collar of his jacket. God, he looks like a dark assassin. And I know how he feels, how his body feels, how his lips feel.
A hot shiver runs through me and my skin tingles, which is the last thing I need right now. My mind is already overwhelmed, my thoughts a mess.
I feel eyes on my back, those vultures watching us as we walk toward the two motorcycles and stop in front of them. One is Nicolas’s, sleek and black, the other I think belongs to Cedric. It’s bright green, a sharp contrast to the dark one.
Fascinated, I step toward the black bike, letting my fingertips glide lightly over the smooth paint. What would it feel like to ride it?
A strange excitement stirs in me, but a small cough snaps me back to reality. I blink and look up, meeting Nicolas’s sparkling eyes. He seems a little amused, probably because of how mesmerized I was.
“Do you like it?” he asks, and the sound of his deep, rough voice sends another shiver down my spine.
“Yes… yeah, I do. But I guess that’s not why I’m here, is it?”
I didn’t really mean to say that, but apparently, I’ve decided to just get it over with.
“No, it’s not. What happened back there? And I don’t just mean Robins. You know what’s going on with Damien, don’t you?”
He takes a step forward. I instinctively step back and bump into the seat of his bike.
Too close. He’s far too close.
His eyes lock onto mine and I literally have no way out.
“I… I have an idea. But I can’t tell you. Damien needs to be the one to do that,” I say quietly, my eyes fixed on my fingers nervously tangled together.
My stomach twists at the thought of what Damien is hiding from him. What he and his brother have kept secret from Nicolas for over a year and a half, and the mess that came with it.
Nicolas narrows his eyes and steps even closer. Now there’s not even a breath of space between us, and with my back pressed against the bike, I can’t move.
He leans in, placing his arms on either side of the seat and trapping me.
Boom-boom, boom-boom.
My heart races in my throat as his nose brushes mine, but I don’t move. I just stare at him, wide-eyed, and wait.
“My best friend just got beaten half to death, and you won’t tell me why. Are you serious? Every time something happens to my friends or family, you’re somehow involved, Goldilocks. Every single time.”
His nose brushes along mine and down my cheek, but I’m frozen.
His words cut deeper and deeper, right into the open wounds, and the pain of how accurately he hits the mark is unbearable. But I say nothing. I force myself to try and hold back the tears building behind my eyes, but I can’t stop them.
He doesn’t need to be physically rough with me. Nicolas can destroy me with his words alone. Just like now.
Philipp.
Lizzy.
Damien.
The tears fall, and my body starts to shake from exhaustion and strain. Nicolas notices it instantly and steps back a little, silently watching the tears running down my cheeks.
“You’re right, I was there every time. What that says about me, you’ll have to decide.
But I’m not going to betray my friends just because you’ve decided I’m the villain in all this.
Ask yourself why Damien hasn’t told you.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s been a long day.
I’ll see you at the wedding,” I say, as calm and collected as I can, and slip past him.
But Nicolas doesn’t let me go. He grabs my arm, and I have to suppress a whimper, because it hurts. That’s too much. Far too much.
The memories come back, and with them the pain. Fists slamming into me. Hands crushing my arm. Pain.
I spin around, rip my arm free, and stumble back. Nicolas’s eyes widen in shock, and he raises one hand in a calming gesture, but I don’t care.
“Don’t touch me. Don’t ever touch me like that again,” I whisper sharply, forcing down another whimper. The bruises from Henry haven’t fully faded yet, and the fall earlier didn’t help.
“Hey, I… fuck, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…” He runs a hand over his face, frustrated, taking a step toward me. But I can’t handle any more. I can’t keep taking hit after hit. My limit has been reached, and I have no defenses left to protect myself.
“No. Don’t. You’ve made your opinion clear.
Believe me, I got the message. I’m so tired of being everyone’s punching bag.
If you want to know what’s going on with your best friend, ask him.
And if you want to know what I think, what I feel, then talk to me, Nicolas.
I won’t let you label me and push me into a role that I don't belong in,” I throw at him, wrapping my arms around myself.
I want to run, to disappear, but there’s nowhere to go. And besides, I’ve been running for too long. Every time it gets hard, I run. That has to stop.
Nicolas’s expression softens, regret flickering in his beautiful eyes as he sees me standing there, lost and helpless. I’m so tired, in pain, and completely drained. But I stand tall, holding his gaze.
“I’m sorry, Lia. Really. I didn’t mean to say it like that. It’s just… Damien keeps shutting me out, and I can’t reach him. He’s closed himself off and I don’t know why.”
He runs a hand through his hair again and starts pacing. My heart clenches even tighter. I could tell him. But it would hit him hard. And it’s not my secret to share.
“When he’s ready, he’ll tell you. I can’t help you with this.
I promised, and it’s not my place. Damien has to do it himself.
Please… don’t make this harder for me than it already is,” I say more gently, and another shiver runs through me.
A brief dizziness hits me, and I must have stumbled because suddenly Nicolas is there, holding me firmly in his arms.
“Okay, Goldilocks. Let’s get you home and have you checked out first.” He slips his heavy leather jacket over my shoulders, warm and carrying his scent. Even though I don’t want to, I curl into it. His warmth and scent soothe me.
“Hmmm,” I murmur, feeling dizzy again. Seeking support, I clutch onto him. His arm is wrapped tightly around my waist, holding me so securely that I give in to the urge to rest my head against his chest and lean into him.
“Lizzy, where are you? I need the limo. Amelia needs warmth, and I’ve only got the bike. Yeah, okay. I’ll meet you at the back gate. Thanks.”
I vaguely register that he’s on the phone. I barely notice when he lifts me up.
“Come on, Goldilocks. Let’s get you out of here, then we’ll talk.”
“Hmm,” I mumble into his shirt, pressing myself closer. His chest rumbles with quiet laughter, but I don’t care. My eyes grow heavier and heavier until I fall asleep.
In Nicolas of Harlington’s arms.
“Sarah, what are you doing here?” Nicolas’s annoyed voice reaches my ear as I slowly open my eyes. My whole body aches, and as my vision clears, I’m surprised to find myself lying in my bed at the castle. I make out the familiar shapes in the dark and relax a little.
I strain to piece together exactly how I ended up here. When I try to sit up, my limbs and muscles protest loudly, and flashes of memories flood my mind.
“Oh damn,” I groan, and the mattress sinks beside me.
“Hey, you’re awake,” Lizzy’s voice sounds at my side, and I let out a small cry, startled.
“Damn, Lizzy, are you crazy?” I whisper angrily, clutching my pounding heart, which makes my best friend laugh. There’s a rustle, and soon the bedroom fills with warm light.
Just as she is about to say something, we hear voices outside again.
“Shit, Nic, I wanted to see you after what happened in front of the Royal. I can’t believe that stupid woman got you into trouble again. And then involving the press too. Babe, you must be feeling terrible.”
I look at Lizzy with my mouth open, her eyebrows shooting up to her hairline. She’s about to say something, but I signal her to be quiet because I want to hear how Nicolas reacts, what he has to say.
My pulse speeds up, and I hold my breath.
“What bullshit are you talking about, Sarah? Amelia didn’t do any of that. On the contrary, she saved Damien’s ass. So where are you getting this crap from?” Lizzy and I both flinch at the sound of his harsh, threatening voice, and I breathe out in relief.
“Lucky you, brother, you just barely dodged a bullet,” Lizzy murmurs beside me, and a bubbling giggle rises in my throat. My best friend looks at me questioningly, and I have to laugh even harder. I don’t even know why.
“Now I want to know what would have happened if he hadn’t dodged it.
God, Lizzy, this whole thing is so stupid.
” I can’t stop laughing, or I’d probably go insane.
This whole situation, how the press is tearing me apart in front of the whole country, how that stupid bitch out there is trying to cozy up to Nicolas…
and me, I’m stuck right in the middle, helpless against it all.
And then a casual remark makes me laugh even though I should be screaming and crying. I think I’m losing my mind.
“But babe, I know from a reliable source that Amelia called the press and sent Robins there too.” Sarah’s words slow down in my mind, and my laughter dies away.
“Excuse me?” Lizzy says, but I’m already on my feet. Blood rushes in my ears, and I storm to the door with fierce determination, ripping it open.
“Listen here, Miss Know-It-All, I didn’t order that bigoted asshole Robins there, and certainly not that crazy psycho Richardson.
He’s the one responsible for Phil’s death.
So don’t you dare spread that crap about me.
Got it?” The anger coils heavy and hot in my veins, and before anyone can react, I grab Sarah and slam her against the wall.
I drill my deadly, cold gaze into her wide-open eyes.
“Shit, Nic, help me. She’s insane. Don’t you see? He can—” I see red. My vision narrows to a tiny tunnel, and I can’t think straight. How dare she? How?
The boiling in my stomach erupts fully at that moment. My hand slams against her cheek as I grab that venom-spitting snake by the hair and drag her toward the door.
“Get out. Get out of my house or I’ll lose it completely, you malicious witch,” I growl, raging, pulling harder on her hair.
“Ahh, help! She’s crazy, get her away from me! Help!” She screams and thrashes, but I don’t care.
“Whoa, Goldilocks, enough,” a dark voice whispers in my ear as I’m suddenly grabbed by the waist and lifted off the ground.
The door bursts open and security rushes in. But I’m too enraged.
“Put me down, let me go right now…” I yell angrily and fight back, but Nicolas just throws me over his shoulder and marches off.
“Take that venom-spitting bitch out of here and make sure she’s banned from the castle. Lizzy, you go with them and make sure this snake doesn’t cause any trouble. Goldilocks and I need to talk,” he orders as he walks past his sister and the security, which makes me even angrier.
“No way. Let me down right now. How dare she…” But my yelling and threats bounce off Nicolas completely.
I still hear Sarah spitting venom, calling me crazy and saying I belong in jail and that this will have consequences, then Nicolas slams the bedroom door shut with his foot behind us, and I’m alone with him.
He stops in front of the bed and roughly throws me down onto it.
“Don’t even try, you’re not getting out of here.” He looks down at me, his eyes nearly black with a threatening gleam. I gasp heavily and sit up, crossing my arms and glaring back.
“That…” I start, but he leans in close, his face inches from mine, and I freeze. I swallow hard.
“What do you mean Richardson is responsible for Phil’s death?”
Shit.
I have a problem.