I was still sulking as the car shuttled me from the airfield in Robling to King Milton’s palace. Even before everything had exploded between Xavier and me, I’d been really looking forward to the flight with him here. It’s funny, because even as stern and gruff as he always seemed, I’d always seen the warmth behind the scowl, especially when I was younger and new to his house and he’d take me places. We’d gone everywhere — hiking in Asia, safari in Africa, scuba diving in the South Pacific. He’d even taken me to Paris to go school shopping for my first days of high school.

I loved traveling with him, and here he’d gone and left without me, without even a word. Well, no, that morning there’d been a note from him on the breakfast plate Humphries had prepared for me. A very brusque, short little note that just said something had come up and that he needed to get to Robling early.

That was it. I mean, it’s not like I was looking for a “and I love you and want to make you a woman. Signed, Xavier” at the end, but something besides just a “—X” would have been nice.

So, yeah, I was still pouting. But then, I was also still tingling. I’d fallen asleep hard the night before after Xavier was called away for his lawyer. It was late, sure, but I knew it was also the sheer excitement and thrill of it all that’d exhausted my adrenaline. I’d hit the pillow and gone right to dreamland, and all I’d dreamt about was him. All I dreamt about were all the amazing, dirty, hot as hell things he’d done to me. And that next day, as mad as I was in that car on the way to palace, I was also something else.

Wet.

It felt like my skin was being electrified — like I was being teased even without him near me. And mad or not, I wanted him, badly. I wanted him to do everything he’d done the night before and more.

I wanted everything, and I wanted him to be the one to take it.

The late afternoon shimmered in the sky, and my thighs squeezed together, my body tingling as the car wound up the long curved drive of the palace.

* * *

“You’re here!”

Callie jumped into my arms, her long blonde hair falling into my eyes and making me laugh as I hugged my friend tightly.

“Oh, as if I would ever miss your sham wedding!”

She made a face as I grinned at her. Call it gallows humor, or just making the best of a shitty situation, but that’s what the four of us had started calling this whole thing. Her “sham” wedding. I mean, it was. King Milton was awful, and gross, and a total sleaze-bag. But he was rich, and with Callie’s parents and their kingdom being in the financial straits they were, Milton’s offer to bail them out in exchange for Callie’s hand had been too much to say no to. It wasn’t even like her parents forced her into anything either. Callie volunteered, because she knew it’d save her kingdom.

…I mean, I wanted to say I’d have done the same thing, but I wasn’t so sure. It was total shit that Callie was being forced into this arranged marriage thing as if we still lived in the dark ages, but I knew it was our job — me, Riley, and Faith — to be there for her.

“Slice?”

I looked past Callie, grinning at Faith sitting at a table with two open pizza boxes and a bottle of rosé. We were in Callie’s temporary quarters in Milton’s palace — temporary because after the wedding, well, she’d be in his quarters. Gross.

“Uh, yeah, actually.”

“More importantly, wine?” Callie sighed, gulping at her glass, pouring me one before I could even answer.

“Drowning in our sorrows are we?”

“In pizza and wine? Uh, yeah?”

I grinned, putting my arm around her and hugging her close. “Hey, you’re going to get through this. And you know what? I’m going to make it my personal mission to find you a hot young thing to be your official, uh, what's the guy version of a mistress?”

“A mister?”

I snorted. “Whatever it is, I’m going to find him for you.”

Callie pouted. “Does Xavier have any hot friends?”

“Uh, duh?”

Callie blushed, but I knew I was too. Xavier had a pretty small group of close friends, and yeah, they were good looking guys.

“Well, there’s King Hayden.”

Callie went red. “Oh, him. Yeah I think I met him at my eighteenth birthday or something. Kinda growly and like, huge?”

“That’s the one.”

She grinned. “I mean, I guess he’d do.”

“There’s also King Sven?” Faith added.

“Eh, I’ve seen him at a few functions. He seems a little intense. He’s got that whole dark cloud aura thing going on.”

I giggled as I snagged a slice of pizza. “You’re being very particular about your imaginary future personal man-whore you know.”

“It’s the night before my wedding, I’m allowed to be.”

I sighed. “Okay picky. How about Prince Cole? That guy is hot. All those tattoos and—”

“I think he’s got a girlfriend.”

The words blurted from Faith’s mouth, and I raised a brow as I turned to her.

“Uh, okay?”

She blushed. “You know, just saying. I think he’s out.”

I peered at her. “Yeah, you know this is all pretend right?”

Faith blushed deeper, taking a big sip from her wine.

“Ummm.” I arched a brow at her.

“What?”

“This have anything to do with that thing you were going to tell me about later but that I know you well enough to know you won’t?”

“Wha— no, I—” Faith sputtered, stammering as her face turned red.

“Wait, what thing?” Callie crossed her arms over her chest.

“Care to tell us, Faith?”

“Uh, no,” she muttered, staring into her wine glass.

“Wait, is this about her tattoo?”

Faith swore and yanked the long sleeve of her blouse down some more.

I laughed. “Dude, maybe pick a spot a little less in the open for your next hidden tattoo, okay?”

“Hang on, does the tat thing have to do with a guy, and you’re holding out on us?”

“Can we please go back to the pizza and wine pity party?”

I laughed. “Fine, but only because today and tomorrow are about Callie. Don’t think you’re off the hook entirely, Lafleur. I’m onto your shenanigans.” I frowned. “Hey speaking of shenanigans, where the hell is Riley?”

Callie snorted, rolling her eyes. “Back in her room. She’s in major pout mode about something.”

“Yeah her and a flask of something strong,” Faith added primly.

“Well, we’ll find her later. For now…” I sank into one of the chairs around the table. “I say we kill both of these pizzas and then binge Rom-coms all night.

“Deal,” Callie sighed, pulling up a chair. “Might as well do what I want before His Highness doesn’t let me do anything after tomorrow.” She glanced at Faith and me. “Listen, single, un-forced-into-arranged-marriage friends, let me just say, go out there and you do you. Go wild and have fun before fate drops a turd on your front steps.”

“Hey,” Faith reached over and squeezed her hand. “This is going to be okay.”

Callie made a face. “Yeah, well, it’d be a lot more okay if I’d gone out and just, you know…” She blushed. “Lost it to some guy. Like, literally, anyone but King Milton.” She shuddered, and I felt my stomach churn. Yeah, I did not envy her having to loser her v-card to freaking Milton. There was no sugar-coating that one.

“So, my bridal advice to two of my best friends?” Callie raised her glass. “Go out there and get laid, okay?”

Faith and I snorted, clinking glasses with her as we all devolved into giggles.

* * *

Faith crashed halfway through You’ve Got Mail. Callie made it past the first few scenes of Love, Actually before she also conked out on the big couch. But me? I was still wide awake, and I had Callie’s words blazing through my head.

I knew she’d been mostly joking, but still, I couldn’t get it out of my head. Because every part of me couldn’t stop thinking about Xavier. It’s not like I was due to be forced into some sort of arranged marriage or anything like that, but I knew firsthand how much life could change in the blink of an eye. First my mother, getting sick how she had and going so quickly. And then my father turning out to be the monster he was.

Life was short, and life changed fast, and not going after what you wanted, and what made you feel alive was a crime.

…And I was done not going after what I wanted.

I knew Xavier was probably a little freaked out about what’d happened. I knew he was probably avoiding me and keeping his distance because he was worried about me, and about hurting me. But that just meant I had to show him how much he wasn’t going to. I had to show him that it was staying away from me that wouldn’t be good for me.

And suddenly, I knew exactly what I needed to do — what I wanted to do more than anything.

I turned the movie off and pulled blankets over my friends asleep on the couch before I tiptoed out of the room. I crept out of Callie’s quarters, my heart pounding as I headed towards the guest wing of the palace.

Oh, I knew what I was about to do alright.

…And I wasn’t letting him tell me no again.