This was happening. The train was leaving the station. There would be no stopping it now. There would be no jumping off. This was it. It was happening. I was being signed in as the prince.

In the center of the coronation room, my brother stood behind a massive table. We were in front of the two hundred members of court, and I could feel Bryna’s gaze on me.

I didn’t know where things stood with us, but I knew there would be an uphill battle to make her mine. I could still feel the touch of her hand on my shoulder as my brother had read the news. The heat of her had chased away the chill, making me feel more whole.

Unfortunately, I could also feel the gaze of her father on me as well. Sebastian had promised me we’d figure out a solution to that little problem. But what about Bryna? She’d always tried to avoid life at court, and she hated everything royal. Well, maybe not so much anymore.

She and Penny had grown quite close. Could she look past everything we’d been through?

My brother was speaking then. “We are here to sign and ratify the law we voted on to name Lucas Newsome, now Lucas Winston, Crown Prince of the Winston Isles. Does anyone here know of any reason why we cannot proceed?”

All around, the members of the Regents Council said their nays. Even Tressel. I could only surmise that if he said nay, he had some other way planned to make me pay. Some other way that he was going to torture me.

When they were all done, Sebastian nodded. “Do any of you have any reason to doubt the evidence presented before you that Lucas Newsome, is in fact, Cassius Winston’s second son?”

Again, a round of nays, though when they arrived at Tressel, he hesitated. A yay from him wouldn’t have been the end of the world unless someone else behind him said it as well, and then it would forever cast a shadow of doubt onto my crown. But eventually, he said nay. So that was good.

“So it be done.” The archbishop handed Sebastian a long stretch of parchment. “I require that you all sign your names to ratify my brother, Lucas Newsome Winston, the new Crown Prince of the Winston Isles.”

Sebastian looked so regal. It was the only word I could think of that really described him in that moment. Even though he was young, he was commanding. Clearly, he was in charge. I could only imagine what it would have been like if our father was the one doing this. Sebastian on one side of him, me on the other. But now, it was Sebastian in the center, me on one side of him, and the missing space where our sister should have been on the other. Because eventually, we would have to do this all over again with her.

One by one, the members of the Regents Council came up and signed their names to the document. I watched with unease as Tressel stepped forward. I could tell he was clenching his jaw, but he’d been outmaneuvered.

Once everyone had signed, that tightness in the center of my chest receded. But that wild urge to flee, the adrenaline pouring into my veins, that didn’t stop. I could still feel it, calling to me. Escape. Escape. You know you want to.

But I wasn’t going to run this time. I’d meant it when I said to Bryna that no matter what, I was sticking it out. I had a chance at family. Real family. I wasn’t giving that up, even though it would have been far more comfortable to not be near her. And God, the scent of her perfume was calling to me like a siren, like she was deliberately trying to kill me.

Once everyone was back in their position, Sebastian motioned me forward. I knelt on the cushion in front of the altar. The archbishop came over and opened a bejeweled wooden box. Inside it sat a crown that was slightly smaller than Sebastian’s.

My brother reached in, pulled out the crown, and stood in front of me. “By the power vested in me as the monarch of the Winston Isles, arise, Prince Lucas Winston of the Winston Isles.” Then he placed the crown on top of my head.

I couldn’t hear anything else then. It was all drowned out. There was clapping and some cheering. I was pretty sure that was Marcus, but certainly not Roone, as he was still pissed off. And that was most definitely Penny and Ariel, both of whom I adored.

There were more words to be said. A prayer by the archbishop and a few other things I don’t remember. I still couldn’t focus. I was a prince. It was only after most of the members of the Regents Council came and bowed before me that it felt real. What have I done?

“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it. You’ll be okay.”

My eyes must have been wild because Sebastian just chuckled low. “Relax, change clothes, all that good stuff. Tonight is the ball. That’s when you’ll be ‘on,’ officially. But until then, relax.”

My gaze swung to where I’d last seen Bryna. Automatically seeking solace. Seeking out the one person guaranteed to make me feel like I was okay, that I was still myself. But I couldn’t find her in the crowd.

Penny came over. Her suit looked like some kind of wide-legged pants or something. But upon closer inspection, it was actually a skirt. She was cool, confident, and poised. Beautiful, but all business. Back in the day, she would have been wearing some ridiculous ball gown. But things were less formal now. And also, I was the second son, not the actual monarch, so my coronation required less pomp and circumstance.

“How are you feeling?”

“Awful. Terrified. Scared.”

She grinned. “You’ll be fine. I know you will.”

Roone and Ethan joined us. Roone turned to me and gave me a nod. “Your Highness.”

There was no malice in his tone nor attitude. Just pure greeting. I missed my buddy, honestly. Sebastian grinned then. “Great, now we can get our matching tattoos.”

He was kidding right?

“Oh, hell no.”

Sebastian frowned. “Why not? We’ll all have one of the family crest.”

“What? You expect me to tattoo myself? My body is pristine. I’m not going to get a tattoo.”

Sebastian chuckled. “Oh yeah, you are. I could put Marcus in charge of it. Marcus, how many do you have anyway?”

Marcus shrugged. “I’ve lost count.”

I stared at him. Marcus always seemed like the clean-cut one. But I realized, even working out, I’d never really seen him with his shirt off. So they certainly weren’t on his arms. Maybe his chest and back?

“You have tattoos?”

Marcus laughed. “Yeah man. Just because you never paid attention, it doesn’t mean I didn’t have them. Besides, you’ve got to buy me dinner at least to see all of this in all of its glory.” He gestured toward his chest and I just rolled my eyes.

Penny laughed with me. “Marcus, wait, so how many? Where is your crest?”

He patted over his heart. “I added a dagger a while ago to the crest.”

She nodded. “Oh yeah, I remember from that pool party thing that we had in—I don’t know. Where was it, Brazil?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I was actually off duty for once while we were traveling.”

She laughed. “Yes, and I seem to remember some Brazilian girl, right?”

Marcus flushed. “Ah, yes, Your Majesty.”

I chuckled hard. “Marcus, you sly dog, you.”

His flush only deepened. “Yeah, that didn’t really work out.”

Penny just kept on laughing. “I could have told you that, but hey, you needed to learn that lesson. What was the edit to your tattoo again? A dagger with an M on it or something?”

His smiled slipped a little. What the hell was that about? But he nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

She gave him her usual sunny smile and nodded. “You should probably take Lucas to get his.”

Back to me and a tattoo again? Hell no. “What? No. Didn’t you hear me? No tattoos. My body is my temple.” Also… needles scared me. No lie.

My sister-in-law lifted her brow and placed a hand on her hip. “So, I’m supposed to read that as a translation that you’re afraid of needles?”

Busted. “You better believe it. They hurt.”

Sebastian clapped me on the shoulder and pulled me aside. “Honestly though, how are you feeling?”

“Like I said, terrified as fuck. What if I can’t do this?”

“It’s not about you doing anything. You just have to be you. We’ll talk about your role and what you’re going to be doing and what your champion causes are later. Right now, just let it all sit with you for a while. Things are going to get a little crazy, and you’ll need the calm before the storm.”

Yeah, before the storm. I had a feeling that the storm my brother talked about would be the likes of none we’d ever seen.

All it took was her voice behind me and instant calm washed over me. “Congratulations.”

With my heart hammering so hard I thought it might burst, I turned slowly. Because I was a glutton for punishment, because I missed her, because I wanted to imprint her memory on my soul. “Bryna, hi.”

Her eyes lit up, and my stupid heart did a wild leap when it looked like she was going to hug me. But instead she just curtsied. “Your highness.”

The reserve in her voice irritated me. We were Lucas and Bryna. At the same time, the way she said it made me want to forget the promise I’d made to her. “You of all people should call me Lucas.”

She shook her head. “You’re the prince now.”

This was going to piss me off. “And you are one of the few people who actually knows me. The real me. So it’s Lucas or nothing.”

Her lips parted as if she was going to argue, then she pursed them, making them appear even fuller. Hell, all I wanted to do was kiss her. No, dumbass. You can’t.

“Okay then, Lucas.”

There it was. That undercurrent of desire. Ignore it. Don't be a dick. I only barely managed it. “Thank you.” I resisted the urge to drag her into my arms and instead said, “Is it okay I have no idea what to do now?”

Her laugh was soft. “Of course. Now there will be a ball and maybe you’ll be lucky this time and there will be no girl climbing out the window to ruin your night.”

“For starters, that girl was the highlight of the entire night for me. Secondly, I’d be right behind her.” I shrugged. “I kind of wanted to see exactly where that gardenia ended up.”

Her laugh was a sharp crack through the humming silence of too-polite society. “I promise you, it was nowhere the sun has ever seen.”

“In that case, I’m insanely jealous of a flower.”

The flush crept up her neck, and I had to resist the urge to kiss the hollow of her neck. She licked her lips, and all the blood in my body rushed south. It wasn’t entirely my fault when I groaned low. Thinking about her ass could do that to me.

“I’m happy for you, Lucas. Really. I’ll see you later.”

I wanted to follow her. But I knew better. Patience. I had to learn some. It was also not at all one of my virtues.

I should have stayed in bed that morning I just knew it.

After the coronation the previous day, I’d been unable to sleep. I kept having all manner of dreams about Lucas. At one point, I’d been so desperate I’d almost called him just to alleviate the dull ache between my thighs. When he’d said he was jealous of the gardenia, I’d almost melted into a puddle of hormones like an idiot.

The thing was we were good in bed. Better than good. Hell, sometimes all it took was a look and I was ready to explode. The bed was no problem. His inability to stick was. He’s sticking now though. He’s officially the prince.

Still, prince or not, I could still see myself waking up alone and wondering if this was the time he’d left me for good. I couldn’t live like that. This was better. Friends.

Add in with benefits and you’ll be happy.

I shoved that thought down as my production assistant came running over backstage. “Bryna, oh my God. We have a problem, the venue double booked.”

I stared at her. “What?” It was Laila’s first show. “No, that’s not even possible. I’ve had lots of artists who had events here.”

She handed me two fliers. “Here. Two fliers for tonight at the same time.”

Sure enough, Laila Drake, the date, the time, and then Timothy Houston. Tim Houston was an older, more established artist. He’d been around for years, touring the Islands. And he had a hell of a library of music. He’d been nominated for two Grammys. That meant the place was going to be packed. “Fuck my life. Don't tell Laila yet. I’ll figure something out.”

Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! There was no way I was going to tell that kid that I had to disappoint her. Relax. Focus. Do the thing you know how to do. I’d done lots of events in my lifetime on the island. I should be able to find someone who owed me a favor.

“Okay, we can do this. We can fix this. We need to find another venue that has speakers. It doesn’t even have to be fancy. This place is a dive. They serve drinks, yeah, but I can call my bestie and we can get some people here with drinks. That’s not the problem. But I need an outdoor venue.”

I called Jinx. She’d bartended during Uni at several island bars. She might know someone who could help out with drinks.

I was in such a mad dash for a venue that I missed it when Laila came bouncing through. “Hey, so when’s sound check? I know I’m early by five hours, but I thought maybe if I could even just get on the stage, you know, feel it out, I’d feel a lot better.”

Shit. What did I tell her? How did I do this? “Um, okay, I don’t want you to panic. It’s going to be fine. Everything is going to be fine, okay?”

Her face fell. Worry etched her brow, and her breath was coming in short little pants. “Oh my God! I’ve been dropped from the label, haven’t I?”

What? “No. You have not been dropped. But we do have a slight problem with the venue. It seems that they’ve double booked. Surprise…”

Laila’s face fell even further. “But, I told my Mom. She got off work just so she could come see me.”

“Yes, I know. And we’re going to work it out. We still have a couple of hours, okay? It’s going to be fine. I just called—"

I didn’t get to finish.

There was a commotion at the entrance of the venue. And sure enough, the newly minted Crown Prince was striding right toward me, coming right for me and looking like some kind of knight in shining armor, except without the horse or the armor. Just looking overall sexy enough to lick. But I couldn’t think about that right now. “What are you doing here? I really don’t have time for this.”

There was no cocky smirk, no smile. He just shook his head. “I’m here for Laila, actually. Jinx called me.”

I frowned. “Jinx?”

He nodded. “You know, your best friend. She’s about this tall. Pixie-cut blond hair? She called me and asked if I knew anyone who could distribute large amounts of alcohol for a floating venue. So clearly I knew something was going on. She clued me in, so I came to help.”

I blinked rapidly. “Lucas, you can’t just fix everything. You don’t have a venue, do you?”

His lips tipped into a smirk then. “Don’t I? I have acres, remember? Just tell me what you need, and I’ll set it up.”

Her brow furrowed. “Acres?” Oh, he meant the palace. “Oh. Oh. Oh my God. But could we?”

“Yeah, of course. I don’t see why not. Besides, what other debut artist gets the king and queen in attendance? At the very least, Penny will definitely be there. Sebastian, if he’s free.”

Next to me, Laila clutched my hand tightly. “Please, please, please, please.”

I turned to her. “Breathe. Nice long deep breaths. That’s it.” I turned my attention back to Lucas. “Okay, whatever. I just—" This is not the time to argue with someone saving your ass. So instead of protesting, or licking him like I wanted to, I said, “Thank you.”

He nodded. “Laila, bring your equipment. Let’s get you up to the palace. I’ll make the calls on the way. I’ll also get someone to distribute new fliers and post someone here to direct people up to the palace road.”

I only had a moment to give some quick instructions to the crew that was there waiting. All I could do was trust that Lucas would get it done. And the funny thing was when it came to something like this, I trusted him whole heartedly.

The way he led the way out of the venue to his car with that confident stride, like he knew exactly what he was doing and how to get what he needed, I knew he was going to take care of it. He opened the door for Laila and ushered her in. Then he opened mine. I blinked up at him. “I don’t know what to say. Thank you hardly seems like enough.”

He shrugged. “Don’t mention it. You needed a favor. I could do it. It doesn’t require payback.”

“No, I just—“ I was bad at this now. “Thank you.”

“Of course. Also, next time you’re in trouble, call me first. I could have saved you an hour of running around.”

“I don’t want to take advantage. It doesn’t feel—I don’t know, like the right thing to do.”

For the first time since our night at my apartment, he touched me. It had been two weeks since we’d pretty much scorched the sheets of my bed. I wasn’t used to his touch, and the bolt of electricity surprised me. “I meant what I said. Even as your friend, whatever you need, you just call me. I want to help you. It’s what you do when you love someone.”

And then he let me go. Just like that. He said it so casually. As if he hadn’t told me he loved me like he really meant it. As if he hadn’t dropped that bomb when it wasn’t in a heated moment. Just casually, with feeling and meaning, and then he walked away from me.

Lucas…

It was short notice, but I could do this thing for her.

All I had to do was ignore the fact she hadn’t asked for my help. It turned out, putting on a show at the palace required a little logistical work. First of all, the public would be attending. And that required security, so my first stop was Ethan. He looked like he wanted to blow a gasket, but Penny was there, and she talked him down. Just like that, he gave us what we needed. Sebastian had been next.

The Rose Garden was perfect. Great acoustics, and it was an easy walk for everyone in the North Tower and the north parking lot. There was just one path, so it was hard to get lost. And we could place guards along the way to keep anyone from wandering too far from where they were supposed to be.

Catering sources were a lot easier. I walked in and asked for wine and beer. The Chef just looked at me, nodded, and asked if I wanted food too. Didn’t even blink. Well then, it turned out, being a friend or a brother to the king had its perks.

Next was the sound. The acoustics were great, though working with the equipment guys was a bit of a nightmare, so we were trying to get some alternative equipment from the palace staff who handled all the balls. Hopefully, we had everything Laila needed.

More like I had everything Bryna needed.

“So, the new prince wants a party?” I was helping one of the audio-visual guys set up, and I looked up to find Roone sitting against one of the tall hedges.

“Well, not exactly a party. More of a concert. You should come. This kid… I was watching her YouTube videos. She’s amazing.”

Roone frowned. “You’re having a party for a kid?”

I shook my head. “No. Well, yes. But there was a venue problem. Jinx called me, so I pitched in.”

His frown only deepened. “What game are you playing?”

I shook my head. “No game. The kid needed help, so I’m helping her.”

“To impress Bryna?”

I shook my head. Maybe at first. When I’d heard Bryna needed help, I’d automatically jumped in to say, yes, I could do it. But now, seeing the look of excitement on Laila’s face, it was like me getting to look like that again. She was a sweet kid, and I was sure no one had ever done anything like this for her before. I liked helping her. I liked making her feel good. “Well, they both needed my help, so I helped. Besides, someone once told me that you can’t just tell people how much you love them, you have to show them. So, I’m going to show her.”

Roone shrugged. “You realize you won’t always get what you want, right?”

I nodded. “Yeah, but that’s half the fun. Besides, all I want to see is her smile anyway. Anything else is just a bonus. I took your words to heart. Maybe I can’t show you yet, but I get it. I’m making amends the best way I know how, even if doesn’t get me anything in the end. It feels good to see her smile.”

Roone stared me and gave me a long, hard look before nodding and then turning to go. I watched him walk away, wishing things were back to normal, wishing things were the way they used to be, but knowing that they couldn’t be. Maybe one day we’d figure it out, but for now, he wasn’t my biggest worry. My biggest worry was Laila. I was letting her have the best concert of her life. I could worry about myself and everything else later, because I wasn’t the one that mattered right then. That kid was. I wanted that look of excitement she’d shown earlier. I wanted to see it all over her face, because looks like that mattered.

Bryna…

I swallowed hard as I approached Lucas through the crowd. There was no avoiding him. He’s pulled a rabbit out of a hat for me. I needed to thank him for that.

He was leaning against the bar looking as cool and delicious as an iced hibiscus ginger drink in the middle of the desert. And damn was I parched.

Focus. Say thank you. Then run away before he melts your panties…or you voluntarily give them to him.

“I um—" I tucked my hair behind my ears. “Thank you. I don’t even know what to say about what you did for Laila. Her family doesn’t have much money, you know. It’s just her and her mom and her younger brothers, and I’m really grateful.”

Lucas gave me an easy smile as he pushed himself away from the bar and sauntered over to me. He watched the crowd for a moment before speaking. “All you have to do is ask.”

I frowned. “Ask for what?”

He took another sip of his drink. “Ask me for anything you need. And if I can give it to you, I will.”

“You know I don’t want to ask.”

“I know. But I’m telling you, if you need it, I’ll give it to you. Even if it’s the crown jewels.”

The way he said need, had be me thinking about other needs entirely. Ones I hadn’t been fulfilling since I’d walked away. “Lucas, I don’t know what to say—"

He shook his head. “No, it’s not about that. My whole life, I’ve been selfish. Part of that was survival, because hey, got to live, right? But I’ve been selfish even when I didn’t need to be. When I left, it hurt you. And in all honesty, maybe there was a part of me that was looking to run to protect myself, so that you never really saw how bad it could get with me. Yes, bad shit was coming, and I did need to protect you, but I’m acknowledging that part of it could have easily been because I was terrified. Then you came for me in Sanremo, and I couldn’t believe my luck. I was scared for you, but I was still scared for myself too. Especially when you asked me if I was coming home.”

“Lucas, we don’t need to do this. Not here. Not now. I just wanted to say thank you.” I didn’t want to rip open the old wounds. I was barely able to keep it together being so close so him without touching him or begging him to touch me. “Lucas, you’re not selfish, and I think you proved that tonight. You just had to do what you did to survive at the time. I don’t want to get into it or rehash things now.”

I turned, and he reached out and took my hand. His touch set off sparks, making me jump back and snatch it from him. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” I stared down at my hand. Why did it always feel like that with him? “We’re all scared Lucas.”

He nodded. “I know. I’ve been watching Sebastian and Penny, and I see that. But they’re trying to work it out. I’m just telling you now, every time I’ve said that I love you, I meant it. From the bottom of my heart. But I’m going to give you room to breathe. If you need me, call me. But I’m not going to turn up on your doorstep anymore. Maybe that’s being selfish. When you’re ready, just know I’m here. I’ll be waiting for you, as long as it takes. There’s no rush.” Then he turned and walked away.

Now, what the hell was I supposed to do with that?