her shoulders. “Got that. Loud and clear. Will you stay out of it?”
He shut his eyes, winced—and then he muttered wearily, “Just...try not to get your heart broken. Please.”
Her eyes felt kind of misty suddenly. “I will be fine. I promise you—and will you stay out of it? I need you to say it. I need your word that you’ll leave it alone.”
He rubbed at his jaw and looked away again, toward the night beyond the glass doors.
She asked a third time. “Noah. Will you?”
And finally, he faced her once more. He let out a low sound, raised both arms to the sides—and then dropped them hard. “Yeah. Fine. I’ll stay out of it.”
Like pulling teeth sometimes, getting him to say what she needed to hear. But at least he had said it. And she actually did believe him. “Oh, Noah....” She went to him.
He opened his arms and gathered her close. She teared up all over again when he whispered, “Damn. This should be easier....”
“I love you, big brother.”
He hugged her even tighter. And then, as he’d promised to, he let her go. “Stay here tonight. It’s way too late to wander around Montedoro by yourself.”
She shook her head. “It’s not far back to the palace and I’ll go straight there. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”
“But you—”
“Noah.” Alice got up and went to him. She took his hands and put them at her waist and lifted her arms to link them around his neck. “Darling...”
He scowled down at her. “What?”
“Lucy will be perfectly safe.”
“But I don’t think—”
“Her choice. Her life. Remember?”
He muttered something Lucy couldn’t quite make out. Alice laughed. And Noah bent and whispered something in her ear. She laughed again. Finally, he spoke to Lucy. “Good night,” he said resignedly.
She escaped quickly before he could think of more reasons why she should stay.
At the palace, she went back in through the side door she’d used when she left. The same guard was there. He ushered her inside and then punched at his handheld device again, probably checking her off as safely returned.
By then it was after three. Past bedtime and then some. She went up to her room and flopped down on the bed and pressed her fingertips to the ridge of scar tissue between her breasts and thought about how she ought to be tired.
But she wasn’t. It was a miracle, really, to be so strong. To stay up half the night, to run down the hill called Cap Royale on which the Prince’s Palace stood, have a big fight with her brother and then run back up again—and still have energy to spare.
She was wide-awake. In fact, she just knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep yet.
Not until she’d talked to Dami.
Yes. Absolutely. She needed to talk to Dami right away.
Tonight.
Chapter Four
D amien woke when the knocking started.
He squinted at the digital clock by the bed. Three thirty-six on Friday morning. And he knew instantly who it would be.
Lucy, of course, with some issue she just had to settle now.
He wasn’t annoyed, though he absolutely ought to have been. And it never even occurred to him not to get up and answer. He did, however, take a moment to pull on a soft pair of trousers and a black sweater.
When he reached the outer door of his apartment, he hesitated, aware of a rising sensation in his midsection, of the too-rapid beating of his heart: anticipation.
Yes.
Excitement.
Definitely.
He smiled to himself. He was being absurd. How could he just know it would be Lucy? And why was he rushing to the door when he fully intended to call an early end to their time together?
Ridiculous. Laughable.
It was probably only some random palace guest lost on the wrong floor, knocking on the nearest door in hopes of being pointed in the right direction.
The knock came again. He opened the door.
And there she was just as he’d known she would be, in a big floppy sweater and skinny little jeans and the cutest pair of pink high-top canvas shoes.
Something disconcerting
He shut his eyes, winced—and then he muttered wearily, “Just...try not to get your heart broken. Please.”
Her eyes felt kind of misty suddenly. “I will be fine. I promise you—and will you stay out of it? I need you to say it. I need your word that you’ll leave it alone.”
He rubbed at his jaw and looked away again, toward the night beyond the glass doors.
She asked a third time. “Noah. Will you?”
And finally, he faced her once more. He let out a low sound, raised both arms to the sides—and then dropped them hard. “Yeah. Fine. I’ll stay out of it.”
Like pulling teeth sometimes, getting him to say what she needed to hear. But at least he had said it. And she actually did believe him. “Oh, Noah....” She went to him.
He opened his arms and gathered her close. She teared up all over again when he whispered, “Damn. This should be easier....”
“I love you, big brother.”
He hugged her even tighter. And then, as he’d promised to, he let her go. “Stay here tonight. It’s way too late to wander around Montedoro by yourself.”
She shook her head. “It’s not far back to the palace and I’ll go straight there. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”
“But you—”
“Noah.” Alice got up and went to him. She took his hands and put them at her waist and lifted her arms to link them around his neck. “Darling...”
He scowled down at her. “What?”
“Lucy will be perfectly safe.”
“But I don’t think—”
“Her choice. Her life. Remember?”
He muttered something Lucy couldn’t quite make out. Alice laughed. And Noah bent and whispered something in her ear. She laughed again. Finally, he spoke to Lucy. “Good night,” he said resignedly.
She escaped quickly before he could think of more reasons why she should stay.
At the palace, she went back in through the side door she’d used when she left. The same guard was there. He ushered her inside and then punched at his handheld device again, probably checking her off as safely returned.
By then it was after three. Past bedtime and then some. She went up to her room and flopped down on the bed and pressed her fingertips to the ridge of scar tissue between her breasts and thought about how she ought to be tired.
But she wasn’t. It was a miracle, really, to be so strong. To stay up half the night, to run down the hill called Cap Royale on which the Prince’s Palace stood, have a big fight with her brother and then run back up again—and still have energy to spare.
She was wide-awake. In fact, she just knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep yet.
Not until she’d talked to Dami.
Yes. Absolutely. She needed to talk to Dami right away.
Tonight.
Chapter Four
D amien woke when the knocking started.
He squinted at the digital clock by the bed. Three thirty-six on Friday morning. And he knew instantly who it would be.
Lucy, of course, with some issue she just had to settle now.
He wasn’t annoyed, though he absolutely ought to have been. And it never even occurred to him not to get up and answer. He did, however, take a moment to pull on a soft pair of trousers and a black sweater.
When he reached the outer door of his apartment, he hesitated, aware of a rising sensation in his midsection, of the too-rapid beating of his heart: anticipation.
Yes.
Excitement.
Definitely.
He smiled to himself. He was being absurd. How could he just know it would be Lucy? And why was he rushing to the door when he fully intended to call an early end to their time together?
Ridiculous. Laughable.
It was probably only some random palace guest lost on the wrong floor, knocking on the nearest door in hopes of being pointed in the right direction.
The knock came again. He opened the door.
And there she was just as he’d known she would be, in a big floppy sweater and skinny little jeans and the cutest pair of pink high-top canvas shoes.
Something disconcerting
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