pump the shotgun, and the red shells clatter to the ground. The box is empty. Fifty clay pigeons and I’m still pissed off.
What is her deal? I give her the orgasm of her life, and she ignores me. Didn’t even have the decency to return the favor when we retired to our room. Then she insults me by calling me obnoxious and says I’m only marrying her to piss off Dad.
It’s bollocks.
I spent the next fifteen minutes after that furiously jacking off in the bathroom, imagining my cock buried in her tight pussy. I never wanted to fuck a girl this badly. Especially one who so openly despises me. And yet she was unbelievably wet for me. Christ, the way her face looked when she came on my fingers. I’d do it again just to see that.
Damn her.
It’s not like me to obsess over a girl, especially a girl who can’t even pour a cup of tea to save her own life. I want her so badly that my cock aches. I’ve touched myself way too many times since her arrival. I could summon another girl to the castle in an instant, if I wanted. It’d be tricky with the engagement, but I could do it.
And let Daisy win?
Never.
“Liam!”
I turn around, scraping the earplugs away as I search for the voice. My mood sours instantly when I recognize that blond, stocky bastard.
“I was just leaving.”
“Stay for a moment—talk to me!”
I pick up the empty box from the ground, unable to feel anything but suspicion for my brother. He’s been vying for my position ever since he was born. It’s inevitable with so many sons, but he has a nasty streak I never cared for.
“What?”
Lucian’s smile doesn’t break. “I read the article Kate wrote for you both. Very touching. I especially liked the part about you falling in love through your Instagram account. That was pretty good.”
“Are you jealous that I get to fuck the American and you don’t?”
“What difference does it make where she’s from? I’ve fucked dozens of women—”
“Incapacitated women, no doubt.”
The laughter in his eyes doesn’t extinguish. My brother, the monster, feels no shame.
“Do you honestly believe this will appease Dad?”
“If it doesn’t, he’s a fool.”
“Don’t give me that rubbish. She’s a nobody.”
“Doesn’t matter. People love our story. They don’t give a rat’s fart who she is.”
Lucian’s face turns a dark shade of red. “It’s bollocks.”
“Are you upset that I outsmarted you? I am the older brother.”
“Dad is not going to stand by while you make a mockery of the royal family.”
I clench my teeth, wishing that old bastard would take me seriously for once in my life. “I’m sure he won’t, thanks to you. Yeah, I know all about your treachery.”
“I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about.”
“Every day you whisper rubbish in our dying father’s ears, I grow more powerful. So knock yourself out, Lucian. Say whatever the fuck you want, tell him it’s a sham, I don’t care. Just stay away from me.”
I watch with great satisfaction as what little color remains in his cheeks drains away completely. Then I follow the narrow aisle of the shooting gallery to the clerk. I slap the shotgun over the desk and walk away without another word.
People bow as I leave the shooting range, and I give them a halfhearted smile back. I think of my brothers, half of them abroad in boarding school, the lucky bastards. The castle Wi-Fi is spotty in this location, so I walk toward the keep until I get a signal, and then I check my phone. That gossip rag, Royal Exposé, has tagged me on Facebook.
There’s a huge, grainy photo of Daisy bending her neck to sip from a cup of tea, which still has the tea bag sitting inside, and a large headline: TEA GAFFES.
For fuck’s sake.
I read the subtitle: Ditsy Daisy Shocks Patrons at Betty’s Tea Café.
Those fucking cocks.
I untag myself from the photo, hoping Daisy won’t see it. The wedding is in a few days, and she’s got enough to worry about without this tabloid shit, like the fact it’ll be televised and broadcasted to the entire country. Dad invited reporters from around the world to film the event.
A text pops up on my screen: Son. Meet me upstairs.
It always amazes me that the old, decrepit bat mastered texting. Fuck, what does he want now? I jog inside the keep and walk up the grand staircase. The guards open the doors to a second, smaller staircase the leads up