but what he wanted to do now was another.
He’d already insulted her. He was likely the last person she wanted to share anything with. But something in him itched to bring the smile back to her face, or at least to smooth away the frown.
He was used to this urgent need to assist; it was his shameful secret. There couldn’t be a distressed person within fifty paces without Johan catching wind of it and that urge to fix it almost overwhelming him. He buried those acts by acting a fool every two weeks or so, and occasionally showing his ass—literally. He couldn’t bury the fact that this desire to help Nya felt different, with roots in something not at all altruistic.
It’s nothing more than a courtesy.
He ran a hand through his hair so that a few locks hung before his eyes, giving him a nonthreatening, shaggy-dog appeal.
“Nya?” She looked at him, and he dropped his shoulders forward, smiled sheepishly, and swept the hair away from his eyes, emphasizing that his attention was entirely on her. He waited, saw the moment when her gaze went a little soft, then spoke. “I didn’t make a great first impression, but if you need to talk, I don’t gossip and you’ll rarely see me again after the wedding, if ever. Perfect, as far as confidants go.”
She squinted at him as she considered his offer. “First impression? I guess you would make for a good confidant since you forget my existence so easily. That was like the eighth time we’ve met, but I guess I do tend to blend into the background.”
Oh, she was wrong about that, but it wasn’t his place to correct her. He raised one shoulder, then dropped it. “Yes. I’ll probably forget everything as soon as we step off the plane. I’m careless like that.”
“I told Portia you were weird,” she said, scrunching her face as she regarded him.
“I hope Portia defended my honor,” he said, slightly hurt but also oddly pleased. She’d talked about him with her friends—why?
It doesn’t matter.
“Of course, she did,” Nya said. “And I’m fine. I just have family problems, and returning home means I have to deal with them.”
Johan liked to wallow in how frustrating his family was, but none of them had tried to kill anyone or foment a coup, to his knowledge.
She shook her head, as if clearing away bad thoughts. “Are you excited for the wedding?”
“I’m excited for my friend’s future,” he said, taking her cue to change the subject. He understood complicated families and the aversion to speaking of them, if nothing else. “I don’t particularly enjoy weddings, but I think Thabiso’s will be good.”
Johan loved weddings, but he didn’t enjoy them. They were an emotional minefield, and not exactly the best place for a man invested in maintaining an air of aloof disinterest.
She looked at him, and her smile was genuine, though there were still creases of worry around her eyes.
“It will be great. I’m so happy for them, even though I’ve been selfishly focused on my own problems.” She pressed her hands together. “The goddess has truly blessed them. It is no small thing, two people coming together.”
The genuine warmth in her words was somehow transmitted physically to Johan. He felt it in his body, how deeply she cared for their mutual friends. This was just vicarious emotion; he wondered what it would be like to be the recipient of that care himself.
The plane’s descent began in earnest then, and she turned to secure the items on the table in front of her, breaking their eye contact.
Johan held on to his armrests, white knuckled, and not because of the altitude. For the duration of his time in Thesolo, he would stay away from her. He needed to avoid the warmth her kindness kindled in him. He needed to remember that even the brightest flames could be doused in an instant, and he would never be left alone in the darkness again if he could help it.
He turned toward his own window and stared down at the patchwork of green and brown.
Control.
He would only be in Thesolo for a few days. He could hardly get into much trouble in that time, anyway.
About the Author
ALYSSA COLE is an award-winning author of historical, contemporary, and sci-fi romance. Her books have received critical acclaim from The New York Times, Library Journal, BuzzFeed, Kirkus, Booklist, Jezebel, Vulture, Book Riot, Entertainment Weekly, and various other outlets. A Princess in Theory, book 1 in the Reluctant Royals series, was a New York Times Notable Book of 2018. When she’s not working, she can usually be found watching anime with her husband or wrangling their menagerie of animals.
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By Alyssa Cole
Reluctant Royals
A Princess in Theory
Once Ghosted, Twice Shy (novella)
A Duke by Default
Can’t Escape Love (novella)
Coming Soon
A Prince on Paper
The Loyal League
An Extraordinary Union
A Hope Divided
An Unconditional Freedom
Off the Grid
Radio Silence
Signal Boost
Mixed Signals
Other Works
That Could Be Enough
Let Us Dream
Let It Shine
Be Not Afraid
Agnes Moor’s Wild Knight
Eagle’s Heart
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Excerpt from A Prince on Paper copyright © 2019 by Alyssa Cole.
CAN’T ESCAPE LOVE. Copyright © 2019 by Alyssa Cole. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins Publishers. For information, address HarperCollins Publishers, 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007.
Digital Edition MARCH 2019 ISBN: 978-0-06-293188-7
Version 03112019
Print Edition ISBN: 978-0-06-293190-0
Cover design by Nadine Badalaty
Cover photographs © John A. Anderson/Asia Images Group/Lina Alina/Brian Mueller/ALPA PROD/Shutterstock (five images)
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Avon and HarperCollins are registered trademarks of HarperCollins Publishers in the United States of America and other countries.
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