About the way you’re calling me, he thought. I want to hear you call me Reid—-
But if you tell her that, she’d ask why, and the reason behind it is embarrassing as hell.
I can lie about it.
Can you, really?
“Prince?”
FUCK.
He had been talking to himself, and it was all her fault. Her mental condition was obviously contagious.
Fawn blinked when the prince suddenly glared at her. What had she done?
“I think you should go now,” the prince muttered, “before I get more infected.”
As the prince opened the door for her, she protested, “But I’m not sick—-whoa.”
There was a new, red-and-black Mini parked on the driveway, and she couldn’t help shooting the prince a look of surprise. “New?” She was familiar with all of the prince’s cars since Igor sometimes had her assigned at the garage, but she had never seen this one in his stable.
“Yes.” The prince took her hand and led her to the driver’s side. “It’s yours.”
Her jaw dropped. “What?”
“It’s yours.”
“Uh, no, it’s not.”
He repeated firmly, “It’s yours.”
“Uh, no,” she said just as firmly. “It’s not.”
The prince smiled.
Oh no, she thought immediately. Whenever that devastatingly nice-guy smile appeared, it usually meant the opposite.
And she was right.
“How much do you love your job?”
She gulped. “Very much, prince.”
“Then...” He opened the door for her. “What do you say?”
She said weakly, “Thank you?”
“Perfect.” The prince’s eyes gleamed. “I expect you to use this car wherever you go from hereon. And before you say anything else, it’s not an extravagance. It’s a security precaution as your bodyguards—-”
Bodyguards?
“Will have an easier time protecting you this way. Walking leaves you too vulnerable.” As the prince spoke, he gently but firmly led her inside the car and once she was seated, he bent down, whispering to her ear, “If you promise me you won’t meet with Bennett today, I’ll fuck your brains out tonight.” He paused, his tongue tracing the curve of her earlobe. “And it will be a night you won’t ever forget.”
Oh.
OH!
She gulped.
The prince pulled away, and as their eyes met, she heard herself mumble, “I promise.”
****
Priscilla: What are you doing now?
Fawn: You just asked me that five minutes ago.
Priscilla: You’re still thinking about me then.
Fawn: Could you please stop texting stuff like that? What’s the point of hiding your identity behind a girl’s name if you’re saying things like that? Grant would know you’re not a girl if he sees my phone.
Priscilla: That won’t be a problem since you promised not to see him without me.
Fawn: Even so!
After clicking on Send, Fawn deleted the entire message thread and dropped her phone back in her bag. When the girl in front of her was done ordering, Fawn moved forward with her tray and asked for a salad and lasagna. Unlike other university cafeterias, Christopoulos University’s looked more like a hotel lobby with its elegant décor and spacious interior.
It was so beautiful, Fawn thought absently, that more often than not, she had a hard time believing she was actually studying in this type of school.
Making her way to her usual seat on her usual table in the corner, Fawn once again found herself the object of other students’ curious gazes. Was it because they were wondering what Grant Bennett saw in her?
If so, then she wanted to know the answer to that, too.
What had he seen in her in the first place, and how had she lost it, to the point that he had to cheat on her?
Her phone vibrated inside her bag as she reached her table, and she quickly put her tray and bag down before scooping her phone out.
Priscilla: What ARE you doing?
Priscilla: What’s taking you so long to reply?
Fawn: Are you sure you have to ask? You can always check it on the school’s CCTV, can’t you?
Priscilla: I’m not a stalker.
Fawn bit back a smile. I didn’t say that, prince, she thought. You did. And crazy fool that she was, she actually felt just a little pleased that the prince cared enough to check on her.
Fawn: I didn’t say that. You did.
Priscilla: You were thinking it.
Fawn: I wasn’t.
Priscilla: Liar.
Fawn: Text you later. I’m starving.
Priscilla: Come join me. I’m out with my friends.
Fawn almost dropped her phone. Was he kidding? She knew all about his friends, and they were all like him. Too rich, too good-looking, too perfect. Did he really think she’d be able to manage a single bite while surrounded by his friends?