an important thing to talk about, and you’ll regret it if you don’t come.
“I don’t believe the boy has the guts to threaten you,” Noah said finally. “But I also don’t see any harm in meeting with him.”
Igor nodded. “I don’t see any mention of you having to come alone either, so that makes it even less of a threat.”
The prince slipped his phone back in his pocket. “Neither of you see this as possibly affecting our timetable?”
Both men shook their heads.
“I’ll take your advice then. The two of you stay here and make sure Beatrice Crichton is never alone.”
The drive back to Christopoulos University was swift, but every second of it chipped away at the prince’s armor, and by the time he reached the university’s standalone library, tension had made him stiff and grim-faced, and it didn’t help when the skies turned overcast in a blink.
Rain started to fall, and one of his bodyguards rushed to him, handing the prince an umbrella. Nodding his thanks, he stood outside the library and waited for Grant Bennett to show up.
An entire half hour passed, and yet the prince remained where he was.
A sardonic smile touched his lips.
You can’t fucking fool yourself, Reid Chalkias.
From the very start, he knew this was a setup, knew from the very start that Grant Bennett had no intention to show up. But he had come anyway because it had given him an alibi.
A reason to go to a place where he might see her—-
And finally, he did see her.
Well played, Bennett.
The prince watched Fawn step out of the school building across the street, hair swept up in a ponytail and her curves hidden under a loose black dress.
He watched her hungrily, obsessively-—
Whatever Bennett’s ulterior motive was for making the prince see her again, it didn’t fucking matter.
What mattered was that he was able to see her again one last time.
One last time, he promised himself doggedly, and then he would really stay away from her for good, let her live in peace without murderous threats hanging over her head for each and every damn day of her life.
One last time.
The prince was about to turn away when he saw Fawn slowly but steadily walk down the building’s front steps, leaving the roofed area.
Rain slashed down on her, and still she continued to walk.
What the hell?
She began walking away, heading to where he knew her dorm building was, and for one moment the prince could only stare in complete incomprehension.
Did she fucking plan to walk all the way to her place in the rain?
When it looked like she was going to do just that, the prince didn’t even think—-
He broke into a run, and even with water splashing under his pounding footsteps, Fawn didn’t look up, and her pace didn’t falter.
The prince reached her, blocking her way, and as he held his umbrella over her, he demanded furiously, “Are you an idiot?” He watched Fawn lift her head ever so slowly.
Oh God.
Brown eyes made dull by too much pain gazed up at him.
“Prince?”
He whitened.
“Is it r-really you?”
Her voice broke, and so did he.
The umbrella fell to the ground as the prince hauled her into his arms.
She started to cry. “I knew you’d come back.”
“You’re an idiot, a goddamn idiot.” But his voice shook, and he couldn’t stop himself from tightening his arms around her. “Forget me, angel, please.”
She cried harder, sobbing, “My n-new name.”
Ah.
He knew exactly what she meant.
“You r-remember?”
In the aftermath of making love, Fawn, lying on top of him, had whispered sleepily, “You need to give me another name.”
“Another name?” He had been bemused.
“Because I’m not a virgin anymore.”
Ah. He had kissed the top of her head, murmuring, “I’ll need time to think about it.”
Her head had jerked up, and she had looked wide-awake when she echoed him. “Time?”
Frowning at her reaction, he had said warily, “Yes, I need time.”
“Even though it’s a simple thing?”
“It’s not a simple thing,” he had rejected, his frown darkening.
Her lips had formed a bright smile. “Then it means Igor was right.”
“About what?”
“That I’m your special lady.”
His eyes squeezed shut.
He remembered.
He remembered like it happened a fucking second ago.
Because he remembered everything about them.
When he opened his eyes, he saw her staring up at him with terrified brown eyes, and it was so damn obvious that he only had to say one cruel word and she would shatter.
Because he mattered that much to her, and she wasn’t even pretending it wasn’t true.