girl.
“Who wants a bloody drink?” Charlie clapped his hands, nodding back at the bar against the far wall. The guys sprang forward, locked on the bartender, letting us girls trail after.
The club was vast, dark, and very plain. A few sofas lined the walls, but most of the middle seemed to be left open for what I figured was a dance floor. It wasn’t the cool, hip lounges or cozy pubs we had usually gone to. This was the opposite of classy or sexy. There was even an overlying smell of dried sweat and bodies, but the room filled with every passing minute, its occupants ranging in ages and types. The club was apparently popular with this diverse crowd, but it seemed an odd place for the Prince and Princess of Great Victoria to hang out.
“Bloody hell.” Hazel blinked, her mouth parting, peering over my shoulder. “Who is that incredible specimen of a man?”
Following her gaze, I already knew who she was looking at.
“That’s Lennox.” I frowned. “Theo’s new bodyguard.”
“Fuck. Me,” she whispered, her pale cheeks flaming red. “He is gor-geous.”
“Yeah, and he knows it too.” My top lip lifted in disgust as I tried not to peer back at him again. Lennox and Peter stayed back enough to not look suspicious, but I could feel Lennox’s looming form nipping at my heels and breathing down my back like the big bad wolf.
“He is bloody hot,” Eloise confirmed with a hearty nod. “But Theo’s already warned me if I touch him, he will actually disown me this time.”
Hazel laughed. “This time, huh?”
“Yeah.” I turned to Eloise. “Did I pick up on a vibe between you and Ben?”
“A vibe.” Hazel snorted, still sounding elegant. “Oh, Spence… you don’t want to even touch that one.”
I glanced over at Eloise. Her jaw cracked together; her gaze filled with annoyance.
“Let’s get a drink, shall we?” She rushed forward, heading to the bar alongside her brother.
“What was that?” I asked Hazel.
“Let’s just say their past is sticky and complex at best. All I know is they were each other’s firsts a long time ago. Neither one will talk about what happened between them, but I think they still have a little thing for each other.”
Losing your virginity to your best friends’ sister. A princess. One you will have to see all the time. Yeah, that must be awkward.
“You and Theo are official now?” Hazel glanced at me.
“Guess so.” I let out an exhaled laugh, watching him animatedly chatting with his friends. “Met the queen this evening. That was an utter disaster.” I shook my head. “But Theo’s moved me into the palace. For now.” That would be temporary.
“Wow. It’s serious, then?” She arched a perfectly curved eyebrow, her head darting back to Theo. “Like, ‘you guys will be getting married’ kind of serious.”
“If that happens, it’s far down the road. I’m barely up with us being back together.”
“Well, you better get ready and quickly.” Hazel turned back to me, her face stern and serious. “From now on, that will be the first question the media will be asking. They will relentlessly hound you, wondering when you and Theo will wed. There is no gray area with royalty. You better be all the way in.”
My throat tightened, struggling to swallow, fear flogging at me like a whip.
“Sorry, completely freaked you out.” Hazel laughed, shaking her head, the solemnity dissolving into a happy smile. “Tonight, let’s have fun…” She glanced quickly over her shoulder again, a long sigh drawing her shoulders down. “Though, I can’t function with that man around. I certainly need him in my bed by the end of this night.”
“Aren’t you dating a model from Spain?” If the tabloids were correct.
“Summer fling.” She batted her hand. She flicked her head to look behind her “But that man is still ten times sexier than Sebastian was. And he modeled underwear!”
“Well, that one…” I mirrored her movement… “is an arrogant, miserable, dreary arsehole.”
“Wow.” Hazel’s eyes went wide, her eyebrow curving. “Such strong feelings about him… already.”
“Trust me.”
“Yeah, clearly, I seem to like them like that.” She sighed painfully, biting her lip before turning back to the bar. “You really have the best catch anyway.” She grinned at Theo laughing with his friends.
“I really do.” I nodded.
Chapter 8
“Cheers to the new Royal Air Force reject, Lieutenant Wanker!” Charlie held up his drink. “While you were running hundreds of kilometers at four in the morning, eating gruel, I was doing lines off a Victoria’s Secret model’s arse and