care of.” The Prince hasn’t let go of me. His hands are on my shoulders, grabbing the towel that he wrapped around me earlier. His brows are drawn together, and he stares into my eyes, shaking his head. “You scared me.”
I’m not quite sure how to respond, so I don’t say anything. I stare at his lips, so full and kissable that it should be illegal. The Prince’s hand drifts to my cheek. He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear.
His face angles down against mine, and those stupidly kissable lips brush against my mouth. In an instant, I forget about the cold water in the lake. Heat ignites in my veins, and I tremble against the Prince’s strong arms. I tilt my head up, deepening our kiss as my hands wrap around his waist.
Neither of us notice the speedboat that pulls up beside our yacht. We don’t see the half-dozen photographers snapping photos of us until one of the crew members shouts at them to leave. Only then do I pull away from the Prince, my cheeks burning.
I glance over my shoulder at the retreating speedboat, and my stomach drops. They definitely saw that kiss—but the only question is whether or not they know who I am.
I gulp. “I should go find my sister.”
Prince Luca’s eyes linger on me, and I wrap the towel around me more tightly. He motions to the interior deck, and we walk over together in silence. Every single guest is inside, most of them lounging on the sofas and at the bar. There’s commotion down the hallway towards the bedroom cabins, and I know that’s where Margot was brought.
My heart is in my throat. I can feel the Prince beside me, every heartbeat sending a pulsing desire through me.
It’s wrong, wrong, wrong.
He’s promised to my sister. She’s the beautiful one. She’s the model, the actress, the socialite. She’s the one that the paparazzi want to see him with.
Not me.
But the Prince’s hand drifts to the small of my back as we enter the main salon, and a shiver of heat curls in my stomach. I shouldn’t want him this much.
He shouldn’t want me at all.
Margot’s fall in the lake should be a sign for me. It’s the universe telling me that I need to stay away from Prince Luca. That he belongs to her. That I don’t deserve someone like him.
That I need to be by her side.
The Prince walks down to the cabins at the back of the boat with me, where there’s still commotion and people milling around.
When we get to the main cabin, Prince Beckett is pacing back and forth. He sees me, and immediately throws his arms around me.
“You saved her.” His voice is muffled into the towel around my shoulders.
I stiffen, not quite sure what to do. That’s two members of the royal family that have had their arms around me today.
When he pulls away, I notice Prince Luca’s eyes blazing at his brother. I clear my throat, and then duck into the cabin. Margot emerges from the shower with steam billowing around her. Her face is lined with worry, and she drags her feet with exhaustion.
When my sister sees me, her lower lip trembles. She sighs, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, Ivy.”
“Don’t be.”
“I shouldn’t have done that. I was trying to get a photo, and then the boat lurched…” She cringes, shaking her head.
Margot walks up to me and wraps her long, graceful arms around me. I lean against her, sighing.
For a second, it feels like the old Margot. Before the crazy fame, before this PR relationship with Prince Luca, before Mama died. The haze in her eyes is gone, and she smells like she used to when we were kids.
“I was so stupid,” my sister says, sniffling. “I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
“Someone else would have jumped in.” My voice is flat and emotionless. I feel drained.
She shakes her head. “They didn’t. This is why I need you around, Ivy. You’re the only person I can trust.”
I swallow back the bile that rises up in my throat. Trust? She can’t trust me. I’ve betrayed her in the worst possible way. I’ve kissed the man she’s supposed to be dating—twice.
Margot nods to the bathroom. “You should take a hot shower to warm up.”
I blink back tears and nod to her, slumping my shoulders and heading for the bathroom.
16
Luca
When Margot walks out of the cabin wearing fresh makeup and a dazzling smile, everyone on