I bite my lower lip, wanting to tear my eyes away. I don’t, though, and it’s a mistake.
A big mistake.
Because while my head is poking around the corner of the house, the Prince’s eyes flick up and meet mine. The second his gaze lands on my eyes, embarrassment engulfs me in a bath of fire. My stomach bottoms out, and a gasp stays stuck somewhere in my throat.
If a normal guy saw someone watching as he made out with a girl, he would probably stop what he was doing. A normal guy might call out and ask who it was that’s creeping around the side of the building.
Not Prince Luca.
No, the Prince tightens his hold on my sister, and keeps kissing her as he watches me.
For an interminable and extremely uncomfortable moment, we stare at each other. His eyes are dark and enchanting, and they keep me rooted in place. I can’t look away, or move, or even breathe. Heat blooms in my stomach, between my thighs, all the way down to my toes. He pulls my sister’s head back, kissing her neck and lifting his eyes to me again.
My heart hammers against my chest so hard I think it might break through my ribs.
I’m going to pass out.
Tearing myself away from his gaze, I lean my back against the side of the house. My chest heaves as I suck in the cool night air. I close my eyes and try to regain control over my racing heart.
My body is a mess. I’m sweaty and shaking. I’m embarrassed…
…and I like it?
I hear the Prince’s low, deliciously growly voice say something that I can’t make out, and then the front door opens and closes.
I let out a breath, staring up at the starry night sky. The roof of my mouth is still raw and tender, and I run my tongue over the rough skin. Then I shake my head, get on my scooter, and I drive to the diner.
The whip of the air around my body shakes the last of the heat from my veins. I drive fast—faster than I normally would—wanting to put as much distance between myself and the Prince as possible.
Georgie was telling the truth. She has two milkshakes ready and waiting in our favorite booth in the Grimdale Diner. Her family inherited the diner from their parents, and the seven of them run it together. The booths are still cracked, green vinyl, the jukebox in the corner hasn’t worked in years, and the faded pictures on the wall are from old Farcliff and classic Hollywood.
Georgie and Giselle grin at me from one side of the booth. Georgie’s midnight blue hair is tied in two braids that hang on either side of her face, and Giselle’s bright orange hair is pulled up in a high ponytail. Georgie pushes my milkshake toward me—vanilla, always—and takes a sip of her strawberry-flavored one.
“I should have asked Irving to put vodka in your shake,” Georgie grins. Their eldest brother runs the diner, and he’s like a big brother to me, too.
Giselle nods her head at me. “You look like you need a bit of alcohol.”
“Maybe if I wanted to vomit.” The vinyl seat creaks as I slide in, leaning my head against the back and letting out a heavy sigh.
“That bad?”
“Worse.”
Georgie flicks a blue braid over her shoulder and grins. She takes another sip of milkshake and waits for me to continue.
“I saw Prince Luca making out with my sister.” I grimace.
The twins’ eyes sparkle. They nod in unison.
“Go on,” Giselle says.
“He saw me looking at them…” A blush creeps over my cheeks as I relive the embarrassment all over again. “…and then he kept kissing her while he stared at me.”
“Wow, very weird,” Georgie says. She exchanges a grin with her twin, and they both nod again. “I love it.”
“It was awful.” I shake my head, pinching the bridge of my nose.
My best friends laugh, and the embarrassment of the evening fades ever so slightly. I take a sip of my milkshake as Irving drops a big piece of pie on the table.
“Strawberry and rhubarb. I tweaked the crust recipe slightly for extra flakiness. Let me know if you can taste the secret ingredient.”
I sniff the pie, and my face breaks into a wide smile. “Ginger.”
Irving shakes his head, smiling. “You’re too good, Ivy. Didn’t even have to taste it.”
“Smells amazing.” I force a smile, but my thoughts drift back to the Prince. I can still feel the