Stealing Kisses With a King (Kings of Carolina #3)- Sylvie Stewart Page 0,60

Security had rung to alert me of his arrival and I’d been inclined to send him away, not in the mood for company. But Nolan was a good mate, and if nothing else, he would offer a distraction from my Alice troubles.

By the time I’d finished with Trevor and sought out Alice in every corner of the palace as well as her flat, I’d had to admit she’d fled. All I could do was continue ringing and texting and hope she hadn’t hopped a plane to America.

If I’d thought the other day’s kiss was a revelation, it was nothing compared to the explosiveness of Alice and me in bed. Who would have thought tiny Alice with her steel grip on control could come apart so spectacularly? She gave every bit as good as she took, and I had a list a mile long of all the things I wanted to do to her. But now I feared I’d never get to touch her again.

I poured two glasses of Laphroaig and passed one to Nolan before perching on the edge of my armchair, elbows to my knees. “It’s not been the best afternoon.”

“That’s a shame.” He sipped his whiskey and swirled the amber liquid in its glass as he took his time tasting and swallowing. “I, on the other hand, have just had the best dinner in recent memory.”

“Oh? Did your chef cook your favorite chicken nuggets?”

He didn’t scowl as I’d expected him too, instead letting the dig roll right off his back. “That stopped being funny when we were thirteen.”

“Yet I still find it amusing.” I took a small sip from my glass, happy for this distraction.

Nolan draped his arms over the back of the sofa like he owned the place. “No, my friend. I’ve just had drinks—and a bit of Italian cuisine—with two beautiful women.”

“So your sisters are back in town, are they?”

This one gave me the reaction I’d been seeking as his jaw tightened. “Need I remind you the details of your planned dismemberment, should you lay even one finger on either of my sisters?”

While his sisters were certainly attractive, it was part of the unspoken bro code that they were strictly off-limits, just as Clara was to Nolan. Although Clara was far too smart to even consider sharing so much as a dance with my mate. “Enough said. Go on. Tell me about these fair maidens of yours.”

A hand to his chest, he obliged. “Sadly, one of them is already spoken for, but the other…” He trailed off, looking entirely too smug.

I was no stranger to the expression he wore, and I closed my eyes, hoping for the best. “Please say you didn’t shag her in the loo at a public restaurant. You won’t live long enough to dismember me if someone managed to snap a photo.” Nolan had been caught in a few indelicate situations over the years. One more and his father would likely end him.

“I did no such thing. But I did ask her on a proper date.” He nodded in satisfaction and lifted his whiskey glass to his lips again.

“Good for you. Very mature.”

“I thought so.” He leaned forward and met my eyes, as if asking for my input. “I was considering taking her riding again.”

I couldn’t help my grin. “Ah, so it’s one of your saddle bunnies, is it?” Nolan was a bit of a local celebrity at the Dunwall Equestrian Club, always being followed about by hopeful young female members begging for his attention. But I gave him credit for resisting temptation when it came to the club women—or as I liked to call them, his saddle bunnies. He gently rebuffed the younger ones while choosing to focus on the few that were closer to his age. I wondered which one it was today.

“Not at all, in fact.” He met my grin with his own before blowing my mind. “It’s Alice.”

I nearly dropped my glass. “My Alice?” I had to have misheard. My Alice was likely on a plane to America by now. And, besides, she’d never given Nolan any indication of interest, of that I was certain. The thought was preposterous. And… enraging.

But instead of correcting himself, Nolan only tilted his head. “Would we really call her that? Last I checked, she was your employee, not your property.” He continued speaking, unaware that he was taking his very life into his hands doing so. “I met up with her and Ruby at that little bistro on Canal Street—the one with