Page 69 of The Prince of Broken Crowns

I can’t help thinking about how River kissed me. Finn must’ve not seen the entire thing or else I feel like he’d be mocking the hell out of us. Part of me wants to glance at River to see his expression, see if he’s thinking the same thoughts I am.

But I keep my gaze on Finn and make a big show of rolling my eyes. “Yeah, right. I get the feeling he has to say that to you all the time.”

His grin widens. “Okay, maybe. But it usually doesn’t bother him as much.”

“Finn, seriously, shut the hell up,” River interrupts in a sharp tone.

When I glance at him, his eyes are firing daggers at Finn.

Finn holds his hands up and steps back. “Sorry, brother.” He sounds anything but sorry.

Shaking his head, he fixes his attention on me, his eyes softening a drop. “Maddy, if you’d like to take a shower, you’re more than welcome to use Lily’s, and I’m sure she wouldn’t mind you borrowing some of her clothes.”

I have no desire to use or borrow anything here, but I’m also covered in old sweat and rain, and I feel disgusting.

“Yeah, okay, that’d actually be nice.” I smile at River. “Thanks.”

River motions for me to follow him. “Come on; I’ll show you where her room is.”

I walk over to him, throwing a wave at Finn from over my shoulder.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” he calls out after us with a wicked laugh.

River heaves an exhausted sigh. “Just ignore him. He’s in a mood.”

“Weird, because I feel like he’s been in that mood since I met him,” I remark, causing River to chuckle under his breath.

“Yeah, he’s generally like that.” He yanks both his hands through his hair, leaving strands sticking up wildly in all sorts of directions. “I’d like to say you get used to it, but I still haven’t, and I’ve known him all of my life. It’s not all bad. Sometimes, when I’m in a bad mood, it comes in handy.”

“I can see that,” I reply as my gaze roves over the photos hanging on the wall of landscapes and portraits of places I could only dream of seeing. “You two seem so different. It’s crazy you’re twins.”

“We used to be similar, but then … things changed.” As if matching his words, River’s mood changes, tension flowing from his now calculated steps. “But, anyway.” He clears his throat as he slows to a stop in front of a shut door. “This is Lily’s room. She probably hasn’t been in it for over a year, but a maid comes here once a week to clean the place, so everything should be good to go.” He pushes open the door. “There’s probably no soap in the shower, so let me go grab a bottle of mine for you.” He hurries off down the hallway. And I try not to stare at his ass or the lean muscles of his back. I fail.

Why the heck did I have to let him kiss me? This guy is so off-limites.

“Get it together, Maddy,” I mumble to myself as I tear my eyes off River.

Carefully, as if entering a museum, I step into Lily’s bedroom. The theme of silver and blue is splashed all over the place from the walls, to the comforter that covers the massive king bed, to the curtains and the chandelier. Even the dressers and nightstands are silver, and the knobs are baby blue. I couldn’t imagine having a room like this, but it would be nice. Hell, I’d settle for the closet, which is an open area in the corner with benches and mirrors lining the wall.

“Here you go,” River says as he returns with two bottles. He hands them to me, and when he notices my expression, his forehead creases. “You have a weird look on your face. Are you sure you’re okay? Or is it the height thing? You can keep the windows closed, and there are none in the bathroom.”

“No, it’s not that.” I hug the bottles of soap and shampoo against my chest. “I’m just not used to being in places like this. I mean, this room is like really, really nice—this whole place is—and it feels wrong that I’m in here, if that makes sense.”

He promptly shakes his head. “Don’t think like that. You belong here just as much as anyone else. Trust me.” Smiling, he reaches out and tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear.

The move stuns both of us, and when my eyes go huge, he jerks back, clearing his throat for the second time in five minutes.

“Um … yeah.” His cheeks tint pink, and it takes all of my strength not to smile. “So, I texted Lily, and she said you can borrow anything. Her closet is over there.” He points to it then to another doorway to our left. “The bathroom is over there. There should be towels in there already. And then, when you’re done, just come back out into the room at the end of the hallway. Either Finn or I will be in there.”

“Thanks.” I smile, and he returns it before starting to leave. But then an overwhelming sense of gratitude falls over me. “I mean that, River. Thanks for all of this. For running with me. For helping Finn in that high-speed chase so we could escape Drew.”

He nods with his hand on the doorknob. “Of course.” He starts to shut the door but pauses. “I don’t want to pressure you into telling me what’s going on with this Drew guy, but if you feel like talking, I’m good at listening and solving problems.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” I force a smile, and he shuts the door. Then I exhale all the tension I’ve been holding since Drew showed up.

A part of me wishes it could be that easy, that I could tell River everything, and he could conjure up a solution. But while he may be a great problem solver in Royal City life, northside problems are a different ballgame.

River

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