Page 71 of Princess

“I’m going to do something right now, and I don’t want you to take it seriously or think I’m making a move on you.”

He frowns for a moment in confusion, but he’s always been smart. It doesn’t take long before he’s smiling. “You trying to make him a little jealous?”

“Something like that. Do you mind?”

“Of course not. What did you have in mind?”

I’m not going to kiss Ben. That would be wrong for any number of reasons. But I put a hand on his shoulder and sway toward him, smiling up into his face.

“Oh shit,” Ben breathes. “He’s gonna be so mad at me. You’ll stop him from beating me up, won’t you?”

I giggle, flushed and feeling absurdly powerful. “Of course I will. But I don’t think he’ll do that. He’ll just—”

I don’t say anything else because Grant is suddenly looming over us.Looming. I’ve never seen him glare as icy cold as the look he’s giving Ben.

Quite understandably, Ben takes a step back from me.

His eyes fixed on Ben, Grant pronounces in almost a whisper, “Walk… away… now.”

Ben gives me a little wave and gets out of here. Fast.

I watch him leave because I’m suddenly terrified to look at Grant.

He puts his hands on my shoulders and turns me around to face him. His eyes are still coldly angry. But also fierce. Possessive. “What the hell, princess?” he grits out through a visibly clenched jaw.

Well, I wanted a reaction from him.

I’ve definitely got one now.

12

For a few seconds,I have no idea what to say.

Grant is glaring at me with that quietly fierce indignation—but soon I see a helpless bewilderment underneath that just about breaks my heart.

Not for the first time, my own soft heart gets in the way of what I want to do. I almost burst out that I’m sorry, that he’s everything to me, that he’s the only man I’ve ever loved.

Then I remember that he’s left me all day, every day for almost a week without any explanation for his absence.

I remember that he’s never admitted his own feelings for me.

So instead of melting into a puddle of emotion, I match his glare with an expression of confused innocence. “What? Is something wrong?”

“Is something…?” There’s a rumble in his voice. He doesn’t finish repeating my question.

I’m breathing heavily now. My cheeks are hot. With great effort, I manage to keep my voice steady. “Is something wrong?”

He doesn’t answer immediately, but I see emotion churning inside him. Deep. Powerful. So much that it has to boil over—in a way I’ve never seen from him before.

I’m holding my breath as I wait for it.

He’s let go of my shoulders, and now his hands are clenched at his sides. He’s got a day’s worth of dark stubble on his jaw and down his throat. And his forehead and nose are damp with a sheen of perspiration. He forces out his next words as if they resist being spoken. “Do… do you not want me for your man anymore?”

My mouth opens, but no sound comes out. I’ve never been good at playing games, and there’s absolutely no way I can answer that question with anything but the truth.

His head gives a little twitch, and he scowls over his right shoulder. “Well, tough. You can’t have another man! I’m your man until you tell me straight out that you don’t want me anymore.”

Something small and insecure inside me thrills at his gruff indignation. I still can’t manage to verbalize a response.

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