Page 11 of Royal Sin

“I want to see you again. I find you refreshing.” His tongue did that thing where it curved over the word. “But my life is high profile. I’ve made a lot of enemies in the business world. This city doesn’t like me.”

There was an unexpected note of pain in his words as he spoke.

“Being with me is hard,” he finished, body tightening with the assertion. “So I’ll understand if you don’t want to.”

My stomach did a real flip. This was really happening. And it was better than I could have planned.

But the way my body reacted, the fact that I was drawn to him, that scared me. Scared me enough that I hesitated.

“I understand,” Leonard said, taking a step back. “Thank you for dinner.”

He walked away, going across the street to a blacked-out motorcycle.

What am I doing?While he was exactly the kind of man my parents would hate, I knew that waving him in their faces would produce the desired effect. They would see I was capable of forging my own way in the world and that I wouldn’t bow to their pressure to conform. Leonard couldn’t be controlled. But that part of me that wasn’t ready to give up, wanted to see where this thing would go and defy my parents’ agenda with a man I genuinely liked. If he liked me enough, there would be no problem.

But if he was angry at the deception, I would lose him. Was I prepared for that alternative? Days ago, I would have said yes and found a backup. Right now, the thought of finding another filled me with dread. I wanted this one to work out!

“Wait!” I called out. Racing to him, I stopped short in front of his bike. “Why don’t we keep this low-key for a while?”

The easy solution fell into place, my brain seeing the story play out in a different way. I didn’t have to introduce him to my family anytime soon. I could take my time opening up to him and explaining why I needed his presence to free me from their plots.

“Let’s just take it slow and get to know one another,” I insisted.

Leonard studied me, his expression unreadable in the dim streetlight. For a moment, I thought he might refuse, might walk away for good. Then something shifted in his eyes.

“Slow,” he repeated, testing the word. “I can do slow.”

Relief flooded through me, followed immediately by a flutter of excitement. “Good. That’s...good.”

He swung his leg over the motorcycle, the powerful machine rumbling to life beneath him. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

I nodded, stepping back as he settled his helmet over his head. The visor came down, obscuring his face, transforming him into something dangerous and unknowable.

“Goodnight, little author,” he said, voice muffled through the helmet.

I watched him pull away, the taillights of his motorcycle growing smaller until they disappeared around a corner. Yes, I chose well, and now it was up to me to play the hand of cards I rigged.

Chapter 5

“So you found someone your parents will hate,” Serena repeated.

“Mhmm.” I popped my lip gloss in the mirror.

“And when you tell them, what do you think will happen?”

I looked at the phone. “They’ll have to deal with the public image of me with the man. They’ll have to know I’m independent and capable of having anyone I want.”

The voice on the other line was silent.

I fluffed my hair once more for good measure. Tonight was an official date—or that was how I chose to read his short text message. We’d hung out a handful of times, but they were short, stolen interactions, given our busy lives. Whatever happened tonight would be the first chance for a long, drawn-out stint of time.

“S,o creating a scandal to make them respect your dating choices?” Serena finally hedged. “I don’t have a frame of reference, but I don’t think that is how this will work.”

“It’s not going to be easy,” I admitted, tucking my phone between my shoulder and ear as I rummaged through myjewelry box. “But I'm tired of being told who to see, who to be. At least with this guy, I’m making my own choice.”

“And is this mystery man on board with being your parental rebellion tool?” Serena’s probing voice was stern.

My fingers paused on a pair of sapphire earrings. “He doesn’t exactly know about that part.”

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