Page 3 of Royally Bad

She twisted around, her piled-high hair flopping. “Please ignore my brother, he’s a little bit of a dick.”

“Don’t use the words ‘little’ and ‘dick’ in the same sentence with me.”

“Watch your damn mouth, Kain!” She pointed at me. “You’re being rude in front of this nice lady!”

I was blushing, but not because of the swearing. I’d grown up here, bluntness and foul mouths had numbed my ears years ago. What I was freaking out about was one thing:

He’s her brother? Not her fiancé?

For the second time, I ate the man up with a casual glance. The dark-gray shirt he had on was hugging his broad chest. It vanished into his belt, highlighting his slim hips while his tight jeans showed off his muscular legs.

His perfect skin was enhanced by the twisting tattoos that coiled along his arms. I could even see one peeking near his collarbone. I didn’t normally go for inked men, but for him, I’d make an exception.

Feeling incredibly silly ... and incredibly relieved, I moved toward the changing stall. “I’m glad you like this dress! Here, come try it on. It’s not finished, but it shouldn’t take me more than a week. When is your wedding?”

Francesca slid the curtain open, taking the gown. Before she ducked inside, she gave me her sweetest smile ever and said, “It’s the day after tomorrow.”

The curtain shut, and my stomach fell into my knees.

The guy—Kain?—stood next to me, his hands in his pockets. “That’s how our family does things. ‘Spontaneous and messy’ should be our motto.” His chuckle warmed me, but not enough to shake off the reality of the situation.

“Francesca,” I said carefully. “Maybe you should look at some of my finished work.”

Spinning out of the curtain, she held the corset closed behind her with one arm. The gown sparkled in the light through my large windows. I’d designed the tulle to hang and flow like snow from a mountain, the top half extra-creamy white against her tan skin.

Admiring herself in the mirror, she laughed. “Why bother? This is my dress! This is it right here! Kain, how does it look?” He opened his mouth, but she cut him off. “Isn’t it beautiful?Ah! I love it!”

Breathing faster, I struggled to keep smiling. I hated letting people down. “Francesca ... listen. It’s gorgeous on you—”

“I know, right?!”

“But two days is just not enough time to finish this.”

Picking at her teeth in the mirror, she made a low humming sound. “I don’t understand.”

Kain put out his hand, resting it on the small of my back. His touch was scalding; I was too aware of it. “Make sure you check out the ribbons, Francesca.”

She spun, eyeballing the corset with glee.

Confused, I let Kain push me toward the front of the store. When he let me go, I still felt his phantom fingerprints. “Listen,” he said. “How much money do you need to make sure that dress is ready in time?”

I shook my head. “It’s not money that’s the problem. I’d need to stay up all night and some of tomorrow to finish it. And even then I’m not sure I could do it.”

Digging out his phone, he started tapping it. “Just tell me the magic number.”

“Thereisno magic number. Are you listening to me? I’d have to kill myself to get it done!”

His steely eyes scraped upward from my toes to my raised brows, the force of them as strong as being gripped by his thick fingers. “I haven’t stopped listening since you opened your pretty mouth, sweet thing. If you don’t want to give me a price, I’ll giveyouone.”

Clenching my hands, I braced myself. I was ready to snap at him—who had the balls to talk down to me like that?

Kain spun his phone, showing me the screen. He read the number out loud, which was good, because my vision went blurry at the sight of it. “Will twenty grand be enough?”

My tongue was too heavy, I was slurring. “Twenty ... grand?”

His silent smile said he wasn’t kidding around.

Twenty grand.With that, my money worries would be gone. I could pay off my mother’s growing medical debt and still keep my business afloat.Who are these people?I’d never heard of the Badds, but were they so rich that throwing twenty grand at their daughter’s dress was nothing?

---