Page 64 of Royally Ruined

Blinking, I leaned back so we could see each other’s red and raw faces. “I’m not going to stop watching over you while you dance.”

“I told you, I’m done there.” Flapping her hands, she took a deep breath, gathering herself. “Your memory sucks. I’m going to sue the pants off Thorne and that whole club. I’ll make a million, and you—” She tapped my nose. “You can finally go to the police academy.”

A rumble moved through my heart. “Oh, Gina, I don’t ...”

“Don’t what? Have any idea how you’ll live without seeing me day in and day out?” Rolling her eyes, she gave me a shove. “You’ve been fine with your boyfriend, Mr.Blue Eyes down there. You don’t need me in your face, though Idoexpect you to let me into the academy so I can ogle some hot men in uniform.”

Bending double, I started cracking up. “Gina, stop. He isn’t my boyfriend.”

“Then what is he?”

I locked up, my brain not quite firing.What is Costello?Tons of words popped up:

Dangerous. Rich. Honorable. Prince ... Sexy.

Amazing.

“You’re blushing,” she noted. “Also, what the hell happened to your nose piercing? How long has that been gone?”

Cupping my cheeks, I said, “Long story. Listen, back to Costello, I’m not good with this whole dating thing. You know that.”

“Dating!” she gasped, teasing me. “But for real. He’s clearly into you.”

Ugh, my poor heart. “What if he’s only doing this because he thinks he has to? What if he’s not as great as he seems? What if he’s ... broken.” Just saying that word was painful.

I didn’t see the sleeping bag until Gina slammed it in my face with a big airywhoomph! My arms came up, untangling it so I could gawk at her. I’d never seen such an intense glint in her eyes. “Broken?” she scoffed. “Whoisn’ta bit broken?”

Wringing my hands, I shrugged. “My parents seem pretty stable.”

“Your parents?” Her eyebrows furrowed together. “Oh, honey. So that’s it. You’ve been comparing you two to what they have.” Gina blinked, her voice lowering. “That’s always been the reason your relationships went nowhere, hasn’t it?”

Jumping up, I said, “Don’t act like my therapist. It’s not weird to compare what my parents have to what I’m looking for.”

“That’s just it. You can’t go looking for that sort of love!”

“I’m not going to settle for something less, Gina. I’d rather be alone forever.”

Standing, she marched forward and grabbed me by the shoulders. “You don’tlookfor love. That’s what I’m trying to tell you.” Her eyes softened. “Love just finds you. Your job is to recognize it.”

Recognize it?The bones in my legs were melting away. I let her hold me up, all while I just shook my head in wonder. “Are you seriously trying to tell me that I’m in love with Costello Badd?”

Tilting her head, Gina chuckled. “I have no clue how you feel. But I do know this. When I was spying on you two in your yard, I caught a glimpse of how he looks at you. It’s like he’s bracing himself, worried he’ll blink and miss a single second of your existence. I’ve seen a lot of things, but that?” Her eyes softened. “I’ve neverseensomeone so in love.”

- CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE -

COSTELLO

I stared at the ceiling. I’d been staring long enough to know how many cracks were in it. Three hundred and six, for the record.

It helped to count them. Otherwise my mind would keep wandering back to the phone calls I kept ignoring. My father had reached out to me, as had Thorne. Their text messages told the story of what their voice mails would be.

Thorne:Dad is going to kill you.

Thorne:No joke.

Thorne:Don’t tell me where you are. I’m pretending to look, but if I know for real, he can get it out of me.

Maverick:Call me. Now.

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