Page 56 of Falling Princess

He cocks his head. “I made a vow.”

“One you have admirably fulfilled.”

He stilled. Again, he seems about to say one thing, then decides against it. “Someone has to keep you safe from men who would target you, whether to kill you or just to kiss you for bragging rights.”

My jaw dropped.

He didn’t even like me, specifically, that boy from the party. All he wanted was to be able to claim he’d once kissed a princess. And now he can, for the rest of his life. I feel tarnished, like a princess-shaped object that’s been fondled and placed back on a shelf with smudge marks.

I read sympathy and regret in Lorcan’s face. I hate it. I hate being a constant failure. Raina was probably projecting—Lorcan’s just dedicated to keeping me alive because he intends to succeed where his father failed. I’m just a princess-shaped object to him, too. It’s therefore extra galling that I might have a bit of a crush on him, after today.

I’m sure I’ll go back to resenting him after a decent night’s sleep.

I picked up the dishes and took them into the kitchen. He must have sensed I needed a moment to collect myself, for he hung back, waiting for me near the stairs. Lorcan probably doesn’t trust me not to try and slip away again. Which is fair, given my history.

“Hey,” he said when I returned. My breath hitched at the sight of Lorcan leaning against the wall, relaxed, yet alert.

“I should have realized what he was after.” I can’t quite keep the bitterness out of my voice. What a waste of a first kiss.

“I should’ve made you leave before things got to that point.” There’s definite regret in his tone. “Think of it as a do-over.”

“People get those?” I snorted, following him up the stairs. He has a great butt, not that I have any business noticing. My father is his employer, which makes me his de facto boss. I will not subject him to on-the-job harassment. “Do-over first kisses?”

There was a gleam in his eye that made me stumble a step, when he glanced at me over his shoulder. It’s not humor, though it is lighthearted. “You get as many do-overs as you need.”

My stomach flipped, and my heart hammered against my ribs.Oh, no. This is bad. Really bad.I’m even more doomed than I was facing down three assassins, only this time, there’s no escape. How can he be nice to me after all the shit I’ve put him through?

“I hope not to need too many.”

He didn’t say anything else as we reached the upper landing. It’s as though someone took my entire world and shook it. Now all the pieces of my life are falling back to earth in disarray. I can’t make sense of anything, not that I ever made much sense of how things were before, either. Clearly.

My only reliable point of reference is now the very person I couldn’t stand to be around, this time yesterday.

It rattled me further when he walked me to my bedroom door. I could hear Cata on the phone in her room at the end of the hall, her voice urgent and low. Definitely calling in a report to the king. I sighed.

“I expect I’ll be hearing from my father tomorrow.”

“Probably.” Lorcan hesitates. “Princess. There is no one else like you. No one else can walk your path, no matter how dark or lonely it is.”

I’m grateful for the dim light in the hallway, because my face is on fire. The last person I deserve forgiveness from is him.

“You made that path a little brighter today,” I mumbled.

Then, before I can do anything more stupid than I already have, I slipped into my room and closed the door in his face. I leaned against it and breathed until my cheeks cooled.

A second later, I cracked it open again. He was still there, shadowed in the gloom beyond, about to go into his own bedroom. “If I come back to school... Does that mean you’re willing to revise that paper with me?”

Lorcan laughed, real and genuine, not the quiet huff of restrained amusement I’ve become accustomed to. “Sure. If you want. Sleep well, Princess.”

CHAPTEREIGHTEEN

“Ialso apologize for closing the elevator doors in your face.” I let my head fall back against the metal wall and added, for context, “You know. Last Saturday.”

Lorcan’s mouth quirked up at one corner. “You’re forgiven.” Then, with a hint of mischief, he added, “It didn’t work, anyway. Still beat you to the top.”

I bit back a grin. He’s as competitive as the day is long. “You’re never going to let me live it down, are you.”

“You’ve apologized enough. Plenty of blame to go around for that night. It doesn’t all fall on you.”

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