Page 69 of Royally Wed
She sighed and shook her head. “No, that’s not right. Ihopedit was you. I wanted it to beyou so much that I burst through the door and said your name.”
Asher swallowed. The highball glass in his hand shook ever so slightly.
“It wasn’t you, obviously. It was Eleanor.” Amelia smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes.
“And where is Eleanor now?”
“She left. I probably should have gone after her.” She glanced at the door, but didn’t move a muscle. “Have I mentioned that Eleanor isn’t justmy friend? She’s also Holden’s daughter.”
Holden.
A muscle in Asher’s jaw tensed. “I see.”
“So that’s why I said you were no one. I didn’t mean it. You know I didn’t.” She took a deliberate sip of her drink.
“Do I?”
She lifted a brow.
Yeah. He’d known as much all along. She’d just beentrying to throw Eleanor off the scent, which was an appropriate response. Appropriate and necessary, becauseshe was marrying another man. And that fact, Asher realized, was the more likely target for his fury. Not Amelia.
Shit. He took a huge swallow of Scotch, immensely grateful for the five feet of space between them.
“You should go after Eleanor,” he said flatly.Please, please go.
He was on the verge of doing something idiotic again. And this time, he wouldn’t be able to blame his actions onimpulse.
“I should, but I won’t.” She let out a bitter laugh and drained her glass. “Don’t worry. It’s not your fault. I mess things up. I ruin things. It’s what I do.”
Asher looked at her long and hard. She stared right back at him through red-rimmed eyes. She was serious. “We’ve got that in common, then.”
“Please. You’re a world-class musician. People call you the next Yo-Yo Ma. Only younger.And hotter.” She rolled her eyes, but her cheeks flushed a lovely shade of pink.
Asher hid his smile behind his glass of Scotch. “I see you’ve been Googling me.”
At least he hadn’t been the only one engaging in some light cyber-stalking lately.
“You get to be the musical genius. Do you have any idea what people callme?” She let out a notably unregal snort.
Asher knew better than to pretendhe didn’t know the answer. “As a matter of fact, I do.” He winked. “Princess Naughty.”
“Yep. That’s me.” Her bow-shaped lips curved into lopsided smile, as if she couldn’t decide whether to laugh or cry.
Asher’s gut churned. He wouldn’t be able to handle tears. If she cried, he’d go to her and wrap her in his arms. There’d be no stopping him.
He clutched the arms of the chair. “Don’t believeeverything you read. I’m not a musical genius by any stretch. I was good once. Now I’m not so sure.”
The excuses were wearing thin. He’d been so ready to attribute his nerves to anything and anyone else, but he was going to crash and burn in front of the whole world. And he’d have no one to blame but himself.
“You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t the best. I’m not sure if you noticed, but thiswedding is the spectacle of the century.”
“Complete with leopards,” he added. “Or so I’ve heard.”
He wondered what had happened to the animal. He wished he’d asked James about it again. Maybe Asher could have even taken Amelia to see the leopard, wherever it was. That would have made Amelia smile, and he had a deeply rooted need to make her happy, even though he knew it wouldn’t last.
Of courseit wouldn’t. They weren’t dating. They weren’t even friends. They’d never spend an afternoon at the zoo together, even if James tracked down the leopard. It was a pipe dream.
Asher cleared his throat. “Seriously, though. I can’t play. Not like I used to. I told you what happened.”
