Page 14 of Royal Shark
“Yes, you did. It wasn’tmyidea. I was just angling for a kiss that summer.”
She laughs a little. “Sounds like the silly fantasy of a silly girl.”
“We are twenty-five now.”
Her jaw drops. “Are you serious? You want to marry me because of a pact we made as kids? You barely know me.”
I can’t help my laugh. “You should see your face. Horror show! Married to me. Although…” I flex a bicep.
“Stop,” she says on a laugh.
I elbow her. “We did make a solemn vow on my dragon cards. The plan was to play poker all night, every night as a married couple. I was pretty excited about that part.”
She shakes her head, smiling. “You remember a lot from when we were kids.”
I get serious. “I never forgot you, Sara. I always hoped you were doing okay. I really wanted to keep in touch.”
Her green eyes go soft, and she looks away. “I’m sorry I didn’t. Life was really rough for a long time, but I’m in a good place now.”
“Where did you go? Who took care of you?”
“Chloe and I moved to Brooklyn with my uncle Rob. My mother’s younger brother. No worries. Nice guy.” Her voice catches, and she points up ahead. “Ooh. This place has the best pizza in town.”
That’s why I couldn’t find her number or address listed. The apartment must’ve been under her mother’s maiden name since it was her mother’s younger brother. I was looking for Travers.
I focus back on her. “You want pizza?”
“No. Just pointing out the sights since you’re new in town.”
I let her give me the tour, which is mostly places she likes to eat as well as the best vintage clothing shops. I know when to drop a touchy subject. I’m enjoying getting to know her again. Now all I need is an invite to her game.
I’m betting I’ll have it by the end of the night.
Chapter Four
Sara
I’m in shock. Like I’m having an out-of-body experience sitting at this bar with Adrian, my brain slowly trying to keep up. It’s like I conjured him from my thoughts. My lucky dragon cards flip up, I think of Adrian and getting in touch, and suddenly he’s on my doorstep!
Adrian morphed from a sweet cute boy to a hot-as-fuck man. It’s really messing with my head. He’s got the same thick dark brown hair, same warm hazel eyes, but the rest! Jesus. My hormones are rioting. I pray he hasn’t noticed. It feels like I’m blushing head to toe. He’s six feet at least, wide shoulders, muscular and fit. There’sscruffon his square jaw. Dark, delicious scruff. His lips are sensual, kissing lips. And his voice! So deep and sexy. He smells like spice and sex. I mean, spice and man.
I’mnotgoing to hook up with him. He was a good friend of mine before my life split into a sharp before and after. I could never treat him like a hookup, and I’m not up for a relationship. Too risky, too painful when he leaves, and I know he will. He’s tied to the casino in Villroy, a place I never want to see again, and I’m tied here to Chloe. She needs me. I’m her legal guardian and the only mother she remembers. Not to mention this fantastic game I’ve got going here, which will pay my sister’s tuition for undergrad and medical school. I can’t leave the best job I’ve ever had.
I’ve cyberstalked him over the years—a dirty secret I’ve never told anyone about, not even my sister. He was my weakness, my only soft spot, a fantasy that helped me through tough times. My hero, my prince, who would one day come for me. I bluffed earlier, too embarrassed to admit I remembered the pact. Some secret part of me fantasized it would come true and it would be like a romantic dream—my sweet prince and I would live happily ever after playing poker in a house big enough to include my sister. I always fantasized we’d get a house just outside the city, with a yard for our kids and dog. Such a simple normal fantasy to live in the burbs that I never believed would come true. He belongs in Villroy, that’s his kingdom, and I belong here. I never thought I’d see Adrian again after I didn’t respond to his initial attempts to get in touch. Yet, by some miracle, here he is. It’s like my fantasy came true.
What girl doesn’t dream of marrying a prince and becoming a princess? I never cared about the princess part. I dreamed of marrying a prince who was my equal in poker, so we could play together night and day. I barely understood what sex was back then. All I knew was it involved naked time, which sounded embarrassing.
It’s so weird how much seeing him in person is affecting me. I knew what he looked like from pictures on the internet. He’s got powerful pheromones or testosterone, I don’t know, but I’m ridiculously flustered by it. I knew he went to Cambridge just like he dreamed of, I was happy to see him lending his name to charitable causes, and I knew he owned the casino and ran it. I frequently saw him in the company of beautiful women and never the same woman. No judgment here. He’s a gorgeous prince in his twenties, which means he doesn’t need to settle down. And me? I haven’t been with a man in a long while. Maybe six months? Oh, shit. It’s been nine months. I got lonely over New Year’s and Chloe was sleeping over at a friend’s house, so I brought a guy home from a bar. Never saw him again, which was fine with me.
So now what? We just finished drinks. Adrian had a beer. I had a shot of tequila, which did nothing to calm me. I know him but don’t know him, and my brain can’t reconcile my memories with whoever he is today. It must be the hormones standing in the way. I need to treat him just like I did his sister—friendly, and thenso long, let’s keep in touch.
He leans close, his deep voice rumbling in my ear, and I suppress a shiver. “You want to shift to a table and get some dinner?”
Do I want to spend more time with him?
He grins, his hazel eyes sparkling with good humor. “You did say you only had wilted lettuce at home. How about some fresh lettuce? Maybe a steak to go with it?”
I laugh. “Fresh lettuce with steak sounds good.” We are at a fantastic steakhouse. “I wasn’t angling to get a steak dinner. I just like the laid-back vibe of the bar here.”
