Page 49 of Lords of Misrule
We dodge around them and walk to our room. He opens the door, and the place is massive. It’s a gorgeous suite with a small living area, a bedroom, and a bathroom so big I might get lost in it. I set my purse down and spin around, my eyes catching on a massive bouquet of fresh purple flowers.
“Oh my god,” I whisper, and I reach out to touch one of the leaves, leaning over to smell them as the scent wafts through the air.
“You like them?” He walks up behind me.
At first, I thought they came with the room, but when my eyes meet his, I realize he got them for me.
“They’re gorgeous. You didn’t have to do that.”
“Well, when you dyed the purple out to come here and made that comment about losing the good luck the color gives you, I thought we’d better make sure you still have it somewhere.” He grins at me.
I jump up and wrap my arms around him. He catches me and hugs me tight.
“Thank you. This is so sweet of you. You didn’t have to do that.”
“I wanted to.” His grin fades a little as he watches me, and there’s something in his eyes I can’t quite read as he sets me back down on my feet.
“Well… thank you. So much. I love them. Hopefully, they give us some last-minute luck. Seems like we need it.”
“Let’s hope.” His eyes drift over me for a moment and then snap back up to mine. “You better get ready for the party. We can grab some dinner before we head over.”
Like it’s perfectly timed, there’s a knock at the door, and the staff have arrived with our luggage. We both go our separate ways, and I start getting ready for our night out, still hoping somehow, we can pull this thing off without a disaster.
Twenty-Six
Hudson
The party Ed has invited us to is massive. It’s crawling with faces I recognize but even more that I don’t. The music is loud and despite the sprawling size of the place, it feels cramped; bodies and drinks flowing through the room like one undulating mass. My hand laces with Charlotte’s as we cross the room, not wanting to lose her in the crowd.
That’s when I seeheracross the room—my girl. My Sophia. She’s standing with another guy looking like they’re together, and I feel a twist in my gut. I watch her for a moment because maybe there’s a perfectly good reason for this. Something that makes a lot of sense, like she’s also here faking a relationship with someone because she’s trying to sell a painting to pay off all the illegal debts mounting against her and her friends.
It’s possible. Or at least it would have been until he kisses her in a way that makes it absolutely clear that it’s not the first time the two of them are doing it. She practically climbs him when he kisses her harder. Which is also rich considering she always told me she hated PDA of any kind. That it was beneath our class.
“Hudson?” Charlotte’s voice breaks through the fog.
I snap back out of my daze, trying to make it look like I wasn’t just getting punched in the gut. Sophia and I have been rocky for a while. I’d definitely fantasized about other women. Mostly the one currently at my side. But I would have never in a million years touched someone else while we were still together.
“Yeah?” I try to erase my frown but it’s fighting me. I feel like a fucking loser, and Charlotte’s about to find out just how much of one, which makes it that much worse.
“What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost or something.” Her hand wraps around my forearm.
“I just saw my girlfriend.”
“Oh! Shit.” She yanks her hand back. “I’m sorry. Is she pissed? Can we explain? I know Rowan said that we can’t tell her, but we can tell her something. You know?”
I shake my head and then nod to where she’s got her tongue down the other guy’s throat. “No need. That’s her.”
“What?” Charlotte’s immediately angry on my behalf which is gratifying.
“Guess Idon’thave a girlfriend and haven’t gotten the memo yet.”
“What a bitch!” Charlotte looks between us again.
“Now I get to have an awkward conversation.” I start across the room.
“Well, I’m right here if you need me.” She intertwines our arms, her elbow settling in the crook of mine.
“Thanks.” I give her half a smile as we cross the room.
