Holiday Royale

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“Dating,” he repeated in a low, angry growl. “Dating for the weekend.”

“Isn’t that what I just said?”

Noah yanked his hand free of Alice’s and shot to his feet. “No! Uh-uh. Absolutely not.”

Lucy stood, too. No way she was letting him tower above her. “You have nothing to say about it, Noah. Nothing. At. All. And that’s why I’m here tonight. To remind you that you are not in any way the boss of me and you need to get that through your thick—”

“Lucy, come on. Damien? Are you insane?”

“Wonderful. Now I’m crazy. Great, Noah. Fabulous.”

He speared his fingers through his hair again—and dialed it back a notch. “All right. Sorry. I meant that you’re...not thinking clearly.”

“Whatever you meant, it was crappy. And you’re wrong.”

“I’m only trying to make you see that you need to get real here. Damien’s not a guy who’s ever in it for the long haul. He’ll hurt you, break your heart. Why do you want to do that to yourself? Where’s the win for you in that?”

“I think you’re wrong about Dami, too. But that’s not the point.”

“Of course it’s the point.”

“No. The point is that it’s my decision what happens between me and Dami—well, mine and Dami’s. You have no say in what goes on between him and me. And I want you to admit that, to keep your word and get your nose out of my life like you promised me a month and a half ago that you would.”

“But you can’t—”

“Noah. Yes, I can.” She took the few steps that brought her right up in his furious face and then she planted her feet wide, folded her arms across her middle and said, “Stay out of it. Leave it alone. Leave Dami alone. He doesn’t deserve to have you all over his case just because he’s willing to show me around Montedoro and treat me like a queen.”

“She’s right, Noah,” said Alice, surprising them both by speaking up quietly from her seat on the sofa after staying out of it so completely until then. “You’ve said what you wanted to say and Lucy’s heard every word. Now you need to back off and remember that she’s all grown up and fully in charge of her own life and affairs.”

Oh, yeah, Lucy thought. Alice was so the best thing that had ever happened to Noah—not to mention a true friend to Lucy in the bargain.

At that moment, Noah thought otherwise. He whirled on Alice and opened his mouth to light into her. She stared straight back at him, her body perfectly relaxed but fire in her eyes. And he shut his mouth without speaking, turned on his heel and went to the French doors that looked out on the night.

For several fairly awful seconds, nobody said a word.

Alice caught Lucy’s eye and gave her a tiny nod, one that seemed to say it would all work out. Lucy nodded back, hoping against hope that Alice had it right.

And then, at last, Noah turned to face the room again. “I don’t like it.”

Lucy straightened her shoulders. “Got that. Loud and clear. Will you stay out of it?”

He shut his eyes, winced—and then he muttered wearily, “Just...try not to get your heart broken. Please.”

Her eyes felt kind of misty suddenly. “I will be fine. I promise you—and will you stay out of it? I need you to say it. I need your word that you’ll leave it alone.”

He rubbed at his jaw and looked away again, toward the night beyond the glass doors.

She asked a third time. “Noah. Will you?”

And finally, he faced her once more. He let out a low sound, raised both arms to the sides—and then dropped them hard. “Yeah. Fine. I’ll stay out of it.”

Like pulling teeth sometimes, getting him to say what she needed to hear. But at least he had said it. And she actually did believe him. “Oh, Noah....” She went to him.

He opened his arms and gathered her close. She teared up all over again when he whispered, “Damn. This should be easier....”

“I love you, big brother.”

He hugged her even tighter. And then, as he’d promised to, he let her go. “Stay here tonight. It’s way too late to wander around Montedoro by yourself.”

She shook her head. “It’s not far back to the palace and I’ll go straight there. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

“But you—”

“Noah.” Alice got up and went to him. She took his hands and put them at her waist and lifted her arms to link them around his neck. “Darling...”

He scowled down at her. “What?”

“Lucy will be perfectly safe.”

“But I don’t think—”

“Her choice. Her life. Remember?”

He muttered something Lucy couldn’t quite make out. Alice laughed. And Noah bent and whispered something in her ear. She laughed again. Finally, he spoke to Lucy. “Good night,” he said resignedly.

She escaped quickly before he could think of more reasons why she should stay.

At the palace, she went back in through the side door she’d used when she left. The same guard was there. He ushered her inside and then punched at his handheld device again, probably checking her off as safely returned.

By then it was after three. Past bedtime and then some. She went up to her room and flopped down on the bed and pressed her fingertips to the ridge of scar tissue between her breasts and thought about how she ought to be tired.