I stalked toward where my brother stood in front of a full-length mirror admiring the fit of his military uniform and blew the smoke in his direction. “What are you so worried about? It’s not like they can start without you.”
His eyes met mine in the mirror, and his scowl was just the reaction I’d been trying to provoke. “For fuck’s sake, Theo, this has all been planned down to the minute, you know that.”
“You’re the boss. You can be fashionably late.”
“I don’twantto be late,” he said, whirling around to face me. “I want to get this day started so I can relax on a yacht in the Seychelles for a few weeks. Maybe you don’t get that, since you can party it up any day of the week, but some of us have responsibilities.”
“Ah, yes, because apparently I have none of those. Dick.” Taking another drag of my clove cigarette, I moved in front ofthe mirror and inspected the navy suit I’d been instructed to wear. “What’s wrong with my tie?”
“It’s not choking you, for one,” Jean grumbled before looking at the clock and sighing. He turned me to face him and unknotted the tie—which, for the record, looked perfectly fine. As he began to retie it to his ridiculous liking, I couldn’t help but feel the minuscule five-year age difference between us like a gulf. Hell, I was thirty-seven now, not some kid who needed his big brother to help him get ready for a royal event. But Jean had always been the one prepping for his role as the future head of Monaco once our father stepped down, and I was merely the backup.
“I can fucking do it,” I said, shoving him away and lifting the kretek to rest between my lips so I could use both hands to fix the mess he’d made. Being the spare, I didn’t have to be so goddamn perfect, and I didn’t need this tie strangling me for the next twelve hours.
“That’s not tight enough?—”
“Take it or leave it, Jean.”
His jaw tensed and he closed his eyes like he was struggling not to fight back, but that was what we did best, right? So it wasn’t a surprise when he couldn’t resist saying, “You’re such an asshole, you know that?”
I smirked at myself in the mirror and tugged the sleeves of my jacket down. “Sure do.”
“Do you think you can manage reining that in for a few hours? For Katerina’s sake, not mine. God knows I wouldn’t want you to behave onmyaccount.”
Behave? Like I was some out-of-control delinquent hellbent on making his wedding day a disaster? My blood practically boiled under the surface. He was lucky I was here. It wasn’t a secret to anyone that we didn’t get along, hadn’t for years, but Iwas doing my part and being a good royal. I was here. Asking for any more than that was bullshit.
“Hello? Did you hear me?” Jean began to pace the room, and seeing him riled up brought a tiny bit of satisfaction to the shit morning so far.
“Yes, instead ofbeingan asshole,” I said, tapping the kretek’s ashes into the remains of his champagne glass on the table. “You want me to take a pole and shove itupmy asshole.”
Jean was across the room before I could blink, reaching for the lapels of my jacket, paying no mind to his speech on looking royally perfect for his wedding.
Seemed I’d really pissed him off.
Good.
A rapid knock on the door had us glancing in that direction, and before Jean could loosen his grip, it swung open to reveal theotherreason for my stellar mood today—Shepard fucking Winchester the third.
I wasn’t stupid. I’d known his family would be invited—of course they would be. They were American royalty, after all, so Shep was always going to be on the list. But that wasn’t the only reason he was here, and that was what chafed.
He’d been sent by King.
Even if I hadn’t heard the words myself, the calculating way Shep’s eyes shifted between me and my brother and the way his lips twisted into a disappointed scowl told me everything I needed to know.
Bossman had sent his little lapdog to keep an eye on me, and fuck if that didn’t grate on my last nerve.
“You need something?” I said like my brother wasn’t about to decorate my face with his fist. “If not, we’re in the middle of some royal business.Casse-toi.”
Shep’s eyes narrowed a fraction as Jean cursed and shoved me away.
“I came to check up on you,” Shep said all matter-of-fact. And if I didn’t know better, I’d think that pole Jean was so intent on using on me was shoved right uphisass.
“Well,” I said, holding my arms out to the side, “here I am.”
“Jesus,” Jean muttered, and then added,“Putain mais tu la fermes jamais?”
“Hmm, not sure you want the answer to that right now. It might offend your sensibilities.” I reached for my kretek. “Or make you jealous as you’re about to go on your honeymoon.”
“Theo,” Shep said in a warning tone as Jean shook his head and marched toward the door.
