A few people are standing behind it, dressed in suit-like uniforms. This place makes me think of a five-star hotel, but I can’t even confirm if it’s like one since I’ve never stepped foot in that type of place.
I wrap my arms around myself. “I’m fine.” My gaze sweeps the area, and I’m certain one of the female receptionists is glaring at me. “But I do feel out of place here.”
“You shouldn’t feel that way. You belong here as much as anyone else does,” he attempts to reassure me as he places a palm on the small of my back and inches closer to me.
I’m unsure why he does it—if it’s an instinctive move or intentional. Normally, I’d move away from him—I’m not some girl who needs protecting. But this place is making me all twitchy. It’s too polished, too shiny. Too fake.
By the time we exit through the doors and step into the cool night air, I appreciate the non-stuffy oxygen that enters my lungs.
River’s gaze flits to mine, question marks reflecting in his eyes.
“I’m good,” I assure him after I’ve taken another deep breath of wonderful stuffy-free air. “I think I was just holding my breath while we were in there.”
The edges of his lips tug downward. “You don’t have to feel uncomfortable around royals. They’re not better than you.”
“Oh, I know that.” I watch the cars on the street whizz by. “But they think they are, and that attitude can be a lot sometimes.” I glance at him from the corner of my eye.
His lips thin as he presses them together. “It can be a lot, even when you’re a royal,” he divulges. “I hate it, too—always being under the spotlight. Like that night I got arrested, paparazzi were waiting for Finn and me outside the jail.”
My lips part in shock. “What? Why?”
He stiffly shrugs while scuffing the tip of his boot against the cement. “It’s big news when the sons of one of the most wealthy and famous families in the city get arrested on northside.”
“Jesus,” I mumble. “So, your parents found out then?”
He nods, exhaling loudly. “Finn and I were in deep shit. Finn got his credit card taken away for a couple of weeks, though my father doesn’t realize he has cash stashed, so it didn’t amount to much. Plus, Finn doesn’t react to getting a lecture. He doesn’t give a shit about my father’s opinion.” He stuffs his hands into his pockets.
“What about you?”
“I wish I didn’t.”
“But you do.”
“Sometimes.” The muscle in his jaw ticks. “It’s been bred into me since I was born.”
I face him. “Well, always being poor and at the bottom has been bred into me since the day I was born, and look where I am now. At the Royal Academy, hanging out with a prince.”
His gaze skates to me, the corners of his lips quirking as he struggles not to smile. “You know I’m not really a prince, right?”
I tap my fingers against my lip while purposefully eyeing him over. “I don’t know. You sure look like one.”
He shakes his head, but his smile breaks through.
I playfully nudge his shoulder. “I made you smile. I win.”
His smile fades as his gaze locks on me. “You did.”
Silence grasps the air, and his gaze drops to my mouth. For a moment, I think he might kiss me again. For a moment, I contemplate kissing him. But then a massive SUV with tinted windows rolls up to the curb and shatters … Well, whatever the hell that was between us.
The window rolls down, and a thirty-something-year-old driver asks, “River Averson?”
Instead of answering, River takes out his phone and glances at the screen. On it is a photo of the driver, only now he has a beard. But his eyes look the same.
“Yeah,” River tells the guy as he pockets his phone. Then he steps forward and holds the back door open for me. When Iquestioningly look at him, he explains, “I have to be careful. I’ve had a couple of instances where someone pretended to be my driver, and then I almost got taken.”
All I can do is gape at him before hoisting myself into the back seat. I recall all the times I felt in danger and all the precautionary measures I’ve had to take. I guess danger lurks on both sides of the city; one just masks it better.
The driver gave River a funny look when he told him where to take us but still proceeded to head in that direction without protesting. If I were the guy, I’d consider backing out. He’s in a fancy enough vehicle that he might get carjacked, and River is making him wait for us while we sneak into my house. I’m worried that my mother will be home, and if I walk into the house with River, she’ll take one look at him and try to con him. I don’t believe River will fall for it, but I don’t want to deal with it.
