“Before you guys start making out in a public lobby and give the internet lots to talk about,” Elliot says, still highly amused, “let’s keep in mind that I flew across the world last-minute in a very small airplane to get here and haven’t slept in roughly thirty-two hours. If we could focus…”
“They have plenty of footage already,” Derek argues without taking his eyes off me. He shifts forward, closing the distance between us and also managing to cut off my air supply.
“Footage they haven’t used yet,” I point out.
“Mm.” Derek lifts his hand to where I’m holding my braid, taking hold of my fingers and slowly sliding them away from my hair so he can lace his own fingers between them. “Brenda’s likely keeping it as leverage in case I don’t cooperate.”
“Cooperate?” Elliot and I ask at the same time.
Rolling his eyes, Derek sighs and looks from me to his brother. “Let’s go upstairs. This isn’t as over as I want it to be. And yes.” He bends down, touching his lips to mine in the softest of kisses. “Unless you have any objections, I wouldloveto call you my girlfriend. We’ll talk, yeah?”
At this point, this man can call me anything he wants. “Yeah,” I breathe and let him lead me back to his hotel room, Elliot and Rothesby close behind.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Derek
I’veknownexhaustionbefore,but this is hitting a new level. I didn’t know a person could be this tired after sleeping as long as I did last night, but I can barely keep my eyes open. The worst part is we’re no closer to figuring out exactlyhowmy mom is connected toHollywood Hot Scoopthan we were six hours ago, so all of this time feels wasted.
Well, not entirely wasted.
Donovan hasn’t left my side all day and doesn’t seem inclined to change that fact. Right now, she’s tucked under my arm on the couch, her bare feet on the coffee table and a look of concentration on her face as she scrolls throughHot Scoop’s website for the dozenth time, searching for any clues we might have missed. When she hits the end of an article, she yawns wide and shifts herself closer to my body, as if she hasn’t been as close as she can be since the moment we sat down.
I want to suggest we take a nap, but before I can open my mouth, she leans forward and picks up a fortune cookie left over from lunch, chucking it straight at Elliot’s face where he’s been asleep in a chair for the last ten minutes.
Elliot opens his eyes right as the cookie nears him and somehow manages to catch it before it hits him in the nose. “Nice aim,” he says, his voice scratchy. “Next time don’t let the plastic make a noise.”
“How does he keep doing that?” Donovan whispers to me.
“I have no idea,” I whisper back.
“Superior genetics,” Elliot replies and tosses the cookie at his bodyguard, who’s sound asleep on the floor. It bounces off Rothesby’s forehead without waking him, and Elliot snorts a laugh, muttering something in Candoran that sounds affectionate. I struggle to fully translate it in my exhaustion.
Though I consider reminding Elliot that our genetic makeup is barely different, there’s no point in countering his claim. Besides, this is the longest I’ve ever had his uninterrupted attention, and I’m quickly realizing how much I like being around him. How much I hate that we didn’t get to grow up together.
I’ve only seen him and Freya once in person since Freya was crowned queen back in October. With Elliot’s coronation, I doubt either of them will be able to come to California very often, and my schedule has no room for trips to the North Sea. My time with my brother is limited, just like it is with Donovan.
I’ve already stretched this out longer than I should have. My plane was supposed to depart from the Canyonlands Field Airport three hours ago to take me back to LA. Janie rearranged for the flight to leave tonight, which is pushing things. I need to be back in California for a table read in the morning and an afternoon ADR session to rerecord some dialogue, which I had to delay because of the whitewater trip. The press tour for my next release starts in three days, and since it’s my costar’s first releasesince coming back from maternity leave, she’s nervous about getting back into the swing of the job.
So many people are counting on me, and yet all I want to do is stay right where I am.
“We’ll figure it out, Derek,” Elliot says, furrowing his brow.
“Not if you keep dozing off,” Donovan argues playfully. “For a king, you’re surprisingly good at slacking off.”
“Watch yourself, Hollywood.”
Donovan sticks her tongue out at him.
I’m definitely too tired if I’m jealous that she’s directing her tongue at Elliot instead of me. But logically knowing that she’s teasing my brother and not flirting with him—and that he would never in a million years be unfaithful to Freya—doesn’t stop me from scooping her up in my arms and moving her from the couch to my lap.
“What are you…” She trails off when her eyes catch on mine, and as her arms loop around my neck, I’m immensely glad Hunter and Janie are out at the pool right now so we don’t have a full audience.
Just Elliot, whose gaze is a bit too fixed on us for my liking.
“Don’t you have a country to help run?” I grumble at him.
He shrugs. “Not really. I won’t have much power for at least six months, and even then I’ll mostly be a trophy husband. You can kiss her, Derek. I don’t mind.”
