5
ADARA
“I’ve never seen you like this before,” Hayley says, brushing out my hair. “What happened this afternoon?” She pauses and meets my gaze in the mirror. “And don’t give me that obviously false story you gave everyone else about taking the wrong door and getting locked out.”
“That is what happened, actually.” I close my eyes remembering the way Vander marched me through the hidden staff passages, his silence speaking volumes. Once we got to the main elevators, he explained that he has access to all of the floors, save for those security doors, which really are locked down for the Royal family. I still don’t know who he is, except clearly, he is some sort of security person with the hotel. I’m certain he mentioned he had a meeting on my floor that afternoon, but that doesn’t really make sense because I know my brother was supposed to be meeting with the family of a potential bridegroom this afternoon. I don’t even know which one. I sigh. Maybe I’m mistaken. My brain was scrambled from earlier and who can blame me. It was the most exciting thing to happen to me, ever.
I open my eyes and see Hayley, arms crossed, head tilted, suspiciously studying me. “That’s not the whole story, though, is it? When you got off that elevator with that insanely gorgeous man, I could practically see the chemistry between you. I’m surprised the heat didn’t set off the sprinkler systems.”
I look around. Laela and Alexandra have retired for the night, in the attached suite, so Hayley and I are alone. There is a security detail posted outside just in case someone saw me earlier and now knows we are staying at this hotel, but I don’t really understand the issue with that. I’m pretty sure Page Six reported we were at the hotel, but my brother reacted to my little adventure as if I had been kidnapped.
Once we got off the elevator, Bashir was waiting, his big body tense and his face set in stone. I definitely didn’t expect a full slate of security to be waiting for us and I felt a pinch of unease at the relief on his face when Bashir turned to me. My brother keeps most of the details about our security under wraps, but I can’t help but wonder if our obnoxious cousin has done something to raise the concern level to code orange. Before Laela and Alexandra whisked me away to face my brother, I was able to hear Vander’s simple story about routine security checks and noticing that I seemed to have gone through the wrong door and couldn’t get back in.
It was a story I was happy to stick to and no one seemed to have timed how long I was gone, except for Hayley, who isn’t buying that I was wandering around the hotel by myself.
“Vander is beautiful, isn’t he,” I say softly.
“Vander?” Hayley’s voice rises an octave. “I knew something happened.” She drags over a cushioned ottoman and perches on the edge. “Tell me.”
“First, tell me what happened this afternoon? I was at the charity tea, but I haven’t heard anything about who my brother was meeting with or what the outcome was.”
“Alexandra joined your brother for coffee.” She rolls her eyes and I echo her sentiments. For such an incredibly smart man, he can be incredibly dumb when it comes to women. “And I know today’s meeting was with the Renault family, but I’m not quite certain which son they’re putting forward.”
“Renault? Do they have more than one son?” I try to think about what I know of the family. Large business holdings, French-Brazilian maybe, if I can recall. Perhaps the maternal line had some noble connection to my mother’s family. “Ugh. It’s not like my education covered anything useful about who I might actually be marrying.”
Hayley stands and walks to the small bar. Lifting the silver pot, she pours us both a cup of tea. She adds mint and sugar and brings the cups back, handing me mine before she settles back on her perch. I sip the fragrant tea, letting it warm me. It sounds dramatic but when Vander said good-bye to me, or to Addy, I suppose, it felt like a shadow fell over me and I’ve been cold ever since.
Hayley blows on her cup. “Well, I do know that the family owns the hotel we’re in. So, if you marry one of them, maybe you can set yourself up in the penthouse here and become a lady of leisure in New York.”
I snort. “If I marry one of them, I’m certain I’ll be locked away in some drafty old mansion, popping out babies they can label as ‘royal’ while my husband continues his life as if he didn’t have a wife at all.”
“Or maybe… maybe he’ll fall in love with you, and you’ll live happily-ever-after.”
We meet each other’s eyes and I giggle. Hayley knows how much I love those stories, even if I know they never come true. Fairytale princesses don’t awaken from a kiss and escape the tower. In reality, more likely, they escape the kiss and hide in the tower. At least that’s what my mother has done.
“Okay, well, there’s no reason you can’t be modern and live your own life separate from your husband’s. I understand your mother spent a great deal of time in New York when you were younger. You have connections here. There’s no reason why you can’t negotiate that. And your brother loves you. I know he’s over-protective, but he doesn’t want you to be unhappy.” She raises her eyebrows. “You can always move to London and live with Prince Malik.”
“While I know you would love that, I’m not interested in being in the public eye as much as my brother.”
Hayley fusses with her cup, a blush spreading across her cheeks. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I pat her on the leg. “You deserve to be treated like a queen. Malik isn’t mature enough for that yet.”
Hayley sniffs. “Well. Good thing we’re not talking about me. I want to know all about you and that guy.”
“I don’t know anything aboutthat guy. Honest.” I draw a little cross over my chest. “I really did go through one of the restricted access doors and he helped me get back to the floor.” After a little interlude that left me breathless, and my panties ruined. I tuck my lips in over my teeth.
“I knew it!” Hayley’s eyes widen. “When you bite your lips together like that – that’s your tell.”
“My what?”
“Your tell, like in poker. Some people twitch, or look away, or tap their fingers. You bite your lip.”
“You are ridiculous,” I say, but I can feel the heat creeping up my neck.
Hayley leans in, pushing down the collar of my robe. “Am I, really?”
I nudge her hand aside. “Okay, so maybe something happened.”
