Page 71 of The Puck Bunny

He says nothing and keeps his face a blank mask. It’s his game face, the one he wears to intimidate.

When I see a muscle in his jaw tic, I decide I need to pick up the conversational ball and be a big girl by keeping it civil.

“Speaking of that, why did you come to the States?”

“I’m going to grad school at Yale and came up for the charity event. And, of course, to see Quinn.” She’s looking at the camera and speaking pleasantly, but then she snatches the camera from me. “Let me check those photos.”

Crap.

Quinn removes the camera from her hands in a move so quick I need a replay. Then he hands it back to me.

“Why did you do that?” the princess asks, surprised.

“Sara is in charge of the camera. She works in PR,” Quinn says “by day. But by night—”

“By night I’m studying … photography.” I kick his foot and grab the princess’ arm, though I do keep my camera away from her as I walk her away from the bar.

She resists at first but then relents.

I bring her to Finn and his wife, introduce her then walk away. Fast. I check the camera quick and—Crap. It’s still running. I’m going to have to delete this clip as soon as get the chance.

I don’t know what Quinn was going to say about what I do by night, and hope to heaven that he wasn’t going to say that, by night, I’m a puck bunny, because that would have been disastrous. What had he been thinking? I need to find out.

But he’s no longer at the bar and Delaney’s heading in my direction, so I resume doing my job.

CHAPTER 22

QUINN

Fuck. That did not go well.

O’Rourke comes over and hands me a beer. “You want to drink this one for me? An overzealous fan got ahead in their drink orders. I only escaped because she and her friend had to run to the ladies’ room.”

“Where’s your wife? Isn’t she supposed to be running interference?”

“She’s at home growing twins in her ever-growing belly. No way did I have any bribe big enough to get her to come to this event tonight.”

I laugh and take the beer as my eyes wander the room in search of Sara. I last saw her ditching the princess with Finn. Then she’d taken off. Probably to the ladies’ room.

“You look distracted. I saw that Princess Anica Romanova found you. She asked me all about you like she has a thing for you—like she knows you.”

I snort. “You don’t read the gossip rags I take it?”

He shakes his head. “Spill it. I could use some good gossip to liven this night up.”

“We dated briefly in L.A., but I broke it off and she went back to Romaldestan.” I end the story prematurely when I see her coming this way. “Shit. Speaking of the she-devil.”

He turns and sees what I’m talking about. “You need me to run interference for you?”

“If you do, I owe you my firstborn.”

He puts up a hand. “No, please. No more kids.”

We laugh and I bump his shoulder with my fist. “I owe you, man. You have no idea.”

“You can tell me the rest of the story another time.”

I nod and take off for the exit. There’s a ladies’ room in that direction and I may as well start looking for Sara there. When I step out into the elevator lobby, I see her near the coatroom and head that way before she sees me because I have a feeling that, if she does, she’ll run the other way.