by Louise Rose
“Really?” I am surprised by the little pang of jealousy which hits me when I hear that.
“Yeah. Ally tried to get him to kiss her at the ball. She was probably trying to get back at you for stealing Declan from her.”
“I guess I can’t blame her for that,” I say. “Although, I didn’t exactly steal Declan. It was a little more complicated than that. I had no idea he had a girlfriend when we kissed and nothing more than that happened until after they broke up.”
“Lucas wasn’t interested though,” Milly told me. “He’s so loyal to you. When we danced together at the ball, all he could talk about was how cool you were and how you were even better in real life than your picture.”
“Is that right?”
“It was interesting though,” Milly says. “I got the impression that although he likes you a lot, it wouldn’t have mattered what you were like-–he would have married you anyway. It’s just that he likes you enough to see if you can make your marriage work right now. But there was a part of me that thought…”
Milly bites her lip and looks away.
“What is it, Mills? What did you think?”
“You’ll think I’m being silly.” Milly shakes her head and waves me away. “It’s not even appropriate for me to say. Forget I mentioned it.”
“You know I can’t do that, Mills. Just tell me. Whatever it is, it’ll be fine, but you’ve got me all intrigued now.”
Milly inhales deeply, not looking me in the eye. “I kind of got the impression he was flirting with me.”
“Flirting with you?” That’s the last thing I expected her to say.
“I know. It’s silly of me to even think about it. Like someone like Lucas would be interested in someone like me. He’s a great guy.”
“Someone like you?” I scoff. “I’ve told you this before and I’ll keep telling you until you believe it. You’re beautiful. Anyone would be lucky to be with you. If you think Lucas was flirting with you, then I have no doubt that’s what he was doing.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
I shrug. “Maybe if things were different I’d be annoyed, but with Lucas, not with you. You’re my best friend. I know you’d never do anything to hurt me. But this isn’t a real marriage and I’m planning on getting it annulled as soon as I possibly can. We haven’t even slept together.”
“Really? Not even once?” Milly’s eyes boggle. “Aren’t you curious to find out what he’s like in bed?”
“Not really. I mean, I’m already juggling three guys. I really don’t feel the need to complicate things but adding a fourth one into the mix. In fact, Milly, if Lucas does make a pass at you and you want to reciprocate, that would be fine by me.”
“Are you kidding?”
“Nope. You deserve a little happiness, and so does Lucas. I’m not ever going to be interested in him in that way, and I don’t expect him to live like a monk for however long we’re married.”
What I don’t tell Milly is that if she did have an affair with Lucas, it would make it even easier for me to get my marriage annulled. Part of me feels bad for using my friend like this, but I know Milly well enough to know that it is unlikely she’d ever follow through with Lucas. She is simply too sweet.
“Well, I was probably imagining him flirting with me anyway,” Milly says. “So, I don’t think you’re going to have to worry about that any time soon. Do you want a drink or something? I can make some coffee. My dad got me the most amazing coffee maker for my birthday.”
I can tell Milly wants to change the subject, so I nod. “Sure. That would be great.”
“I can add something stronger if you like,” Milly offers. “Do you like Irish coffee?”
“I do, but I’d better not,” I tell her. “Not if I want to win the Bomber Derby tonight?”
“Win?” Milly gasps, a delighted smile spreading across her face. “You’re competing?”
I nod as she throws her arms around me, squeezing me tight in a hug.
“I’m so excited for you! I just know you’re going to kick those boys’ butt! It’s about time a woman showed them how to compete. But how did you persuade your dad to let you ride?”
“I didn’t have to,” I say. “He’s gone to Italy, leaving Lucas in charge. Lucas said that if I want to compete, I can. He isn’t going to tell me what to do. What my dad doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”
“That’s so cool! I told you he’s a great guy. But why do you think your dad keeps going to Italy? I overheard my parents discussing it. Nobody can figure out what he’s doing there.”
“Beats me.” I shrug. “It’s not like my father tells me anything about his plans, even if I ask. Maybe Lucas knows something-–his adoptive mother was Italian, and he’s spent a lot of time there–-but if he does, he’s not say anything to me. It can’t be anything good though. You know what my father’s like. He never does anything without a million and one other plans going on behind the scenes. I wouldn’t be surprised if he told Lucas one thing, but the truth was completely different.”
“I feel sorry for your father.” Milly’s statement surprises me.
“Why would you feel sorry for him?”
“It must be so lonely not being able to trust anyone,” she says. “All that money but he hasn’t got anyone to curl up with at night. He can’t hang out with his friends. He doesn’t have any because he can’t trust they’re not trying to get close to him to hurt him.”
“And whose fault is that?” I snap. “My mother adored him, but he was so abusive to her, she had no choice but to run away. He could have come for me after she died, but he chose to leave me in foster care. I mean, if I’d grown up with him, who knows what our relationship would be like now? We might be close.”
“And you’d probably be a bitch, like Ally and Taylor,” Milly points out. “Hasn’t it ever occurred to you that your father did you a favour abandoning you like that? I know you had a hard childhood, but it’s made you into the person you are today and she’s pretty darned awesome.”
“Thanks, Mills.” I smile as Milly pours fresh cream into my coffee, just how I like it.
We take our drinks and step outside to sit on the deck. Her house has stunning views across the Knight estate and sitting there with my best friend, I have a brief moment of forgetting my messed-up life and simply enjoying the moment for what it was.
“Is that Archer over there?”
Milly nudges me and I beam when I see one of my favourite people walking towards us. He’s wearing a wifebeater, the lack of sleeves showing off his well-defined muscles. I feel my cheeks reddening at the memory of those powerful arms pinning me down, while he…
“Hey, you two.” He pulls out a chair and turns it round, sitting on it backwards. “You look like you’re having a serious conversation.”
“Just thinking about what might have been if my arsehole father had made different decisions,” I tell him. “But I guess he’s too full of himself to do things any other way. He’s selfish to the core, and that’s never going to change.”
“I hear that,” Archer says. “Still, I thought he was in Italy at the moment. That should give you a bit of a break.”
“Yep, although he’s left Lucas in charge instead of me. Sexist pig.”
“Would you expect anything else?” Archer reminds me. “It’s frustrating, but I don’t think your father would ever let you take over the family business. I have a funny feeling that the only reason he made you marry Lucas is because he didn’t want you to marry into House Navarre. If you hadn’t been engaged to Romy, you probably would have had a little longer as a single woman, but sooner or later, he’d have forced you to marry the man of his choosing. He couldn’t possibly trust you to make your own decisions when it came to important decisions like that, not with you being just a girl.”
“You’re probably right.” I sigh. “There was no way my father was going to let me marry Romy unless it was his idea, and it fit into one of his nefarious schemes. I should have agree
d to marry Romy sooner.”
“I’m glad you didn’t.” Archer fixes me with a meaningful look. “None of us takes your marriage to Lucas seriously, which means you’re free to be with whomever you like. And isn’t it even more exciting knowing that every kiss, every caress, is a slap in the face for your father?”
“It does feel good to go against his wishes,” I admit. “Although I feel sorry for Lucas.”
“Why?” Archer’s tone is sharp. “Unlike you, he could have said no. He didn’t have to marry you. He’s only got himself to blame if you cheat on him.”
“I don’t think it’s quite that simple,” I tell him. “Lucas has told me a bit about his upbringing and he hasn’t had it easy either.”
“So?” Archer sneers. “I’ve got no sympathy for the man. And I can’t wait to rub his nose in it when I beat him in the Bomber Derby tonight.”
“Is that right?” I smirk. “You’ll have to get past me first.”
“I didn’t think you wanted to ride pillion.”
“Who says I’m riding pillion?”
I love the look of delighted surprise which comes across Archer’s face. “You don’t mean-?”
“Yep. Since my father’s away, I’m competing. And when I win, he can’t exactly complain about me racing again. In fact, knowing my dad, he’s likely to start boasting about how amazing I am and insisting I compete in every race going.”
“You think you’re going to win, huh?”
“I know I am.”
Chapter Ten
I rev my bike, the powerful roar of the engine mingling with the other bikes to create a deafening cacophony. Lucas is lined up next to me on my right, while Archer flanks me on the left. Romy is next to him, with Declan on the other side of Archer. Just like the last few races, none of them have a girl riding behind them.
Taylor volunteers to start the race tonight and she slowly walks up and down in front of the bikers, a loudhailer in her hands.
“You all know the rules,” she says. “There aren’t any! Just ride your fastest and your hardest, first across the finish line wins. If you want to team up with another rider to take someone out…” She glares at me. “Feel free, but remember-–there’s still only one winner. You have Lucas and Ivy to thank for tonight’s route, so if you’ve got any problems with it, take it up with them. Now rev your engine if you’re ready to race!”
I flip down the visor on my helmet and rev my bike. Adrenaline courses through me as Taylor makes her way to the side, safely out of the way of the bikes.
“Ready… Set… Go!”
The second she gives the word, I release the brakes and slam on the gas. My bike lurches forward, quickly picking up speed. I’d chosen my bike for its powerful acceleration, knowing that once I was out front, it would be easier for me to maintain my lead than try to take it from someone else.
I come up to the first bend, a sharp turn which takes me into the grounds of the Archaic estate. With my father being away for the foreseeable future, Lucas and I decided to make the race partly off road, knowing we had bikes in the garage which could cope with the difficult terrain better than most of our competitors. When we heard the groans as the others saw the course, we’d both grinned, knowing our decision had the impact we wanted it to have.
I take my bike across the grass, following the route which Lucas spent all afternoon marking out. Heading up a slope, my bike takes off when it reaches the top and I fly through the air for a few feet before coming back down to earth. I can hear the sound of bikes following me and there is a scream as someone crashes. I didn’t dare risk looking back to see who it is. I have a race to win!
I lean into the next bend, my bike so close to the ground I almost fall, but I grip the handlebars tightly, determined to show the boys who’s boss. The next bit of the race involves weaving through the trees in the small forest on the estate, requiring lightning fast reflexes. I’m forced to slow down a little, which allows Lucas to shoot past me. He raises his hand in salute and I narrow my eyes. There is no way I am going to let Lucas beat me.
He goes left round a tree, so I go right, hoping to gain some ground on him, but I realise I’d made a mistake as I see another tree looming right in front of me. I turn the handlebars sharply, kicking at the tree to make sure I get round it, but the error cost me. I emerge from the trees to see Lucas ahead of me, Romy and Archer close behind him.
There is a short lawn after the forest, and then we are back on the road. I grin, knowing that we are about to hit a straight, which will allow me to go full throttle and make up some ground. The boys’ bikes have powerful engines too, and the noise is incredible as our speed creeps up.
70… 80… 90… 100.
I am closing on the three men ahead of me, but with the finish line looming, I’m not sure I’ll be able to catch up to them. Darn it. Why didn’t I just go after Lucas and overtake him as we hit the road? I knew the track. I’d helped design it! There was no excuse for making a mistake like this.
First Lucas is ahead, then Romy, then Archer, the three of them in a dance as they vied for victory. I’m not sure which one of the three I want to win. I am not even sure I care. I want to win.
We go round the final bend, Archer out front, Romy close behind him, Lucas snapping at their heels. I lean forward over my handlebars, willing my bike to go faster, even though I am pushing the limits of what it is capable of achieving.
I see Romy and Archer exchange a look, nodding at each other. Suddenly, they yank their handlebars to the side, braking and stopping in the middle of the road to create a barrier in front of Lucas. He has no choice but to pull on the brakes and veer off to the edge of the road.
The way is clear, and I speed past all three of them to cross the finish line first. I’d won!
Milly comes rushing over to me. “That was amazing!” she squeals. “I didn’t see that coming. I’m so glad you won. You deserve it.”
“Mmm.” I want to share in her excitement, I really do, but the reality is that if it hadn’t been for Romy’s and Archer’s intervention, I’d have come in a disappointing fourth. That wasn’t anywhere near good enough. I should have done better.
“Well done, Ivy.” Archer and Romy come over to congratulate me. “A well-deserved victory.”
“Hardly,” I say. “If it wasn’t for the two of you, I wouldn’t have even made it to third place.”
“So?” Romy laughs. “That’s how it works. You know that anything goes and there are reasons why you might not want to win if it helps to have someone else win. If you want to get all deep and meaningful, the race is a metaphor for life in King Town. You may not be able to compete again in the Bomber Derby, so Archer and I agreed that you deserved to win, even if it’s only this once.”
“Yeah, well, you could have told me that’s what you had planned. Maybe I wouldn’t have almost run into a tree trying to overtake Lucas. Or maybe I would have told you to leave him alone and let him win. One of you could have been seriously injured with that stupid stunt you pulled.”
“Nah.” Romy laughs. “We’ve been doing this sort of thing for years. We know what we’re doing. Nobody ever gets badly hurt. Well, not often, anyway.” He and Archer exchange a glance and laugh, a rare moment of male bonding.
“What did I miss?” Declan joins us. “Sounds like there was some drama.”
“Ivy won,” Archer says. “And deservedly so.”
“What about Lucas?”
“I didn’t make it past the finish line.” Lucas limps over to join us.
“Are you okay?” I’m surprised by how worried I am about him.
“I’m fine,” he says. “I twisted my ankle when my bike went over, but it’s nothing that won’t be okay in a few days. The only thing that suffered any real damage was my male pride, but that’ll recover as well.” He reaches out his hand to Archer and Romy who each shake it in turn. “Nice move, guys. I should have seen it coming. But you won’t be able to get me that way next time. I’ll be first past the f
inish line, one way or another. Now come on. Ivy and I have a party planned which will blow you away.”
He casually puts his arm around my shoulders to lead me away in the direction of our house where the party is being held, a signal that whatever the boys’ feelings for me might be, I still belonged to him. At least for now.
Chapter Eleven
T he heavy bass is thumping, the hall heaving with dancing bodies as we celebrate the latest Bomber Derby. I stand at the edge of the dance floor, sipping a cocktail, as I watch everyone else losing themselves in the music.
Over by the double doors leading outside, I see Lucas deep in conversation with Isabella. Whatever it is seems serious, because Lucas glances over at me, then takes Isabella by the elbow, hurrying her outside.
I frown and make to go after them, when Romy appears by my side.
“Where are you going?” he asks.
“I wanted to have a word with Lucas.”
“Why would you want to talk to him when you could hang out with me?”
He treats me to one of his winning smiles and I am lost. Whatever Lucas is involved in can wait until later.
“It’s a little too loud to talk in here,” I tell him, having to yell to be heard.
“So let’s go somewhere else.”
I nod.
Romy takes my hand, leading me in the opposite direction to where Lucas and Isabella had gone. I know I shouldn’t let him hold my hand in public, especially not when there are spies for my father everywhere, but I don’t care. We’re just holding hands. It is perfectly innocent.
As we walk out of the doors to the hall, we almost bump into a couple kissing.
“Looks like Ally’s moved on,” I murmur, as Romy leads me round the two teens and upstairs.
“Which one’s your room?” he asks, faced with a number of identical looking doors.
“This way.” It’s my turn to lead as we head down the corridor to the suite I share with Lucas.
“This is nice,” says Romy politely, looking round.
“I prefer the suite I had at yours,” I tell him. “At least there I had some kind of say over the décor. This is all my father’s idea of what a married couple would want in their home.”
