He shrugged, as if it were no big deal.
“It’s my job to know about these charities,” he said simply. “I need to choose one to support soon. It’s only natural that I learn as much as I can about them.”
They continued chatting about the different charities they thought Duncan should pick. Alix was intrigued and amused by the playful banter that the siblings exchanged. She wondered what it must have been like to grow up surrounded by family.
When the talk turned to the details of the restoration of the central train station—a worthy cause for Duncan to support, according to Leo, but of little interest to Alix—she excused herself politely and made her way over to the tables to check out the silent auction. It was the sort of thing that was always present at these kinds of events, with the same kind of random assortment of donated prizes. She noticed a dinner for two at a restaurant that her parents loved. She thought it would help soften the blow of finding out that she was leaving soon. As she bent to write in her bid, she heard a shrill titter behind her.
She turned to see Lady Christiana of Gregoria, looking at her with an eyebrow arched in quizzical observation.
“You don’t really think he’s interested in going to restaurants, do you?” she sniggered in Prynessian. Her blond hair was pulled back tightly from her face, giving it a stretched look. Her dress was so short and cut so low that it was barely more than a luxurious hand towel held up by double-sided tape.
“I don’t think that’s really any of your business.” Alix’s reply in the same language was halting and awkward. She hadn’t expected to be speaking it tonight – the Duke’s family was mostly French and it’s all she had heard anyone speaking this evening until now. She felt her face grow hot under the critical stare of the other woman.
“Whatever,” Christiana said with a sneer. “Once he’s done with you, he’ll come back to me. He always does.”
She walked away, leaving Alix speechless, the pen dangling uselessly in her hand. She had never been on the receiving end of such an attack before, and suddenly thought of a dozen different things she could have said – in French. She had expected the jealous stares, but not this kind of petty attack. She looked around uneasily, imagining every eye in the room directed at her in hostile judgment. Was it just because she was here with the prince, or was she more of a target because of her years away? Alix squared her shoulders and tried to brush the thoughts away, thinking of her future away from the court that she’d already put into motion. The sooner she left all this craziness, the better, she thought to herself.
Duncan suddenly appeared at her side with a drink, and she was grateful for the distraction.
“Betting on anything interesting?” he asked.
She shook her head.
“Just something for my parents,” she said brightly. “Anything catch your eye?”
His face split into a grin and his eyes locked with hers.
“Oh, I see something I definitely want.”
The heat of Alix’s blush spread over her entire body. Christiana would just have to wait her turn; he wasn’t done with Alix yet. They hadn’t even gotten started. Her stomach fluttered in anticipation.
As if on cue, the music started. The dance floor in the middle of the wide, green lawn began to fill up as the lights strung in the surrounding trees began to flash. She watched Anton lead Stella out, and Leo had his arms around a gorgeous redhead. Alix didn’t recognize her; she wasn’t one of the nobles. She was so stunning that it didn’t really matter. Even Alix was a bit jealous of Leo.
Duncan moved to set their drinks on the tray of a passing waiter then returned to her side. His body, pressed up against her, excited her in a way that she hadn’t expected.
He didn’t even say a word as he took her hand and led her onto the dance floor. It was the same repetitive, pounding music as at the club, but the atmosphere was completely different. She wasn’t annoyed, or tired. She was excited, and eager.
Her backless dress allowed his hands to trail up her back, sending shivers down her spine despite the warm evening. He wrapped his arms around her and held her closer, the heat from his skin burning through the thin fabric of her silk dress.
“Is it just my imagination,” he said, his breath hot on her neck as he bent to whisper in her ear. “Or are you not wearing anything underneath this dress?”
He smiled wide when she nodded. The music sped up and his hands grazed her hips, her arms, her back, each touch sending a jolt of electricity through her body.
Alix could feel her heart pounding in her chest in a rhythm even faster than the music. She wanted him. It was as simple as that. His hand at her waist sent electricity down into the depths of her body. She ran her tongue across her lips before biting one. He sucked in a breath, leaned towards her, and bent his head again to whisper in her ear.
“Do you want to get out of here?” he asked.
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.
“Let me just say goodbye to Helena,” he said, and took her hand in his. He walked her off the dance floor toward the manor house, his pace slower than she would have liked. Alix made her way to the entrance of the house, searching for a breeze to cool her feverish state.
On his way toward Helena, Christiana stepped into Duncan’s path. He smiled, brushed her arm, and planted a kiss on her cheek in greeting. Alix bristled, then caught herself. Why should she care? She wasn’t looking for anything serious with him, and he was on his way home with her tonight. But seeing him talk to Christiana so easily, probably in Prynessian, bothered her more than she wanted to admit. And knowing that he had already been with her, and that he might be again once she left, gave her twinges of jealousy she was not interested in exploring.
Where were these feelings coming from? One dance? Was she really that easy to seduce? This plan for summer fun might not be as easy as she thought it would be. It wasn’t worth her time to compete with anyone, and she should probably be focused on preparing for her departure, anyway.
It was time for her to leave, with or without Duncan, but she had come in his car. She looked around for Stella and spotted her in the middle of the dance floor, entwined with Anton. As Duncan continued to chat with Christiana, Alix made her way through the dancing bodies.
“Stella! I want to leave!” she cried above the music. Her friend turned to her, eyes begging, but Alix shook her head. “I can’t do this.”
Stella sighed, gave a quick kiss on the cheek to her prince, and loyally accompanied her friend off the dance floor and into the house. Duncan called out to her as she walked by, but Alix kept going. She didn’t turn her head until they had reached Stella’s car. Duncan hadn’t followed them. Alix didn’t know whether she was relieved or pissed off. A little bit of both, she admitted to herself, as she slid into Stella’s car.
Chapter 7
Three days after the charity gala and Alix’s mysterious disappearance, Duncan found himself in his sister’s high-rise apartment overlooking the city. Duncan loved it here. He realized that it was like Alix’s room, clean and organized, but the colors were totally different. His sister preferred darker, more muted, tones, and the overall feel in her apartment was the opposite of the bright, airy feel of Alix’s rooms.
“So, what’s the problem, little brother?” Helena asked with a smile, handing him a crystal glass with his favorite whiskey.
He rolled his eyes. She stood a good six inches shorter than him, but loved to hold this detail over his head.
“Like fifteen minutes really makes that big of a difference,” he gave her his usual reply to this kind of teasing. “Especially since you’re a girl, anyway.”
“Do you really think that Leo will change the legislation?” she asked him, not for the first time. Her tone was serious, her eyes hopeful.
As if Duncan knew what went on in his brother’s perfect head. With their father preparing to step down in the next year or so, Leo had little time for his siblings as he prepared for his new role as king.
“I have no idea,” he said honestly. “But I know that he’ll change the one about you being able to marry who you want. Who is she, by the way?”
Helena smiled slyly.
“You’ll meet her when the time is right,” she said. “But that’s not what you came to talk about. What happened with Alix the other night?”
Duncan sighed again. He lay down on his sister’s couch, the squeak of the leather making his skin crawl.
“Why do you always choose the most uncomfortable furniture?” he wondered, avoiding the subject of Alix.
Now it was her turn to roll her eyes. She sat across from her brother in a large, wingback chair.
“Tell me.”
“There’s nothing to tell. She was all ready to go – I could tell – then I turned around and she disappeared.”
“You were talking to Christiana when she left.”
“So what? Christiana and I go way back. She’s always around. I can’t help it.”
“You honestly have no idea why Alix wouldn’t like to see you talking to Christiana? To any girl, really?”
He stared at her, confused.
“Duncan, you have to grow up!” Helena had said this many times before, but never with quite such frustration. “How long do you think Mom and Dad will put up with his? No serious girlfriend, no charity, no job... You need to get your act together. Soon.”
“My life is great the way it is – why should I change it?” he protested, crossing his arms. “Everything is already planned out. Mom and Dad will just decide for me if I can’t make up my mind.”
“About the charity? Or about everything?”
He shrugged. The leather squeaked underneath him and he frowned.
“So you don’t care what you do, who you’ll marry?”
“They’re all the same. It doesn’t matter what I pick, life will be fine,” he assured her.
“You think Alix is like the other nobles? Her or Christiana, life would be the same with either?”
He hesitated. Alix was definitely different than the others. He’d never tried so hard to get someone to such little effect. She was so driven and smart, it almost made him want to be the same. Almost.
“Well, she doesn’t seem to like me as much as the others do, seeing how she left the other night,” he grumbled. He hadn’t realized until he said it how much it upset him. Was it just because he was used to getting what he wanted, or because he actually wanted her to like him? Though he was also pretty disappointed that he hadn’t gotten a chance to check if she’d really had nothing on under that dress...
“You are such an idiot,” Helena sighed, interrupting his thoughts of what had nearly happened with Alix.
Duncan turned his head to look at his sister, begging her with his eyes to tell him what to do.
“No, Duncan,” she answered his silent pleas. “You have to figure this out for yourself. Don’t think. Just tell me. What do you want?”
“Another chance to see her,” he said without hesitation, surprising himself.
“Good!” She smiled. “So what will you do?”
“Invite her to your birthday party!” he exclaimed, sitting up, excited about the idea.
“I’m not having a birthday party!” Helena shrieked. “We’re born on the same day, you idiot. Three months from now.”
“Yeah, but I could tell her that we always do a small family thing, a separate thing for each of us that’s not on the actual day,” he suggested. It wasn’t far from the truth. Their parents had always let the twins each pick a “special day” during the year that they treated as their birthdays, whenever they wanted. They hadn’t done it since they were young, but Alix didn’t need to know that.
Helena leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms with a frown. Duncan turned his eyes up, tilted his head, and folded his hands.
“The things I do for you…” she grumbled after several minutes.
He nearly laughed in delight. Yes! He was worried he’d gone overboard with the puppy dog look. She always helped him, though. Just like he always helped her, not that she needed it nearly as much as he did.
“Now I just need an excuse to go talk to her,” he looked at her expectantly.
“Fine,” she said, not even trying to make him think this time, lest he invent another party she’d have to put together at the last minute. “She won the silent auction for the restaurant meal. You can go tell her. Gives me one less thing to do, now that I have a party to plan.”
Duncan smiled, kissed his sister on the cheek, and nearly skipped out of the room. With any luck, Alix was in her rooms at the palace and he could ask her tonight.
Chapter 8
Alix was finishing up her email to the Refugee Medical Alliance, accepting her spot in the internship program. She had spent the past few days thinking it over. Even if her parents were upset, she had to do it. The hospital gala had reminded her of all the reasons why she didn’t want to stay here. She was different than the other nobles in so many ways; she wasn’t sure she could be happy here, even with a place at the university. She wanted to make her parents happy, and would fulfill all of her duties this summer, but this was just too important to her. She crossed her fingers as she finally hit the send button, hoping that they would understand eventually. She just had to figure out how to tell them.
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. She shivered as an early evening breeze came through her open balcony doors. She always changed into her pajamas the second she got in for the evening, a leftover habit from college in New York. She missed being able to go out in public in her pajamas. Though she supposed they were a bit too revealing, even by the relatively low standards for the young Prynesse nobility, if the gala was anything to go by.
She was surprised to see Duncan at the door. He was dressed casually, in jeans and a jacket, and they both fit him perfectly. He was looking down at his feet, and fiddling with the zipper on his jacket.
“Hi,” he said, looking up at her expectantly.
She sighed and stepped aside to let him in. She was annoyed with him, but didn’t want to get into it in the hallway.
“I haven’t changed anything,” she said, noticing his eyes taking it all in, as if he hadn’t been there just a few days ago.
“Still just as tidy,” he commented.
“And your rooms? Did you ever give your maid the day off?” Alix asked, her tone harsher than she’d intended.
Duncan shook his head.
“I will, though,” he assured her. “I always keep my promises. You just never specified when it had to happen.”
She felt the sudden urge to stick her tongue out at his defiant, teasing tone.
Alix noted that he kept his hands behind his back as he walked around, not touching anything this time. The last rays of sunlight coming through the windows fell across his face, illuminating his golden hair. He was beautiful. Distracted by a half-wistful, half-lustful pang of what she’d nearly gotten a taste of at the gala, she briefly forgot how annoyed the Christiana thing had made her.
“What are you doing Saturday?” he asked, suddenly turning to face her. She was leaning up against a wall, observing him as he paced around the room. He slowly approached her, his question hanging in the air, waiting for her reply, his eyes never leaving hers.
“Why? So you can invite me somewhere to watch you talk to other girls?” she said, as she crossed her arms and glared at him.
“I’m not used to having a date at those types of functions,” he explained, his hands held up in apology. “I’m used to working the crowd, mingling.”
“Anton seemed happy enough to concentrate on Stella,” she replied.
“For now, yes, but he’ll break her heart before long,” he said, sadly. “It’s happened before. He can’t help himself. You should tell her to be careful.”
Alix wasn’t sure if he was still talking about Anton.
“I will,” she said. Her heart began to beat faster as he came e
ven closer, her head beginning to tilt back to keep her gaze locked with his.
“Stella’s so serious about all of this and, honestly, I’m just looking for fun this summer,” she told him.
“Really?” His eyes were doubtful.
“Of course. I worked hard for four years. I’m doing all of these charity things for my parents and the crown. I just want to let loose sometimes,” she explained, not revealing the rest of her plan. “I just thought that it was rude to invite me and then barely speak to me.”
“I apologize, Lady Alix,” he said, his cocky half-smile lightening his formal tone. She had to admit, coming to apologize was more than she had expected of him. It might not be the worst idea to give him another chance, she thought, and he continued to approach her slowly where she was stationed against the wall.
“What’s this Saturday?” she asked.
“My sister is having a birthday party.”
“But you have the same birthday. And not for a few months, I thought.” Alix blushed and looked down. His smile turned wicked at the realization that she knew his birthday.
“Ever since we were little, our parents let us have separate celebrations whenever we wanted throughout the year,” he explained, his voice deep yet soft. He was now standing right in front of her, gazing down at her with blazing eyes. His hands were still behind his back, not touching her, making her wish he would. “Privately. Just family and a few friends.”
Alix had had no idea, and felt honored to be invited to such a celebration. The fact that it wouldn’t be a public event was reassuring as well. He wouldn’t need to “mingle” with any other women.
“Well… that sounds like it could be fun,” she said, her breath coming out unevenly. He still hadn’t touched her, yet their bodies were mere centimeters apart.
“It will be,” he said with a wink of one of his sparkling, blue eyes. “I’ll come and get you at eight.”
And with that, he turned and left. Alix was nearly panting in anticipating, and took a few deep breaths to refocus and calm down.
A Royal Distraction (Princes of Prynesse Book 1) Page 3
