Glass Castle Prince

by Nicole Williams

  An array of posh lounge chairs and couches were spread out around the perimeter, an endless array of indoor plants I tended to as part of my responsibilities here gave off the feel of a tropical jungle. The air was warm, but not muggy, and a wall of windows faced out to the lake beyond so one could stare at that stunning body of water while relaxing inside of this one.

  Tonight’s swim session had gone longer than usual thanks to an unusual bout of nerves that had struck me after dinner. Fifty laps later, and I’d successfully wrestled those nerves back into whatever hole they’d cropped up from.

  On the final lap of my cool down, I noticed a figure hovering along the edge of the pool. I continued my backstroke, pretending I hadn’t seen him.

  “I didn’t take you for the swimming type.” Edward walked along the edge of the pool with me, his dress shoes connecting with the tile floor and echoing through the entire room.

  I kept focusing on the tall ceiling as I neared the end. “Some people work their thoughts out on walks. I work mine out in pools.”

  “I’m sorry to interrupt you then.”

  Edward paused when we reached the end of the pool, giving me a chance to take a good look at him. He was dressed up like he was going out, though Edward wore slacks and a dress shirt the way most people wore loungewear. Dark slacks, matching vest, and a pressed white dress shirt with the top button undone. In dim lighting, he could have looked like he was in the middle of undressing.

  “No worries.” I wiped water from my face, giving me a reason to look away. “My thoughts were pretty well as worked out as they were going to get tonight anyway.”

  “Good to know.” He shifted, glancing at the entrance, though no one was there. He seemed nervous. Or edgy. The way he moved was usually so seamless, but tonight his movements were choppy, almost broken. “I wanted to let you know that the guys decided to throw a party at the last minute and guests will be arriving any minute.” He was still concentrating on the closed double doors, the skin between his brows creased. “However, I promised you that tonight we could . . . practice . . . rehearse . . . run-through . . .” He rubbed his forehead. “There is no good way of putting it, so here it is. If you want me to be your kissing stand-in, we’re going to have to do it now instead of later.”

  My stomach felt like it had dropped to the bottom of the pool like a bowling ball. A quick check revealed it was still in place below my chest and above my hips. “Oh. Like now now?”

  Edward tucked his hands into his pockets. “Now now.”

  After swimming to the ladder, I yanked off my goggles, followed by my swim cap. This wasn’t exactly the way I’d planned on looking when Edward and I kissed for the first time—red rings around my eyes and hair matted to my head—but he wasn’t the one I was trying to impress, I reminded myself. He was the one I was hoping to learn from.

  “Unless you’d prefer to put it off. Push it back to another night.” Edward angled his back to the ladder as I climbed out.

  I tsked. “I’m not naked.”

  “One can never be sure where one Charlotte Everly is concerned.” He was still turned away from me, but I heard the smirk in his voice.

  I flicked his arm as I passed him to get to the towels. “And I don’t want to put off or push back. If this is our window of opportunity, I’ll take it.” I shook out the large, plush towel and dried myself off. I smacked my lips, wishing I’d brought my purse, which contained a pleasant rose salve. “As long as you don’t mind kissing a girl who smells and possibly tastes like chlorine.”

  “Chlorine would be a nice change to coconut rum.”

  When I glanced back at him, I found him staring at me. The suit didn’t do wonders for my figure and I was soft where other girls were bony, but I’d never been self-conscious about my body. Now was not the time to start, not even with the Prince of Norland’s eyes fixated on me, moments away from putting his lips to mine.

  My arm covered my stomach from the feeling that fluttered inside. “I thought you said you’ve been going through your own royally-imposed dry spell when it came to locking lips . . . and whatever else.” I toweled the ends of my hair, stalling.

  “True, but the fumes of coconut rum have a way of searing into a person’s memory. Especially when it winds up in solid form on one’s favorite shoes.”

  “Someone threw up in the middle of kissing you?”

  “Someone threw up after kissing me.”

  My nose curled. “And this hasn’t permanently put you off the whole concept of kissing?”

  Edward turned so he was facing me. “I’m about to find out.”

  My stomach was really staging a revolt, and at the most inopportune time ever. Dropping the towel into the hamper, I bit my lip as I inspected the room. “So? Where did you have in mind?”

  I studied the lounge chairs, but moving onto the couches seemed technically tricky, though elementary in execution . . .

  “Over here.” Edward’s footsteps reverberated through the room. “Right here against this wall.”

  My chest seemed to constrict when I studied the same wall he was moving toward. “The wall?”

  “That’s where you and Theo had your first kiss. Pressed up against the end of the hall in the west wing.” Edward rapped his knuckles against the wall. “But for our purposes, this wall should work just as well.”

  My head was nodding as I approached, though I was trying to take as empirical an approach to this kissing thing as he was. “Good idea.” I rubbed my eyes to find my goggle marks extra profound tonight. Perfect. “I feel like I should brush my teeth or something before we do this.”

  Edward checked his watch, sighing. “Did you brush your teeth right before you kissed Theo?”

  “No. But I hadn’t eaten tacos for dinner either.”

  He reached for something hanging on a hook. “I’ve got five minutes before I’m supposed to be greeting guests. If you want to spend however many of those brushing your teeth, that’s your call.”

  I shook my head. “No time to waste.” As I started to turn against the wall, Edward held out what he was holding for me.

  “Robe,” was all he said.

  “I’m not cold.”

  “It’s not for you,” he gritted, thrusting it in my direction once more.

  “Okay, okay, crabby patty,” I muttered. I slipped into the oversized white robe. I guess my old team swimsuit was in worse condition than I’d thought.

  Once I’d cinched the belt, Edward’s chest moved as though the robe were a relief.

  “Take your places, people,” I rattled in my best old Hollywood director voice as I backed against the wall.

  He seemed to find little humor in my attempt to lighten up what was the very definition of an awkward situation. Clearing my throat as I lifted my arms, I tried to figure out where to rest my hands on him. He watched me as though I were a talentless mime.

  “How are we going to do this?” I asked.

  “Well, you are going to stop trying to take control and are going to let me lead.” One of his hands planted onto the wall beside my neck, the other carefully falling into the bend of my waist.

  “I’m not a very good follower.”

  His brow lifted. “I’m banking on the fact that I’m a better leader.”

  “Someone ate a bowl of Cocky O’s for breakfast this morning,” I muttered, before giving him a look that suggested I was ready for him to “lead” the locking of lips.

  He made me wait though.

  He was either taking his time or ticking me off—probably the latter. The longer he stalled, his mouth shaping into a crooked smile, the more I wanted him to kiss me. It was a relentless craving, making me feel itchy and fidgety at the same time.

  I frowned at him, eyeing his wrist where his watch continued to tick outside my ear. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

  “I am. And you were the one who came to me asking for a favor.”

  “So what? I’m indebted to you because I asked for your assistance to
up my kissing game?”

  His eyes lit up. “I’m glad you see it my way.”

  As I was shoving him away, my hands splayed across his chest, he kissed me. His lips found mine as though we’d kissed countless times before, leading in a slow dance I felt compelled to follow.

  Nothing about this kiss felt awkward or unusual; I felt like I knew exactly what to do. My hands crimped into his chest where they’d landed, fingertips curling into the material of his shirt. His hand that had been planted on the wall behind me curved around the bend of my neck, gripping me with enough force to let me know he was holding back, yet staying gentle enough to assure me he was in control of himself.

  The kiss started slow, gentle even, as two near-strangers grew acquainted with each other, but when it deepened, nothing could have prepared me for the way I felt. Edward’s body pressed into mine, caging me in with strong arms and unapologetic resolve. A small sound echoed in my chest. Or maybe it was him who’d made the sound. I couldn’t tell, and I didn’t really care. All I cared about was losing myself in this moment and this man and the feelings rushing over me that I’d never experienced before.

  He tasted faintly of mint, as though he’d recently brushed his teeth or finished a mint. God, I’d never expected him to be such a good kisser, but I would never underestimate Edward Royston again.

  My mind was numb when his lips eventually left mine, no concept of time or direction within my grasp. My hands were shaking where they were attached to him, my lungs straining for air. I felt as though I’d climbed a mountain in the span of that kiss, and I could still taste him. I could feel his hands imprinted into me even after they’d slipped away.

  I was a wreck. In the best possible way.

  A breathless, trembling, whirling mess.

  But when I opened my eyes, I found Edward exactly as he’d been before the kiss that had shattered a few distant solar systems, if cosmic energy had anything to do with the universe. His breathing was steady and constant, his body perfectly still, his eyes unaffected. Visually speaking, I might as well have just flashed him a thumbs-up.

  My face pinched together as I waited for the list of suggestions he was sure to start rattling off. “How was that?”

  “How was it?” he repeated, as though he wasn’t sure what I was getting at.

  “The kiss. In particular, how I kiss.” I was still struggling to catch my breath. “How would you rate it?”

  He didn’t even bother to hide his amusement at my question. Though I didn’t understand what he found so funny. “I’m not familiar with a grading scale where kissing is concerned.” He tipped his head from side to side as though he were considering it. “But I guess I’d place you somewhere near the top.”

  I felt my face crease. Nothing about his reaction to that kiss suggested it had done anything more than chap his lips. I couldn’t determine if he was being serious or not. “Are you telling me the truth?”

  “Why would I lie?” He leaned away, lightly tugging on the end of the belt of my bathrobe.

  “That was good?” I continued.

  “It was good.” My frustration seemed to give him a great deal of enjoyment.

  My teeth sank into my lip. “Any suggestions?”

  His shoulders lifted as he slipped his hands back into his pockets. “Just keep doing what your doing.” He started for the door. “No complaints from this red-blooded male.”

  Before Edward made it to the door, it whooshed open and James stuck his head inside. “Hey. You’re both here. Perfect.” If James suspected what had just been happening, he gave no indication. “You, Sir Prince, are needed in the billiard room. The party is starting and the Watson triplets are requesting your presence.” James’s brows bounced with suggestion. “And you, Fair Lady, have a phone call from a most persistent suitor.”

  Edward’s steps were stiff as he moved in James’s direction. “Why’s Theo calling you?”

  “He didn’t call me. He called her.” James motioned in my direction, still not seeming to notice I was pressed into a wall, having a difficult time breathing. “I answered Charlotte’s phone after the third call. I figured you wouldn’t care since you left it in a common area.”

  “It was in my coat pocket,” I said, shoving away from the wall to retrieve my phone.

  “Which was in the kitchen, a common area.” James wandered closer, holding out my phone.

  “I didn’t know I had a personal answering service.”

  “Yeah, well, you’re welcome.” He patted my arm before heading out, dressed like some seventies-era Brooklyn pimp. “You’re coming to the party, right?”

  Edward was standing in the doorway. I wasn’t sure why I looked at him before giving an answer.

  “No. I’m passing on this one.”

  “What? No.” James’s face puckered. “Through friend proxy, I’m royally ordering you to come. Come on, Edward, tell her she has to come.”

  Edward wasn’t looking at me when he replied. “Come if you like, Charlotte. Though with Theo being absent, I doubt you’ll find this party as interesting as the last.”

  Was that his way of suggesting he didn’t want me there, but in a nice way? Or was it his way of saying it was totally my call?

  More importantly, why was I overanalyzing the hell out of it?

  “Next time,” I assured James.

  “I’m holding you to it.” He pointed at me as he backed away. Edward was already gone. “You might want to say hey to Theo. Don’t leave a boy hanging.”

  “You left him on the other end this whole time? Why didn’t you tell him I’d call him back?” My face flattened as I flipped my phone over to see the screen. Sure enough, I had a call that was about to breach the ten-minute mark.

  “I figured Theo needed a lesson in patience.” James lifted his hand before gliding through the doors. “It’s never been one of his strong suits.”

  Staring at the phone for a few seconds, I took my first full breath post kissing Edward.

  “Hey, Theo,” I said, pacing down the edge of the pool to work off the energy bubbling inside. “Sorry you were kept waiting for so long. I don’t know why James didn’t just tell you I’d call you back.”

  “And miss the past ten minutes of whatever it was I just overheard?” Theo’s voice gave no suggestion of annoyance. “Pretty sure James took a piss before coming to get you because I definitely heard a toilet flush.”

  “I wouldn’t put it past him,” I said, adjusting the grip on my phone so there was a barrier of sleeve between my hand and the possibly contaminated surface.

  Theo’s chuckle tapered off. “Did I hear him say he found Edward with you?”

  My feet stopped moving. “Yeah.” My voice pitched high. “He did.” Little better.

  “What were you two up to?”

  Theo’s tone didn’t hold a sliver of suspicion, but his question couldn’t have been any more damning. I didn’t want to lie to the guy I was into, but I really didn’t want to tell him the truth. Oh, we were just making out. Meant nothing. Best kiss of my life though. But no big deal at all.

  “I was swimming laps in the pool.” I turned the corner, pacing down the long side of the pool.

  “So Edward was swimming too?”

  My eyes shifted to the wall across me. “No.”

  “So was he just there watching or something?” Theo gave an amused grunt, but his tone was changing.

  “He was giving me some pointers. You know, helping me improve my form.” The truth felt slick on my tongue as heat bled into my face.

  “I didn’t know Edward was a big swimmer,” Theo mused, seeming satisfied by my answer. “But I guess it isn’t surprising. There isn’t much that guy isn’t good at.”

  “No.” A nervous laugh burst from me. “There isn’t.” My free hand rubbed my temple. “How are you doing?”

  “Good. Bored.” Theo laughed. “It’s been nice seeing all of the family, but I’m really looking forward to getting back home for some reason.”

 
“Looking forward to what?” I asked, still distracted by no fewer than half a dozen different matters.

  Theo was quiet for a moment. “I was hoping that would be sorta obvious.”

  “Oh. Oh!” I said when it finally hit me.

  “I’m coming on too strong, aren’t I?” A sigh rattled through the phone.

  “Not at all. It’s refreshing to be pursued by a guy who doesn’t follow the play-it-cool and keep-her-hanging playbook.” My words were exactly right, but the level of conviction behind them felt wrong.

  “I just can’t get over how we pretty much grew up across the lake from each other and how we reconnected in the same place ten years later.” The doubt drained from his voice as he continued. “I really loved spending time with you that night and it totally sucks I had to leave for two weeks right after meeting some amazing girl.” He gave an exaggerated groan. “Okay, now I’ve definitely breached the too-strong territory. I’m hanging up before I give away how much you’re messing with my head.”

  I was smiling from everything he’d said, but that excited bubble I felt whenever I thought about seeing Theo again didn’t swell to its normal size. Something was putting a damper on it.

  Or someone.

  “Thanks for calling,” I said, moving toward the wall of windows facing the lake.

  “Oh, and Charlotte?” His voice had lowered a note. “I can’t wait to see you again.”

  Theo. I liked Theo. We were similar, he wasn’t going to be a future ruler, and not to be forgotten, he was actually into me.

  I stared out the windows, but it was too dark to see anything. “Me either.”

  Chapter 10

  “Remember, you promised on your future children that you won’t say a word to anyone.” I waved the bottle of mustard I’d been about to place in my shopping cart at Anne, my best friend since fifth grade when I started at my first public school.