The Bad Royals Box Set: The Complete Royally Unexpected Series, page 88
Margot’s eyes scan everything. She finally looks at me, shaking her head.
“This is incredible, Ivy. Really, really great.”
This time, her smile seems genuine. Maybe knowing that her presence still has the same effect on people bolstered her confidence, and now she’s able to be happy for me, too.
Or maybe the shock has worn off, and my sister is back to herself.
“I guess I’m going to need a new PA, huh?” She wraps me in a hug, squeezing tight. “I’m happy for you, Ivy.”
In that moment, I think she means it.
For a few hours that day, I’m completely, utterly happy. I have my sister back. I have a boyfriend who cares about me. I have a new business that’s been successful right out of the gate.
It doesn’t feel like anything could ever go wrong.
32
LUCA
The past three months have lulled me into a false sense of security. That’s the only explanation I have for not noticing the paparazzi following me to the bakery.
It’s become Ivy’s and my evening ritual—I pick her up when she’s done closing up, and we head back to her place together. By that time of day, she’s tired and happy, and ready for some food, a foot rub, and maybe an orgasm or two.
Today is a bit different. The tour with Damon and Dahlia has wrapped up, and Theo asked me to come back to Argyle. I leave in a couple of hours, so I’m just coming by to say goodbye to Ivy.
I walk in the back door of the bakery to find Ivy finishing up the last of her tasks for the day.
She smiles at me, leaning her head toward me for a kiss. As soon as she wipes the last counter down, she lets out a sigh.
“Margot saw the bakery.”
“You brought her straight here?”
Ivy nods. A bright, happy smile stretches across her lips. “She really liked it.”
I slide my hands around her waist, nuzzling my face into her hair. Ivy lets out a soft sigh, hooking her arms around my neck. We sway back and forth for a moment, and then I lay a soft kiss on her neck. I trail my lips up her jaw and over her mouth.
“Don’t go,” she sighs.
“I don’t want to.”
“Duty calls?” She lifts her eyes up to mine.
I nod, nudging her nose with mine. “I’ll be back in two weeks.”
“Miss you already.”
I press my lips to hers. Our kiss starts slow, and then slowly becomes more frantic. Within moments, Ivy is clawing at my pants, pushing them down to my ankles. She sits up on one of the stainless steel tables, wrapping her legs around my waist.
I groan, shaking my head. “You’re incredible, Poison.”
Her eyes darken, and a sinful smile tugs at her lips. “Will you fuck me, Luca? I won’t get to feel you for two whole weeks.”
I’ve never had such a strong, visceral reaction to someone saying simple words to me. My whole body arches toward her, as if every single cell in my body is screaming yes, yes, yes.
We don’t even have the time to remove any other clothing. Her dress gets flipped up to her waist, her panties pushed to the side, and I’m inside her. We claw, bite, rip, grunt, and explode together.
I’m breathless. Ivy is smiling, her hair falling out of her bun in all directions. She lets out a sigh, pulling her dress back down and shaking her head.
“I love the way you do that to me.”
Catching her chin in my hand, I kiss her perfect lips. “And I love you, Poison Ivy.”
Her eyes widen. “What?”
“You heard me.”
“You love me?”
“Desperately.”
She sucks in a breath, and for a horrible second, I think I’ve made a mistake by telling her how I feel—but that feeling evaporates when she throws her arms around me and crushes her lips against mine.
“I love you too, Your Highness,” she says against my lips. “Luca. My Prince.”
I groan as my heart thumps against hers, holding her close to my body.
“Let’s get you home before I sit you up on that table again and fuck you senseless.”
“I mean, that doesn’t sound too bad, either,” Ivy grins. How she’s gone from a shy, uncertain girl to the vixen before me is a mystery, and one that I’m happy to accept.
I think I’m in a rose-colored haze when we exit the bakery, because again, I don’t look for photographers. I don’t even think about them.
I just walk Ivy to the passenger’s side of the car and cage her against it, kissing her viciously. My cock is hard again already, and she reaches between me to feel it, giggling in that sexy way that only she has.
We kiss like no one’s watching—like I’m about to bend her over the hood of the car and start round 2…
…until I hear the familiar sound of a camera shutter clicking.
The haze dissipates in an instant, and I’m on high alert.
“Fuck,” I whisper.
Ivy’s eyes are wide. She ducks into the car as the photographer comes closer, and I rush to the driver’s side. We screech out of the parking lot, and Ivy rubs her hands over her eyes.
“Oh, no.”
“It’s okay,” I say, sliding my hand over her thigh. “It’s fine. I want people to know.”
“I was hoping I could tell Margot myself…” Her eyebrows arch, and she cringes.
“She’ll understand.”
“It’s a lot to take in on the day you get out of an isolated retreat.”
“Maybe they won’t publish the photos right away.”
My thoughts flick to my own situation, when I learned that Cara had shacked up with Theo the day that I got out of the hospital in Singapore. Shame coats the back of my throat, and I shake my head.
It’s not the same. I was never with Margot—not really. I kissed her once. It was all fake.
Sliding my hand over Ivy’s thigh, I give it a squeeze and flash her what I hope is an encouraging smile. “It’ll be fine, Poison.”
She nods. “I hope so.” Her fingers thread into mine as she stares out the window.
My chest squeezes, and I force myself to take a full breath. I have to believe my own words. It’ll be fine. Margot will understand. Nothing bad will come of a few paparazzi pictures. It’s nothing new, and nothing I can’t handle.
But judging by the look on Ivy’s face, she’s not as used to them as I am. She’s used to being in the background. Used to seeing her sister’s face in the tabloids—not her own.
I stop the car outside Ivy’s house, and she gives me a sad smile.
“I don’t want you to leave.”
“Do you want me to come in? We could tell your sister together.”
Ivy shakes her head. “I’d better do it on my own. It’ll be better that way.”
“You sure?”
Ivy nods.
I kiss her gently. “I’ll be back soon. Theo said he has something to tell me, and he wants to do it in person.”
Ivy leans over the center console to give me a kiss. We linger there until I pull away.
“I have to go. The jet is waiting for me.”
Ivy sighs, kissing me one last time. “See you soon.”
She waves at me as I drive away, and I feel like we’ve turned a corner. Even if her sister is surprised, it doesn’t matter. Ivy and I can brave the media and go public with our relationship. I can tell my family, her family, the entire world that she’s the woman for me. I can hold her hand in public and call her mine.
Even if she’s worried about Margot, I know that this is a good thing.
Just me, and Ivy, and our love.
Or at least…that’s what I hope is going to happen.
The flight from Farcliff to Argyle is just over three hours. My home Kingdom is an island nation, just south of the Bahamas. As soon as we land, I glance at the palm trees and let a smile drift over my lips.
I can’t wait to show Ivy my home.
Leaning my head against the private jet’s window, I look at the tarmac and let out a sigh. The flight crew flips the staircase down and nod at me as I disembark. A royal car is waiting to take me to the palace.
Inhaling the tropical evening air, my heart beats easier. Soon, I hope to show Ivy what Argyle is like. I hope to take her here and introduce her to my family, and show her all the sights that I grew up with.
It’s been five long years since I was here, and I feel like a brand-new person.
When we get to the palace, Theo, Cara, Beckett, and Dante are waiting for me in the formal reception room.
Dante wraps me in a tight hug, spinning me around in a circle. Beckett still looks oddly angry, and I avoid looking at Theo and Cara just yet.
“Easy,” I laugh as Dante sets me down. “You’ll break my back all over again.”
“From what I hear, you’re indestructible,” he grins. Dante is just as tall as I am, and has obviously spent the past five years in the gym. His biceps are as big as my thighs. He’s a couple of years younger than me, and always followed Beckett and me around when we were kids. Now, he looks like he’s grown into a man.
My brother claps me on the shoulder, and I do my best not to stumble forward.
Theo and Cara step forward. I haven’t seen the two of them in three months, and I wait for the assault of bitterness and emotion that always washes over me when I see them…
…but nothing happens.
The lightness in my heart stays, and my smile doesn’t slip.
Striding over to my brother Theo, I extend my hand. Theo looks surprised, but he grabs my hand and pulls me in for a hug.
“Thank you, Luca,” he says, his voice muffled against my shoulder.
“For what?”
“For understanding.” He glances at Cara, who smiles softly at him.
Now that I’m not clouded by anger, bitterness, and prescription opioids, I see the look they’re giving each other. Cara and Theo are in love.
How did I miss this?
They’re head-over-heels with each other.
Somehow, I twisted their relationship into something that was done to purposefully hurt me. I made their love about me. My pain. My accident. My heartbreak.
Never once did I consider that it had nothing to do with me. Cara wasn’t climbing up the ladder. She didn’t do this because I was broken.
She married my brother because she loves him, and he loves her back.
Cara lets out a surprised yelp when I wrap my arms around her. I lift her up off the ground with a laugh, setting her back down and putting my hands on her shoulders.
“I’m sorry I was an ass.”
“I’m sorry I hurt you,” she replies.
I smile and shake my head. “I hurt myself a lot more than you hurt me.”
Staring at my family, assembled in the palace where I grew up, I let an easy smile drift over my lips. My heart beats slowly, and I think of the woman I’ve fallen in love with.
They’re going to adore her.
Waving to one of the staff members, I motion for a special box of baked goods that I’ve brought with me. The Spoonful of Sugar logo is emblazoned on the top of the box, and I flip it open, presenting it to my family.
“A special treat,” I announce. These are so much more than baked goods. They’re so much more than sweet treats. They’re Ivy in a box. They’re the woman I love, neatly arranged in delicious rows of sugar and pastry.
Beckett’s eyebrow arches, and he exchanges a glance with Dante.
Dante clears his throat. “We, uh, heard about this.” He nods to the box of treats.
“Heard about what?”
Beckett scoffs, shaking his head. “About your hooking up with both sisters, Luca. One wasn’t enough?”
I frown, and Dante pulls his phone out of his pocket. He taps the screen a few times, showing me the headline of a gossip magazine.
My stomach drops.
Ivy was right. The pictures were posted right away, and they’re all over the internet.
I should have stayed with her.
33
IVY
When I walk through the front door of my sister’s mansion, I feel incredibly tired. My feet hurt, and I swear they’re starting to swell. All my shoes are tight.
I trudge over to the kitchen and scrounge for some leftovers, eating them cold as I stand over the sink. I listen for noise, but don’t hear anything. Margot must be asleep.
Laying on the couch in the living room, I stare at my phone and try to stop myself from texting Luca non-stop. It feels selfish to want him beside me all the time, but I’ve gotten used to his presence. I flick the television on, and my eyes glaze over as I watch something I don’t care about.
I doze off.
When I wake up, I jump off the couch at the sight of a man in the shadows. Hunter steps forward, his face black with anger.
I’d gotten used to his absence while my sister was at the facility. Seeing his sniveling, sneering face turns my stomach. His eyes are full of fire, and his lips curve downward when he sees me wake.
Grabbing my arm, he pulls me up to stand. “I need to talk to you,” Hunter hisses.
I yank my arm away from his grip. “First of all, don’t touch me. Second of all, I’m tired, and I just want to go to bed. Whatever you want to talk about can wait.”
Margot appears in the doorway. Her face is lined, and she won’t meet my eye. She moves to stand next to Hunter.
My heart starts to thump. Something’s wrong. Do they know about Prince Luca?
“What game are you playing right now, Ivy?”
I arch an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
“You’re supposed to be supporting your sister, not sabotaging her.”
“Sabotaging her? Everything I do is to support her. I was the one to pick her up from the facility, not you, remember? I brought her to the hospital. I put my entire fucking life on hold for her!”
Margot flinches, and shame burns my cheeks.
“That’s not what I’m talking about.” Hunter’s eyes flash, and my anger flares. He nods to the door. “What about that silly bakery, huh? You think that helps Margot? Your face plastered all over the internet trying to leech off her fame.”
“Leech?”
I don’t like Hunter on a good day. And today? Today I can’t fucking stand him. I make a mental note to get the locks changed and never, ever give him a key.
Shaking my head, I cross my arms. “Listen, Hunter, I know you think you’re the most important person in the Kingdom, but newsflash: you’re not. You have no right to shit on me the way you’ve done for the past few years. You’re my sister’s agent. You work for her. Nothing more.”
Hunter arches an eyebrow, and his eyes turn flinty. He pulls out his phone, tapping on it a couple of times before turning the screen toward me.
If my cheeks were hot before, now they’re on fire. Hunter shows me a picture, and I know exactly when it was taken—just a few hours ago. I have my hand over the Prince’s crotch, and our kiss is open-mouthed and downright dirty.
It looks intimate. It was intimate. Five minutes earlier, the Prince was buried inside me telling me he loved me.
My heart thumps, and I look away from the screen. Hunter scrolls down, and I see a picture of the Prince kissing me on the deck of the yacht. The headline screams:
Mystery Woman: Identified!
Hunter arches an eyebrow. “You’re not even going to try to explain this?”
“What is there to explain?” I growl, taking a step toward Hunter. Margot still hasn’t looked at me. Her face is shuttered, and I hate that she hasn’t said a word.
“Well, for one, what fucking game you’re trying to play here.” Hunter points between the photo and me, arching an eyebrow as if it’s completely impossible that the Prince would be interested in me.
Pain pierces my heart, because that’s exactly what I believed for a long time.
Hunter knows my insecurities, and he digs them out from the depths where they hide.
Squaring my shoulders, I shake my head. I’m not going to let him tear me down like this. The Prince loves me. He told me so. Luca has been the single most supportive, loving person I’ve ever met. He’s made me realize how much I’ve been ignoring my own dreams.
He’s made me feel worthy.
Before tears fill my eyes, I jerk my chin toward the door. “Leave.”
“No, I’m not leaving before you explain yourself. Our teams worked very hard on crafting the perfect relationship between the Prince and Margot. She goes to fucking therapy and you swoop in and snatch him away?”
“I didn’t snatch anything,” I snap. “They were never together.”
Margot makes a noise, finally lifting her eyes up to mine. “And whose fault is that?”
I swallow thickly. “We love each other.” My voice is small, and suddenly love doesn’t seem like enough.
Hunter just laughs, the noise peppering my chest like a million tiny knives.
“Fuck you, Hunter,” I snap.
“No, fuck you, Ivy,” Margot says. “I think it’s time for you to leave. You want to be independent? You want to run your own business? So, do it. But you’re not riding on my coattails anymore.”
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. Tears sting my eyes.
She tilts her head. “I just saw a poll online, and apparently sixty-eight percent of people think you’re prettier than me.”
I shake my head as my chest hollows out. “Margot, that’s just the internet. It’s stupid.”
Margot scoffs. “I can’t believe I never saw it before, but they’re right. You are pretty, with those big, unique eyes of yours and all your multitude of talents. What am I? A washed-up starlet with an anxiety disorder, and—” She stops herself, inhaling sharply.
Hunter’s lips twist into a cruel smile. “The articles say his nickname for you is ‘Poison.’” He scoffs. “That’s accurate. You’re nothing but a poison to this family.”
