I looked at Nicholas and totally froze. Here I was, in such a revealing swimsuit, pressed up against the window, trying to get Julian’s attention. I could imagine what Nicholas might think, and none of it would do well to quell the jealous wolf within him that was seemingly ready to jump anytime J

“No,” he said. I snapped my mouth closed and looked up at him. “Nick?” Nicholas’s hands had curled even more, into fists now. Maybe I should go. Of course, I wanted him, especially with him looking at me like he was, like he wanted to eat me whole. But he was with Bridget now. It wouldn’t be

When our lovemaking was done, Nicholas held me in his arms under the covers of the bed. Despite the bliss running through my veins, now that the deed was done, I also felt a wave of… guilt. I didn’t know if Nicholas and Bridget were together. Maybe they were, maybe they weren’t. But I probably sho

He smiled down at me, then leaned down to press that smile against my lips. We kisses lightly, and he said, “I’d like that.” Of course, we still had to be careful around the others. If Nicholas and I were suddenly all lovey dovey around Bridget or Jessica, the two might spread rumors and have mo

When we finally made it downstairs, it was as the others were beginning to make their way toward the dining room for dinner. Julian spotted me first, standing at the bottom of the stair, and began laughing his head off. Veronica, beside him, noticed me a moment later, and gave me a hint of a smile

Watching the slump in Julian’s shoulders and slight barely-there drag of his feet as he left, had me immediately and overwhelmingly worried. I quickly asked Veronica and Jessica to keep an eye on Elva, and hurried to follow him. I came out into the hallway just to watch him slip back out onto the

“That’s a bit presumptuous, isn’t it?” Jessica said to Bridget, and I instantly liked her even more. “Why should you get to room with a prince?” “Prince Nicholas, as the oldest of his siblings, has the largest room of any of those here,” Bridget said. She smiled brightly but narrowed her eyes at J

I waited until Elva’s snores became more consistent, and then, after checking the nanny and the guard would keep watch over her while she slept, I made my way back downstairs. By now the bonfire had started, and I saw the flicker of flames through the sliding glass door before I ever opened it to

Everyone was starting to unwind. I glanced at Nicholas. He was staring hard now into the fire. It made the shadows flicker and dance over the hard plains of his face. “I wouldn’t want you to be a stranger,” I told him. He glanced back at me. “To become strangers means I would have to forget

Bridget watched me expectantly, waiting for an answer. An answer I was far too stunned to give. Which brother did I love? Was there any way to answer that wouldn’t implicate me? Veronica knew that my relationship with Julian was just for show, while my feelings leaned toward Nicholas. But neither