“I’ll be right there.”
“Oh. David,” he said, all nonchalant. “I wasn’t sure you’d make it on such short notice.”
“I always make time for those important to me.”
At that, I scoffed. The reason David and I had never gotten serious, at least as far as I knew, was because he rarely made time to see me. He was all work, work, work, like Rhianna, but less pretty and definitely less badass. I met his eyes then, his expression cold and hard, and matched it with my own. I was tired of playing the wounded bird around men like David. I’d been doing it my entire life and it really didn’t suit the woman I’d become.
“It was nice seeing you, David.” I nodded politely and began walking away, but Aramis held my wrist, forcing me to stop walking. I didn’t turn around again.
“We’ll see you around,” Aramis said before sliding his hand down to mine and leading me away from David.
I could only imagine the infuriating look on his handsome face. It was probably very much like my own. I waited until we were in the hall before yanking my hand from Aramis’s and glaring at him.
“What the hell was that about?”
“What was what about?”
“That scene you just caused. What was that about?”
“I didn’t cause a scene. I was merely fetching you because we need to go get ready to walk my sister’s wedding.”
“I think I know when we’re supposed to be ready to go.” My eyes narrowed on his entirely too amused green eyes. “We still have ten minutes before we have to gather in the Galerie des Glaces.”
“It’s beyond me why my sister would want to get married surrounded by haunted mirrors.”
“It’s beyond me why you have to make a smart remark about everything.”
“It’s beyond me why you’re getting so worked up about nothing. We agreed to date, didn’t we? What does it matter if your now ex-boyfriend sees us holding hands?”
“It doesn’t . . . this isn’t . . . oh my God you’re maddening. We agreed to date and then you kissed me and then pretended like it was the worst thing to ever happen in the world and then you ignored me for days upon days until you called me to remind me that our agreement was still on and now you show up in the middle of my conversation with David in which he was trying to make me feel guilty for sleeping in your cottage and talking like the only reason I have a job here to begin with is because you want to get in my pants, but that’s all wrong because you obviously don’t, despite your little flirtatious bouts.” I took a deep breath and let it out once I was finished speaking. Aramis raised one perfect eyebrow.
“Who said I didn’t want to get in your pants?”
“Did you not hear anything I just said? It’s obvious you don’t. You kissed me and then acted like—”
Without warning or preamble, he stepped forward, grabbed my cheeks, and kissed me, his lips hard on mine, his tongue not asking for permission as it found mine. A moan ripped from my throat, caught by his mouth pressed so closely to mine we were sharing the same oxygen. I felt as though I was floating, because unlike the kiss we shared the other day, this one was raw, unfiltered, and as he pressed his hard body against mine and let me feel his lust for me, I felt myself quickly begin to unravel. The flicker of a camera nearby was what made my feet hit the ground again. I pulled away from Aramis, seeking the culprit and found the photographers I’d invited standing nearby, clicking away and whispering softly to each other.
“I guess the cat’s out of the bag,” Aramis said, rather loudly.
“Is this a new development?” one of the journalists asked.
“How long have you been together?” another asked.
“I’ll answer your questions after my sister’s wedding.” Aramis winked, grabbed my hand, and walked me into the room we were now supposed to be standing in.
I was still reeling from everything—the fight, the kiss, the photos, his statement to the media—that I didn’t have time to focus on any one thing before we had to line everyone up and start walking. My heart was still pounding hard against my chest as we walked. I couldn’t even focus on the music, the small guest list sitting on either side of us, or the violinist playing in the corner. I couldn’t see the flowers or the other bridesmaids. The only thing I could focus on was taking one step at a time and holding on to Aramis’s arm so I wouldn’t falter. Had he planned to kiss me in front of those photographers? Had it been staged that way? I wouldn’t put it past him. Everyone in this family only looked out for themselves and The Crown and there seemed to be very little they wouldn’t do in order to salvage both. I’d told him I would make a statement myself. I told him I’d handle it. As I watched King Elias walk my best friend down the aisle, I pushed aside my irate thoughts and focused on her. She looked stunning. Of course, I’d seen her earlier, but seeing her in this light, with this opulence surrounding us, was unreal.