Prince Albert Read online

  The concierge at the hotel said Delaney flew back to Dallas, so at least that's something. She didn't go straight to Manhattan. Of course, that doesn't mean she's going to stick around in Texas at all.

  I can't even imagine what Anja is going to say. This will confirm everything she's ever thought about me and the giant train wreck I am. I can picture her reaction now: "First, racing that stupid motorcycle of yours, and now this? Screwing your own sister? I knew you were white-trash, just like your father."

  I don't even turn on my phone when we land. I should probably toss it in the trash and save myself from the thousand messages sure to tell me how disgusting it is for me to be screwing Delaney.

  When my bag comes around the carousel, I groan. A big sticker reading "Notice of Inspection" is plastered to the front, and the entire suitcase is held together in the middle with a stretchy elastic cord because the zipper is broken.

  Which is perfect, really. It's the icing on a shit cupcake.

  A loud roll of thunder booms outside, a summer storm adding another layer of awesome to this goddamn day. Rain pours down through the uncovered spaces outside the terminal, and I just don't give a shit that I'm getting drenched as I'm walking down the sidewalk. Where are the fucking cabs around here when you need one?

  A taxi slows down and pulls to the curb, and the driver gets out. "You're standing in the rain," he points out, not-so-helpfully.

  "No shit," I say, handing him my suitcase. He looks at it distastefully. So now I'm getting the stink eye from a cab driver.

  "Gaige!" Delaney's voice comes out of nowhere. I whirl around to see her running down the sidewalk, waving her arms at me like a lunatic. When she catches up to me, she's short of breath. "We parked right there," she says, pointing to a car ten yards away, its hazard lights blinking.

  "What? We who?" It's the wrong question to ask, but I'm thrown by the fact that she's chasing me down.

  "Daniel," she says. "One of my friends. He's – " She points to the guy a few feet away, who's wildly brandishing his plaid umbrella and talking loudly to an airport security guard.

  "Yes, I know this is just an unloading area," he yells. "I'm not a complete imbecile. I can read a sign. My friend is right there and – oh, for shit's sake, I'm not even going to hear anything now."

  "What is – who is that?" I ask. "I think he's about to assault that guard with his umbrella."

  Delaney puts her hand on my chest. "Stop. Don't talk," she says. "I came here to say something. This is really not the place at all, in the middle of everything, with the fucking rain and this is probably the most unromantic place ever –"

  "Look, do you need the cab or not?" The driver interrupts loudly, right at my side. "The meter's running."

  "No! We do not need a cab!" Delaney yells, her voice sharp. "Will you just give us one fucking second?"

  The driver curses at us, and my suitcase lands beside my feet with a thump.

  "Oh my God," Delaney says, her voice exasperated. "I just wanted to say one thing –"

  "Lady, if you and your boyfriend are done here, your friend there is about to get your car towed." The security guard calls over his shoulder

  Now the whole situation is starting to become just ridiculous. Delaney is so clearly infuriated that I can't help but laugh.

  Delaney holds up her hand without looking at the security guard. "No," she says. "I am not done here. We are not done here."

  "Delaney, let's go." I put my hands on her arms and attempt to steer her toward her waiting car.

  "I read your email to my father," she blurts out.

  "You read my email?"

  "He gave it to me," she says. "And he's not going to kill you. Or me. I mean, he might kill you, but only if you break my heart."

  She's rambling the way she does when she gets nervous, and I'm barely following what she's saying, but it's the most adorable thing I've ever seen.

  And then she stops, inhaling deeply before she lets out the words in one giant exhale. The words. "And I think I'm in love with you. I am in love with you. I love you."

  I don't even wait until she's finished speaking before I bring my mouth down on hers, muting those words. It's like something out of a damn movie, me kissing her in the rain, her hands on my shirt, pulling me toward her, and we're in our own private world.

  At least, we're in our own world for ten fucking seconds before the security guard taps me on the shoulder. "What does this look like, a hotel?" he asks. "Get your asses off the sidewalk and get in the car before I have it towed."

  Delaney looks back and forth at him and me, her eyes wide, before she bursts out laughing. "Come on," she says. "Let's get the hell out of here."

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  DELANEY

  "Obviously, you're required to parade him around shirtless." Daniel turns to me as he sips his margarita. "It's only fair, since I was the one to drive you to the airport for your dramatic reunion scene."

  "Why are you talking about me like I'm not here? If you want, I'd be glad to take it off right now." Gaige reaches for the hem of his shirt and fakes pulling it up, flashing a bit of his abs.

  "Don't tempt me," Daniel says. "I have to be good."

  "Since when are you good?" I sip my margarita and glance over at Gaige, who smiles back at me, then squeezes my leg under the table. "You're never good."

  "Since I have a boyfriend," Daniel says, looking smug as he crosses his arms over his chest.

  "What?" I squeal. "Who is this guy? When did you start seeing him? And why didn't you tell me?"

  "You're not the only one who can keep a secret, doll," he says. He breaks out his phone and shows us pictures, and I ooh and ahh appropriately as I listen to the details about his new love, while Gaige slides his arm around my shoulder.

  It feels comfortable, being here with Gaige. It's only been a week since everything happened, but it feels like Gaige and I have been together forever.

  When Daniel stops mid-conversation because the new boyfriend calls him, Gaige leans over and whispers in my ear. "You're not wearing panties, are you?"

  I slap him on the arm. "It's happy hour," I say. "I came from the office. Of course I'm wearing panties."

  "Go take them off in the bathroom," he says.

  "No," I whisper, glancing at Daniel across the table. "Stop. You're being bad."

  His warm breath on my ear raises goosebumps on my neck. "I'm about to be very bad," he says softly. "Now, get up, go to the bathroom and take off your panties, and bring them to me. And I'll make you come on the way home."

  His words send heat flowing through my body, just like every other time. "Fine," I say, sliding off my barstool. Gaige runs his hands along my hips and over my ass, giving it a playful slap. "We're in public, stop."

  He leans in close, his voice gravelly. "We need to get out of public soon," he says.

  "Are you leaving?" Daniel looks up from his cell phone.

  "Restroom," I say. "I'll be back in a minute."

  When I return, I slip my panties into Gaige's pocket and kiss him on the cheek. He pulls me against him and I can feel his erection through his jeans, begging for my attention. "We just paid the check," he says.

  "Oh my God, you guys are like a couple of teenagers with the kissy face and shit," Daniel says.

  "I've been around you and too many of your dates to even listen to you complain," I tell him as we walk out of the restaurant. "And you're much less tasteful than we are."

  "It's true," Daniel says. "Happy hour next week and I'll bring the new boyfriend?"

  "Definitely."

  Gaige walks around to the passenger side of his car to open the door for me, but pauses with his hand on the handle. He spins me around and pushes me roughly up against the side of the car, running his palm down waist and over my hips. "I want to fuck you right here, right now," he says, his tongue flicking over the sensitive place just below my earlobe.

  "In the middle of the parking lot of the restaurant?" I murmur. "That's not a way for us