NOT ROYALE ENOUGH [18+]

31

CHRIS

This was, without a doubt, the most genuine expression I had ever seen on Sarah Hannah Wayne’s face.

Yes, I’d looked up her full name. Call it a dick move, but I needed to know everything about the woman causing this maddening warmth in my chest—a warmth my heart seemed to crave whenever she was near.

This feeling. It was confusing. Terrifying, even. And yet, the thought of it stopping? I couldn’t bear it.

I was still trying to make sense of it all. I’d never felt anything like this before—not even close. It was like my chest tightened every time I saw her smile. My pulse raced whenever her skin brushed mine, melting so effortlessly against me. I could tell she felt it too, even if she didn’t know what to call it.

Maybe she was just as scared as I was about whatever this was. I wouldn’t blame her if she was.

The truth was, when I first saw her, my intentions were shallow. Selfish. I wanted the pleasure of hearing her say my name in bed. That hadn’t changed—I still wanted her in every way—but now, I wanted more.

More of her. And maybe... more of us?

God, I sounded insane. Like, really insane. There was no way I could tell Alex about this. It’d just add another layer of drama to an already messy situation.

"You..." Her voice pulled me out of my head. My eyes flicked back to Sarah as she began to speak.

Even in the dark, the dim light on the balcony framed her perfectly, letting me take in every breathtaking detail.

She looked incredible.

The soft glow illuminated her flushed cheeks, which had likely turned pink after my last words. Did I surprise her? It made me wonder—I wondered why they had such an effect on her when she must have men chasing after her back home, saying much better catch lines than I.

The thought made my jaw tighten.

I hated feeling like this but it was facts.

let’s just face it: Sarah was the kind of woman who wouldn’t have looked at me twice under normal circumstances. If not for this contract forcing us into proximity, I would’ve been just another fuckboy dreaming about a goddess he’d never reach.

A fuckboy who would use her for pleasure and move on.

Fuck. That sounded so horrible.

Is that how I have been behaving all this time?

It's sickening.

"You're ridiculous," she whispers, her words nearly drowned by the way she takes a huge sip of wine, almost as if trying to erase what I just said. The way she moves—awkward, adorable, and completely out of her element—makes me want to laugh, but the moment shifts like a sudden wave crashing into me.