The Provocative Prince (BOOK 1)

Chapter 23: Confronting Naivity

Shadé

I was so sure my heart would give up on me before I could even make it back to the castle. It was literally pummeling against my chest faster than a jackhammer. I was in such an uncomfortable state that I'd rather have just died than to experience this rapid beating in my chest. I hated the fact that his gaze corrupted in my memory when I had reminded him of his engagement to Lady Melanie. His piercing eyes seemed cold enough to freeze hell over if he wanted to.

An icy shiver ran down my spine as I suddenly heard footsteps against the gravel behind me. Was he following me? After we had already parted ways?

I turned around, expecting to see Vincent's tall frame standing behind me, but was granted a view of an upset Frank instead.

"What were you doing, talking to His Royal Highness, Shadé," Frank suspiciously inquired. I knew God should've killed me with a heart attack just then. This was such a bad fucking look, especially after I had just broken things off with Frank minutes prior.

"What are you talking about?" I played dumb, furrowing my brows with confusion as I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Cut the crap, babe," Frank sighed, dropping his own crossed arms to his side. In two long strides, he was standing inches away from me. "I asked you if this was about another man and you lied," he stated with slight insult in his tone. His voice was much lower while his gaze attempted to force a grasp on my own, but I refused to look him directly in the eye.

"Frank, it's not what it looks like," I tried to control the situation.

"If that's the case, then why did you have to tell His Royal Highness to not even bother thinking of ways to make you two—," I raced over to him and clasped my palm over his mouth tightly. He was speaking way too loudly at this point.

"Frank, please," I begged him. This time, my heart was doing full-on somersaults out of fear.

He snatched my hand from his mouth, grabbed me by my wrist, and dragged me to a pavilion in a corner of the massive garden. "You better be 100 percent honest with me, Shadé," He said threateningly after looking around to ensure we were alone.

I said nothing. Nothing vocal could come out because I was far too embarrassed to even be standing before the man who was heavily interested in me, confronting me for being with another man only minutes after having a parting conversation with him. I've never been intimate with Frank, but I know that he wanted to work his way to that point with me. But as handsome and attractive as he was, my body didn't have that desire for him like it did for Vincent.

"Folashadé, I won't say it again," he said in a mixture of that same warning tone and a slight plea.

"What do you want to know," I finally spoke up, looking up at the ceiling of the pavilion to blink away any tears of embarrassment that may have been coming underway.

"When did it start," he questioned.

"What is 'it'? Because if it's sex, we didn't have sex," I told him, partially lying as my memory recalled the vivid image of Vincent performing some amazing oral sex on me.

"If it's not sex, then what is it," he asked, genuinely confused.

"He's just a person I talk to here and there; a good friend is a better way to put it. We're not like that, Frank," I told him, still unable to look him in the eye.

"Oh, bug off! I don't believe that! His Royal Highness has never just been friends with a woman and you're far too attractive to be an exception," he threw his arms in the air as he paced around the pavilion. He stopped and turned to me. "Tell me this, is he the reason you ended things with me," he pointed toward the castle as if the thousand-room structure represented the definition of the Prince.