Tease Me Page 10

  My little brother could be arrogant, sometimes annoying, but I was happy for him and wanted to help them celebrate this special time. Between all of those different responsibilities, I had no time to see Dallas.

  She’d called once, double-checking that the dress code was formal.

  “So formal, formal?” she’d asked.

  “Yes, Dallas, formal.”

  “Like a dress formal?” she’d said, sounding like she was disbelieving.

  “Like you are going to be in the presence of literal royalty formal,” I’d replied.

  “Like that’s supposed to impress me,” she’d answered, her laughter filling the line.

  That had been four days ago, and the last time I had spoken to her.

  Very seldom did that long pass between our conversations, but we were both incredibly busy. I was grateful for the space and the reprieve. I’d tried not to think about it, but my reaction to kissing and touching her had perplexed me.

  When I’d decided to sleep with Dallas, I’d believed I’d be able to keep my distance and not be affected by her.

  But I was affected.

  At the most random times, I would remember how soft her skin was, the taste of her lip gloss, her intoxicating scent.

  That was uncommon for me.

  I didn’t have the ability to compartmentalize. That was a part of the reason I’d never gotten serious with anyone. Sure, I was all about having fun and didn’t think about anyone who wasn’t directly in my presence.

  I’d thought of little else but her.

  I often thought of Dallas, but this was different and more than a little unnerving.

  I just tried to chalk it up to the novelty of the situation and told myself that I was moving in uncharted waters, so of course things wouldn’t be as they had always been before.

  The explanations were unconvincing, but did enough of the work to allow me to get through the week to the engagement party.

  Aaron had rented a local university’s law library to host the festivities. I didn’t quite get it, but he had assured me that Cree would love it, and I was in no position to argue.

  I’d offered to cater, but he insisted that I be there for the party, so I’d given him the name of a local colleague who always did fantastic work.

  By seven that evening, I was fully dressed and prepared to go, when I walked into my living room and found my older brother, Leo, standing there.

  Leo was a tall, imposing figure with dark hair, even darker eyes that I still sometimes had trouble reading. He looked me up and down, his expression sharp, and I waited for a moment, wondering what his verdict would be.

  “You look presentable for once,” he said nonchalantly.

  I’d shaved, cut my hair, and donned one of those Medina-made tailored suits that I tried to avoid whenever possible.

  “I knew you would approve,” I said.

  Leo laughed. “As though my approval means anything to you,” he said.

  “Leo, your approval means everything to me,” I said, not bothering to keep sarcasm out of my voice.

  “No respect at all. I’m going to be your king one day,” he said.

  “Until then, you’re just my brother, and it would be a failure on my part if I didn’t break your balls whenever I had the chance,” I said.

  Leo smiled. “I see more of Dallas’s colloquialisms are rubbing off on you,” he said.

  “Yeah, I guess so,” I responded.

  Leo didn’t look displeased, and it made me happy that he had finally gotten used to her.

  At first he had been skeptical, not understanding why exactly I had been so insistent on making her a part of my life, but over the years, he had softened toward her, and in fact appreciated her. It wouldn’t have made a difference if he hadn’t, but to know that Leo saw at least a little bit of what I did in her, and saw how valuable her friendship was to me, was something I treasured.

  “Speaking of kings—” I said as I crossed the penthouse floor, headed toward the door.

  A shadow crossed Leo’s face, which told me all I needed.

  “So I take it Father is in town,” I said.

  “He’s in town,” Leo said, his voice flat, not giving anything away, though I knew frustration lay just underneath the surface.

  “He’s not going to try anything stupid?” I asked, annoyed that I even had to ask the question but knowing it was necessary. Father was reckless and unpredictable, traits I’d never cared for and liked even less when something as important as Aaron’s engagement party was on the line.

  “I made it very clear to him that he is to be on his best behavior.” Leo shrugged. “Which in the end means nothing, but he shouldn’t be on his worst behavior.”

  “What does it say that that feeble reassurance qualifies as a relief?” I asked.

  “It says you understand your father,” Leo said.

  I didn’t have a comeback for that, and yet again I took a moment to thank God that I wasn’t in Leo’s shoes. The pressure of managing my father, the kingdom, the businesses, was something I could scarcely fathom.

  He did it all with extreme skill and aplomb, but I knew that sometimes, especially when it came to my father, the burdens weighed on him.

  “How do they say? It is what it is,” Leo said.

  “Yeah, that’s it,” I said, smiling, the idea of my rigid, regal brother using slang one far too amusing to ignore.

  “Then it is that. Father hasn’t changed in seventy years, so I wouldn’t expect him to now. But let’s ignore that, and go and celebrate with our brother,” he said.

  “Are we going to ride together?” I asked as we stepped into the elevator.

  “You know that would be a grave violation of protocol,” Leo said.

  “Right,” I responded, for a moment having forgotten that long-standing rule.

  As the heir and second in line to the throne, Leo and I were never to ride in cars together, and certainly not fly together. It was a form of insurance for the royal line, and for a moment I wondered how I had forgotten that.

  Felt a moment of guilt that I had.

  I was off working toward opening my restaurant, able to forget some of the strictures of being a member of my family.

  But Leo never had that luxury, and I couldn’t get over how unfair it was that he had to shoulder the burden alone.

  “Is there something you need me to do? Something I can help you with in the kingdom?” I asked as we reached the bottom floor.

  Leo looked over at me, quizzical.

  “Why so suspicious? Can’t I offer to help my brother?” I said.

  “I suppose. But you’ve never been interested in offering that kind of assistance,” he said.

  “Yeah. Well I’m offering it now,” I said, trying not to sound defensive.

  Leo didn’t exactly soften, but I saw some glimmer of appreciation. “If there is something I need, I’ll let you know,” he said.

  He stepped toward the black SUV that was waiting for him, and I moved toward another.

  I would have been completely fine with driving myself, but in some situations, ones like these, I found it better to go with the flow. And on occasions like these, I had no problem accepting my role and celebrating with Aaron.

  As the SUV headed toward its destination, I grabbed my phone and dialed Dallas’s number. The phone rang four times, then voicemail picked up. I felt a fleeting sense of disappointment, but told myself it was no big deal. After all, I’d reached out to her at the spur of the moment, but was kicking myself for not thinking about it earlier.

  It would have been perfectly acceptable to give her a ride to the party, and though I certainly wouldn’t admit it out loud, I wouldn’t have minded seeing her a little bit sooner.

  But I was okay. Because I would see her soon enough. In the meantime I would think about Aaron and celebrating him.

  When we arrived at the library, we found it completely decorated, the previously foreboding exterior almost unrecognizable.

&nbs
p; “They cleaned the place up nicely,” Leo said.

  “Yeah. When Aaron told me he wanted to have a party at a library I thought he was nuts, but it looks like he was on to something,” I said.

  “Indeed. It’s funny to imagine him being so thoughtful, but I suppose love can do that to people,” Leo said.

  “I suppose,” I replied.

  We went inside, the low strands of orchestral music greeting us, followed by the low hum of a crowd.

  I knew both Aaron and Cree were selective about their friends, but in this instance, he had relented and allowed Leo to add people of his own to the guest list.

  As a result, several hundred people had gathered in the library and adjacent lawn, and I was instantly reminded of countless similar events I had attended both here and in Medina.

  Initially, I was struck by that same distaste that often hit me when I was home, but then I glimpsed across the lawn and saw Aaron and Cree and was again instantly happy.

  “There’s the happy couple,” I said to Leo.

  “Indeed. I’ll find them later. I need to talk to a contact,” he said.

  I smiled, then watched Leo as he stalked across the lawn, the person he was seeking clearly in his sights.

  He really was cut out for this. He’d never learned how to turn it off, but that was a good thing for me.

  Our family and kingdom would do well under his stewardship. I just hoped he would do well too.

  Again reminding myself that I would do what I could to make sure Leo was okay, I crossed the lawn and headed toward Cree and Aaron.

  “Kris.”

  That word, and the voice it was spoken in stopped me in my tracks.

  I frowned, debated walking away, but knew that doing so would be considered rude, and at least in this circumstance, it was incumbent upon me to be on my best behavior.

  “Marta, how many times have I had to tell you that my name is Kristian?” I said as I turned.

  Marta’s face, which was immaculately made-up, perfectly constructed, beautiful, twisted into a frown, but not one that did anything to detract from her looks.

  “You didn’t mind before,” she said, stalking toward me on sky-high heels.

  “Because I was an idiot before. Not anymore,” I said.

  She stopped in front of me, looked up at me from the foot height distance between us as she threw her hands on my biceps.

  “Always such a trickster,” she said.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked.

  Marta was the daughter of one of Medina’s richest families. But being rich wasn’t enough for her and her scheming parents who wouldn’t be happy until she could call herself royalty. I had been her target, but only because I was convenient. Aaron, Leo, or anyone else who could make her a princess would have been fine.

  “Your father invited me,” she said, her thin red lips turning up into a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

  “Then why don’t you go find him and thank him,” I said.

  “And miss catching up with you, old friend?” she whispered, trying to sound sexy.

  I glared at her, her dark hair luxurious under the lights that lit the lawn, the red dress she wore clinging to her slender curves. Wondered again what I had seen in her. Just as quickly realized I hadn’t seen anything in her because there was nothing to see.

  For years, I had been convinced Marta was the most beautiful woman I had ever encountered, but when I looked at her now, all I saw was her desperation, her willingness to do absolutely anything to get what she wanted.

  “There’s nothing we have to say to each other,” I said.

  “Come now, Kris. Don’t be like that,” she said, fluttering her lashes.

  There had been a time when Marta batting her eyes would have snuck through my defenses, but this time when I looked at her, instead I thought of Dallas, how her lashes seemed just as long, but weren’t weighed down with heavy mascara. How she would never try to use them to influence me.

  I also thought about how Marta was the one thing that had threatened to come between us.

  One day, after more than half a bottle of tequila, Dallas had admitted she thought Marta was a gold digger and told me I should be careful.

  I’d had the other half of that bottle, and though I couldn’t necessarily argue with what Dallas had said, my common sense had been shaken. I’d been a lovesick fool back then, blinded by sex. I’d told Dallas that Marta thought she was just a hanger-on, someone who was trying to live above her station.

  Even now, more than a decade later, I could remember how Dallas had sobered, the effect of the tequila seeming to leave her body.

  She’d asked if that was what I thought, and even through my alcohol-muddied mind, I’d sensed how important the moment was.

  I’d been torn, not sure what to do or say, but in the end I’d laughed it off. Told her of course not.

  She hadn’t believed me, but she had given me a moment of grace and let that pass.

  Two long weeks had passed until we had spoken again, and though we had never officially addressed it, I knew it had taken Dallas a while to forgive me for that insinuation.

  I was glad she had, and even more glad that I had seen reason.

  I had been too drunk on Marta’s beauty and fooled by her falseness to see, but after that conversation with Dallas, I’d had no more illusions about Marta.

  She’d been heartbroken, more so over losing her chance to become a princess than losing me, and I had taken shit from my father, even a little bit from Leo, but breaking things off with her had been right, and I had Dallas to thank for it.

  Marta was nothing if not dedicated, though, and the look in her eye, one that was somewhere between predator and come-on, and altogether unappealing, told me she hadn’t quite given up on things yet, even after all these years.

  I wondered at this development.

  I hadn’t seen Marta for three years, so why was she pouncing now?

  I heard a hearty laugh, then glanced over and saw my father surrounded by a group of people, him the center of attention just as he always wanted to be.

  He undoubtedly had something to do with Marta being here, but I wouldn’t give him, or her, the time and attention it would take to make sure neither of them got any other ideas.

  “So, Kristian,” Marta said, slinking a little bit closer. “I know it’s been a long time, but—”

  “Marta! Marta Rivar!”

  At the sound of the loud voice that could have only been Dallas’s, I looked up, but didn’t recognize her at first.

  I glanced around, then settled my gaze on the woman walking toward me. My best friend, but one I had never seen like I was seeing her right now.

  She looked absolutely radiant, beautiful, irresistible, and I noted that I wasn’t the only one noticing.

  She got appreciative glances from the men, curious glances from the women, and from Marta, a pure scowl.

  I felt frozen to the spot, trying to react to this Dallas in front of me.

  She wore a knee-length gold dress, the material clinging to her shape.

  She’d pulled her hair back, the dark ponytail and simple face makeup, which was accentuated by a little splash of gold eye shadow.

  I was shocked out of my complacency when Dallas came to stand next to me, subtly placing her body between Marta’s and mine.

  I glanced over at her, smiled, trying to figure out what she was up to, but then decided I didn’t care.

  Dallas smiled bright, and Marta still scowled, though if Dallas noticed, it didn’t show in her demeanor. In fact, her expression was completely exuberant, something that was incredibly confusing given how she felt about Marta. She was definitely up to something, and I was interested to watch this play out.

  “Marta! So surprised to see you here,” she said, her smile as bright as I had ever seen it, her eyes as sharp as daggers.

  “Dallas,” Marta said, her voice pouty, her expression turning down.

  “How have you been?” Dallas a
sked, extending her hands in preparation for the traditional Medina greeting.

  Marta, who had been trained well as a child, looked like she would rather handle a snake, but she certainly wouldn’t ignore Dallas because doing so would be an admission of defeat.

  Instead she leaned forward, clasped both of Dallas’s hands with hers, and the two women proceeded to give each other air kisses on each cheek.

  “Oh!” Dallas said, blinking furiously. “Am I interrupting something?”

  “Yes.”

  “No.”

  I glanced at Dallas, who looked back at me, everything about her telling me it was all she could do not to laugh.

  “No, you’re not interrupting anything,” I interjected, ready for this interlude to be over.

  “I’ll be here for the next several months. I’m sure I’ll find a way to catch up with you, Kristian,” Marta said.

  She paid Dallas no attention at all, made it clear that her words didn’t include her, and then stiffly turned and walked away.

  “Wow, so I can see your girlfriend is still a giant heifer,” Dallas said.

  I chuckled low then shook my head at Dallas. “You know she hasn’t been my girlfriend in several years,” I said.

  “Did she get the memo? I know when somebody is on the prowl, Kristian,” Dallas said.

  “Whether or not she got the memo is none of my concern. Just as whatever she wants isn’t either. I’m here to enjoy my brother’s engagement,” I said.

  “Me too. And was I interrupting?” she asked, a moment’s uncertainty crossing her expression.

  “Interrupting? You rescued me,” I said.

  I lifted my hand and Dallas followed through with a high five. I had thought the gesture silly, somewhat juvenile, but Dallas loved it, and over the years it had become another part of the tapestry that was our friendship.

  “You’re not so bad when you clean up, your highness,” she said, picking a stray piece of lint off my shoulder.

  “A faint compliment, but I won’t be quite as stingy as you,” I said.

  Dallas quirked a brow, her request that I continue apparent.

  “You look beautiful, Dallas,” I said.

  I’d intended the words to come out light, truthful, but not overly heavy.