Royal Cocktail by J. Kenner
Chapter Sixteen
Skye practically dancedout of the ladies’ room on Leo’s arm. She felt giddy. Powerful. And Leo seemed pretty happy himself.
“You’re looking quite smug,” Leo said, his voice teasing.
“I feel … smug. I’ve never done that before.”
Leo’s brows rose. “I believe you have.”
She bit back a laugh, remembering their night together two years ago.
“Fine. Never in a bathroom at a bar, I mean.”
“Well, that’s two of us.”
She glanced around as they walked hand in hand back to their table, noticing the girls sitting nearby, watching and giggling.
“Do you think they know what we were doing?” Skye whispered the question, feeling partly embarrassed and at the same time weirdly proud and powerful.
“Possibly,” Leo admitted. “But they might also be watching because I almost punched that guy. A bar fight tends to draw attention.”
Her stomach twisted as she realized the implications. “Leo—you…” She trailed off. He’d put himself out there for her, and that had been a mistake. Those girls probably were taking his picture, and if they were posting about the hot guy doing macho stuff in a bar, then the odds were good that someone would recognize him.
She drew a breath, saying a silent prayer despite knowing it would do no good whatsoever.
At the door, Jürgen fell in step beside them. Skye glanced at him and knew that her fears weren’t stupid. His brow was furrowed, and he was frowning at his phone. And considering his sole purpose was to keep Leo safe, she had a feeling she knew what he was frowning about.
“We should go back to the hotel, Sire.”
“We are,” Leo said, squeezing Skye’s hand. If he was thinking about the possible public relations nightmare or the blowing of his cover in Austin, he wasn’t showing it.
They walked to the corner in silence, Jürgen settling in several paces behind them.
“Maybe you should just walk me home,” she whispered, because he needed a way out. Surely he realized the risk. She didn’t want him to feel obligated to continue their evening when it could blow up his whole life. If they hadn’t already blown it up.
God, what had she started?
“Back to your condo?”
She nodded. “It’s late.” It wasn’t even ten. She sounded like an idiot.
“I could walk you home,” he said easily. “You could spend the rest of the evening watching TV with Bart.” He squeezed her hand, then tugged her to a stop as he leaned closer to whisper in her ear. “Or I could invite you to my room, strip you bare, and make love to you. Personally, I’m leaning toward the latter.”
“Leo—those girls.”
“Aren’t welcome in my room.”
She couldn’t hold back the laughter that bubbled up. “Glad to … hear that.”
“Are you with me?”
She nodded, her throat thick. “Always.”
They’d reached the hotel, and he led her inside, then to the small elevator bank. They rode up with Jürgen, fingers twined, and as soon as the car stopped, she took a step forward, eager to be alone with him in the room.
But then the doors slid open, and she was blinking as those same girls from the bar giggled and snapped photos. She had no idea how they’d discovered what floor he was on—they’d probably just guessed the penthouse—and they were breathless from what was undoubtedly a race up the stairs.
She froze, Leo’s hand tightening on hers as he stepped protectively in front of her.
Skye had no idea how he managed to get out so quickly, but Jürgen was not only already in the hallway, but he’d wrested the phones away from both the girls.
“Hey! You can’t do that!”
“This floor is for guests only.” He tapped on both screens, scowled, tapped some more, then handed the phones back. “Go,” he said. “Go now.”
One girl looked ready to protest, but the other took her arm and they raced toward the stairs.
“I deleted all photos from the bar until now,” Jürgen said. “But they’d already posted several. I can’t do anything about what’s already out there. This isn’t good, Sire.”
“I’ve been labeled as a bad boy prince at home for years. I’m just expanding my territory.”
“It’s not good for Skye,” Jürgen said.
Beside her, Leo sighed. “No. It’s not.” He dragged his fingers through his hair, looking defeated. As far as Skye was concerned, the look didn’t suit him at all.
“You should go,” he said. “Jürgen can walk you to your condo.”
“Leo, no.”
He shook his head, his expression miserable. “I can’t drag you into the spotlight on this. That would be like forcing you to live your worst nightmare.”
She shook her head. “No, you’re wrong. You’re my sweetest dream, Leo. That erases all the nightmares.”
He took her hand and gently kissed her fingertips. “I am so glad that we found each other again, but we both know it can’t last. It ends now, because I can’t stand the thought that you’ll be sacrificed on the altar of social media. I’m sorry, sweetheart. But you know I’m right.”
He turned to Jürgen. “Get her home safely.”
And then, his face colored with misery, the man she loved turned his back on her and disappeared into his suite.
