Brutal Prince (Brutal Birthright)

They joined the crowd once more, Lex plucking a glass of champagne off the nearest tray as if she’d been there all along.

She was right, Black did feel surprisingly calm the rest of the evening. They talked to all kinds of boring and important people, Lex laughing and joking as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Their naughty little liaison seemed to have invigorated her. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes sparkling. She looked happier and more excited than he’d ever seen before.

When the night was over, Black couldn’t consider it anything but a success.

They retrieved the rented car from the valet, Lex tipping him far too generously. They headed back into the thick of the city, driving down mostly empty roads.

It was well past midnight. Black was hoping he could coax Lex to stay the night at his flat. He wanted to make love to her properly, over an hour or two, when he could touch and taste every part of her to his heart’s content. Then he wanted to hold her in his arms all night long and wake up to her beautiful face in the morning.

He was just about to ask her if she’d like to come over, when their sedan was hit from the side by a delivery truck.

Black’s window exploded inward, showering the interior of the car with broken glass. His face was cut in a dozen places along the right side. Their smaller vehicle spun around once, twice, before coming to a rest up against a cement divider.

“Lex!” Black cried. “Are you alright?”

She had been flung against the passenger-side door. Her window had cracked, probably from her head striking against it, but it hadn’t broken. Her hair had been knocked loose from its bun once more, coming half undone. He could see blood running down the side of her face, staining the bodice of her gown. Her blue eyes looked dazed.

The driver of the delivery van cracked his door and stumbled out. He took one look at the other car, then bolted off down the street, weaving from side to side. Even in his shocked state, Black thought the man looked drunk. That was probably why he was running away. But he had abandoned his van, so Black was sure he would be able to track him down easily enough.

At the moment, he was much more concerned about Lex.

“Lex,” he said again. “Are you hurt?”

It was a stupid question. He could see the blood. But this time, Lex responded.

“No,” she said, “I’m alright. I’m fine.”

“I’ll call an ambulance,” Black said.

“No!” she said, quickly. “No need to do that. Really, I’m alright.”

“We’d better go to the hospital just to be sure,” Black said. “We’ll have to call a cab either way. The car’s not fit to drive.”

He touched her cheek softly, relieved she was alright.

He began to pick the shattered glass out of her hair. Large shards had caught there, glimmering in the dark strands.

But then he stopped.

He held up a piece of glass between his thumb and index finger. He turned it back and forth in the light from the street lamps.

It was much too regularly cut for a piece of broken glass. And the way that it sparkled and gleamed…

He was holding a diamond in his hand. A stone as large as a 5p piece. There were many more, stuck in her hair and scattered over the seat and floorboards of the car.

“Lex…” he said, his voice shaking.

She looked at him, her large blue eyes wide and bright. Her face was more beautiful than he’d ever seen it in the stark light from the street lamps, with the dark blood against the pale skin.

“I’m sorry, Byron,” she said.

She reached behind her and pulled the door handle open, slipping out the passenger side.

Black stared stupidly after her, not understanding what was happening. As he watched, Lex kicked off her high-heeled shoes, lifted the long hem of her dress, and began sprinting off down the street.

He tried to open his own door, but the metal had caved in from the impact with the van. He had to clamber over the stick shift, no easy task for a man his size.

He crawled out Lex’s door at last, dazed and stumbling. By the time he ran after her, she had already turned down one of the alleyways and disappeared.