Her Off Limits Prince

The royal family's policy was not to comment on personal matters unless necessary. They didn't bother denying the rumors that inevitably swirled around them, unless such rumors got in the way of the country's best interests.

Any coupling of his name with Else's in the media would not.

Tor swept from the room with every bit as much cool, not to mention arrogance, as either of his older brothers could have done.

Blythe would do her best to remember to address him more formally in the future, but in her head, she knew he would always be Tor.

Sitting in one of the dark leather chairs in the library, she sighed. She could have handled that better, but she just knew this whole engagement thing was not on the up and up.

She was disproportionately disappointed that he would lie to his family that way.

Going over what had been said at the table, Blythe realized that Tor had never actually said he and Else were getting married, or even dating. He'd said things that could be taken to mean that though and had not disabused his father of the notion he had so clearly taken.

And Tor had cancelled his gap year.

Despite what he'd said, she couldn't help feeling responsible.

Okay, so he wasn't dating Else to get back at Blythe. Talk about self-important delusions. Clearly Blythe had done a bang-up job of convincing him she was not interested. At all.

Which was not the truth.

Blythe had never met a man who she was more interested in getting to know…in every way. But he was off limits.

That was not the message she'd gotten across, however.

So, of course he thought she was being extra, accusing him of trying to get back at her.

Only she was jealous. Whether it had been intended to hurt her, or not. The thought of him and Else together did hurt.

Even knowing that Else and Tor had zero sexual chemistry, Blythe had wanted to stand up and say that of course they were not dating.

And dating, or not, Else got to be Tor's friend in a way he and Blythe never would be. Never could be.

Because as much as she said she wanted them to be friends the night before, she knew that even friendship would be dangerous to her.

She wanted him too much.