Her cousin Blair opened the door. She was in a tank top and shorts and completely without make-up. “Hello there, Prince Charming,” she greeted, giving him a once over.
“Is Her Highness ready?”
“Ooh, so formal. Stefan’s not around.” She gestured to the sunken living room. “Would you like something to drink? Lexie will be down in a minute.”
“I’m fine. Thanks.” His ass sank like a hot knife in butter into a plush velvet couch ,and because it was polite, he asked, “How is everything?” Fuck. He was beginning to sound like Her Highness herself.
“I’m busy,” Blair tossed her head, a shampoo commercial worthy kind of toss that made her long hair swing to and fro. “Auditioning. Absolutely crushed though. I just had to turn down a reality show. Apparently, the producers wanted me and Lexie as a package deal. I would have totally gone for it, but Stefan totally went ballistic. Can you believe it?”
He could bloody well believe it. What Nic couldn’t believe was Blair actually thinking the idea had a chance with the Prince. Nic was alerted by some sixth sense and true enough, he saw Lexie gliding down the grand marble staircase silently. Dressed in a white shirt and denims with her hair in a ponytail, she looked very young and carefree. He swallowed a lump that had suddenly formed in his throat.
“Good evening, Nic,” she greeted politely. Her cat eyes appeared more green with the light bouncing from the floor to ceiling windows in the foyer.
“Buenas tardes, Princesa Alexandria,” he answered in melodic Spanish.
“I think I’m going to swoon now,” Blair said dramatically. “I just have this thing for men with accents.”
From his peripheral vision, he caught Lexie doing some good-natured eye rolling.
“Shall we?” He gestured for Lexie to precede him to the door and guided her inside his rental sedan.
“Have a good time, kids,” Blair called out. “Oh, and Nic, remember she has to be back before midnight. Or else she turns back into a boring princess.” She laughed at her own cleverness.
Nic chuckled despite himself. Lexie buried her face in her palms and just shook her head as he pulled out of the driveway and began their drive to downtown LA.
From the rearview mirror, Nic spotted a black Camry following them. It was the bodyguards.
“Your cousin is quite a character,” he commented as several minutes of awkward silence reigned in the interior of the car. He could make out her faint lavender scent permeating the air.
“That’s very diplomatic of you,” she answered, staring ahead. “The truth is Blair is an overindulged, pampered, and spoiled young lady adept at twisting her father around her finger. But she is sweet and kind and always means well. I’m very fond of her.” Then as if realizing she had become too personal, she clamped her lovely mouth shut.
“I can see that,” he replied. She speared him a questioning glance. “You seem more natural around her.”
“Natural?” she echoed.
“More at ease.” Like you were with me that night in Vegas, the unbidden thought came. Regaining a modicum of familiarity with each other was not a bad thing, Nic reasoned. It would be easier carrying off a pretend relationship if he and Lexie weren’t all stiff around each other. Wrong choice of word there, mate. There was one thing that was perpetually stiff around her, and it was best kept under wraps.
To fill in the ensuing uneasy silence, he turned on the radio and unbelievably, a fucking Britney Spears song came on. He peeled his eyes off the traffic for a second to glance at her. She returned his look blankly.
Just as he was beginning to think she didn’t recognize who was singing on the radio, she deadpanned, “You are never going to let me forget my night of shame, are you?”
“I swear to God it wasn’t deliberate−“ then he saw the mirth lurking in her eyes.
The moment she knew that he knew he had been had again, peals of laughter burst forth from her luscious lips. Nic felt the answering tug on his lips and heartstrings. Shite! He was done for. He always had short-term memory when it came to her. It broke the iceberg between them.