Cruel King (Royal Elite 0)

I should probably take him away before he spills all my secrets. Dan is a chatterbox when he’s drunk.

“Wow, okay.” Ronan fakes a gasp. “We need to fix that. I volunteer, mademoiselle.”

Xander pushes him out of the way. “I’m a month older than you and therefore, can go first.” He smiles. “If the lady would have me, of course.”

“My house. My rules.” Ronan puffs his chest then looks at me. “Why don’t you choose?”

I’m speechless, not knowing what to say to that.

“How about a drink instead?” Dan shouts.

“Hey, I’m a drinking king.” Ronan pats his chest. “No one can beat me.”

“Astrid can.” Dan massages my shoulders. “She has a weird high alcohol tolerance.”

That’s it. I’m taking a taxi and hauling Dan’s arse home.

Ronan eyes widen. “My hero.”

“Wait.” Xander gets impossibly close until I smell blueberry pie on him. “You’re that girl Captain brought into the pool house at the beginning of summer, aren’t you?”

Yup. The night I ruined my invisibility.

Why did I have to stumble into Levi back then?

“Oh. That one.” Even Ronan’s smile falls and the air shifts from playful to tension-filled.

“She’s an artist and hates athlete so screw off, Ro, ” Dan continues in a half-slur.

“My mother is into collecting,” Ronan offers with a half-smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Do you want to see?”

“Dan?” I ask. I need to talk to him and stop him from broadcasting my damn life to his football friends.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

Ronan directs us while Xander disappears with one of the girls. They all seem to be throwing themselves at the football team tonight.

Like a certain Nicole.

No. Nope. My mind isn’t going there.

Pressure perches on my chest whenever that image pops back in my head.

Dan leans on me, laughing and hooting whenever one of his teammates pass by or waves at him.

We go inside the room Ronan directed us to. It’s an office with a mahogany desk and chairs. All the walls are covered in impressionist artwork sorted from lighter to darker. All of them are shades of white, grey, and white.

Interesting choice of colours for a woman. Ronan’s mother must be alpha to the bone.

“What is it?” Dan blinks, fingering a Buddha bronze statue.

“Can we go home?”

“Now?” His brows scrunch. “The party just started.”

I want to mention that he’s been getting into too many parties lately, but I don’t want him to think I’m making all of this about me again.

“I know you don’t like these scenes,” he approaches and clutches my shoulders. “But it’s our last year, remember? We’re having all the fun so there will be no regrets. Wait.” He wipes under my eyes. “Were you crying?”