Steel Princess (Royal Elite 2)

Which brings us to the now.

I slide in the passenger seat of the Ferrari as Aiden snaps his seatbelt in place.

Someone is pissed off.

“You know how rare it is to get dinner with Aunt and Uncle.”

He revs the engine to life. “Did I say anything?”

He doesn’t have to. I recognise the displeased energy surrounding him.

For some reason, I don’t want him to be angry after he offered me one of the most unforgettable nights of my life.

The car launches in the streets. It’s dark, but it’s stopped raining.

I turn to place my backpack in the backseat. Something makes a noise underneath it.

Frowning, I pull the object and find… a pack of condoms?

What in the actual…?

I thrust the pack in front of Aiden’s face. “What is this?”

He barely glances at it. “Condoms.”

“I know what they are, Mr Obvious. I’m asking what the hell are they doing here.” My breathing hitches. “Are they for Silver when you —”

“Stop.” He fixates me with a glare before focusing back on the road. “I told you that I didn’t fuck Queens, and I don’t lie to you. Is that clear?”

“Then what are they for? It sure as shit isn’t for me.”

“Astor leaves them around me all the time, usually in my bag.” He rolls his eyes. “Flip it and you’ll find some cheesy note.”

I do as he said and find a scribble in Ronan’s signature messy handwriting.

Wrap it before you tap it, mate. I don’t want kids running around at my parties. Mmmkay?

A smile breaks on my lips. That’s so Ronan.

“Happy now?” Aiden asks.

I bite my inner cheek. “Sorry.”

“You need to learn how to trust me.” He glances at me. “It won’t work if I’m the only one who trusts you.”

I suck more on my inner cheek.

He trusts me.

But then again, I never gave him a reason not to trust me.

Unlike him.

I opt to change the subject instead of going on a fruitless argument.

I shake the pack. “Why do you never use condoms with me?”

He narrows his eyes — probably because of the change of subject — and I expect him to refuse, but he focuses back on the road and says, “They’re a barrier. I hate having barriers between us.”