Twisted Kingdom (Royal Elite 3)

“Aiden —”

“I chose you, Elsa.” He cuts me off, gripping the steering wheel so tightly, his knuckles turn white. “I chose you over my mother’s memory, my father, and everything I fucking know. But you never chose me.”

“I wasn’t going to agree to the engagement.” My voice trembles despite my best efforts to remain unaffected.

“You didn’t refuse either. If it were me, I would’ve done it on the spot.”

“Like you did with Silver?”

“That was fake and it happened long before you came along. It meant fuck all and you know it.” His eyes meet mine, dark, hard, and almost black. “But you were biding your time. You are thinking about something that should be non-negotiable.”

“I was thinking about a way to refuse without hurting my dad. I finally have him back, and I can’t cause him or his company any harm.”

He barks a humourless laugh that scrapes over my skin like daggers. “Your father, the company, your new family. They all come first. Where do I fit into your list of priorities, Frozen? Am I a fucking afterthought?”

“That’s not true.”

How the hell do I tell him that my world revolves around him when he’s so frustrating right now?

Damn him and the way he gets under my skin.

“While I was on the other end of the world, thinking about ways to come back to you sooner, you were thinking about your engagement,” he hisses the last word as if it leaves a foul taste in his mouth.

“I was thinking about you, dickhead! I was thinking about how my life is an empty shell without you in it. I was re-reading your texts in class because I couldn’t stop missing you. I had to run in the rain like a lunatic because of thinking about you. So don’t sit here telling me that you’re an afterthought, Aiden. If you were, I wouldn’t be in so much pain right now.”

My chest heaves with the raw breaths and the strain of my words. I turn my head in the other direction, not wanting to look at him.

The car swerves into a dirt road. We bump for a few seconds before coming to a screeching halt underneath a tree. If it weren’t for the seatbelt, I would’ve toppled over.

Still refusing to acknowledge him, I stare out into the distance. The flaming of my cheeks spreads to my entire body like a rapid-fire.

Aiden places two fingers under my chin. His touch is rough, yet gentle at the same time.

I jerk away. “I’m mad at you right now.”

“I told you. We can be mad at each other while I touch you.”

When he grips my chin again and turns me to face him, I’m ready to give him a piece of my mind. The hunger on his face stops me. It’s tangible and raw, so raw my own hunger responds in kind.

A jolt of want zips through me and deep longing grips me in its merciless clutches.

“You missed me, huh?” His metal eyes shine, almost becoming black.

“Maybe.”

“Maybe is good enough.” He pauses. “For now.”

His thumb grazes my jaw, and I feel it straight in my peaking nipples and slick core.

My breath catches, but that’s not the only thing abnormal. My heartbeat is palpitating like crazy. I’m not sure if it’s because of my illness or Aiden’s touch.

His fingers tilt my chin up and he captures my lips in a slow, soft kiss.

This isn’t the time to be soft.

I don’t want him to be gentle and take his time with my mouth. I want him to own me. I want him to fuck my brains out like he can’t breathe without me just like I can’t breathe without him.

Manoeuvring my bound hands, I loop them over his neck. My fingers grip strands of his hair as I push my tongue up the roof of his mouth, demanding more.