Twisted Kingdom (Royal Elite 3)

I try to fight the wave of disappointment but lose. We’re only going to the Meet Up because of Cole. Not that I should be disappointed.

I shouldn’t.

“Why did you come with me willingly?” he asks out of the blue.

“I… don’t know.” And I really don’t. I wasn’t in the right state of mind.

Maybe it’s because I was worried about him and was remembering the past.

Or maybe it’s because I miss him. I’m like a beggar, pleading for crumbs and glimpses of him to satiate the thirst and craving inside of me.

I hate myself for missing him. Why is it impossible to not miss him?

Tilting sideways, I watch him closely, his black hair and irresistible eyes that could tell a thousand stories. His built and his easy confidence.

He must have something alien in his blood. No. I’m sure he does. Otherwise, how come he draws me in so effortlessly?

“Do you remember the time we spent together ten years ago?” I ask before I can stop myself.

He nods, eyes darkening. “And you don’t.”

My heart skips a beat. He hates it. Oh, my God. He hates that I don’t remember him from back then. It must be why he’s been such a dick all this time, calling me Frozen and heartless.

Can I blame him, though? I would’ve been so heartbroken if he forgot about me.

“It’s not by choice.” I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “Besides, I remember a few things.”

“Hmm. Like what?”

“Like spending a lot of time with you and talking. I don’t think you ever gave me your name because I kept thinking about you as the boy with grey eyes.”

“You spent the entire night with me.” He smiles a little. “You wouldn’t leave even when I told you to.”

“I did not!” My cheeks flame with embarrassment.

“I’m the one with the memories, remember?” His lips tilt with a smirk. “You wiped my face with a wet cloth then covered me with a blanket just so you could slip underneath it with me. Oh, you also held my hand and kissed my cheek. Child Elsa was a stage five clinger.”

Is there a hole I can bury myself in it?

Still, I jut my chin. “You’re only saying that because I don’t remember.”

He takes my hand and lifts it to his face. He flattens my palm over his mouth and kisses it so tenderly, a shock ripples through my entire body.

Heat flashes over my skin like rapid fire and shoots straight to my bones.

Oh, God.

I can handle the intense, dirty side of Aiden — sometimes — but I’m completely helpless in front of his soft side.

“You look fucking adorable when you’re shy.”

He lowers my hand and keeps it on his thigh, tucked in his like it’s his most prized possession.

Our fingers interlace. My smaller hand in his bigger one. My feminine fingers against his long, masculine ones.

I’m tempted to remove it, but I love the warmth too much. Besides, I’m still in shock from the way he kissed my palm.

I’m contemplating poking him to stir his ugly side just so I can prove his harsh part always wins. That his soft side is an illusion and a mindfuck.