Instant spotlight on me. I felt it every time. My smile automatically wanted to go into public-relations mode. I resisted the urge. This was Lucian’s friend. “Yes.”
Lucian grunted, then inclined his head. “Emma, this lummox is Axel Bromwell. We call him Brommy.”
“We hockey players love our nicknames.” Brommy extended a bear paw for me to shake. But he lifted my hand and kissed the air over my knuckles. “Princess Anya. It is a pleasure.”
“Emma, please.” It was awkward enough with Lucian stiff at my side.
“Jesus, Brom, cut it out,” Lucian grumped. “She’s not her character.”
Brommy rolled his eyes. “I know that. You stored your stick up your ass, didn’t you?” He didn’t appear to be bothered by this notion, though, and took my hand to link our arms. “Sorry about that, Emma. Momentarily starstruck is all. I’m okay now.”
I snickered, and he winked, eyes bright. “But feel free to pull out a whip if I misbehave again.”
Princess Anya had been handy with a whip.
Behind me Lucian growled an unintelligible curse. Ignoring him, Brommy led me to the table, where two other newcomers waited. I noticed the man immediately. How could I not? He was a slightly washed-out version of Lucian—same basic bone structure, though his nose was slimmer, more elegant, and his face a bit narrower.
His hair wasn’t the rich, bittersweet-chocolate tinged with cherry highlights but was medium brown. He had green eyes under straight brows, but whereas Lucian’s and Amalie’s were stunningly pale like frosted-over jade, his were a warmer grape green. Beautiful in their own right and calculating.
The worst of it was he noticed my study of him and liked it. I had the idea that he assumed I was interested. I wasn’t. The man was gorgeous, but I didn’t feel a glimmer of attraction. It didn’t stop him from rising and kissing my hand as Brommy had done. But where Brommy made me want to laugh, this guy had me wanting to snatch my hand back as soon as possible.
“Hello, lovely,” he said. “I’m Anton.”
“Are you Lucian’s brother?”
Behind me Lucian made a noise that I interpreted as “As if.”
Anton’s smile was sly. “First cousin. I got the good genes.”
“Hmm.” My attention moved on to the woman who stood and was practically hopping from foot to foot with impatience. She was probably a few years younger than me and cute as hell.
She, too, had brown hair, although hers curled in a bouncy halo around the oval of her face. And those grape-green eyes.
“Tina,” she blurted out, shoving Anton to the side. Either she was strong as hell, or he was used to her pushing him out of the way. Probably both. “Anton’s sister and Luc’s cousin. And oh my God, I’m going to be a dork like Brommy, because I just love, love, love Dark Castle, and I can’t believe Mamie didn’t warn us you were here. I’d have worn something cuter, gotten my nails done, something, anything, to mark this momentous occasion—”
“Breathe, Tiny,” Lucian cut in, amused.
She immediately let out an expansive breath and wrinkled her nose. “Shit. I am such a goober.”
Laughing, I shook her hand. “No, you’re wonderful.”
Tina grinned at that. “I’ll calm down in a second, I promise.”
“Good, I wouldn’t want to get my whip.”
Lucian grunted—the one I knew meant “Lord help me.” I shot him a side-look, but his expression remained bland. He stood fairly close, just to the right of me, but it was as though his entire body leaned toward the pool house. He wanted to escape. Badly. But he was rooted to the spot.
I felt for him. Especially when everyone took their seats, and Tina pulled out one for me, leaving an empty one next to mine for Lucian. He hesitated. These were his cousins and good friend; he might have had a chance to run off, but then Amalie came out of the house, crimson silk caftan flowing, a beaming smile on her face. And I knew Lucian’s chances of retreat were gone.
He obviously did too. With a sigh, he plopped down in the chair.
“Ah, good, you two are back.” Amalie grinned, her red mouth wide as she sat at the head of the table, a queen at court. “We can have lunch.”
This being Rosemont, no sooner had she announced this than the waitstaff arrived carrying plates. It wasn’t lost on me—or, I suspect, Lucian—that they had exactly the right amount of meals to serve all of us.
Curiosity had me wanting to see this whole strange reunion play out, but I was starving, and when the plate was set before me, bearing a personal-size quiche with a side salad of baby greens, my stomach actually rumbled.
From under his unfairly long lashes, Lucian shot me a look, the corners of his mouth twitching. He’d heard.
“I told you I was hungry,” I muttered to him.
Those expressive lips twitched again. “We’ll have to work harder at keeping you fed, bee.”
He said it so low, barely moving his mouth, that I was certain only I could hear it. But Anton was watching too closely, and his gaze darted between us. “So, Luc, you’re dating the princess. Nice move.”
My eyes narrowed.
Lucian sat back in a lazy sprawl of limbs that belied the tight warning in his voice. “Emma is a guest of Mamie’s, Ant. Remember that, will you?”
By the way Anton scowled, I doubted he liked his nickname, but before he could respond, Amalie nodded with an elegant wave of her hand.
“This is true. You boys keep Emma out of your squabbles.”
Which all but guaranteed I’d be the center of them.
I turned toward a still wide-eyed Tina. “They fight often, do they?”
Tina appeared amused but resigned. “Since they were kids. Doesn’t help that they both play center.”
“Both played,” Anton corrected, like an ass. “I am not retired. Thank Christ.”
His declaration fell like a lead ball onto the table. And my heart ached for Lucian. Even Anton seemed to realize how horrible he’d been. He grimaced, his face twisting with genuine remorse. “Shit, sorry, Luc.”
Lucian might as well have been made from granite. “No problem.”
Brommy, who had been given two quiches, leaned in and caught my eye. “Ant is just salty because we kick his ass during every playoff. Isn’t that right, Ant-Man?”
Anton smirked. “Kicked your ass last year, didn’t I, Bromide?”
“That’s because we didn’t have—shit. Sorry, Oz.” He ducked his head and shoveled a hunk of quiche in his mouth.
They didn’t have Lucian playing for them. He must have missed the last bit of the season.
Lucian suddenly snorted. “Well, this is fun.”
Brommy lifted his head and winked. “Just like old times.”
Lucian chuffed out a weak laugh and started to eat. I relaxed enough to do the same. The food was, as expected, delicious.
“What is in this quiche?” I asked, trying to hide my moan.
“Sun-dried tomatoes and gouda,” Amalie said.
“You cooking today, Mamie?” Anton asked with a sly look.
“It is a small thing to heat an oven, no?” The frost in her gaze dared him to say otherwise, and I smiled around my mouthful of food.