“How are my favorite girls this morning?” he asked, slumping into the chair on the other side of Mattie. “It’s too damn early to not have a coffee in front of me.”
Waiters appeared, coffee in hand, and I was going to guess that this was how Nolan started every morning and they were very familiar with his needs.
I placed my order, intrigued by the fresh juice selection. I’d never had a “cold-pressed juice.” Now seemed as good a time as any to find out what that was.
“It’s the way they juice it,” Mattie told me when I laughed at the name. “And they’re delicious. All the fruits and vegetables are grown organically in the huge greenhouses out at the back of the school. Are you in any horticulture classes?”
I shook my head. “Nah, I pretty much grew up in a concrete jungle, and the closest we got to fresh plants was the mold in the back of the damp room.”
Mattie and Nolan both stared at me for an extended moment, and I could tell they were trying to figure out if I was joking or not. When I didn’t smile or laugh, Mattie wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “I’m so glad we got you out of there.”
Like it had been her personally who’d chosen the Princess Ballot winner.
Rafe showed up at our table just as my food and fancy juice arrived, and though he was back in uniform, I couldn’t forget that all black outfit. Already well-equipped to look dark and dangerous, Rafe had really stepped that vibe up last night. Whatever he’d been dressed for spoke of activities that might not be school approved.
Activities I wanted to know about, especially if Nolan, who I already considered a friend, was part of them as well. That injury could have been lethal had it hit a little higher and deeper. It bothered Mattie, and it was bothering me.
If Rafe got one of my only friends killed, I was going to destroy him.
“You look tired,” I commented, levelling a direct stare at the handsome Swiss heir. He didn’t—he looked incredible—but I couldn’t stop myself from pushing the issue. “Big night last night?”
His brow lifted, and I noticed a small white scar running through the end of it. Somehow I doubted he’d gotten that playing croquet or whatever princes did in their spare time. Oh right. Soccer. Yeah… still, I’d put money on it being a scar from a bladed weapon.
“Nothing unusual,” he drawled back, his lip curled into a slight sneer—a face I was coming to think of as his “Violet’s near” face. “But nice to know you’re taking such an interest in my appearance, Cinderella. Need a pic for your shiny new palm reader?”
I gaped, at a loss for a snappy comeback. In fairness, I hadn’t really known where I was going with that line of questioning, but I definitely wasn’t awake enough for this level of snark.
Before I could formulate my cutting response, Rafe reached across the table and snatched my hand in his. A small sound of protest squeaked from my throat, but he was quick. He’d already flipped out the camera attachment and taken a selfie on my palm reader before I could wrench my arm out of his grip.
“There, now you can stop staring in public.” His smirk was all perfection and cruelty. “And hey, now you have a visual aid when you’re touching yourself later.”
My cheeks instantly heated, and I spluttered. “You fucking wish I’d be picturing you. Crazy as it seems, even in my sexual fantasies I prefer men with slightly better personalities.”
Nolan choked on his drink, and Mattie patted him on the back while stifling a laugh herself.
“Sure you do, charity case,” Rafe replied, his self-confident smirk still in place as he slouched in his chair. His arms folded across his chest, making his tanned forearms flex beneath rolled-up shirtsleeves.
Ugh, fuck. What was it about rolled-up shirtsleeves? So. Freaking. Sexy.
What a shame the arms in question belonged to such a self-important fuck.
I pasted on a sarcastic smile. “I suddenly lost my appetite. I’ll catch you guys later.” This last part was directed to Mattie and Nolan as I scraped my chair back and hefted my bag over my shoulder. Rafe I didn’t spare a second glance at, but I could feel his smug smile as I walked away from the table. His table. He’d made that crystal fucking clear.
On my way out of the dining hall, I was so lost in mentally berating myself, that I totally didn’t see the person coming the other way until my shoulder smacked into his.
“Whoa, you okay?” Jordan’s hands gripped my shoulders, preventing me from falling flat on my face. Not that I would have—my reflexes and training were better than that—but any other girl would have.
“Shit, I’m sorry,” I replied, shaking my head. “I was a million miles away.”
His brows rose, and his dark brown eyes studied me with intensity. “I see that. Something wrong?”
I shook my head but couldn’t prevent a small glance back into the dining hall. At Rafe. “Nope, all good. Just got a ton of schoolwork to catch up on. You guys really don’t slouch in the academics here.”
A small smile hit his lips, even as his gaze drifted over to his table, to where his friends sat. “Arbon Academy didn’t get it's reputation by producing mediocre graduates,” he commented, but sounded distracted.
I snorted a small laugh. “You got that right. Anyway, sorry for bumping into you.”
I started to move past him, and his gaze snapped back to me with an intensity that made my heart rate gallop.
“Hey, I know not everyone is being super welcoming…” He trailed off, and I got his implication. Rafe. Rafe was being a dick, and his friends had noticed. Thank fuck it wasn’t just in my head. “But if things go too far, if you need any help, just hit me up. Okay? Mattie said she gave you my number already?”
Stunned, I nodded. “Uh, yeah. I think so.” I held up my wrist to show him my new palm reader. “After I work out how to use this.”
A small smile touched his lips, and I needed to blink a couple of times to keep from going all weak at the knees. If people knew how fucking gorgeous the heir to New America was… but then that was part of the reason why people didn’t know. In history, several royals had been killed in paparazzi pursuits, all because people had become too enamored with their lives.
“Well, when you work it out, I’m just a click away. Us Americans have to watch out for each other.” His eyes sparkled with amusement, and I got the heavy sense he had an ulterior motive. What? I had no clue. But this wasn’t just out of the goodness of his heart. Not when his best friend hated me so much for no damn reason.
“Uh-huh, thanks.” I glanced down the hallway, trying to remember where my first class of the day was located. “I should go.”
Jordan gave me another scrutinizing look, accompanied by a smile. “Of course, sorry to keep you.”
I gave him a tight smile back and hurried away with the distinct feeling of his gaze following me. What his game was, I had no idea. He was up to something, though.
Chapter 11
Classes that week left me feeling light-headed and exhausted, but… I kinda loved it. I was learning, and that gave me this crazy, fizzy sense of hope like nothing I’d ever felt in my life. State college would have set me up for one of the few career paths available to someone in my position: personal assistant, lab technician, or something in the cleaning sector of an upper class home.