PRINCE CHARMING: A Stepbrother Secret Baby Romance(23)

Quincy opened the door and turned to walk down the steps but stopped halfway as Pascal’s words ran through his head. He turned around with a curse and marched to Olivia’s rooms. He knocked once, and she answered with a disgruntled look on her face.

“Hi,” she said with none of the enthusiasm she’d had before when he’d seen her.

“You look upset. Did something happen?”

“No, no, I don’t think so.”

“How can you be unsure?”

“I don’t know, I just can. Did you want something? I’m in the middle of having a panic attack.”

Quincy’s lips turned up in a smile. “About the ball and your new friend Edric, perhaps?”

She backed up a step. “Why does everyone know everything in this damn place?”

“Welcome to life in a palace.” He held out his hand for hers. “Come on, I want to show you something.”

“Right now? What is it?”

“Surprise. Let’s go before we lose the light.”

Her eyes darted back to her rooms, and he saw the second guess on her face for just a moment before she stepped out, closing her door behind her. Her hand slipped into his, and he pulled her through the palace, down the main steps, and through a long stone corridor that led to the courtyard. His heart pounded in his chest, and he realized how excited he was to share this with Olivia. He’d never taken anyone else there, but Olivia needed to see it.

She asked a few times where they were going once they passed through the other side of the courtyard and walked to the outer edge of the palace walls. He stopped at a statue of some ancestor or other, glanced around to make sure the coast was clear, and pulled on the statue’s arm.

“Holy crap,” Olivia muttered as a part of the stone wall pulled itself in and slid to the side. “This place has secret passages?”

“If you spend enough time looking, you’ll find everything this palace has to offer,” he teased. He ducked under the low doorway, and Olivia followed close on his heels. The corridor was dark, but he’d walked it enough times he knew exactly where he was going.

The air became fresh instead of dank and musty as they walked. They were close to the beach, and the sound of the waves echoed back to them, reverberating against the stones. After a few more yards, they stepped out onto a sandy path. Quincy spread his arms wide.

“Welcome to my sanctuary.”

She took a few more steps, and her mouth fell open. “Incredible.”

Behind them, the palace stretched up on the cliff face, standing sentinel along the coast. The waves and wind, over time, had carved out sections of stone around and beneath it, creating stone columns that disappeared beneath the waves. Stones rose up in other places, jutting out from the sandy shore covered in bright green palm leaves, with coral in shades of blues and oranges so vibrant they could be seen beneath the waves rolling in. Birds with bright red and yellow feathers called overhead and flew from one opening to another.

“When did you find this place?”

He moved beside her and looked up and around at the stones he’d stared at for so long. “I think I was twelve when I found the passage. Had to lose Pascal long enough to explore.”

“He was your servant back then, too? He’s not that old now.”

“No, just the son of my personal servant so he followed me around.”

“This is amazing. I’d stay here all the time… Paint here,” she said as she turned again to take in the view with wide eyes. “These are the types of views I wish we had in Nebraska.”

Quincy smiled at her happiness. He walked over to a large stone covered in moss and ferns and dug around in the sand at its base. There was a plastic bin to keep the sand out buried underneath, and he pulled it up on top of the sand. Inside was a blanket and at least two bottles of wine for him to drink whenever he came here. A few other random odds and ends littered the bottom, stones and shells he’d found over the years. While he laid out the blanket, Olivia crouched and picked up a dried starfish out of the bin.

“This really is your special place, isn’t it?”

He flattened out the corners of the old, blue and grey blanket. “Yes, it is. Come here any time I need to think or get away from the palace. Or if I just want to drink alone and listen to the waves roll in.”

“Why did you bring me here if it’s so special?” she asked and set the starfish down. Worry flashed across her face and she stood, looking towards the corridor.

“Because, for the time being, you can use this place to escape. I know this life isn’t always easy, and hiding in your room is never actually hiding in your room.” He glanced around and leaned back on his elbows as he laid on the blanket. “This is what it takes to really disappear for a few hours.”

He patted the blanket beside him, and she sat down beside him as he dragged the bin over and pulled out a bottle of wine. The file folders sat nearby, and he caught her glancing at them before quickly looking away.

“Are you sure you want to drink while you look through those?”

“Helps soften my mood so I’m not as critical.”

“You should be critical if you’re going to marry one of them.”

“Alright then,” he said and picked up the folders. “You be the critical one and I’ll drink.” He tossed them on her lap and grinned as she glared at him.