PRINCE CHARMING: A Stepbrother Secret Baby Romance(7)

“Don’t look at that one.”

“Why not?” he asked and stood so he was out of her reach.

“Just don’t.” She tried to grab it, but he moved too fast and stared down at the last image.

It was a self-portrait, but the woman standing before him and the woman in the image were two very different people. He was so stunned by the sadness in her eyes that he forgot to hold onto the sketchbook. She snatched it out of his hands and put it back in her suitcase, underneath everything else still in there.

“What happened?” he asked her quietly.

She tucked her hair behind her ears and shrugged. “Nothing really. Just went through a bit of a dark period in my life. Doesn’t everyone?”

“I guess so. I’m just glad you’re a happier person now.” As he said it he wanted to take back the words. They sounded lame. “Do you just sketch or do you paint too?” he said to change the subject.

“I do. Guess you could figure that part out pretty easily.”

“Nope, not at all.”

She laughed as she glanced down at her clothes. “New place. Needed something to remind me of home I guess. I wasn’t planning on leaving my room in this, don’t worry.”

He held up his hands. “Do you see me complaining? You’re talking to the man with more tattoos than his father knows about.”

“Do they mean something?”

“Some of them do, but others… I just thought they looked cool.” He rolled up his sleeves more so she could see them all. On his left arm was a twisted vine with thorns and roses, but it was far from colorful. It was dark. He, like Olivia, had gone through his own dark period, and that vine had represented everything he hated about his life. On his right arm was a sparrow sitting on a skull with flowers all around it, inside it, and leaving a trail up to his elbow. The skull matched the one on his hand, a set he had done at the same time.

Olivia reached out and her fingers trailed over the intricate designs. Quincy stiffened at her touch, not because it wasn’t welcome, but because he didn’t want it to stop. Having her near him made his gut flutter, and his heartbeat speed up more than it ever had in the presence of a woman before.

“They are very well done.”

“You have any tattoos?” he asked as she stepped back. He caught a flash of something in her eyes, but it was gone so quickly, he wasn’t sure if he’d actually seen it or not.

“Not at the moment, no.”

“So you’re an ink virgin,” he said and watched her whole body stiffen. He bit his tongue. She’s a real virgin, too? How the hell is that even possible, he thought as he stared at her body.

“Guess so,” she said and took a stack of clothes to the wardrobe.

He tried not to laugh in amazement at having such a unique person living just down the hall and started to unpack the rest of her things. He flipped the suitcase top closed and unzipped the front pouch. There was a pink bag in there. He glanced over his shoulder, but she hadn’t noticed yet, so he slowly pulled it out and dug through the pink tissue paper and felt something soft and lacy.

“What are you doing? Give me that!” she yelled, but it was too late.

Quincy grabbed whatever it was and pulled it free from the bag. It dropped to the floor, and he was holding a set of black lacy panties, bra, and a sexy teddy that almost caused him to blush. He looked up to see his future stepsister charge across the room, fuming and looking ready to kill him.





Chapter 3


At her first ever dinner at the palace, Olivia wanted nothing more than to hide away in her rooms. Her face was still red from watching Quincy pull out the ridiculous lingerie that Helen had insisted on sending with her. From the smirk still on his face as he sat across from her, he was still picturing them in his hands before she’d grabbed them and yelled at him to get out. She was pretty sure she’d threatened to strangle him at some point. Probably not the best idea since he was the prince, but if it bothered him, he didn’t show it.

“Olivia,” Lamont said from the head of the small table in the dining room. “Your mother tells me your art classes are going well?”

She bowed her head a bit. “Yes, they are. I’m working on my senior portfolio now. Or I’ll be trying to. I know I have royal stuff and wedding stuff to do, but maybe I’ll be able to find some time to complete it.”

“Nonsense. You just let Quincy know when you need time, and he’ll make sure you get it. I do expect you to be at the more important functions, but even I’ll admit that the dinners with the elite of our country are not always the most entertaining.” He laughed. “Your mother would know, too.”

“Yes I would, though, it wasn’t all that bad,” Melinda said and reached out a hand for Lamont’s. “It’s where I bumped into you, after all.”

Olivia smiled at them and returned to her plate. The food was light and delicious, fish with fresh mango sauce. It was nothing like what they ate back home. She might actually be able to keep a nice figure all summer eating like this.

“Tomorrow I think I will have Quincy show you the city,” Lamont went on.

“That would be wonderful,” Olivia said. She smiled at Quincy as she aimed a kick at his leg under the table. He jumped when she made contact and coughed to cover his curse.