Playboy Princes (Royals of Arbon Academy, #2)(40)

“I really like you, Violet.” His voice was husky and low, and it did all kinds of sexy things to my lady parts. “But back to the plan.”

I cleared my throat, mentally shoving the arousal aside for five freaking seconds so he could tell me what he’d come up with for Alex. “Yes, the plan. Go.”

“So, I’ve been thinking a lot on this whole princess ballot system, about how they seem to be using it to make genetic matches for royals who don’t have a peer match.” He paused, his mouth tipping in a frown. “Or royals who lost their genetic match to murder.”

I cringed, thinking of Jasmine.

“Anyway, it got me to thinking. They couldn’t possibly be testing fifteen million people just to select one match. That’s a gross imbalance of resources to result, right? The cost and manpower it’d take to conduct the tests, then process them… it doesn’t add up.” He was becoming more animated as he spoke about this, shifting up in the bed, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “So I started digging around on the internet. Subtly, don’t worry.”

“I wasn’t worried,” I replied with a teasing smile. “If anyone can cover his tracks in the digital world, I’m thinking it’s probably you. Which, I might add, totally busts the whole stereotype of what tech geeks look like. If I had guessed two months ago, I definitely would have pegged Nolan for the nerd of your group.”

Jordan laughed. “It’s our group now, gorgeous. And what would that make me? The charming athletic star with a heart of gold?”

I snorted, thinking back to those first meetings I’d had with Jordan. “More like playboy prince with a bed full of women,” I muttered, shaking my head. “But stop deviating off topic. Tell me more.”

“Right, so I’ve been doing a bit of snooping, and I think I’ve found the database where all the results are being stored. Obviously they won't be running another ballot for another five years, but I think the database from your round is doing more than just sitting there collecting dust.” He paused, and I waited patiently—okay fine, impatiently—for him to get to the point. “There was evidence in the servers that they’re actually using it to match up other couples as well, rich people, those who will pay good money to guarantee a genetic match resulting in healthy heirs.” He raised his brows and I gasped.

“Holy shit. People would actually pay for an arranged marriage?” The idea shocked me, but it shouldn’t have. Of course people would do that. In a world where fertility was a dying asset, of course someone had found a way to monetize it. “And let me guess. Only one party would be aware of this transaction?”

Jordan shrugged, but the grimace on his face probably mirrored my own. “I don’t know, but I can guess.”

I shuddered. “Gross.”

The whole thing was layered in ick. It was slimy and devious and… “Wait, how does this deal with Alex?”

Jordan’s face brightened. “Ah, well, I couldn’t find an easy way to dig any deeper than I already had, not without setting off alarms and security alerts and all that crap. But that in itself gave me an idea. What if I could develop a, uh, code that makes it look like Alex was the one accessing these confidential files? Two for one. My code can transfer the entire database to me, wipe the original server clean, and frame Alex for the whole hacking crime.” He beamed with pride at his idea, and I had to hand it to him… that was pretty great.

“A code, huh?” I teased. “Just call it what it is, Jordy. You’re creating a virus.”

He shrugged, looking smug. “Semantics. So, what do you think?”

A wicked grin curved my lips, and I played out the scene in my head. Officials banging on Alex’s dorm room door, dragging him out of the academy in restraints, the cell door slamming in his smarmy face…

“I love it, in theory,” I told Jordan, and his smile slipped a bit, “but will it stick? I mean, his family is one of the most powerful monarchies in the world—after yours and Rafe’s, obviously—but I’m pretty sure his father could just snap his fingers and get Alex released.”

Jordan wrinkled his nose. “Possibly, yes. But wouldn’t it be interesting to see who is involved in the whole ballot farce? I don’t think all the monarchies are in on it. I’m at least eighty percent sure mine isn’t… but I guess you never know, right?”

He had a point. “Let’s do it.”

“Yeah?” He grinned, looking all kinds of excited and sending butterflies erupting through me.

I leaned in close, kissing his lips lightly as I nodded. “Yep, let’s frame that bastard.”

Jordan groaned, deepening our kiss. “Fuck, Vi, revenge is so damn hot on you.”

My laugh held an edge of evil, and I kind of loved it. “You think so? Maybe you should show me…” I slipped my hand under the bedclothes, finding his hard length and grasping—

A sharp knock on the door jolted us from the haze of arousal that was settling, and Jordan scowled in the direction of the sound.

“Go away!” he shouted, clearly not caring who was at the door. “I’m busy!”

Dismissing his visitor from his mind, he grasped me around the waist and hauled me into his lap with a feral growl. His fingers threaded into my hair, and he tugged my face to his for a deep kiss until… yep, that fucker—whoever it was—knocked again.