Playboy Princes (Royals of Arbon Academy, #2)(73)

“Where are the twins?” Rafe asked as we waited a little back.

His mother shook her head. “Jean is swimming, and Lucy is having a lesson. We haven’t told them you’re coming; we wanted to surprise them both. They’re going to be so excited.”

Gah, this family. They had to stop being so nice—on first impression—or I might beg them to adopt me.

Rafe must have remembered we were still there; he stepped back and turned to wave us closer. Jordan got the same hugs as Rafe, and it was clear he’d spent a lot of time with this family. Mattie and Nolan were treated as somewhat familiar, receiving warm smiles, and then that left me.

I sort of fumbled through a curtsy, Rafe’s smirking face on me the entire time.

“Oh, please, no, sweetheart,” Queen Jacinta said, waving my ridiculous attempt at etiquette off. “We don’t stand on anything too formal inside our own home.”

She took a step closer to me, hand held out for me to take. “We’re so happy to finally meet you, Violet. Rafe has told us a lot about you.”

I resisted the urge to side-eye glare at him because he should have warned me about what they did and didn’t know.

“It’s an honor to meet you,” I replied, swallowing hard. “Thank you for welcoming me into your home.”

Rafe’s father laughed. “Any friends of Rafe’s are always welcome here; you can remember that.”

Hmm. That was a little odd—almost felt like there was a deeper meaning there. Or maybe not.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” I said formally.

His eyes twinkled, and I couldn’t figure out how any two people were so instantly likeable—not to mention attractive, down-to-Earth, and running a tip-top kingdom. No wonder they were the most powerful nation on the planet. Who could say no to them?

"Now then." Rafe's father—King Felipe—clapped his hands together and raised his brows expectantly. "We've got about half an hour before the twins work out that you're here. Shall we have an aperitif and discuss the rather disrespectful communication I just received from King Steve?"

My stomach dropped to the floor and rolled.

Rafe shot a quick, reassuring look at me. It didn't work. I was about three point four seconds away from vomiting with anxiety right there on Queen Jacinta's designer shoes.

"Mattie, Nolan, you know the rules," King Felipe said, giving the Guay's twin royals a pointed look, to which they looked resigned. "You can go find your rooms and wash up for dinner. We'll keep this brief."

"Yes sir," they both huffed, disappointed but not angry at being effectively dismissed.

I was all kinds of confused. They knew everything that was going on. Why were they not being included?

"Jordy, my boy," Felipe continued, clapping Jordan on the shoulder like the New American prince was his own son. "Nothing has changed with your authorization?"

Jordan flashed the king a winning smile. "No, sir, not that I'm aware."

"Good." The king nodded. "Shall we?" He indicated for us to follow him, and Queen Jacinta hung back, taking my arm so that we walked together.

"It's not as bad as it seems," she told me with a gentle smile. "But when our kids are friends with the next generation of future world leaders, certain protocols and permissions must be observed. The leaders of the Guays haven't given their children authority to enter into political alliances or negotiations on their behalf, so unfortunately they must excuse themselves when we speak on international conflicts and treaties."

I nodded slowly. I didn't totally understand, but my friends did. So that was all that mattered.

Queen Jacinta smiled again and patted my hand on her arm. "I'll get you a drink. You look like you need it."

The empty armchair beside King Felipe was clearly intended for Queen Jacinta. So, with my head reeling, I sank down onto the soft white sofa in the only logical seat left available. Between Rafe and Jordan. Damn, if I didn't sit there like I had a steel post glued to my spine.

"Violet, there's no need to look so panicked," King Felipe assured me with a kind smile. "We already know a lot of the story from Rafael, but without the security of face-to-face communication, we've been hesitant to delve any deeper."

If anything, that made me panic harder. I licked my dry lips and shot Rafe an accusing look. He talked about me with his parents? What the hell had he said? That I was some annoying, gold-digging slut chasing after a prince and a title? I mean, obviously not. They wouldn't be treating me so kindly if that had been the case, but... I doubted he had been gushing over some girl he was into. Rafe and me... we were just sex. Right? Friends with benefits at best.

"Why don't you give us an abridged version of events, Violet?" Jacinta suggested, coming over and setting a tray of small glasses on the table. They were all filled with a clear liquid, and when she handed me one, I could smell peaches.

"Uh..." I looked to Jordan and Rafe for reassurance, but both of them were casual and relaxed. Trusting. Not only were they confident that Felipe and Jacinta were the kind of people we could trust implicitly, they also trusted me to speak for myself without my boyfriends chiming in.

It was refreshing.

I sucked in a deep breath. "Okay. Abridged version." To collect my thoughts, I took a gulp of the drink, then started coughing as it burned the whole way down my throat. It was deceptively potent, but exactly what I needed to get this story out in the open.