Inheriting a SECRET (Corrigan & Co. #7)(41)
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, but thank you for giving us the option to take an offer with a clear conscience if we’re given one.”
“Of course.”
We work out a schedule to monitor the security feeds of the castle once Ainsley is in the system. I’m on late night duty, so I should take a nap. Instead, I’m curled up on a lounge chair, staring out at the ocean, trying to organize my thoughts.
“What can I do for you, Darce?” Jade asks, coming to sit next to me.
“You don’t have to do anything.”
“You stopped the man I love from killing himself. I will be indebted to you for the rest of my life.”
“When Nate finally admitted that he loved you, I thought there might be hope for me to find love, too.”
“And you did. It was great to see you so happy with Brayden.”
“I wouldn’t call falling in love with a man I can never have ‘great.’ I mean, it was for the short time we had together, but I’m not sure I’ll ever recover from it.”
“So what you’re saying is that I need to get you lots of ice cream once we get back home.”
“Do we have a home?”
“I honestly don’t know, but we’ll still be friends no matter what. All of us will.”
“I think so, too.”
“Go take a nap and stop worrying. We’ll see if something happens at the castle, and we’ll all swoop in to save your prince.”
“He’s not mine.”
“Yes, he is. In every way that matters, that man is yours. No matter what happens in the future.”
I feel the tears coming again, and I turn away. Jade moves over to my lounger, and hugs me as I cry for the man I love, but can never have. I know she understands, because she never thought she’d have Nate. Too bad I won’t get the happy ending they did or even just the happy right now that I was hoping for.
* * *
Brayden
I had to get out of the palace. The walls were starting to close in on me. Noah offered to walk with me, but I told him I just need to be alone. That’s not true—what I need is to be with Darcy. We knew we didn’t have forever, but we were supposed to have this time until my coronation. Until everything fell apart.
“Brayden,” I hear through the trees as I walk along the shore near Jen’s house.
I turn to see Jade motioning me into the forest. I look around, and seeing no one near, I follow her inside. “What are you doing here” I ask her.
“I saw you on the security feeds, and came out to get you.”
“Security feeds? Are you staying at Jen’s house?”
“Yes. We are.”
“Darcy?”
“She needs you.”
“I need her too. Take me to her, please.”
“That’s the plan. Just stick close to me in case we run into anyone.”
I follow her to the side gate of Jen’s property. She uses some complicated hand, eye, and fingerprint combination to open it, and then we walk into the garden. Nate sees us, and immediately stands up. “What the f*ck, Angel?”
“She needs him, Soldier.”
“You just show up here and think it’s okay? Who else knows you’re here” he asks me.
“I was actually just walking on the beach when Jade found me, but you should know I can be trusted. I helped break you out of the dungeon, for f*ck’s sake.”
“You really didn’t know we were here?”
“No. And my cousin’s going to get an earful when I see her again. Now can I please go to Darcy?”
“This isn’t a good idea. She needs to get over you.”
“I know. But I don’t think I’ll ever get over her, so I want to have as many memories as I can to hold onto.”
Nate sighs with some understanding, “She’s in the second door to the right when you get to the top of the stairs.”
“Thanks.”
I practically run up the stairs, waving at the other people I see. I don’t stop to look, but I’m sure they’re shocked to see me. No one expected me to be here. I didn’t expect to see them, either, but I’m not complaining. Not when the woman I love is only a few feet away.
I don’t even bother knocking, I just walk into the room. Darcy sits straight up in bed and her eyes go wide when she sees me. “Crown?”
“Hi, Cat,” I say as I climb onto the bed and kiss her.
She kisses me back, running her fingers through my hair in the way that makes me a little crazy. I run my hands up and down her sides, wanting to take her tits in my hands, but also wanting to show her that I’m not just here for sex. When she pulls on my hair, and arches her back, I give in to my desire, and palm them as I squeeze her nipples between my fingers.
She pulls away first, and I follow her mouth with mine, getting a few more kisses in, before she pushes me back. “What? How?”
“I was walking on the beach, and Jade spotted me. She said you needed me, and I told her I need you, too.” I look down next to her and smile. “You’re sleeping with your sloth and iguana?”
“Yes,” she says shyly, which is adorable since my girl’s not normally shy at all. “You need me?”
“I do.”