I took pride in my powers of observation—they would have come in handy had I chosen to pursue criminal law—and Lucy’s reaction the night of our “family” dinner at the mention of a baby was stored deep in the vault. Knowing Lucy, her aversion to starting a family could stem from one of many reasons. Maybe she wanted to continue focusing on her career and the company she’d built from the ground up. Perhaps she didn’t want to bring children into this life of bullshit social rules, where your life wasn’t your own. My guess was that it was something vain, like she didn’t want to ruin her figure. Whatever the reason, it was a fun new button to press.
Now, to leverage living here into discovering and exploiting more of Lucy’s weak spots until she finally snapped and kicked me out, effectively ending our courtship and letting me off the hook.
Feuding with the fashion princess promised to be more fun than I initially thought.
I kept to myself for the first twenty-four hours living in the palace, hoping to lull Lucy into a false sense of security that we could cohabitate without disrupting her life.
Now it was time to flip the switch and show her how annoying I could be as a roommate.
I took dinner in my room and waited until I heard her watching TV in our shared sitting room before taking a hot shower. I couldn’t help but chuckle as the water cascaded over my body, picturing the look on Lucy’s face when I interrupted what she thought would be a quiet evening.
Turning off the water, I toweled off, leaving extra water in my hair. I wanted to see her reaction to errant beads of water running down my bare chest. When tying the towel around my hips, I made sure it was low enough to make her fearful that if it slipped an inch, I’d be indecently exposed.
Half-naked, I was ready to ruin Lucy’s evening.
Turning the knob of my bedroom door slowly, I silently opened it. Luckily, the couch faced away from the bedroom doors, so I could see her but she couldn’t see me. Leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, I began calculating my next move.
The volume was low on the television, but from what I could tell, it was one of those ridiculous reality dating shows with one girl and a dozen guys, where she is looking for love and must choose between them. It didn’t seem like something Lucy would watch, however. She was going out of her way to make sure she could remain without a man, and when she wanted her “needs” met, she wasn’t looking for romance—I knew that better than anyone.
Intrigued by the enigma of a woman who was my chosen mate—for now, at least—I observed her reactions to the contestants on her show. How could she watch this crap? The girl, Talia, was looking for a connection, but all these guys wanted was to get inher pants. The fact that she couldn’t see right through them was slightly unnerving.
The final straw was when one of the men told Talia that her body was beautiful but the smile on her face was his favorite.
Rolling my eyes, I scoffed. “What a line.”
Lucy’s head whipped around, realizing she wasn’t alone. When she saw me, clad only in my towel, she stood abruptly. Clearly, she expected to spend the evening alone, indulging in trashy reality TV, as she was dressed in a set of black silk shorts with a matching camisole, her hair piled atop her head in a messy bun. Old castles tended to be drafty, and she must have been slightly chilled because her nipples stood at attention, visible through the silky fabric clinging to her breasts.
Blue eyes wide, she stood there stunned, mouth dropping open as her pink tongue peeked out to wet her lips.
That’s right, Princess, get a good look.
Enjoying a rare moment of silence in the company of Lucy, I unfolded my arms and walked toward her.
That seemed to jolt her out of her shock, but not quite enough, as she practically tripped over her words. “Wh-what are you d-doing?”
Playing it cool, I moved a few steps closer, motioning to the television. “Catching up on my favorite show.”
That seemed to snap her out of her stupor, and her baby blues narrowed at me. “You watchLast Chance at True Love?”
Christ, even the show’s name was cheesy as hell, but I was committed. “Never miss an episode.”
More suspicious than ever, she eyed my lack of clothing. “Uh-huh. And you just happened to forget to get dressed?”
I shrugged. “When I heard you watching, I couldn’t risk any spoilers. There wasn’t time to stop for clothes.” Grinning, I remarked, “I’m really rooting for Fernando. What about you?” I played to win, so you could bet your ass I paid enough attentionbefore revealing myself to note the name of the least douchey guy I saw.
Momentarily distracted, Lucy paused, chewing her bottom lip. “I’d have to say Rich— No! I know what you’re doing.”
Raising a single eyebrow, I challenged, “What am I doing? Other than catching up on my guilty pleasure?”
“Very funny. I see right through you.”
Throwing my arms wide, I felt my towel slip a fraction of an inch. “Like what you see?”
Lucy’s upper lip curled in disgust. “Get over yourself.”
Reverting to our earlier conversation about her stupid reality show, I grinned. “Why, yes, I would love to watch with you.” Plopping down in the middle of the couch, I left her no choice but to sit next to me with our thighs a breath apart from touching or to retreat to her room.
I had to give her credit. Lucy wasn’t one to back down from a fight, electing to sit down to my left, bending her knees and pulling them to her chest to create extra space between our bodies.
