“Which stint? There were several.” I could hear the smile in his voice.
“Oh God.” I groaned. “I only remember the first one.”
“If it helps, that was the most coherent one. They went downhill fast.”
Rubbing my eyes against the pounding in my head, I asked, “If you turned me down, why are you in my bed?”
“Someone had to be here to roll you over so that you didn’t aspirate on your own vomit. You’re lucky you didn’t wind up with alcohol poisoning. I got so caught up in watching you have a good time that I didn’t bother to think about monitoring your liquor intake.”
I groaned. “Thanks, I think?”
“You survived the night—that’s all that matters.” I felt the mattress shift under his weight and mourned the loss of his touch as his hand slipped from my body. “Let me get you a glass of water and some pain meds. Once those take effect, I’ll bring you the greasiest items from our breakfast spread, and that hangover will be history.”
Preston was clearly applying for sainthood, but I wouldn’t complain. We were finding our groove and beginning to enjoy each other. I could finally see who he was beneath that false bravado, and I had to admit, he was genuinely charming. It wasn’t a stretch to say he was quickly worming his way into my heart.
As I watched him walk away, his clothed form a stark contrast to my naked one, it hit me. Preston might have seemed like the worst possible choice my family could have made when picking out my future husband, but I couldn’t imagine any of the self-centered pricks I grew up with taking care of me the way he had last night. Any one of them would have certainly taken advantage of my drunkenness and left me to fend for myself the morning after. Hell, they’d probably be in worse shape than I was—rich boys knew how to party.
It appeared that Preston was a diamond in the rough. Who would have thought?
The wedding festivities were in full swing, with more guests from around the world arriving daily. Guests most essential to the wedding and those with the highest international status were invited to stay at the palace.
Simply put, the place was a madhouse, and I was required to always be on.
Thank God Preston was there to keep me grounded. All it took was a gentle touch from him, and the tension dissipated, reminding me this was only temporary and that he had my back.
I wasn’t just the groom’s sister and a bridesmaid; I was the gown designer, and the second Natalie and Hannah arrivedfrom America, I set to work altering their bridesmaid dresses to perfection. Sophie also flew in to help with any last-minute alterations to my dress.
As if I wasn’t stretched thin enough, Grandfather declared that a family dinner with the new in-laws and the bridal party would take place this evening. All I wanted to do was take off my bra in the comfort of my apartment and hide from all the people crowding our space, but clearly, that wasn’t an option until the bride and groom said, “I do.”
I shuddered to think about my own wedding barely six months from now. If I couldn’t escape the fanfare leading up to my brother’s wedding, how would I handle being in the spotlight? Maybe I could persuade Preston into eloping. Liam and Amy ran to Vegas when they first got married, effectively paving the way for us to do the same.
Yes, technically, Liam was the new heir—even if almost no one knew it yet—so this grand spectacle after the fact was necessary, but I had hope that I could talk my way out of one for myself. My mother’s heart might be broken at the thought of not attending her only daughter’s wedding, but I was sure when Amy and Liam produced more grandbabies, it would smooth it all over.
It was a nice dream, but I knew it was just that—a dream. I wasn’t willing to risk my chance to get out of this life for good. I would forever be a princess but no longer belong to the people. I would be my own person, living my own life, so a big fancy state wedding was a small price to pay.
You might think a family dinner in the middle of the chaos would be relaxing, but you couldn’t be more wrong. We weren’t your typical family; it was a formal affair when we were summoned to dinner. The men were practically wearing tuxedos, and the women were trussed up in evening gowns. The only difference from how we dressed for a ball was that we nixed the tiaras. There were drinks before dinner in the formal sittingroom, then, at minimum, a seven-course meal that took hours—it was tedious in the extreme, and I was not in the mood.
The only thing making it slightly more bearable was the sight of Preston dressed to the nines in a perfectly tailored dinner suit. His reflection stared back at me in the mirror of my vanity as I affixed my earrings, and there was no mistaking the hunger in his hazel gaze as he raked it down my body.
Moving my long black hair off the side of my neck, he held my gaze and pressed a soft kiss to the spot where my neck and shoulder met.
“I know you’re tired and wish we could stay in tonight, but I can’t say I’m sorry about being forced to attend dinner when you look this incredible. God bless formal seating arrangements, where I get to stare at you from across the table all night.”
His words caressed my skin as smoothly as the red silk draped across my body. I leaned into his strong body behind me, closing my eyes and wishing we could continue what he started with that simple kiss. Even now, I shifted in my seat against the growing ache between my thighs, and I needed to get a grip before the wetness of my arousal soaked through the thin fabric. While I could change before we went down for drinks, I would have some explaining to do if he continued to devour me with his eyes throughout dinner.
Pulling back with a lingering graze of his fingers over my shoulder, he smirked. “I have a gift for you.”
Frowning in confusion, I asked, “What’s the occasion?”
Preston shrugged. “Do I need to have a reason to spoil you, Princess?”
I bit my lip. Him calling me Princess had the power to push me over the edge. We hadn’t played together in so long, and I missed it. Sure, the vanilla sex we were having was deep and emotional, but surely there was room for both in our relationship. Was he implying he wanted it just as much as I did?
Deciding to test the waters, I replied, “No, Sir.”
Preston groaned in response. “Good girl.”
It was official. I needed to change. The silk beneath me was slippery and wet. I just couldn’t control myself with the promise of him dominating me later tonight. Standing, I turned to survey the damage in the mirror. Sure enough, there was a wet spot right below my ass.
