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Bishop rolled his eyes, a two-year-old forced to grow up for a moment. “Yes. Apparently, she’s not the threat I thought. I can’t tell you how disappointing that is.” He thought about it for a moment. “And then, how equally upsetting it is that I’m disappointed.”
“I get it.” My finger traced the top of the open crate. “And if you got to pin it on someone who didn’t think highly of you then… all the better?”
“A girl after my own heart. Calling it like it is.” He laughed to himself. “It would have been easier that way, wouldn’t it? Two birds and a single stone. But alas, the fates laugh at us.” His elbow knocked into me. “See? We’d be good together.”
“Right, me the American and you the Nolcovian. How would that long-term relationship work exactly?”
“Relationship?” Bishop shook his head and frowned. “You’ve been around Leo too long.” With tender care, he pushed my hair behind my ear, but his fingers lingered on the length of it. “You don’t have to plan out every step of your life. That’s a great way to end up hating the lot of it.”
Like I knew any other way. Ever since Dad died, I had to plan out everything because if I didn’t, I feared it would fall apart. If I wanted college, I had to have a plan for how I was going to pay for it. That led to pageants and practice, endless hours spent with my coach learning how to be the best. Even my hobby, designing dresses, was all about planning. The perfect shape, the contoured lines, and the way it all came together in a cohesive pattern.
And yet, where had it gotten me? Unemployed while my favorite designs were stolen and I had no way to prove it. I was back at square one. Planning hadn’t ever gotten me anywhere. In reality, impulsively flying to Nolcovia was the most fun I’d had in… ever.
“Besides,” Bishop’s grip shifted to my shoulders, “living in the moment leads to much more adventure.”
The pressure of his grip urged me to face him. Staring up at him, all I could see was Fitz. In his eyes, in his smile, the shape of his face. Fitz was all I wanted, so my brain was willing to fill in the gaps to make it happen. As much as I wanted to play pretend and let him become the surrogate for the one I couldn’t have, it wasn’t fair to Bishop.
“This isn’t smart.” I pressed my lips together. “If I kissed you, I…”
“Would be kissing him,” Bishop finished for me. “And what if I said I was okay with that?”
That made no sense.
“Why would you?” The space between us lessened. Was it him? Was it me? Did I care?
“Because,” he swallowed hard, “it may start that way, but I doubt it would end that way.” His eyes dropped to my lips, like he needed to be sure he was on track. “And, to be perfectly honest, because I find it nearly impossible to resist you, Michaela Caldwell.”
The air thickened between us, the chill chased away by his heat. Bishop waited, unwilling to push it, but he wasn’t going to back away either.
Was he right? Did I plan too much? Maybe I had been around Fitz too long. He was focused on marriage and running the country, but before this trip, I wasn’t looking for love or marriage. Maybe I got lost in the magic and romance of it all.
Bishop was attractive, charming, and better yet, available.
Unlike his cousin.
“He’s crazy not to pick you.”
“Bishop…” My fingers slipped over his bare arms. Since he gave me his sweater, I felt the goosebumps prickle to life beneath my touch. I wrapped my grip around his biceps, noting he wasn’t quite as strong as his cousin. When Fitz wrapped his arms around me, I felt tiny and, because of it, protected. Bishop was incredibly attractive, but a poor substitute for the real thing.
“If you’re not here to compete for his heart, would this,” he motioned between the two of us, “really matter?”
“It shouldn’t.” Rationally, it shouldn’t. I was there to help Fitz find a wife, but Bishop didn’t know what had happened earlier. The thought of that moment was enough to jar me to my senses. My chest clenched with an ache to be near Fitz again, unsatisfied with Bishop and his promises.
“Say the word.” Bishop’s breathy whisper brushed over my cheek. “Say it and I’ll—“ His whole body tightened. The door behind us slammed backward with a clang. A blast of cold air swirled around us. Bishop cursed under his breath, but it had nothing to do with the cold.
“This can’t be real. This can’t be happening.” Another voice came from the night, strangled with frustration. I whirled around, ready to set Fitz straight. But as I met his pained stare, I failed to find words. “This is why you ran off? You had a date?” Fitz motioned at Bishop. “With him?”
“Not exactly chopped liver, dear cousin. I’m quite eligible.” Bishop practically growled beneath his breath. “The crown makes you different, not better.”
“Like you’d know,” Fitz fired back. “Your family hasn’t been fit to rule for eight generations.” His volume dropped. “And now this? A new low, even for you.”
“What?” Bishop stepped away from me. “Convincing a beautiful woman that there’s more to life than a pretentious prince? I consider that a great victory.”
“You would.” His disgust turned on me. “I thought you were smarter than this, Michaela.”
I didn’t deserve his venom. “Nothing happened, Fitz. We were talking and—“
“Alone? In a nearly abandoned building? Please, tell me more stories. This is quite entertaining.“ His face twisted with emotion, but he turned away. “On second thought, forget it. I’m done. You can have each other.”
