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Hans rolls his eyes. “If he can’t take the heat…”
Eva nudges Hans’s leg with her toe. “Be nice. He bought us pizza. And it’s probably hard being a royal. You never know if people really like you or if they’re just sucking up.”
“I can answer that question—” Hans breaks off as the door opens.
“What question is that?” Eddie stops to slosh more punch into the Oktoberfest-sized stein he opted to use in place of a dainty crystal punch cup. He’s consumed twice as much punch as the rest of us put together and appears to be a bit muddled, but not especially inebriated. If I hadn’t watched Eva make it with my own eyes, I would think she’s forgotten the alcohol. Until I sip my own cup again. Nope, definitely not virgin punch.
Hans doesn’t miss a beat. “What movie to watch next.” He’s still nursing his second beer. “I vote Marvel.”
Lina suggests a rom-com, but Eva sides with Hans. Eddie wrestles the remote away from Hans and selects Doctor Strange instead of Endgame. “We can watch a rom-com next.”
“I’m not sure I’ll be awake for another one.” Eva has curled up on the couch, with her head on the armrest. Her eyes are half-closed, and her empty punch cup sits on the floor beside her dangling hand. “I was up way too early this morning. I went running.”
“You’re a runner?” Lina yawns.
“Stop that!” Hans slaps Lina’s hand away from her mouth. “It’s contagious.”
“Quiet! The movie is on.” Eddie grabs the remote and turns the volume up.
“Haven’t you seen this one before?” Hans asks.
Eddie ratchets the audio up a few more clicks. Eva sits up and clamps her hands over her ears. “Can you take it down a little?”
“Of course.” Eddie complies. “As long as people stop talking.”
Hans rolls to his feet. “I’m going to head home.”
Eddie growls and pauses the movie. “You couldn’t have done that before I started the film?”
Hans shrugs, then downs the rest of his beer and puts the glass on the bottom shelf of the punch bowl cart. “Sorry.” He doesn’t sound sorry. “You girls want me to walk you home?”
“Yeah, we’re coming.” Lina rises and grabs Eva’s hand, trying to pull her from the couch.
“You don’t have to leave.” Eddie touches Eva’s leg.
A bolt of anger spears through me at the action. It was bad enough when he touched her back, but he needs to get his hands off her leg. I lunge out of my chair and take Eva’s other hand. “Come on, you’re nearly asleep.”
Eva lets us pull her from the couch, and Eddie’s hand falls away. When she’s on her feet, she turns to him and does a little curtsey. “Thank you for the delicious pizza and punch, Your Highness, but I need to sleep.” She wobbles as she rises, and I put a hand against her shoulder to steady her.
Eddie’s gaze jerks to my hand, and he frowns. “We have guest rooms. Or I can have a car take you home.”
She waves him off. “Thanks, but we’re good. I’m just tired, not drunk. We can get home on our own.”
Eddie stands. Eva stacks the dirty plates while Lina grabs Eva’s punch cup and reaches for mine. “Gimme that.”
“You can leave them.” Eddie puts his giant glass beer stein on the side table. “The staff will clean up.”
“It’s no problem.” Eva loads the plates on the cart beside the punch bowl. Hans and I stack the empty pizza boxes on the lower shelf. We clean up the rest of our mess, Eddie protesting rather than helping. Then we head for the door.
I open it, half expecting Moritz or Klaus to be on duty, but instead another man snaps to attention. I don’t recognize him but that’s not unusual. Eddie seems to rotate through protection officers faster than anyone else. Only Klaus has been with him longer than a year.
“Wait outside.” Eddie waits until Hans and I have reached the hall, then nudges Lina toward the door. “I want a private word with Eva.”
Chapter Thirteen
EVA
I watch the door close on my friends, then turn to the Hereditary Grand Duke. It occurs to me I can’t simply walk away from him. If I try to leave, his bodyguards will stop me.
