Part 13 (2/2)
”Never Kisa,” he replied with a wink. ”Only for you.”
She followed him back into the hotel, wondering how much longer she'd be able to do this. That wink had done funny things to the pit of her stomach. It was all turning into the plot of a book she wasn't sure was going to end well.
”Those ones; go chat them up.” Kat took wicked delight in sending him to the most wide-eyed girls in the place and their shrewd, social-climbing mothers but he deserved it. What was he doing to her? Acting like a jerk and then offering half-hearted apologies she was used to why did he have to complicate things by seeming sincere.
”Where'd you go?” Lane appeared beside her and she was grateful for the distraction.
”You survived the wrath of your mother?” Kat deflected.
”Just barely. Royalty in tow has bought me some goodwill it seems. Not enough to get me out of coming next year unfortunately.”
”I think you look cute in your flowery pink dress.”
Lane snorted, hand on her hip, and Kat couldn't hold back a smirk. ”Kitty Kat, I try hard to project a rough and tumble, edgy, don't f.u.c.k with me att.i.tude even when running in stilettos. This does not fit into the image.”
”Don't call me Kitty Kat.”
”Don't call me flowery.”
It was a week before Kat saw Sebastian again. Seven days seemed like an eternity and she was trying hard not to read anything into that. Which was how she found herself with Marco again her feelings towards him were clear. Ill-advised and unhealthy but clear.
”Why did you go out with him?” Blaze demanded the minute she entered the apartment, rising from his seat. Giovanni shook his head and continued reading his magazine from the couch.
”Stop being so judgmental. It was just dinner.”
”With Marco it's never 'just dinner.' Please.”
Kat pursed her lips and gave him a look he hadn't run afoul of in a while. ”I'm not sleeping with him. Not that it's any of your d.a.m.n business. Cut out the big brother c.r.a.p and just let it be.”
”Why did you go out with him?!?!” he asked in a whiny voice, practically ready to stamp his foot in frustration. ”I thought we were past all of this s.h.i.+t.”
”I don't need to justify my actions to you Blaze you aren't my keeper. I went because I wanted to! I'm a big d.a.m.n girl and I can do whatever the h.e.l.l I want and he makes me feel good.”
”How the h.e.l.l does that a.s.s make you feel good?”
”Well for one thing he doesn't say scornful things like that when he sees me. That's a plus.”
”Children,” Giovanni chided, rising. ”Let's play nice shall we? Kat, your brother's just worried about you and the choices you're making. Blaze, your sister's old enough to know what she's doing and you need to respect that even if you can't agree with it.”
”I'm so tired of being civil to that snake, Sebastian had it right. It makes my blood boil every time I see him. I just want to deck the b.a.s.t.a.r.d,” Blaze said.
”Oh, like you punched Sebastian? My, aren't we great at follow through,” Kat snapped.
”What about Sebastian? You'd rather spend your nights with Marco instead of him? A douche from New Jersey or a prince from Europe. Yeah, I see the logic there.”
”Stop being a p.r.i.c.k,” Kat said. ”Sebastian hasn't called me. He's been busy on official Sezynian business all week doing G.o.d knows what.” Or who.
”Oh,” Blaze said, ”so while the Prince is away the Kat will play? Using Marco to make him jealous?”
Kat scoffed. ”Why the h.e.l.l would I need to make him jealous?”
Giovanni gave her a slightly pitying look. ”Kat, sweetie, really? Really??”
”What Gio? You got something to say just spit it the h.e.l.l out!” Kat was angrier than she should have been but her night was not the successful distraction she'd hoped for. As a diversion Marco just wasn't cutting it anymore. And their comments were hitting too close to home, slowly circling something she wasn't ready to admit. Marco was easy in more ways than one. She didn't have to think when she was around him, pretend, try it was all just dry circ.u.mstance a better choice than nothing at all.
”You're so afraid of being alone that you attach yourself to anything. Marco might be a waste of s.p.a.ce but he always comes back. Sebastian is leaving, that's always been a foregone conclusion, and the more you want him to stay the more you regress to Marco because you're not about to be the person abandoned again.”
”You're right about one thing I'm the person that gets to decide when they walk away.” She sauntered towards her room and slammed the door.
”Gio, did you really have to go there tonight?” Blaze asked tiredly.
”You were the two that started fighting! I was only trying to help.”
”Help? You think that was helpful?” he asked, gesturing with a thumb towards Kat's bedroom. ”Sometimes I swear you're taking those college courses just to annoy me.”
”I take them to understand you annoying you is just an added bonus,” Giovanni replied in a bored voice before returning to his magazine.
A knock at the door roused Sebastian from staring at the wall. He'd finished reading all the papers hours ago and craved human interaction. House arrest was boring him to death.
Sebastian's eyes lit up when he saw her it had been far too long. ”Where have you been hiding yourself Kisa? It seems an eternity since I've seen you.” He couldn't resist looking her up and down and the smile he wore had Kat's heart racing. Was everything Gio said true, again?
”You haven't had time for me Casanova, remember?”
”Oh, I could always find time for you.”
”Hmmm, lie,” she murmured, leaning against the doorjamb.
His eyes twinkled rebelliously. ”Are you accusing royalty of dishonesty, miss? There's a penalty for such insubordination.”
”Beheading?”
”Much more enjoyable,” he purred, reaching a hand out to caress her face. He ran his thumb absently across her cheek and she felt herself being pulled slowly closer. But she resisted, trying hard not to remember what he tasted like.
”Ooh,” he moaned, laying that wayward hand across his chest, ”rejection. Apparently the only thing I'm good for lately.”
”I thought when I didn't hear from you that meant you were caught up in a clandestine, whirlwind affair. I take it that's not the case?”
”Hardly,” the Prince laughed, grabbing her hand and pulling her after him into the living room. ”How can I have succeeded with any woman without you there to give me a kiss for luck? Sergei has had me chained to the apartment. He thinks that you're a bad influence on me.”
”Does he now?” Kat asked. That was interesting.
”Yes. I caused a bit of a stir back in Sezynia and he's decided that you're only encouraging my rebellious nature.”
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