The Girl Who Loved Two Princes: You, Me, Her, Him

2020, February 14th. Capital City, Warlanda

Emily walked through the doors of the candlelit restaurant and Aaron’s fear that he’d made a mistake was confirmed. What kind of dumbass had Aaron been for letting Aria talk him into this?

“Troy sends his regards,” said Emily, taking the seat across from Aaron.

Emily put the ring box down in front of Aaron, who just looked at it. The bloody thing was obviously cursed.

“Aria really did want to come Ron, but Troy’s just not—”

“Since when are you two such besties?” Aaron asked, draining the glass in front of him.

“I guess things are better now that you’re not in the picture. I’m even allowed to come to the wedding now.”

“Well, whoop de doo for you.”

He got up, threw a few bills down onto the table, and was about to walk out when she took his hand and stopped him.

“What part of not friends did you not get?” he snapped.

“I’m not sorry about Aria, about what I did,” she said after thinking about the words for a moment.

If she half-assed some apology he would just see right through her. Doing this meant putting all her cards on the table. Aaron Condor had always been all or nothing.

Aaron didn’t know why he sat back down, only that he couldn’t quite help it. Maybe some part of him wasn’t done tearing into her yet. Maybe part of him would never be done with Emily Maine.

“I’m not sorry about James and Zoey either,” she continued.

Why wasn’t he saying anything? Walking out the door? Why did it still matter what a bitch she was being? He wanted to be anywhere but there and yet his legs failed to move.

“Pick another day Em. I don’t have it in me to go ten rounds with you tonight, only to end up nowhere, like always.”

He picked up the ring box and forced himself back up.

“Then let’s go somewhere this time,” she murmured.

It had been a while since the last time he’d heard that vulnerable voice, the pleading in it. Emily wasn’t still supposed to be able to do this. To make him stay.

“Another no-strings offer from the woman who cost me not one but two women? I think I’m going to—”

“No,” she said, determination flashing in her eyes. “This time the offer is me, all of me Aaron.”

He looked into her eyes and there it was again. Her grey silver orbs brimmed with the same anguish they held when she looked at him while planning to marry another man.

“I know you’re hurting right now, that you’ve been hurt before because of me, but you need to know why. I need to tell you why.”

Run. Whatever she’s about to say, it’s a trick, a lie, some sort of deception. Everything with her was just an illusion.

They grieved a man who wasn’t dead together. That was the extent of their friendship. Only that look, it was unearthing things long buried.

After the month he’d had, Aaron needed someone to matter to. Just not her. Can’t be her.

“I’m in love with you, Ronnie.”

With those words, she blew up his world. He just stared at her. He didn’t love her. There had been other women. He had let go. Bloody hell man, why aren’t you moving?!

“I know how it sounds, believe me, I do. When James left, I was prepared to be broken up about it forever. But he’s not the one that stayed with me, Ron. He’s not the one I couldn’t quite get away from. Still can’t get away from. Even back then, seeing you with Aria in ways you so obviously couldn’t be with me, hurt so badly. I didn’t get it then. I do now. I hate what I did, hate that I ever hurt you, but I’m not sorry.”

Once the shock wore off, the anger hit hard. It was too late. All those lonely nights she spent swearing up and down that it could only ever be James. That all she wanted was James, James, James. How many times had he let her rip out his heart? How many times was he sure that she’d choose him? He didn’t want to hear it anymore. How could she trigger him like that like she was some switch in his head?

“There’s nothing here but pain, Emily,” he said, swallowing hard, desperate for air to flow normally through him again, raw emotion in his eyes. “You’re just pain. Everything is just pain.”

“I know,” she said, getting up and reaching out for his face. “After all these years spent watching you with women that weren’t me because I couldn’t admit what you were to me, believe me, I know. I don’t want to lie to myself or you anymore. So when you’re ready, come and find me. This time I’ll be whatever, whomever you need me to be Ron. This time I want to make the pain stop for both of us.”

Seated on the other side of the restaurant by the window, Lady Keira Dormer was having a rough time. Her ex-fiancé’s killer was finally dead and his child was safe. Suddenly there was no action to take and the walls closed in on her hard. Ethan was really gone. It was set to be another night wallowing in her grief until she saw him.

A subtle shift in the atmosphere. The piercing, rugged, good looks of The Casanova of Caines had her taking notice.

Keira watched him through the slightly ajar partition that separated his dark, secluded corner from the rest of the restaurant for about an hour before Emily Maine showed up. As she watched them exchange heated words, the memory of Ethan took a backseat to Aaron’s tortured face. He stirred unfamiliar sensations in her. Just like the first time, she laid eyes on him in Sartis Est.

These chicks needed to get their heads checked. Aaron Condor was devastatingly, take me now hot. Eyes bluer than the ocean, big enough to drown in. Expertly combed, long, brown hair waiting to be ruffled. Broad back and shoulders, toned arms under that suit. Even with his suit hiding his well-kept body, that I’m so fucking gorgeous, I’m definitely a bad boy face alone was enough to justify the rumors. She’d heard that no one heated up sheets quite like him and damn the soldier in her to hell if she wasn’t going to at least shoot her shot.

Aaron had to let Emily walk out the door. It has to be this way. Emily thought she knew everything, the depths of his despair, but not even she knew just how dark it got in Aaron’s mind sometimes. Of late, Aaron had come to realize that not even he had fully grasped what exactly was bothering him.

Was it really just about losing Aria or was some part of him lamenting the loss of yet another crown? He didn’t want it, was sure even as he stood at the altar on the verge of marrying a queen. He knew he didn’t want it and Aria didn’t want him. So at the end of the day, he was actually relieved when things fell through. Heartbroken, devastated but relieved. Once again, he did the right thing. So why couldn’t he shake this feeling of failure?

Really laying into the champagne now and on the verge of switching to something stronger, Aaron didn’t notice her until she was right in front of him, taking the seat across from him.

If gazing at her beauty was one of the ways she killed, he wouldn’t be surprised. Terrifying, twinkling, dark eyes. Soft, black curls gently laid out on her shoulders. Black dress so tiny it was almost criminal to call her a lady. She wasn’t just his type, she was everybody’s type. Until they found out she was an assassin, that is.

“You’ve already made so many bad decisions tonight, already look like you want to die. It might not be such a stretch after all,” said Keira, sitting down, Bloody Mary in hand. “What’s say we make some bad decisions together Ronnie?”

Aaron gave her a death stare. Could she tell that his body was betraying him? This was the woman who almost killed James, who could have killed him. He must be out of his mind, but when was the last time he felt the warmth of a woman’s body up against his?

With his ex-fiancée, Aria being a no-show and Emily showing up to return The Red Regiis in her place, the Maine women were both running through his head. More the latter than the former, what with her having just professed her love for him.

Hearing Emily say those words gutted him and yet, somehow Keira stole the show. Every woman he associated with was beautiful, but there were no words for her. He hated the woman, but he couldn’t deny it. She was so stunning, it was truly terrifying how drawn in he was by her. So much so that when he first laid eyes on her from afar, he couldn’t stop himself from following her through the gardens of Sartis Est just to get a look at her.

Look away, you broken fool. Walk away.

“I’m not interested,” he said, getting up again.

She got up too, placed herself in front of him, looked him in the eye as she slipped her hands onto his ass and pulled his body up against hers.

“Sure seems like you are,” she said, licking his lips with the tip of her tongue. “When was the last time you tested those shooting skills in bed, Ronnie? I may not be the one, but aren’t you over that shit? I could be everything you need tonight. I could be the one for tonight.”

What was it about her? He hadn’t been this guy in years, but the way she looked at him, held his body to hers. Women didn’t usually claim Aaron like this one was and he found tonight he really wanted to be wanted. He wanted those dark eyes and the danger in them. She had him wanting to be everything he’d given up for Aria, for Zoey. Keira saw The Casanova of Caines. The player, the party animal and she liked it. This was the absolute wrong thing to do. She was the wrong woman and that just made him want to kiss her more, to forget in her arms, if only for a night.

“One night. No strings,” he said, slipping a hand up her dress and between her legs.

She gave a little purr, smirking as he pulled her to him and kissed her hard and fast, angry passion flowing from his lips to hers.