54: Jessica Rabbit and Teddy Bear

Quincy St. Martin

She stops directly in front of us with a practiced pose, hip jutting out and legs slightly apart so that the slit of her dress opens all the way up past her hip.

I guess you couldn’t wear any underwear with a dress like that. This woman is entirely confident in her sensuality. Her eyes linger on Caspian before they land on me.

Her gaze takes in my appearance appraisingly, dismisses me as unimportant, and goes back to rake over Caspian.

Lord Archer gets up to stand next to the woman.

“Your Highness, may I introduce you to my companion, Helen Aristophanes,” he says. “Helen, His Royal Highness, Prince Caspian.”

“We’ve met,” she purrs. “Your Highness, it’s a pleasure to see you again.” She smiles like a cat that just swallowed a canary.

Caspian is sprawled on the chair with his head resting comfortably on the back cushion. He doesn’t move. He doesn’t give the slightest acknowledgment. His expression gives nothing away. His fingertips make a lazy trail up and down my upper arm, while his other hand is thrown possessively over my thigh.

“On his lap is his erasthai, Ms. Quincy St. Martin,” continues Lord Archer, or rather Gideon, with some amusement in his voice.

Helen’s eyebrow rises in surprise. “Oh,” she says before the corners of her red lips slope downward.

She blinks, and I watch her trying to quickly compose herself. She appears to feel shock and dismay that I’m Caspian’s erasthai, so much so that she fails to hide her immediate reaction.

Lord Archer continues with his introductions, and I scrutinize her one more time before I cast my eyes toward the others.

Everyone generally hides their opinion and feelings very well, except for Genesis whose face briefly shows her disapproval before she covers it with that sweet innocent expression.

I catch Penny’s gaze, and we share a look.

I don’t know if we take a cue from each other to be wary of the newcomer, or if our instincts warn us not to get too close. Maybe it’s just the way she’s acting.

“I guess we should get packing and start moving if we’re flying back today,” says Darius. “The plane will be ready in an hour, and I’ve arranged for the cars to be driven back.”

“Lord Archer, will you and your companion be flying with us?” asks Lazarus.

“Yes, if that’s okay with you. I have some business to attend to in California,” he answers, and I feel Caspian’s body stiffen underneath me.

Great! Now I have to see more of Jessica Rabbit! I actually like Gideon Archer, but I don’t like his companion at all.

I have the feeling that Caspian just wants to be rid of the both of them.

Caspian lifts me up like I weigh nothing when he gets up from the chair. He’s so tall I feel like I’m so far off the ground. He’d carry me all the way to our room if I didn’t ask him to put me down. Even after he puts me on my feet, his hand doesn’t leave my waist.

We’re standing by the bank of elevators when Penny leans in and whispers, “She’s like a brunette version of Jessica Rabbit, don’t you think?”

Exactly! She ~so~ gets me!

One of the elevator doors slides open before I get to answer her. Caspian ushers me inside with him while Jonah, Jorden, Darius, and Penny trail in behind us.

Just before the door closes, Helen steps in.

I glimpse Lord Archer still talking to Lazarus and Constantine while waiting for the next elevator car to arrive. Serena and Genesis stay with their mates.

The whole hotel is practically empty except for us and a few of the hotel employees. Two people are sharing each level, and Jorden and Jonah stop on the second floor.

Helen doesn’t say anything. She just stands in a corner watching the digital floor numbers going up. Penny stands next to me, watching her with narrowed eyes.

Subtlety is not Penny’s strong suit. You never have to guess whether she likes you or not.

I try to ignore the woman. She makes my chest burn. My newly awakened sense, or lycan, wants to come out and claw her eyes out.

Penny shoots me another look before she steps off with Darius on the third floor. I can tell she’s got something on her mind and she’s holding back from saying it.

Helen gets off on the fourth floor. Just before she walks out, she turns to Caspian and says, “I’ll see you later, Your Highness.” Her voice is sultry and suggestive.

I surprise myself when I let out a low growl just before the door closes.

As soon as we enter the door to our suite on the seventh floor, I corner him.

“Did you sleep with that woman?”

“What woman?”

I stare at him with narrowed eyes. He doesn’t get to play stupid with me. “Jessica Rabbit!” I grind out.

“Huh?”

“Ughh! Gideon’s companion, Helen whatsit? Did you ever sleep with her?”

“So, he’s Gideon now? Since when?” Suddenly he’s towering over me. “I told you he’s interested in you. For everyone’s sake, don’t get too close to him.”

“Don’t change the subject.” I push his broad muscled chest. He barely moves. “We’re talking about Helen whatshername and you.”

I push him again, harder this time. It’s hard to appear threatening when you’re almost a foot shorter, but I’m very pissed.

“Did. You. Ever. Sleep. With her?” I ask him again when he remains silent.

He takes a few steps back and runs his fingers through his perfect hair, messing it all up. He looks very upset and very reluctant to utter the next word.

“Yes,” he says almost inaudibly.

I knew that already, but my heart constricts painfully to hear him actually admit it. My lycan wants to get out and tear everything around us to pieces.

“But it was a very long time ago, and it didn’t mean anything.”

“How much of a very long time ago?” Why am I asking these questions? I must be a masochist. The worst kind.

“A very long time ago, way before I met you.” I glare at him, and he quickly adds, “Maybe like six or seven years ago.”

“Was it any good?” Ughhh. I should stop. This red-hot jealousy in my chest needs to go away.

He groans, looking like he’s in pain. “I don’t remember anymore. That’s how unmemorable it was, okay? Can we please not talk about this?” He steps to stand directly in front of me. His golden hair is all messy now. “Look, sweetheart, I was stupid, okay? I did a lot of things I’m not proud of, and I would undo all of them if I could, but I can’t. I’m sorry. So, can we just not talk about the past and concentrate on the future instead? I promise you, I want no one else but you.”

I put my hands on my hips and stare up at him. He’s been around for hundreds of years, and to be who he is and to look the way he does, it’s stupid to expect him to have lived like a monk. Besides, it happened before we met. It’s not something he can change, so I have to deal with it. Still, it hurts.

Suddenly I find myself thinking of Trey, my ex-boyfriend, and two other human guys, Ben and Liam, who I went out with after Trey found his mate.

Not that I went much beyond making out with Ben and Liam, but they weren’t mere fun for me. I truly believed I had feelings for them. Ben was my rebound to get over Trey, and Liam was my rebound to get over Ben.

I’m sure my experience is nothing compared to Caspian’s, but I don’t think it’s a good idea if he finds out about those guys while we’re still here.

Nope, not good at all, especially when I’m feeling this violent toward Helen Rabbit. I don’t want him to go after Trey or the other two. I start pulling out a couple of duffel bags from inside the closet. These aren’t mine. They look too nice and too expensive to be mine.

Where’s my tattered old bag? I need my raggedy old bag.

“What are you thinking, sweetheart? Please, talk to me,” he says, following me around as if he’s worried I might jump out of the window or something to get away from him.

Right now I don’t want to think about him all tangled up with that woman in bed. Ugh!

“Let me get this straight. We don’t need to talk about our previous hookups and sexual experiences or anything like that with each other, right?”

I place one of the bags on the bed.

“Uh…right,” he says, now watching me warily.

“So, no talking about ex-boyfriends or anything.” I unzip the bag and start throwing things in it. “Good! That’s very good.”

“Wait! What ex-boyfriends?”

I go to the bathroom and start gathering the shampoo, the conditioner, and the shower gel that I used this morning. I like their smell. They smell like freaking vanilla and fucking rainbow and unicorn shit.

I feel like swearing so much I doubt my goddamn swear jar could handle all the money I would need to put in it.

I turn around, and he’s right behind me, blocking my exit. “Quincy, what ex-boyfriends?”

I duck underneath his arm and once again stand by the bed. “We’re not talking about that, remember?” I remind him as I release everything in my arms into the open bag.

These things are nice, but I still need my old bag.

“Where are you going?” he asks me as soon as my hand reaches out to grab the doorknob.

“I have something to do real quick,” I tell him, tugging the door open.

“Something like what?” He pushes the door closed.

He’s standing very close to me now. I can feel the heat of his body against the side of mine, his scent invading my nose, affecting my ability to think clearly.

“Something like... Uh, I need to talk to my cousin Jorden real quick,” I say, trying to pull the door open again, but he’s pressing against it so it won’t budge.

“Talk about what?” He has both hands on the door now, caging me in. “Are you trying to get away from me? Or is it about your ex-boyfriends?”

Something flares in his vivid green eyes.

Oh, God! Why are we even talking about my ex-boyfriends now? I’m still hurting and pissed off about him and that Helen woman.

Especially because I know she wants a repeat with the prince. ~My~ prince.