The Luna Choosing Game

“No,” Nicholas said.

Julian, still bowing, shot him a glare. “I wasn’t asking you, brother. In case that wasn’t obvious.”

1

“She will not dance with you, because she is about to dance with me.” Nicholas said.

Julian straightened upright. “Is that what was happening here? Because, to me, it appeared as if you two were awkwardly standing near each other and only barely talking.”

That description didn’t sound so different from some of the royal dances I knew, but I decided not to

point that out.

“Even if we were only talking, you must admit how exceedingly rude it is to interrupt,” Nicholas said.

“Rude, maybe,” Julian said. “But necessary, if I’m to save Piper from an evening of boredom.”

“Perhaps we should ask the lady to choose for herself,” Nicholas said. He looked at me.

Julian did too. “Well, Piper? Which of us will it be?”

heart leaned for Nicholas and the comfort of his presence. I’d given him quite the shock tonight, I was sure, with revelation after revelation. I wanted to make sure he was

as I glanced out over the room, I felt two pairs of eyes pressing down onto me. One pair belonged to Linda, who downed an entire champagne

The King v

through me under the intensity of his eyes. He was

Linda’s ultimatum.

the chance either way. So I held

he clasped my hand in both

moment, a touch of

Julian’s grin sharpened. “Wouldn’t

jealous you are.”

Nicholas schooled his features. “I’m

at the words, even though it had no real reason to. Nicholas and I did not belong to

right to be jealous, and I had no right to want him

floor. As he held my hand with

up fairly easily. With Julian twirling me around the dance floor, I noticed Linda and the King had stopped paying me any mind.

Julian and me with an unreadable expression. His eyes never left us

said, and I braced myself for whatever observation he was about to make. “You and Nicholas

swallowed thickly. “I don’t know what you