My three strangers were at the unveiling ceremony, standing behind a row of guards, in the section of the stands to the right of the stage reserved for visiting royalty.
Royalty.
Oh. My. God.
They turned at the same time, and three sets of gorgeous, deep eyes locked onto me. Three mouths opened in surprise, but then slowly pulled into hungry grins as we all locked eyes.
My strangers — the three men I’d kissed the night before like a completely crazy girl, were standing right in front of me…
Wearing crowns.
Chapter 7
Anya
The moment was shattered by crowds cheering at some final words. Everyone on the stage I was sitting on next to Adele rose to clap, and I took the moment to bolt from the stage. I lunged down the steps to the backstage area, feeling like my whole head was spinning.
I knew who they were now. I hadn’t placed it the night before, because why on Earth would I have placed men like them in a place like that. But seeing them in the crowns, at a royal event, had cemented it.
Tam. They were the three “Princes in limbo” of Tam, one of our near neighboring kingdoms. I knew them from the papers, a bit, though nothing scandalous or gossipy. They were in the middle of a fight with some old rules in their kingdom about them ascending to their fathers’ positions as the three kings.
The details I couldn’t remember at the moment, but they also weren’t important. What was important was the reality: I’d kissed three princes, at a goddamn sex club.
And they knew exactly who I was.
I made it three steps before I gasped as the hand grabbed my arm, pulling me around. I whirled, pulling my fist back, when I stopped short, breathlessly looking up into their eyes.
“Whoa, easy!” It was the blond one who threw his hands up and stepped back.
“Were you about to hit me?”
I glared at him. “I should.”
“And why is that?”
I swallowed the heat from my face. “Uh, because you lied to me?”
He and the other two grinned smugly. “Oh, did we?”
“Yes!” I hissed. “Maybe you tell someone when you’re royal princes?”
“Maybe you tell someone when you live in a castle!”
We all glared at each other — not really mad, but heatedly. That is, until the other heat — the heat and electric feeling from the night before came back.
Hard.
It was the heat that came with proximity to them — the teasing, aching feeling of wanting more of them.
I shivered under their gazes.
“We didn’t tell you because you didn’t recognize us.”
“Well, I do now.”
“Dean,” blondie said, his jaw tight.
“Jace,” the one with the black hair and the blue eyes who I’d kissed first said in a low growl.
“And I’m Killia—”
“Yeah, I know who you are!” I hissed. “You’re the princes of Tam.”
They nodded quietly.
“Oh, wonderful. I made out with three heads of state last night,” I spat sarcastically.
“And what does this information change?”
I laughed brittlely. “Um, a lot? I can’t go around kissing princes.”
“And why not?” Killing murmured, his powerful hand coming up to push his fingers through his thick, gorgeous dark hair.
“Because it’s unseemly,” I said, feeling as prudish saying it as I’m sure it sounded.
“And what century is it?”
I laughed in spite of myself, my frown shattering as I felt the small smile creep over my face.
“What were you three doing at a place like that?” I said quickly.
“We told you, we’re—”
Killian punched Jace in the arm, and they all went silent.
“Well?”
Dean sighed. “Nothing, it’s just supposed to be anonymous.”
“Why, because you’re—”
My eyes went wide as the answer hit me before I even finished my sentence.
I’d only heard it in rumor before, because — c’mon, how could it possibly be real? Girls told it giggling at bachelorette parties. Guys joked about being members.
But the Three Crowns Club was all an urban legend.
…Right?
“I think you’ve got it,” Killian said slowly.
“Was— was that the three crowns club last night?”
The three of them chuckled.
“What?” I hissed.
“Triple,” Jace said quietly. “It’s called the Triple Crown Club.”
The very name sent a shiver through me, my body burning in all sorts of places.
No. Freaking. Way.
“Last night? Seriously?”
Dean nodded. “Yep.”
“And wait, ‘Crown’ as in, all the members are princes?”
The three of them looked surprised.
“Well, c’mon, it’s not exactly hard to put that together. If you’re trying to hide it, you might want to pick a better name.”
They grinned, and Killian nodded.
“Yes, they are. Well, royalty, at least.”
Holy shit. The place was real — an entire club where princes went to share women. My fantasy from the night before came back with vengeance, instantly sending heat between my legs. Dirty thoughts of the three of them pulling my clothes off, and taking me, and claiming me…
My face burned hot.
Only this time, in the fantasy, they kept their crowns on.
I blushed even deeper as I looked away.
“You’ve been thinking about last night.”
I looked up sharply at Dean’s words.
“Well, yeah,” I said quietly, my face bright red.
“Good,” Killian growled. “So have we.”
I swallowed, the back hallway suddenly feeling much smaller.
“Have you now?”
“A lot,” Jace murmured. “In fact, we can’t stop thinking about it.”
I took a shaky breath. “And what ‘it’ are we talking about?”
“You,” Dean murmured, stepping closer. “We’re talking about how we can’t stop thinking about you, and that kiss. Because that was a lot more than just a kiss, and I think you know that.”
My whole body shivered, his words teasing me in deep, wonderful places.
But I shook my head. This was crazy, after all, right?
“I was in weird place, and I thought I’d never see you again, and I was drunk—”
“Don’t.”
Killian frowned.
“Don’t pull the ‘I was drunk’ card.”
He was right, I hadn’t been. I mean, one drink had me buzzing, but that’d been more just because I’d been around them. I couldn’t excuse what had happened because of the alcohol, that wasn’t fair.
Or true.
What’d happened had happened because I was drawn to them. Yes, maybe I was feeling a little extra impulsive, and crazy the other night, but it was all because of them.
The way they drew me in like a moth to flame. The way they left my body wanting more and my lips desperately wanting another taste.
“You know that was more than a kiss,” Jace growled.
“I—”
They were right, and there wasn’t even any use in denying it. I’d “just kissed” men before, and nothing had ever been like that Kissing them had changed my world.
But come on, there were three of them! How could it mean more than just a kiss when there were three men involved?
“What are you doing tonight?”
I blinked, looking up quickly at Dean.
“Are you asking me out?”
“Yes.”
They all said it at once, and I shivered and blushed at the same time.
“I’m not that girl,” I said quietly.
“Which girl is that?”
“The kind that goes on dates with three men at once? I mean, what is this, a game show? You want me to choose one?”