Her Mischievous Prince (Book 3)

Five

Jaxon

What the f**k was that? I scowled at myself the moment I turned my back on Elvie and Riley. That s**t was the most awkward I’ve ever been in front of a woman and it irks me because I don’t do awkward, I own it. I’m the type of guy who uses humor to defuse awkwardness, but obviously, I couldn’t earlier. I mean, who the hell meets someone for the first time and answers with the word hot as soon as she asks how I’m doing? The correct order of things should've been me saying I'm fine then asking her the same question. That's how proper introductions should go, but hot? First of all, it didn’t even make sense because the weather wasn’t even that hot even though I went for a morning swim which admittedly was a bad idea because it froze my balls the minute I jumped in. Second, I sounded like a f*****g creep possibly a perv for saying it slowly while staring at her. I even, hopefully subtly, checked Riley out the same time her eyes drifted lower than my face and the sickest part was I kinda liked the way she looked at me. I can't tell what kind it is exactly, but it wasn't the usual look I get from women I meet. Hers was a mixture of guarded and intrigued which made my stomach flip. What am I even saying right? She's my stepsister for f**k's sake!

But, if I’m totally being honest here, I do, for the twisted part of me, find her hot. Hotter than I thought she would be actually. How do I even begin to describe her? She has this silky raven hair that’s neatly tied high up and it swung back and forth when she abruptly turned. She has these beautiful big dark brown eyes that seem to shine with mystery and curiosity. They're actually pretty dominant but otherwise complement her heart-shaped face, cute pointy nose, and luscious pale lips. She kinda looks like a fairy only she also has this "don't f**k with me" thing going on, and don't even get me started with her body because s**t. She wasn't even wearing anything revealing, just your regular shorts and white tank top, but damn!

I wanted to take my time showering before heading back up for breakfast because I don't know how things will turn out once we're all sitting around the table pretending to be this perfect family my father wants to portray, but I thought better than to add more friction between me and him, so, just for today, I wanted to pretend like the good son I never was and did things as quickly as possible. "Ah, there he is," my dad said the moment I stepped into the dining hall. I said a collective good morning to everyone then gave my brother a good old slap on the back before sitting my ass down beside him and when I looked up I was greeted by Riley's stare and f**k that made me feel as comfortable as a dog wearing heels. It was like she was reading my mind and unfolding my deepest darkest secrets. Like she can see through my bullshit even though she knows nothing about me. Although there's a huge chance that she recognizes me, I still believe that it doesn't mean she knows me beneath all that rock star glamor everyone else sees.

I looked at her with a raised brow as if I was asking what she was staring at, not in a way that was rude, but more like an honest-to-goodness question. She slowly lowered her eyes and resumed eating without a word and that bothered me even more which resulted in me doing the thing I rarely do - engage in small talk to see what her deal was. "So... Riley, right?" I started and her eyes found mine again. Instead of speaking, she answered with a nod but otherwise gave me her full attention. Taking the bait, I continued, "did you sleep well?" Motherfucking hell! I slightly flinched and almost slapped my hand over my forehead after realizing that it has got to be the stupidest question I've ever come up with. I wasn't planning on asking that, but it was out before I could even process it. Lee, sensing my discomfort, tried his best not to snigger but definitely failed because his shoulders were shaking violently even though his face remained semi-impassive. I stared down the side of his face to give him a chance to fix himself and stop laughing before I whack the back of his head and when he got the picture he immediately straightened up a bit, gave me a huge grin, and continued devouring his waffles.

I looked at Riley once more, trying to pretend that I was dead serious about the question. "I did, actually," she answered. "Awesome, has my brother here offered to show you around?" I tried again and I'm f*****g relieved that this time I asked something normal. She turned her attention to Lee, her brows shifting closer together. "No, was he supposed to?" she asked, looking between me and Lee with a confused expression. "Supposed to no, should've offered, yes. Don't be offended if he ignores you though. He's not used to talking with the opposite gender," I teased, playfully elbowing my brother on the side. "Says the guy who can't come up with better icebreakers," Lee snorted. "Ignore him, he's a little... Crazy," I said, running my pointer finger in circles at the side of my head. Riley's face broke into a meek smile that made her look more beautiful and that somehow made me feel happy.

I was about to talk more, when my father, as usual, killed the mood. " We have decided to celebrate our marriage by inviting a few of our friends and colleagues today, so I hope no one made plans of suddenly disappearing," he sternly said, eyeing me and Lee specifically. Ah, there it is. Of course, there's going to be a party even at this strange family vacation. Neither of us looked up or answered verbally because what was the point? I and my brother knew that he'll eventually have people over, we just didn't think it was going to be this soon. It's been a thing with my parents whenever we come up here. They'd say we're going on vacation only it won't be exclusively for the four of us. They'd always throw parties or social gatherings pretending that it's all for celebrating something, but would always end up in business mergers. Like I've said, business was everything to them.

I looked between Elvie and Riley, waiting for any sort of reaction. Elvie seemed pleased, so she must know what's about to go down unless she really thinks this is about their marriage and boy do I feel sorry for her already. Riley, on the other hand, wasn't able to stop herself from rolling her eyes, but she ceased the action midway when she noticed that I was looking at her which made me chuckle. "What's so funny?" My dad asked looking a bit pissed. Riley's eyes met mine growing wider the same way my grin does. She must think I'm about to throw her under the bus. "Nothing, I just mentally pictured myself wearing a suit I haven't worn since I was eighteen. That said, I'm sorry dad, but I'm gonna have to break your rule about no running off unless you want me to walk around wearing my pants and dress shirt open to make them fit," I answered which made Lee laugh and cough out the coffee he was sipping. "Excuse me," he said snickering and wiping the mess he created at the same time. "Suit?" Riley asked looking between me, her mom, Lee, and my dad. "Yeah, you always have to dress up if you're attending a Prince's party even if you're in the middle of a desert," I began before turning back to my father. "Unless you're planning on changing things up."

My dad shrugged and cleared his throat after he and his wife exchanged glances. "Changing, but I'd still want everyone to look presentable." I almost fake gasped in surprise at how fake his response was, but then again maybe he's really a changed man. "Okay... Still have to find something presentable. You guys coming?" I asked Lee and Riley. She jutted her lips out in such an adorable way as she thought about her answer. "I guess," she slowly confirmed. "Nope, I'm good," Lee uttered. "Meet you out front in twenty," I instructed Riley before pushing off to bring my dishes to the sink.