ptive for my liking. They might have looked friendly, but their ey

f them, I kept

nodded at me

I can't

d in, flashing one of his rare approving smiles. 'I heard abou

. I was just lucky,' I said,

kes to do great things. Renan and I have gone head-to-head many times.

've got Leander and Mireille. I remember when they were little, so well-behaved and

d for him, mimicking his gruff

erupted in

lance at the one person who trul

the kind of smile that made looking away impossible. And maybe it was just the li

ough still lean, still delicate in a way that made me want to pull him close and shield him

Oh

king about kis

er, Mr Grimaldi, if you'll ex

ndfather said with

t walk-

ing the cold would shock some sense into me. No such luck. I yanked open my

. So s

ion. Softer, warmer. Less like an untouchable ice queen, more like some

. I'd never cared before. Their opinions had never matter

too distant. I worried

it that-was so thin, so delicate, that the smallest m

I wasn't sure I

my forehead. This wa

I supposed to g

some Victorian maiden swooning over her secret crush. But then greed crept in. I wanted more. I wanted him. In my

-when I thought, 'Screw it, why not just keep him?' Literally. As in

ldi would have an aneurysm. My grandfather would probably disown me, then resurrect

tered boy with barely any experience in the real world. I

(and totally not obsessive) r

I still ha

*

ll locked in an intense chess battle, while

nowhere, Li

jumped from her chair, grabbed the hem of her dress,

n the direction she

h

was

cally, me, b

flowy dress. My usual icy aura was replaced with something suspiciously warm, almost... gent

und like an overly enthusiastic puppy. Then

sister does have a h

'And what, I wasn

seemed more approachable, thi

us grin. 'Ever heard of th

. 'You don't li

as the last designer bag at a s

Less Intimidating' wa