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“Um, yes. I think so. I’ve never seen Regent slam a door before. He’s upset with me.”
“He’s upset with me,” Liam countered. “Not you.”
She bit at her lip. It didn’t feel like that. It felt like she was going against his wishes. “Regent has always taken care of me. I don’t want to make him mad.”
“Hey, look at me.” Nico suddenly appeared in front of her, cupping her chin and raising her face. “There is no way you could ever make him mad. He adores and protects you, as any big brother should. But that shouldn’t stop you from having a life of your own. You’re allowed to be happy.”
“I know that.” She flushed. “I’m not saying Regent would stop me from being happy.”
“If he’s smothering you, dictating to you, then he’s not giving you a chance to live,” Liam told her from where he still sat at the end of the dining table.
“Oh, you mean like you dictated to me when you told me if I didn’t come down to breakfast that you’d carry me down?” She turned, Nico’s hand falling from her chin as she put her hand on her hip and glared at him.
Liam leaned back in his chair, looking like a King surveying his kingdom. She wished she had an ounce of his confidence. He didn’t seem worried at all about Regent, or all the obstacles between them.
Liam simply saw a problem then decided how to tackle it. Yeah, she wished she was more like that.
You could be. You could be brave for once. Just try.
“That’s different.”
“Why? Because it’s you dictating to me rather than Regent?” she challenged.
“Exactly. I like you like this.”
“Like what?” she asked carefully.
“Full of sass. Standing up to me. This is how you should be all the time.”
“Oh, you like someone who fights with you?”
“It’s foreplay to him,” Nico told her with a grin. “If you wanted to turn him off, you should have been all meek and agreeable.”
“Great. You could have given me this advice earlier,” she grumbled.
“Why? I don’t want him turned off. I want you with us.” Nico wrapped an arm around her waist, laying a kiss on the top of her head. As he did that, the door opened and one of the maids walked in.
She came to a stop as she saw her with Nico, her jaw dropping open. Then her gaze went to Liam and her mouth shut. She grew pale. She was scared of Liam.
He could be rather intimidating. But she realized with surprise that she wasn’t scared of him. She didn’t think she’d ever been. Just wary.
Alice just stood there, as though waiting for something.
“Are you here to take Lottie’s breakfast request?” Nico asked gently.
“What? Oh, yes. Sorry. What will you have, miss?” she asked politely. Although her gaze still moved over the three of them, flitting back and forth.
Lottie frowned. It wasn’t that weird, was it? Sure, Nico had his arm around her, but it wasn’t like they were having an orgy at the table.
“Just coffee, please.”
“Try again,” Liam pressed.
She narrowed her gaze at him. Dictator.
“He won’t let her leave until you order some food,” Nico whispered to her. “And I’d rather she wasn’t here, wouldn’t you? She stares a lot.”
Did she? She’d never noticed it before, but maybe he was right.
