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“Is Cruz your stage name?” I asked as I handed the letter back to him.
“No. I changed it the same day I dropped my title. It’s now my legal name, but they simply refuse to acknowledge it.” He shook the letter in the air.
“‘They being?”
“My parents,” he spat the term out like a grumpy child.
“It seems they are not well-liked by either of you Huntington boys.”
Cruz snorted with wry laughter. “My little brother may act like an out-of-control brat, but he loves the privileged lifestyle. The women, the money, the doors it opens for him, people waiting on him hand and foot, not to mention the title, land, and inheritance he’ll receive upon our father’s death.
“I, on the other hand, want to make my own way in the world. I didn’t want everything being an heir would bring along with it. I didn’t want the pressure. The deal was I could renounce my title as long as I attend two special occasions a year.” He squeezed his fists tight again. “My father takes passive-aggressiveness to an entirely new level. He has never forgiven me for breaking the line of succession. It’s almost as if I was in line for the bloody throne. In actual fact, it’s nothing more than a title. We hold lands, we can sit in the House of Lords if we so wish, but we don’t have any real power other than birthright. I much prefer to concentrate on my musical career than play politics.” Cruz chuckled to himself. “You ought to have been there the day I dropped out of university.”
“Caused a stir, did you?” I curved half of my mouth in a smirk, visualizing how it might have gone down.
“Definitely,” Cruz said with a wink.
“What about your mom? What’s she like?”
Cruz shrugged. “She’s harmless enough, but she’s as indoctrinated as the rest of them. Sweet but rule-abiding and does her civic duty as a countess.”
I cocked my head to one side. “Do you want me there as some kind of buffer?”
“You make it sound so cold.”
“Not at all. I don’t mind going with you, Cruz, if it makes you feel more comfortable. One question, though…” I trailed off.
“Anything,” Cruz replied.
“Why me?”
“I don’t know. You’re the first person who came to mind.” He was clearly trying to come across as nonchalant, but he did a pretty shitty job at it.
That was odd to me. We’d only known each other for a short time. Didn’t Cruz have a slew of women at his beck and call who would jump at the chance to go on a date with him?
“Is there a catch?” I asked.
Cruz frowned. “No. I’m not a user, Sienna. I don’t fuck someone, then throw them to the curb. I might ooze sex appeal and have the whole mysterious fallen-son thing going for me, but I tend to save that for my public persona. It goes down well for the band’s punk rock image.”
He was right. His band was beginning to get noticed around London in a big way, and I knew playing at Estate Styles’ Christmas gala would be the start of something epic.
Cruz inched closer to me. “In case you haven’t realized, I like you.”
I folded my arms. “Do you know I’m non-monogamous and polyamorous, and I’m dating four other people?”
“My cousin and my brother are among them, correct?”
“Yes.”
Cruz nodded and shrugged at the same time.
“Before I say yes to you taking me to your family, I need to know beyond a doubt you’re okay with that aspect of me.”
Cruz moved close to me. “Even though you have awful taste when it comes to my little brother, I’m okay with it.”
“I guess I have time to see if you truly do or not. So consider me a tentative plus one.”
“Thank you.” He pressed his hands together and bowed his head toward me. “You don’t know how much this means to me.”
