Page 34 of The Fifth Life of Alicia
I did not need this right now.
“Gosh, he’s handsome,” Lady Georgina muttered. “It’s a shame about the rumours.”
Don’t look, Allie. Don’t look. Don’t look. Don’t—
As if it were a compulsion, my gaze rose to the doors at the top of the stairs. If I thought I’d been surrounded by handsome men earlier, it was nothing compared to the overwhelming presence of this man.
He was mesmerizingly gorgeous.
He was tall, standing well over six feet, and his broad shoulders were the kind that were made for hooking your legs over. His black hair was parted to the side, and the ends of his fringe just tickled his vibrant purple eyes, casting shadows over his intense gaze. Every inch of his face was perfection personified from his square chin and prominent jaw to the way his lips curved down with annoyance as he surveyed the room.
He was dressed head to toe in black, and he looked exactly how I imagined a dark fairytale prince would look. The adornments were all silver; the fastenings on his jacket stood out like diamonds, and the rope that hung across his chest from his shoulder to his underarm kept his green-lined cape securely in place on his shoulder.
His gaze swept the crowd and found mine, almost as if he could sense me staring at him.
I couldn’t move.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
My eyes were locked on his. I couldn’t look away no matter how badly I knew I needed to. His expression didn’t change, even as he descended the staircase. The stoic, cold air that wrapped around him was ever present in the harshness of his gaze, and to me, it was almost suffocating.
A thick, cloying reminder of what my future would be if I didn’t look away now.
“Is he looking at us?” Lady Blair whispered.
“No,” Vivi said, slowly turning towards me. “He’s looking at—”
“Excuse me. I need some air,” I said, quickly ducking away before she could finish that sentence.
Me.
He was looking atme.
I pushed through the crowd and slipped out onto one of the terraces. Thankfully, it was empty, and I drew in a deep breath before letting it out in one big go.
This was not good.
This was not in my plan.
Why had I looked at him? Why hadn’t I turned away the second I’d realised I was unabashedly staring in his direction? Why had my thirsty arse studied him as if I were memorising every inch of his body?
Idiot. I was an idiot.
His attention was the last thing I wanted. I might as well have jumped up and down on the spot and begged for his attention with the way I’d carried on just now.
He was the kind of handsome I felt in my panties.
That man was going to haunt my dreams, I was sure of it.
“Stupid, stupid Allie,” I murmured, gripping the balustrade.
“Ah, yet another poor woman destined to have their heart broken by the Grand Duke.”
I jolted and turned at the unfamiliar voice, almost dropping my glass. “What in the world are you talking—”
Scarlet-red hair.
Light purple eyes.
