Page 75 of Three's A Crown

“Hey, I can see you’re getting worked up. It wasn’t like that. It was kind of him, in a non-sleazy way,” she reassures me.

I’m not sure how offering his guards to service my sister couldn’t be considered sleazy.

“I know you are desperate to lose your virginity because Maggie and I have, but it should be with someone special,” I tell her.

“Was it special for you?”

“At the time yeah, it was,” I tell her honestly.

“Don’t you think it’s archaic holding onto virginity like that. It means nothing,” she grumbles.

“Must mean something if you have waited so long.”

Skylar sits up in bed and glares at me. “Do you think I wanted to wait? If I had a chance to be with some farm boy or prince or guard, I would have. But I was so scared of our father that it incapacitated me to even try if someone flirted with me. Why do you think I read so many romance books? They are my escape, the one place I can pretend to be someone I’m not,” she confesses.

“I had no idea, Sky.”

“How could you? He made sure we always had the tiniest bit of wedge between us. I was the dutiful daughter till the end and where did that get me? Alone and unfulfilled.”

I never realized how much control our father had over Skylar. She was always the free spirit, but I can see it now; he broke that spirit when it came to love. That isn’t fair. How can I ask her to refrain from love and sex when here I am sleeping with two men at the same time. It’s hypocritical of me. Why am I adding to her pressure of keeping something she doesn’t want to keep because it will make others happy? When does my sister get to feel happy?

“I’m sorry, Sky. I had no idea what you have been battling. If you want to sleep with the entire battalion, then do it. I will support you every step of the way,” I tell her.

Skylar’s blue eyes widen in surprise at my comment. “I don’t think I need to sleep with the entire battalion to make my point.” She chuckles.

“All I want is for you to be happy, doing whatever it is that will make you happy. We’ve been controlled for far too long and I feel like me telling you to wait to have sex is another form of control. That I’m not hearing what you are trying to tell me, that you just want to feel wanted.”

Tears well in Skylar’s eyes as she reaches out and hugs me. “You mean it, you won’t judge me if and when I meet someone and decide to take things further?”

“What you do behind closed doors has nothing to do with me. I’ll always be here for you.”

“Thank you,” she says, and I see the relief wash over her. “How was last night?”

I roll my eyes. “It was fun,” I confess.

“Rosie, did you? You did, didn’t you. I’ve been joking but the fact that you have. Oh my god!” Skylar squeals.

“We had a beautiful dinner in the glasshouse, we spoke about what would happen between us, what the expectations are. Then the prince decided that we should forget the lines between the three of us and just go with the flow.”

Skylar’s eyes widen.

“I know, that’s weird, isn’t it?”

“No, I don’t think so. It’s unconventional, yes, but not weird. I mean, you just said yes to a semi arranged marriage some would consider that weird. Having a relationship with two men, not so much.”

“Do you think it could work?” I ask her.

“No more than you and the prince trying to make it work. They are both strangers to you, so you get to know both at the same time while having fun. Did Greyson get jealous of you sleeping with his man?”

“A little, but he also said it was hot.”

Skylar fans herself. “You’re living the dream.”

“Or I’m making a complicated situation even more complicated.”

“Could be that too,” Skylar adds with a chuckle.

“You’re no help,” I moan to her.