Prince Of England

Sora

Three plus Kade.

Four buff men stand in the middle of my hospital room, smiling sheepishly while exchanging glances amongst themselves as though they're silently debating who should speak first.

An overwhelming urge to disappear beneath my blanket crashes over me, but my pride stubbornly refuses to let me. I already embarrassed myself enough yesterday, the last thing I need is four ridiculously attractive men witnessing me hide under hospital sheets like a frightened turtle.

“She’s much prettier than the pictures, mate.” The blond one quips, patting Kade on the shoulder.

Pictures?

My eyes snap to Kade so quickly my neck almost snaps. The idiot suddenly finds the ceiling fascinating, refusing to look anywhere in my direction.

Traitor.

I drag my attention back to the three men standing before me, taking them in properly this time. They're all inexplicably handsome in completely different ways, almost like they were handpicked to represent different kinds of attractiveness. The blond has the effortless surfer look going for him, another is broad enough to make Kade look average and the last carries himself with the sort of confidence that makes the room feel smaller.

Life is unbelievably unfair.

How is it physically possible for four perfectly sculpted men to know each other and somehow end up in the same friendship circle? Shouldn't there be a law preventing this much good-looking DNA from gathering in one place?

Then again...

Maybe that's why Kade fits in so naturally.

The realization hits me harder than it should and I immediately hate it.

“You're staring.” Kade murmurs beside them, the corner of his lips twitching.

I scoff, crossing my arms over my chest.

“I was actually wondering if you're all secretly made in the same laboratory.”

For a second there's complete silence, then all four of them burst into laughter.

“And she's funny too,” the tatted armed one says from behind them, flashing me a grin so charming I almost swoon.

I glance between the four of them before letting out a dramatic sigh.

“How the fuck did I end up with the least attractive one?”

The words wipe the smile clean off Kade's face.

“Keep saying shit like that and I promise you, baby, they won't be attractive by the end of today.”

He shoots all three of them with a murderous glare, but none of them look remotely threatened. If anything, they seem to enjoy winding him up.

The broad-shouldered one with a buzz cut and a clean shave steps forward, extending a hand. “I'm Toney. Whenever you're tired of him, I'll happily introduce you to greener pastures.”

Kade lunges.

Toney yelps, barely managing to jump back before the blond slips neatly between them, laughing so hard he's practically doubled over.

“For fuck's sake, Kade!”

While the two of them shove each other around like overgrown children, the tatted one casually ducks beneath their arms, strolls over to my bed and drops to one knee beside me. He takes my hand between both of his and offers the most exaggerated smile I've ever seen.

“And I'm Shawn,” he says solemnly. “Fair lady, forever at your service.”

My lips part, I don't even have time to answer before Kade's voice booms across the room.

“Are you actually fucking kidding me?”

The little wrestling match comes to an abrupt halt, though Kade still looks one second away from committing murder.

The blond clears his throat, smoothing imaginary wrinkles from his shirt as though none of that just happened.

“Since everyone else has introduced themselves, I'm Jackson.”

He follows it with an unnecessarily elegant bow.

“The Prince of England,” the other three say in perfect unison before bowing alongside him.

I gape at all four of them, from the way they carry themselves, anyone would assume they were grumpy bodyguards hired to intimidate people.

Instead, they’re complete idiots.

A laugh bursts out of me before I can stop it, loud enough to make my chest ache.

“I really picked the wrong one,” I manage between fits of laughter.

Kade folds his arms across his chest, glaring at all four of us now.

“Oh, you're hilarious.”

Kade shoves Shawn away from my bedside before claiming the spot for himself, his shoulder pressing against mine as he folds his arms across his chest with the biggest pout I've ever seen.

“I knew this was a terrible idea.”

A laugh bubbles out of me.

“Aww, is the baby sad?”

He doesn't even try to deny it.

Instead, he nods before resting the side of his face against the palm I'd unknowingly lifted toward him.

The simple gesture sends my entire body into overdrive.

Fuck.

Not again.

Why does every little thing he does have this effect on me?

I quickly pull my hand back, pretending to fix my blanket while praying nobody noticed the heat crawling up my neck.

Before anyone can comment, the door swings open, revealing a tiny Sandy standing in the doorway, completely swallowed by the three mountain-sized men occupying my room.

Her eyes sweep over the backs of the three men in the room. Finally, they land on Kade sitting suspiciously close to me.

She slowly turns to look at me, then back at them.

A grin spreads across her face as she flashes me an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

It’s official, Sandy is more likely to sell me off to a bunch of hot men.

I am almost positive my face has turned the exact shade of a ripe tomato.

“I heard the noi—”

Her voice comes out embarrassingly small.

She clears her throat, squares her shoulders and tries again.

“I heard your voices from outside,” she says, this time sounding far more authoritative. “You do realize this is a hospital, right?”

“Who's she?” Jackson asks, pointing at Sandy with a frown like she's the one invading his space.

“My best friend?” I answer, though it comes out sounding more like a question than a statement.

Sandy steps fully into the room, stopping directly in front of Jackson. The height difference between them is almost comical. He towers over her so completely that she looks like a wind could carry her away, yet somehow she's the intimidating one.

She folds her arms across her chest and lifts her chin.

“Hi. I'm Sandy Blaine, Sora's best friend, confidant and self-appointed bodyguard.” She offers him a bright smile that doesn't reach her eyes. “And I've never heard of you before.”

The boys immediately break into a chorus of whistles and laughter.

Jackson's frown deepens. “That's none of your business.”

“Hm.” Sandy hums thoughtfully, tilting her head as she studies him from head to toe. “That's a pretty weird name to give your kid, but I'd probably do the same if they looked like you.”

My jaw nearly hits the hospital bed.

What...

Who...

Where did this version of Sandy come from?

I can’t believe the Prince of England is completely speechless.

Shawn sighs dramatically before wedging himself between the two of them.

“Okay, okay, kids there’s no need for a fight.” He gestures toward Jackson with his thumb. “This grumpy asshole is Jackson.”

He points at himself.

“I'm Shawn.”

Then he motions toward the broad-shouldered giant leaning against the wall.

“And that's Toney.”

Jackson scoffs from behind him. “I’m not dealing with this, I’m heading out.”

“I’ll be back,” Shawn says, rubbing the back of his neck. “I need to talk to him before he picks a fight with someone.”

Toney snorts, following after them without another word.

Kade lingers, his gaze flicks between Sandy and me before he leans down, pressing a quick kiss to my forehead.

“I'll be right back, baby.”

Before I can protest the nickname—or the kiss—he jogs out after his friends, leaving Sandy and me alone in the suddenly quiet room.

“What was that?” we ask at the exact same time.

I roll my eyes first.

“No, seriously. What was that?”

“What?” Sandy shrugs innocently as she drags a chair closer to my bed. “I just don't like proud, egotistical pieces of shit.”

“Sandy.”

“What?”

I narrow my eyes at her. “Don't 'what' me. That wasn't normal, even for you.”

She busies herself adjusting the strap of her handbag, refusing to look me in the eye.

“Come on,” I press. “Do you know Jackson?”

Her answer comes almost immediately. “No.”

She reaches into her bag, pulls out her iPad and places it on my lap before I can ask another question. The screen lights up to a spreadsheet from work, and just like that she's trying to change the subject.

“I've already sorted through the appointments you missed yesterday,” she says, scrolling through the schedule. “The agency finally responded to my emails and your relationship with Kade isn’t a problem as long as it doesn’t interfere with your performance.”

I don't even glance at the screen, instead, I keep looking at her.

“You know,” I say softly, “I'm not going to force you to tell me anything.”

Her finger pauses over the screen.

“But I'd really like it if one day... you did.”

For the briefest moment, something flickers across her face. Something similar to guilt and sadness.

“So,” she says with an overly bright smile, “there’s a client really persistent on working with you.”

I sigh, realizing she won’t budge so I decide to let it go.

We spend the next few minutes catching up on work until a gentle knock sounds at the door. A nurse walks in with a clipboard tucked beneath her arm and offers me a warm smile.

“Miss Raine,” she says, holding out a stack of papers. “These are your discharge forms.”