Was Royce trying to win me over by dangling this massive carrot in front of me, one that he knew I couldn’t turn down?
His eyes grew hard. “I don’t like the look on your face, pauper.”
I pulled away, immediately missing the heat of his touch on my arms. “It’s all so sudden, Royce.”
“I’m only trying to give you closure, Anna,” he said softly, crossing his arms over his chest. “Isn’t that what you want?”
Was that what I wanted? I thought so. I mean, I wanted to know who my mother was and where she was. I wanted to know if my father had killed her, or had had her killed, or if he was innocent in all of this and had loved her greatly.
I wanted to know all Isauros’ secrets and what she hadn’t told me.
But at what cost? Was I ready to go to another country with a king who had his own ambitions? “Can I think about it?”
It was clear by the look on his face that Royce wasn’t expecting me to think about anything. I saw the disappointment before he shuttered his look, something I knew that the kings did very well, and slid that easy grin on his face. “Sure, pauper. Take your time.”
“Thanks,” I managed, giving him a small smile. “I really do appreciate you helping me out, Royce. I know you don’t have to.”
“All in a day’s work, pauper,” he said, drawing in a breath. “Will you do one thing for me?”
“What?” I asked curiously, a bit worried what he might ask for. I mean, he had already seen me naked so that wasn’t going to be it.
Would it?
“Go to dinner with me tonight.”
It wasn’t a question but a quiet demand in that voice that had my insides clenching. “Is this a ploy to get me to go to England with you?”
“No,” he answered, his eyes on me. “I want to take you to dinner, no strings attached.” He then grinned. “But if you fall into my bed at the end of the night, I won’t complain.”
The old Royce was back and for once I was relieved. “Fine, but I want some good food.”
“Your wish is my command, pauper.”
**
“I can’t believe you are going on a date with him tonight. Isn’t that dangerous?”
I gave myself one last look in the mirror, checking out the little black dress that I had borrowed from Johanna. “It’s just dinner.”
“Yeah, it’s not just anything with the kings,” she reminded me, tugging on the zipper. “Not that it matters, I guess. You’ve already been in the sack with him.”
My cheeks flushed and I turned away. “So that means his charm won’t work on me tonight, right?”
She shook her head, a smile playing on her lips. “Who would have ever thought that the American orphan would have two kings wrapped around her finger? I mean, you should so write a book about this once it’s all said and done. It would be a hot read.”
A knock sounded on the door and I crossed the room in heels, opening it. Royce lounged against the doorway, his eyes twinkling. “Hey, pauper.”
I took in his casual suit, the way his dress shirt was unbuttoned at the throat, and knew I was in serious trouble. The man was literally sex appeal walking. “Hey, I’m ready.”
“You two kids have fun!” Johanna called out as I grabbed my purse and coat, shrugging it on. After blowing Johanna a kiss, I shut the door, falling into step next to Royce. “So where are we going?”
“With you looking like that, I want to say my place,” he chuckled. “But I’ve got reservations for us. You like Italian?”
“In Switzerland?” I asked. “Really?”
“Yeah.”
**
Dinner was nice, even I had to admit. Royce was charming as ever and our conversation was easy, without mentioning my mom or anything having to do with my current state of affairs. Instead we talked about our childhood, leaving me infatuated with how he had grown up in England. Surprisingly, he seemed just as interested in my childhood as well and I told him the good parts, leaving out the memories that would never die.
When we arrived back at the academy, I lingered in his car, running my fingers over the supple leather. “Thank you for a nice night tonight. I haven’t had many of those.”
He rested his arm on my seat. “You’re welcome, pauper. I enjoyed myself too.”
I felt like he was being sincere. “I should go in.”
“We could go to my place.”
It was a silent invitation for more between us and while I thought about caving, I knew I would be making a mistake if I did so. “I can’t, Royce.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, I thought so. You aren’t jumping my bones after two glasses of wine, so I figured my chances were slim to none.”
I turned to look at him, giving him a soft smile. “At least you didn’t have your hopes up.”
Royce lifted his finger, tracing my cheek. “I always have my hopes up, pauper.”
When he leaned over and pressed his lips to mine, I didn’t pull away, savoring the soft kiss compared to the others we had shared. I wouldn’t allow him to take it any further, but one kiss wasn’t going to hurt.
Royce made a sound low in his throat before he broke the kiss, pressing his forehead to mine briefly. “I’m going to need for you to get out of the car, pauper, before I drive us both away.”
I grinned, pressing a quick kiss to his lips before opening the door. “Thank you, Royce, really.”
“Good night, pauper.”
I climbed out of the car and shut the
