Page 30 of Her Red Hot Secret Royal Fling

Her gaze slid to his face, and her frown deepened. It would potentially be too revealing to ask about Louisa. It would show that she was thinking too much about Ares on a personal level. At the same time, Salvatore would know more about their relationship. He’d be able to tell her what she wanted to know…

“Hey, what happened with A…the King and his girlfriend, anyway?”

“Louisa?” Salvatore responded, without missing a beat. He didn’t seem to be reading too much into her question.

“Yeah.”

“They broke up a while ago.”

She rolled her eyes. “I know that much.”

“Ohh, you’re asking for the details?”

Guilt made her cheeks flush with warmth. “I mean, I don’t want to pry. I’m just interested. They were going out a while.”

“Yeah.”

Frustration clicked through her. Was he really not going to elaborate? Men could be so annoying sometimes. Just when she’d given up any hope of more information, Salvatore tapped his pen against the edge of the desk and murmured, “It was surprising. They always seemed happy.”

Something tightened in her chest. She’d asked the question, had practically forced open Pandora’s box. It was no one’s fault but her own that she was hearing answers she didn’t really want.

“I guess you never really know what’s going on in someone’s relationship, behind closed doors,” he shrugged.

“Maybe they weren’t actually that happy?” She guessed, ignoring how wishful her voice sounded.

“I don’t think that would be it. Ares isn’t really the kind of guy to put up with someone he didn’t like.”

“You foisted me on him for that hiking trip,” she reminded Salvatore. “You told me he was too polite to turn me down.”

“You’re different. No one could not like you.”

She rolled her eyes. “You just didn’t want to lose the chance to push home our advantage.”

His grin was pure competitive ruthlessness. “There might have been an element of that to it.”

She shook her head. “You’re unbelievable.”

“Come on, you obviously didn’t have an awful time.”

“How do you know that?” she asked, breathlessly. Had she said something to give them away?

“Well, you’re still talking to me, for one.”

She lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “It was actually kind of…fun.”

He let out a low whistle and regarded her carefully. Sofia had showered and changed as soon as they’d returned to the palace, dressed in one of the outfits she’d brought with her—a navy plant suit with a champagne-coloured silk blouse. The buttons were pearl, and she’d pulled her hair into a neat, low bun. Clothes like this were a sort of armour for Sofia. When dressed like this, she felt immaculate and untouchable. She felt like she could handle just about anything.

“I’m impressed.”

“You thought I’d hate it?”

“No. I knew you wouldn’t hate it. Ares is a nice guy, he’s good to spend time with. And the countryside is some of the most beautiful in the world. I still remember the barefoot little urchin who would run wild over the hills of our estate each summer. I knew that girl was in there somewhere. It’s just been a long time since I’ve seen you in anything but this,” he gestured to her. “I like the thought of you hiking, if I’m honest. Just being…relaxed.”

“Yeah, well,” she said, hiding the emotions he’d caused to riot through her. “It was still work, you know.”

“Do you think he’s leaning our way?”

Her lips pulled to one side. “It’s hard to say. He kept his cards close to his chest.”

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