Page 46 of Resisting Royal

CHAPTER 23

BIANCA

It was midweek when I finally got around to walking through my little house to take in all the upgrades. It was gorgeous, way more than I could have asked for, and if it wasn’t for Royal, all this would have never been done. Sure, I dreamed of doing the upgrades, but my father always needed money or care, and didn’t family always come first?

New floors, counters, appliances, roof, paint . . . it must have cost a fortune. Then there was the added cost of landscaping. Why? Why would he bother spending so much on a property that wasn’t even his? A voice in the back of my head whispered, he cares about you, but I ignored the voice, not really sure if Royal really cared about anything but money and power.

I met the leasing company on the property, and filled out all the necessary paperwork, shocked at how quick the process was. But then again, the company was employed by Royal, and he tended to be efficient. By this time next week, my home would have another occupant, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I loved the luxury of Royal’s house, but the relaxed comfort of my own called to me.

The agent pulled out of the driveway, and I checked my watch, noting that the appointment took less time than I thought it would. I had taken an extended lunch break, anticipating a longer meeting time, but fifteen minutes to sign on the dotted line, check a few boxes, and mark a few initials, and all leasing and tenant responsibilities were out of my hand.

I got in my car and headed back to work, deciding if I made it on time, which I was almost positive I would, I would eat a frozen dinner I had stored in the freezer as lunch. A glance in my rear-view mirror confirmed Royal’s babysitter had pulled out behind me, and I decided for once I would let him be instead of trying to intentionally lose him.

Except for a few cars, the parking lot was empty. I parked, my babysitter pulling in next to me. I flipped him off, he blew me a kiss. It was funny, really. Even though I knew Troy was an actual adult with big responsibilities and not just a loser like I initially pegged him for, I still couldn’t help but egg him on. He was almost the fun side to Royal’s dark and broody demeanor, and maybe that’s why they worked because they seemed to complement each other in the most unlikely of ways.

I entered the office through the employee’s door, thankful it was left unlocked for once, so I didn’t have to walk all the way around the building to use the front entrance. After dropping my purse at my office station, I went into the breakroom in search of a delicious tray of frozen enchiladas and Spanish rice. Delicious might be a stretch, but I needed the mental build-up to force myself to eat it.

When I walked in, the breakroom already had a coworker heating up a tray of what had to be an equally unappetizing frozen meal. “Cardboard for lunch?” He nodded as he used a plastic fork to push the food around. “Same.”

I slit the plastic on top and popped it into the microwave before leaning against the counter and facing Dr. Ricardo Cruz again. “Long day?”

He came closer to me and groaned. “The longest. Would it kill people to floss?”

“Ha, you would think. And then people wonder why they get cavities.” I leaned over, checking the time on the microwave.

“You’ve been busy lately,” he pointed out.

“Not that busy, but my clientele is consistent.” No busier than usual, I guess. I’d always had solid bookings; a lot of females prefer a female dentist for comfort reasons, and my ratings were phenomenal. Well, minus the lousy review my damn husband managed to spread in less than twelve hours before we got married. Pussy.

I outwardly smiled at the thought. If he were here and I called him that he would be outraged. He probably would embark on some quest to prove to me just how manly he was, complete with pinning me against a wall so I could feel his hard, manly length rubbing against my body. I involuntarily shivered at the thought.

Ricardo’s eyes traveled over me like he sensed my sudden discomfort. “I meant outside of work.”

I shifted where I stood at the exact moment the microwave dinged. Thankful for the distraction, I reached over, pulled the door open, and used a towel to pull out the package. When I turned back around, he was there waiting to pick up the conversation where we had left off. Damn it. I was hoping he forgot in the few moments it took to grab my food.

“I’ve gone out with my friend for drinks here and there,” I replied, using that one time I went out with Natalie as an excuse.

He made a sound in his throat. “Hmm. I would have thought something more was going on. I haven’t seen you work late in a few weeks.”

“Nope, just normal life.” I shifted uncomfortably again.

He crossed his arms over his chest. “No boyfriend?”

I debated what to tell him. Ricardo was nice, good looking, and by all accounts, a good catch. But I did think it was crossing a workplace line by asking about my relationship status. I opened my mouth to respond and closed it again. What would I say anyway? I was in a relationship, sort of. The truth, I’d tell him the truth.

I opened my mouth to try again, cleared my dry throat, preparing to speak when a voice came from the door behind us. “She doesn’t have a boyfriend.” Ricardo and I both turned, my heart picking up at the sight of Royal, a giant brown paper bag in his hand.

He stepped toward us, covering the space in three strides. His free hand was instantly on my waist as he pulled my body into his. He leaned in, and I wanted to pull back, but like a magnet, my body instantly melted to his, my pulse beating in anticipation. His lips met mine, stealing a kiss, and I wanted to pull away, I really did, but instead, my body only fought to get closer, hating even the smallest millimeter of space between us.

His lips were hot, hungry, taking all I wasn’t willingly giving to him, and when a moan escaped me, I didn’t even try to stifle it. How could I? Not when all logical thoughts were torn from my mind, and all my senses were flooded with Royal.

He pulled away, keeping his hand solidly on my waist to steady me before turning to Ricardo, who was looking a bit uncomfortable. “Bianca doesn’t need a boyfriend when she has a husband like me.”

I saw Ricardo swallow hard and stutter a bit before introducing himself to Royal. Royal took his hand and shook it, and I saw the moment when Ricardo suddenly got starry-eyed over my husband. It was ridiculous, the way Ricardo looked at Royal like he was a damn celebrity, and suddenly my whole existence was forgotten.

I cleared my throat, offended that both men were ignoring me. Ricardo looked in my direction, his eyebrows furrowed, his eyes narrowed, and I would’ve shrunk away if it wasn’t for Royal’s suddenly tight grip on my waist. As if Ricardo wasn’t mid-speech about his viewpoints on downtown’s reconstruction, a project which one of Royal’s businesses was heading, Royal cut him off. “It was nice to meet you, but I’ve come to have lunch with my wife.”

He again stressed the word wife, and I didn’t miss the way his eyes narrowed before he turned back to me, placing another, slightly tamer kiss on my lips. When he pulled away this time, his attention was entirely on me, his back turned toward Ricardo dismissively.

---