Page 71 of Resisting Royal

Before I could dispute his claim, he had already removed his hand from my thigh and pushed himself to stand. The other two men followed his lead, excusing themselves from the table before the trio walked out of the room. I stood, reaching across the table to gather the plates into a stack before carrying them to the other side of the kitchen and depositing them in the sink.

“I’m sorry my husband left his mess there, I thought I trained him better than that.” I rolled up my sleeves and switched the faucet to hot water before searching out a sponge.

Emma snorted. “I think they are all trained better than that, but they have a lot on their mind. It’s what I’m here for anyway.”

She used her hip to try to shoo me away from the dishes and I used mine to bounce her right back. There was no use having us both here and me just sitting and watching her work. Plus, I’d actually enjoyed girl time, an occurrence I hadn’t gotten often.

I washed dishes, she dried, and when we were done, Emma and I made chocolate chip cookies and fudge squares, which she insisted on packing in a cardboard bakery box to send home with us. We didn’t need all these sweets, but she did admittedly make better cookies than I did, and I figured my niece would love the extra treats.

Niece?

I inhaled at the thought. It was strange that suddenly I thought of Royal’s family as my own, but it was fitting, especially after whatever terms he and I came to last night. I didn’t have anyone but my father. Whether I started out wanting it or not, Royal had given me all of his loyalty, and with his loyalty came all the people he loved.

A few hours later, after all the baking was done, we set the table with stacks of sandwiches, coleslaw, and fresh fruit. The boys all filed in, stacking their plates high with food, before bringing it out to the patio to eat.

Emma and I had just sat down when Royal came in. He leaned his large frame over the chair from behind me before pulling my hair back into a ponytail with his hand. Using his other hand, he gently wrapped it around my neck, then used his thumb to force me to tilt my head toward his. “Aren’t you ladies going to join us outside?”

“I—I didn’t know if we were welcome.” His finger resting against my pulse distracted me, reminding me of all the delicious things he did last night.

He pulled on the handful of hair, so my head tilted, then his lips skimmed my neck, “You’re always welcome, Amore. Always.”

My eyes found Emma’s sparkling ones, not even trying to hide her amusement. “Do you want us to go outside?”

There was a difference between doing something because he wouldn’t stop us and him actually wanting us to do so. He made a rumbling sound in his throat. “Of course.”

“We’ll be out in a minute, then.” He made another sound in his throat, signaling his agreement, then he gave my neck a gentle bite before pulling away, grabbing some extra napkins, and leaving us. I stood, waiting for Emma to follow. “Looks like our presence is being summoned.”

She laughed. “At least they aren’t using a bell. Plus, I think he genuinely just wants you there. No strings attached.”

We carried our plates and drinks out to the patio, where all three men sat under a giant umbrella, a table sat between them. We lay our food on the table, and as Emma was about to sit in an empty chair, Roman leaned over and pushed it away. Her eyebrows furrowed with anger, until he reached out, hooking his arm around her waist and pulled her onto his lap. He buried his face against her hair and sighed.

After scooting my chair close to Royal, I leaned toward him. Gesturing with my head, I motioned to his friends. “I see a lot has changed since yesterday.”

He reached over and grabbed a grape from my plate. “It appears so.”

“I sort of wish I had the whole scoop. All day with her in the kitchen, and she held out on me.”

He laughed, a rumble I felt through his whole body just by sitting close. “You and me both.”

We both looked up again, seeing Shaw had moved his chair close and had Emma’s feet in his lap. Interesting. Very interesting. As if the coddling was perfectly normal, they all picked up their plate and began eating again, continuing the conversation like there was never a stilled moment.

We stayed outside for another hour, before catching a glance at the clock and deciding we really needed to go home. The drive ahead of us was a long one, and although I trusted my husband fully, I didn’t want to be stuck driving home after dark.

After loading the car with our suitcases and the box stuffed with pastries, I said my goodbyes to Emma and Dot while the boys all promised to keep in touch. I had no doubt that they would. Knowing Royal, the moment he got home, he would be locking himself in his office, working out the fine details of the arrangement he had made with Roman.

We waved out the window as we drove away. Then when we were on the road, Royal reached over, taking my hand in his, lacing our fingers together as he rested our joined hands on his lap. For a moment, even a small one, all seemed right in the world.

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