Page 42 of Royally Benevolent

“Landlords hate pets. If they evenwillrent to you, you’ll have to pay an obscene deposit. It’s awful.”

“That sucks. Pets need homes.”

“Agreed,” I said.

“I want another dog. I want to adopt one. But I don’t have time to train a second right now.”

“That’s sweet,” I agreed.

An unexpected silence overtook us. Odette was easy to talk to. So, why was this hard? Was it the elephant in the room of me pretending that I did not find her pretty? At this point, denying attraction was silly. Yes, she was beautiful. She had perfect, round cheeks that grew wonderfully rosy with a laugh or smile. Her ass—to be frank—was remarkable. She had a beautiful softness to her, but none of this changed the fact that we were colleagues, she was a princess, and I was a tired old fuck with a kid. She’d never get it, and I’d never hold her down.

“It’s a road trip,” Odette said. “Isn’t it?”

“Unlike any I’ve ever experienced, Odette. A Royal Road Trip.”

She snickered. “You don’t love it, do you?”

I shrugged. “I love our chats. I would have preferred to take my car out for once.”

She blushed.Love our chats! Where the fuck did that come from?

“Our chats make me happy, too. Thank you for not making me feel stupid about my lack of experience.”

“What? You’re masterful at negotiation—and charming. People cannot deny you.”

“Nah. They want toimpressme, Wyatt.”

“No, it’s true. You can charm anyone. With that smile, how could anyone say no to you?”

What the fuck, Wyatt? Why are you digging yourself into this hole!? You’re making it fucking weird now!

What about Odette made me trip over myself like a schoolboy? It was proof of her irresistibility. Butwhy? What was this pull? And why was I stupid enough to keep talking to her like this? Given her flushed face, she thought I was coming onto her.C’mon, Wyatt!

My voice shot up, “Of course, that’s just… you did so great the other day. That’s all I am saying.”

“Of course.” Odette dropped my gaze, petting the dog.

I’d made it weird. I panicked, trying to think about how to distract from my awkward flub.Road trip, road trip. Think, Wyatt!

“Do you usually have a soundtrack to a road trip?”

“A mix. A playlist,” I answered. “Are you calling me old, Odette?”

She giggled. “No. I’ve just neverbeenon a road trip—a proper one. Trust me.”

“Oh, well, yeah, playlists are fun. My wife was the playlist person. She had one for everything. Isla was a runner. So, she needed it for motivation.”

“I don’t understand running. More power to her. Runners are mad.”

“A little,” I chuckled. “She loved it. Liked time on a bike, too. I

“It’s good to have something you love. My bike is freedom. Well, if you made a playlist, what would it have on it?”

“Probably the blues,” I said. “I find the blues soothing. It was the only thing that settled Theo as a baby.”

“Blues is great,” Odette said. “Mine would be Motown with a mix of Jazz these days. I love standards.”

Her choices took me by surprise.

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