Page 8 of Royally Benevolent

He turned, staring at me momentarily before putting it together. Nervously, he bowed, then broke into a handsome smile. He hadn’t recognised me before, but did now.

“You were the girl on the bike!”

“Odie,” I said. “Yes.”

“Princess Odette. Your Royal Highness? I… uh… I had no idea. Forgive me.”

“It’s okay. Really.”

It dawned on me he still hadnoidea who I was. I basked in this. I’d have to speak shortly, and the whole thing would go to pot.

“I’ve been thinking about you,” Wyatt said.

Oh, have you?

“About the other day,” he corrected. “I was thinking about that intersection. I have so many ideas. You’re involved with Vision 360?—”

“I am,” I lied. I wasn’treally,but I was tonight.

“Ever want to connect about it? We could use more support from cyclists—especially one with the ear of leadership. You must know some others and have an in?”

I didn’t. That was the perilous social life of a princess trapped in a tower.

“Sure,” I lied.

He patted his inner jacket pocket. I looked at how the suit’s cutperfectlyemphasised his broad shoulders. He couldn’t have been more than five-foot-nine but still had a good five inches on me. It wasn’t his height that was striking, though. It was his lovely, strong jaw and compact, fit body.Damn. It was too much. Idid have a crush.

Wyatt handed me a card. “That’s my email. We should set something?—”

He stopped as a noise drowned out his words. The klaxon of the fire alarm blared.

Fuck!

I looked to see if Karin tailed me. She hadn’t. Suddenly, I realised I had a chance to improve my circumstances. I could either lament my luck or take advantage of the chaos. I chose the latter.

6

SAVED BY THE BELL

WYATT

This vision of Princess Odette differed from the girl on the bike, but Odie’s bright eyes and generally upbeat persona were unmistakable. In the short time I’d spent tracking down a dog with her, I realised she wasn’t easily shaken. I hadn’t forgotten about that morning since it happened. Instead, I focused on the thought of preventing it from happening again.

I hoped I didn’t frighten her by jumping in head-first, but she seemed receptive enough. She had no ideawhyI was so invested in this, and I didn’t care to explain it all that much.

“That’s my email. We should set something?—”

The fire alarm went off. I groaned internally.Well, there went a productive conversation I actually cared about!

People filed out. Odie covered her ears.

She shouted over the alarm, “We should get out of here. Should we continue this conversation?”

“I wouldlovethat,” I admitted.

“I know a place.”

Odette grabbed my hand and pulled me after her. She knew where she was going, so I followed. When I set out tonight, I expected the same old nonsense one gets when being courted by a groupthat needed my money and influence—instead, a princess pulled me through a kitchen like a meme. My life was in her hands, but I didn’t hate it. It turned a bland evening into something much more entertaining. She dropped my hand and trotted ahead playfully when we ended up in an alleyway.

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