Page 52 of A Royal Promise
His eyes were playful as he stared at her. “Sure, that too. I like the making out idea more, though.” He winked at her and then turned on his heels and started jogging back down the wooded trail.
She pressed her lips together, unsure if he was actually flirting with her or if this was just for show. There wasn’t time to dwell on those thoughts now, though.
Bri ran after him, trying to wipe the image of them kissing in the woods from her brain. She caught up to him, and they ran side by side for about five minutes before she stopped, both hands on her hips.
“Do you know the way back to the road?” she asked, her eyes roaming over the trees around them. They all looked identical to her.
He grimaced. “We need to go to the right…I think.” Drew grimaced as he looked around. “But I can’t hear the race announcer anymore.”
She felt her face fall. Drew placed a hand on her arm and shot her a warm smile.
“Hey, we’re going to figure it out.” His features darkened as he looked at her. “I wouldneverlet anything happen to you, Bri.”
The intense way he was looking at her made her feel more vulnerable than after they had kissed. It felt like a declaration. A forever kind of promise. But it couldn’t possibly be that.
“Let’s head to the right. I’m sure we’ll find our way back.”
Sure enough, after a few more minutes of brisk jogging, they came out of the woods and popped back onto the road wherethe race was being held. Almost immediately, one of his formally dressed guards approached them.
“The press member who was running behind you has been detained, Your Highness.”
“Why was he detained?” Drew asked, slipping into the formal royal persona he wore so easily.
“Bastian saw him harassing you with questions then watched you slip away. He was able to stop the press member from pursuing you any further, but he lost sight of you while he was detaining the man.”
Drew stood quiet for a moment, looking thoughtful. “He doesn’t need to be detained. He was only trying to do his job, and he didn’t cause us any harm.”
“Of course, Your Highness. I’ll have him released immediately.”
He nodded curtly at the guard and turned back to her, his face instantly morphing into a casual grin. “Shall we finally finish this race?”
It always impressed her how Drew could easily slip between the goofy man she knew into royal mode. It didn’t look practiced or forced. It seemed effortless. “We shall.”
They fell back into an easy pace for the rest of the race. When they neared the finish line, Bri reached over to him, and Drew wrapped his hand around hers. They crossed the finish line together with giant smiles.
After posing for a few photos for the press, they made their way back to the car waiting for them. Drew had told her they would make an official donation on behalf of the entire royal family.
When they arrived back at the palace, the sun was setting, and Drew led her back inside.
“Do you want to eat dinner together in the observatory? Maybe do some stargazing?”
“That sounds great.” She looked down at her outfit. “I should probably change first, though.”
He waved his hand between them. “You can borrow one of my shirts and some sweatpants. If you go back to your cottage and change and come all the way back before you eat, you’re going to be starving, and I can’t have that. Let me feed you.”
The words every woman wants to hear:Let me feed you.
“I can’t say no to that.” She smirked. “Lead the way, doctor chef.”
Drew chuckled. They walked through the palace and up the stairs to Drew’s room. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been in there—probably when they had been kids. Being in there now felt more significant. It felt personal and intimate, but Drew didn’t seem to mind as he walked over to a large walk-in closet and looked through his clothes to find something Bri could wear.
While he did that, she walked along the perimeter of the room, taking in the details. Bri smiled when she saw the black picture frames on his desk. One held a picture of him and his parents a few years ago in front of a Christmas tree, all laughing. Another held a photo of her and Drew, his arm slung around her shoulders as she smiled at the camera while he gazed at her. But the last framed picture stopped her in her tracks. It was just of her—a photo she’d never known he’d taken.
She instantly recognized when the picture had been taken. They had reached the peak on a mountain hike in Westridge. Drew must’ve taken this picture the moment she’d turned to him, when she’d thought he’d only been capturing the view. The joy of having reached the peak was written all over her face.
Why does he have this picture of me in his room?He hadn’t known she would be coming up here today, so it hadn’t been purposefully placed there as a prank. But if it had a permanent spot on his desk, that only added to her confusion.Surely he’strying to convince his parents we’re engaged and in love. That has to be it.
“Here,” Drew said from behind her, making her jump. “I think these will fit you best.” He extended a small pile of clothes for her to change into.
