Page 76 of The Stolen Princess
“Where did you get them? How are they still intact?”
“Um…” He couldn’t tell her where he’d really found them. “It doesn’t matter. They probably stink and will fall apart the second you put them on, or maybe they won’t even fit.”
Myka lifted them up to smell. “They do stink,” she scrunched her nose, and Drake tried to ignore how cute it made her look, “but maybe you’ll let me wash them in the river?” She said it like a question, rocking up onto her toes.
“Sure.” He shrugged, watching as she held them up to her. “I picked the blue shirt because you said you like to wear blue.”
Her eyes bounced to him. “When did I say that?”
“The first night we slept here—when you wouldn’t stop talking.”
Her lips pulled into another smile. “I didn’t think you were listening.”
Crap.
“I wasn’t...really.” He cleared his throat. “I was trying to sleep, but you wouldn’t stop talking. I only picked up bits and pieces.” Why was he talking so fast? It probably had something to do with the amused look on her face. “Anyway, now you have some stuff to get ready with.”
“Thank you,” she said, keeping that same perfect smile on her pink lips.
“It’s no big deal.”
“It’s a big deal to me,” she said.
Drake tried to shrug off the uncomfortable feeling growing inside of his chest. “They might not even fit.”
Her bright blue eyes beamed at him again, and he really wished she’d stop doing that— stop looking so happy and utterly adorable.
“It will be better than this gray dress.” She twirled around the room with the shirt pressed up against her chest like she’d never seen anything so lovely in her whole life, which wasn’t possible. “I can’t believe you did all of this for me,” she said.
His palm rested on the nape of his neck. “It’s not a big deal.” Maybe if he kept saying that, they would both believe it. He needed Myka to go on thinking that he was a terrible kidnapping person, because he wasn’t sure if he could handle her looking at him like that again and again.
“So can we go to the river right now?” she asked. “I can wash the clothes and my hair.”
“I have things to do.” Really, he had nothing to do. They were all sitting around waiting for Kase to return from Tolsten House with the king’s response. Drake’s to-do list only included keeping his heart in lockdown mode.
“Then maybe Grady could take me to the river.” She shrugged innocently.
No.
That wasn’t happening.
The last thing Drake needed was Grady spending more time with the princess. He already saw the way Grady looked at her. Myka was way too charming, and Grady would never be able to resist her like Drake could. Drake was the perfect operative to spend time with her. He had his priorities in line, and any kindness he had shown her was for the sake of the bet.
“Fine,” he huffed. “We can go to the river.”
Myka practically frolicked out the door to the water’s edge. She set her pile of new clothes down by the bank and removed her shoes. Next went her jacket. Then she started unbuttoning the top of her dress.
“Whoa!” Drake said, stepping toward her. “What are you doing?”
She raised her eyebrows. “I’m going to take a bath in the river. Wash my hair. Wash the clothes.”
He raked a hand through his hair. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
She pursed her lips together, narrowing her gaze in on him. “Why not?”
“Because there are four other guys here who might sit and watch you.”
Myka looked around. “I don’t see the other guys. And we all know that if Horseface wasn’t napping, he’d be sniffing around. So I guess the only one I have to worry about is you. Areyougoing to sit and watch me?”
