Page 52 of The Rejected King
Davin
Davin drummed his fingers on the top of the dining table in his suite. He hadn’t seen Emree since the opening of the safe yesterday. She hadn’t been at dinner the night before, having told his mother she wasn’t feeling well, and she had also missed the Promenade luncheon today, leaving all the arrangements to the servants that had been assigned to the week-long event.
Davin was worried about her. Maybe the doctor was wrong. Maybe she’d hit her head harder than everyone had thought. Davin wanted to go check on her, but it wasn’t his job to make sure she was okay. It was Officer Ricks’s job.
Davin needed to focus on the Promenade. He had to make a decision by tomorrow night regarding what woman he would choose. Everyone would be at the Promenade ball—high rulers, newswriters, prominent ruling class families that lived in New Montana. Everyone said it would be a pivotal night for his reign. But as much as Davin cared about his reign, he was more worried about hislifeand how his decision tomorrow night might alter it completely. The newswriters had speculated he would choose Patrice Kenson, and at this point, shewashis best option. But was the “best option” the right option?
He glanced at the picture of Danny and Emily Jakes at their wedding. He had kept the one picture, Danny’s note, and their wedding rings to display in his office. Everything else Davin had turned over to the castle’s artifact team. But Danny’s letter had meant something to him, like a creed he wished he could live by.
Two knocks beat on the door. By the sound of the knock, it was Millar.
“Come in,” Davin called.
Millar stuck his head around the door. “Your Majesty, Miss Dutson is here to see you.”
Davin stood as a thrill zinged through his body. “Thank you.”
Emree was smiling as she walked into the room, and the cloud that had been surrounding Davin lifted.
“I’ve been worried about you,” he said, unable to keep the concern out of his voice.
Emree’s expression wavered.
Real smooth.
She tucked a piece of her dark hair behind her ear. “Why were you worried about me? Who told you?”
Davin took a step closer. “My mother said you were sick.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh. Yeah. Sick.” Her eyes dropped. “Well, I’m better now.”
“Are you sure? You don’t have to work tonight if you don’t want to.”
She forced a smile. “I’m fine. I wanted to let you know that Fiona Rudd has the exclusive interview tonight. She’s not my favorite newswriter, but she’s from the New Montana paper, and that’s the biggest, so it wouldn’t be smart to exclude her.”
Davin smiled. “Good to know. I’ll come to the interview prepared for battle.”
Emree’s smile returned. “I don’t know if you have to go that far. Your approval ratings are on the rise. Especially after your alone time with Patrice yesterday. This morning’s paper has you up ten percent from yesterday.”
“That’s the highest it’s been in a long time.” Davin shoved his hands in his pockets. “Thank you.”
“It’s not me. You’re the one doing all the hard work.”
“It is hard work—pretending all the time.” He took another step forward. It wasn’t a good idea to get closer to Emree, but somehow she drew him in, pulling him closer without a single touch.
Emree visibly swallowed and took a step back. She bumped into the coffee table, stumbling.
Davin reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist to keep her from toppling over. Then he slid his hands to her hips, steadying her. He shouldn’t be holding her in his arms, but right now, he didn’t want to think about that. The air between them stretched with a tension that pulled tighter each passing second. He held her close, studying her face, her dark eyes capturing him. He had missed her.
“I’ve been wondering if you liked the letter yesterday,” he said.
Emree shifted nervously under his touch. “Did you like it?”
Davin scooted closer, so their hips almost touched. “Danny and Emily. They have the same initials as us. It’s almost like it was fate—like their box and letter were meant for us.”
Her voice trembled. “Why us?”
He shrugged, brushing her hair away from her face, letting his fingertips skim her cheek and ear before they dropped. “What do you think?”
