Page 14 of The Rejected King
Millar nodded at her. “Nice to meet you, Miss Dutson.”
“Likewise,” she said.
King Davin looked at his guard. “That will be all.”
Millar gave a half bow and then walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him.
For heaven’s sake. I forgot to bow.
Emree didn’t know the protocol. Should she have stood when the king walked into the room? Probably. Instead, she was too worried about how good he looked. She stood now, awkwardly dipping into a curtsy. Better late than never.
The king watched her with a puzzled look. “Miss Dutson, did you just bow?”
“Aren’t I supposed to? You know, out of respect?”
King Davin shrugged. “It’s not necessary. It’s just a formality.”
“Oh,” she said, sinking back into her chair. “Well, formalities are good. They keep everything appropriate.”
“Miss Dutson, I think our relationship passed appropriate the second we met, don’t you?”
She ignored his question, throwing her shoulders back and flipping into business mode.
“I would like to go over the Promenade newswriters briefing scheduled for tomorrow,” she said, opening the folder in her lap.
“Not yet.” The king sat down at his desk comfortably, and for some reason, his apparent ease put Emree on edge. He continued, “I like to get to know my employees first, especially if we’re to spend a lot of time together.”
“Oh, um.” She shuffled her papers, suddenly restless at the idea of the king wanting to know her personally.
“Obviously, I already know a few things about you.”
Heat filled Emree’s cheeks. She refused to let him continue to joke about their night spent together. “Your Majesty—”
“Davin,” he interrupted.
“King Davin,” she corrected.
“No need to add the king part. I’m not sure I’ve earned it. Call me Davin.”
Emree paused, staring back at him. Why didn’t he think he had earned the right to be called king? Before she could ask him, he started talking again.
“And what would you like me to call you? Em—”
“Miss Dutson,” she quickly interjected. “I think that would be best.”
His lips pulled like he was about to smile, but Emree couldn’t be sure. The movement was gone almost as fast as it came.
“KingDavin,” she said, exaggerating the king part. “I think we should keep our shared historyinthe past. Especially since we are going to have a professional working relationship from this point forward.”
“If that’s what you want.” He leaned back in his chair, swiveling it from side to side.
“Yes, that’s what I want.”
“Of course.” He nodded. “You’re very businesslike. I haven’t seen this side of you yet.”
Emree blinked, feeling a bit offended. Hadn’t he noticed her in the interview two days ago? She had been the epitome of businesslike. “We may have met before, Your Majesty, but we really don’t know each other.”
The king smiled, and Emree guessed, with some mortification, that his mind had drifted to their kiss.
