Page 41 of The Rejected King
“That’s enough questions,” Emree said, jumping in. “Thank you all for coming.” She shooed the newswriters out the door. “We’ll let you know in the morning about the king’s next three individual activities.”
Davin glanced at Millar. “You can go too,” he said, offering his guard a small smile.
Millar gave a quick bow and headed out the door.
Davin turned to Emree.
She stretched her arms out in front of her. “That date was painful.”
Try being a part of it.
Davin watched as she stretched, making everything inside him zap to life. Emree obviously didn’t know how good stretching made her look. Davin had to glance away.
“I bet you wished I would’ve given this date to Patrice,” she said as she walked to the dinner table.
“No.” Davin shook his head, following her.
“Did you see Patrice today?”
“I saw her at breakfast.”
“Good.”
Emree’s enthusiasm over his relationship with Patrice was a good reminder that Davin needed to clear his mind of all things Emree, but then she smiled, looking over the plates of honey glazed chicken, parmesan vegetables, and fruit-filled desserts, and Davin decided he would clear his mind later...afterhe spent a few minutes with her.
“Willow didn’t even eat all of her food!” Emree exclaimed.
“Most women don’t eat in front of me.”
Her brows bent together as she dropped into Willow’s chair. “Look at all this good food. May I?” she asked.
Davin nodded, sitting back down in the chair. Emree reached for a piece of chicken on the serving platter and plopped it in her mouth. Immediately, she closed her eyes, savoring the taste.
“Are you hungry, Miss Dutson?”
“I’m always hungry,” she said through muffled words, trying to hide the food in her mouth.
“Try this.” He scooped up a spoonful of roasted vegetables from the serving bowl and held it out in front of her.
She eyed the spoon and then grabbed it from his hand, shoving it into her mouth. “Mmm, that’s good.” She chewed a little more then added, “I did a really good job choosing the menu.”
Davin rested his elbow against the table, watching her closely. “It was delicious.”
She took a large bite of a strawberry tart. “And the decorations.” She looked around at the lit candles and fresh flowers. “I did an outstanding job on that too.”
“It’s all excellent,” he agreed.
“What can I say? I’m a great Promenade director.” She dipped her fork into the tart again. On the way to her mouth, a small piece fell into her lap. Her brown eyes widened as she quickly picked up the dessert. “You didn’t see that,” she said with a whimsical smile.
Davin held back his smile. “See what?”
She laughed, almost spitting her food out.
There was a naivety about Emree—a girlish charm wrapped up in lofty ambition that Davin liked. He couldn’t really explain it, but it was something special, and it had a way of pulling him to her. Tonight, she was loose and relaxed, taking her charm to the next level. Even her hair seemed to mimic the change. Instead of a tight bun, it was pulled into a high ponytail, the long waves falling against the base of her neck and back.
“I like this side of you, Miss Dutson.”
“You shouldn’t. Usually, I get the food into my mouth.”
