Page 16 of Royal Catch
I stop smiling. “Maybe?”
She grimaces. “I’m sorry I said that before. I was a little flustered because you were in a tux and very tense like every butler I ever saw—” she coughs “—and, at the same time, you were so young and hot.” She waves a hand up and down my body, and there is no way this erection is going anywhere when she keeps complimenting me and looking at it. “You must’ve been in a bad mood at the time because this whole crazy competition was about to unleash on you.”
“Not to mention the furry wedding.”
She laughs and pats the bed next to her. “Now that’s a story I need to hear.”
I sit next to her and tell her the whole sorry tale. It’s not like it’s a secret. The wedding travesty will be inLuxury WeddingsandBride Specialmagazines soon.Thanks again for that, Phillip.He disappeared right along with the wedding people, abandoning me to deal with our parents alone during this insane time, along with a pack of bridal hopefuls. He could’ve at least run interference with our parents. Jerk. He’s probably rutting away in some posh hotel in Paris. I fill Polly in on Phillip’s insistence on opening up the palace and my insistence on preserving our history and tradition.
Polly’s eyes are wide when I finish. “Back it up. Did you say a giant purple bunny kept hopping by among all the native Australian species? Kangaroo, koala, wombat, dingoes, and a giant purple bunny?”
“Yes,” I bite out. She was supposed to take my side on preserving our history. Instead she’s fixated on the furry abomination.
She bursts out laughing. “Classic! I love it!” She’s laughing so hard tears are coming out of her eyes.
My lips curve despite the horrid furry situation because she’s just so…fun and open and affectionate. Everything I’m not. I suddenly feel like I’m missing that in my life, like I need it. I need her.
She wipes her eyes and blows out a breath. “Woo! That was some story. Now I see where you were at when we first met. Tough times.” She giggles. “Sorry. I’m sure it was truly an abomination—” another giggle “—as you said.”
“It wasn’t that funny.”
She bobs her head, holds up a finger, and takes a deep breath in and out. “Okay, I’m calm now. So, the reason I’m here. I think we can help each other out.”
I drop my voice to a husky tone. “I think so too.”
She stands and moves over near the dresser. I instantly feel the loss, the distance between us.
She holds up a palm as if trying to ward off my advance though I haven’t moved. “I’m here to help you. Those other princesses are like piranhas, all trying to get a bite out of you. I’m much more low key.”
“You’re low key?” I ask incredulously, thinking of her typically loud clothes and brash manners. The woman snuck into my bedroom, for crying out loud.
She glares at me. “Yes. What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing. Do go on.” I can’t remember the last time I was so turned on and entertained at the same time.
She paces in front of the dresser, stops, and stares at my wet towel on top of it. “This is an antique,” she says before grabbing the towel and heading into the bathroom. She returns sans towel and declares, “You help me win the competition, and that will end it quickly with very little fuss. I won’t eat you alive. I’ll just be my low-key self and let you do your royal thing.”
My mind latches on to the last part.Your royal thing. What a strange way to put it. Isn’t it her royal thing too? It’s like she wasn’t raised properly in the royal tradition. No wonder she sounds so unrefined. Her people have failed her. Still, it only makes clear that I can’t help her win the competition. She would never be accepted as queen, my mother wouldn’t allow it, and my father would follow suit. They’ve always been a united front. And it wouldn’t be fair to Polly. She’s completely unprepared for the job. Truth? If I could live as a free man, she’s exactly the kind of beautiful free spirit I’d want. And the sad irony is I didn’t know I wanted that until I mether.
But I’m not a free man. I’m heir to a kingdom, and if I’m selfish and choose her and help her win this competition, she would be miserable. I’d be a complete jerk to allow it. Not only would all the duties and rules expected of the queen destroy her spirit, it would be an enormous heavy responsibility and a lot of hard work. My queen will have to help me save a kingdom. A princess can enjoy certain freedoms. She cannot be queen.
“I don’t want to marry you,” I say gently.
Her brown eyes flash, giving me a jolt. “Why not?”
I give her only part of it, trying to spare her feelings. She doesn’t need to know that the queen has already declared her a bad fit. “You haven’t been raised properly.”
She slams her hands on her hips and tosses her hair. She’s magnificent. “Rude!”
I slowly stand to my full height and stalk toward her.
She lifts her chin. “Fine. I’ll feed you to the wolves if that’s what you want.”
I close the distance, backing her up to the wall, caging her in, my palms flat on the wall behind her. I dip my head to speak directly in her ear. “Iam the wolf and I want you.”
She shivers. “That’s bold.”
I shift, her lips mere millimeters away when she turns her head and ducks under my arm.
