Page 35 of Royal Charmer
He nods. “My mother spoke to us in English because she learned French later in life when she married my father and isn’t comfortable with it. My father spoke English to be part of the conversation. Me and my siblings had French tutors at an early age, and we frequently visited France to practice conversation.”
“It’s a romantic language. I might set my next trilogy here.”
“So it seems our engagement has ultimately been fruitful for both of us.”
“A whole fruit salad,” I quip.
He chuckles. “Bon appétit!”
“I know that one! I’ll add that to my French vocab. Look at me already branching out from my short menu.”
He grins. “Éclair and croissant?”
“Yes, and quiche.”
He takes my hand, lifting it to his lips and brushing a kiss across my knuckles. “C’est magnifique.”
My breath stutters out. Are we back to the game, or is this real? I quickly cover with a casualness I’m far from feeling. “I like all your princely stops. And here I was thinking your princely education was lacking.”
His lips curl into a crooked grin. “I picked up a few more stops inThe Duke’s Dare.”
He read my story!
My mind does a quick review through that story, though it was a while ago. The duke was supremely chivalrous and, on a dare, courted a young woman known for being a wallflower. Only he fell for her and twisted himself into knots trying to convince her of the truth of his love once she discovered she was part of a dare. There was quite a lot of groveling and worshipping at her feet before the stolen kisses and, ultimately, passion. I sigh a dreamy sigh remembering Hugh.
“Alice, where did you go?”
“Back to Hugh,” I say on a sigh. “He’s my fantasy man.”
“Is he based on anyone?”
“Right!” I scoff. “I made him up for what men lack. Hugh holds a special place in my heart. I spent a lot of time with him in college after some less than satisfying experiences. Let’s just say the men I was with before I found Hugh were more boys than men. Immature. And really insensitive.”
“Ah. I think that might be the case for most university hookups.”
I straighten in my seat. “Well, that’s just it. I thought they were relationships after a few dates, or at least something with the potential for a relationship, but after we hooked up, I never heard from them again. In fact, they left immediately afterward with a mumbled excuse. I suppose my expectations were too high—”
“You deserve more,” he says. “Better treatment than that.”
I soften, feeling extremely warm toward him again. “Thank you, Lucas. It’s nice of you to say so. Were you like that at university?”
“I was,” he says a little sheepishly. “Maybe if I met the right woman, I wouldn’t have been.”
I look out the window, disappointed for some reason, even though I know his reputation. “I suppose you couldn’t help it, being a guy.”
“We do mature,” he says.
I glance over at him. “It’s really too bad that women are mature a good ten years before men. I suppose that’s why I liked Mason. He was older than me by nine years and seemed to have his head on straight.”
He bristles. “No comment.”
He gets irritated over Mason, but I was expecting to marry him only one week ago. It’s not like Mason doesn’t exist for me anymore. I’ve been ignoring his texts and calls urging me to talk to him. I don’t want to have anything to do with him, but some part of me is curious. Maybe he realized he made a mistake and wants to apologize and beg me to go back to him. It would be nice to have an apology, even if the answer is,no way, go to hell, and take my former best friend with you. Not bitter at all. Ha-ha. I actually am feeling a lot better now that I have my writing mojo back. In no small part due to Lucas boosting my spirits. Except for tonight’s spat, I’ve really enjoyed his company.
When we arrive at the hotel, Lucas helps me out of the limo and then keeps my hand tucked in his as we walk. I guess now that we’re in public, we’re playing the game. I love it more than I should. I almost wish I could fall in love with Lucas. He really is wonderful and gorgeous and, well, Lucas. I’m just not ready to open my heart again.
He stops suddenly in front of a small puddle and makes a big production out of taking off his imaginary cape and laying it down for me. “My lady.”
I burst out laughing. “Nice! That’s going in my book.”
