Page 129 of Tall, Royal and Grumpy

* * *

Kai, Pierre, and the two giant ex-marines from Kai’s security team, Rocco and Gary, were standing by the entrance door, all in conversation until they heard the clack of my black, red-bottom heels.

Four heads whipped around to look at me as I walked down the entrance hall stairs with Shehryar following one step behind me. I saw the way Pierre’s mouth went slack, but Kai had my full attention as his eyes popped. They quickly narrowed into a glower that took over his face.

Shehryar and I joined the rough circle they were standing in, and Pierre let his ruby red gaze openly skate over me. “Wow,” he said with playful exaggeration. “Talk about making an entrance.”

A little smile touched the corner of my mouth because I had been aiming for a little dramatic flair. I wanted everyone to know I was ready to win a war today, hence the statement red-bottom heels. I had kicked my confidence up a few notches too by wearing a jumper and a matching calve-length, silk pencil skirt in my favourite colour—a dark forest green.

I turned to Rocco and Gary. “Shehryar will be coming along for his peace of mind and my security. I hope that’s okay.”

“Of course, Your Highness, that’s perfectly fine,” Rocco said, and he almost seemed glad to see us. “We’ll give him a rundown on the way.”

“No,” Kai growled. “You’re not going, Esmeralda.”

“Yes, I am,” I said at the same time Pierre said, “Yes, she is.”

Kai lifted his glare to Pierre. “What? Don’t look at me like that. You won’t let me go with you, but if Esm—I mean, Princess Esmeralda says she’s going, then she damn well is.”

“No, Pierre, I can’t—”

“I’m going, Kai,” I said clearly. “You’re not doing this on your own. You can, but I don’t want you to.” I stepped up close to him, taking his fist in the hand and carefully prying his fingers open. “This is our problem Kai, not just yours or mine, so we’re doing this together. I am going with you.”

I slipped my fingers through his and clamped down on the back of his hand, holding his furious stare. He shook his head down at me, again and again until the action looked weak and wavering. Then he closed his eyes and sighed. It was quite obvious what that meant.

“Princess for the win,” Pierre whispered smugly, giving me a wink.

Kai’s lashes snapped up on a grumpy glare, but it softened as he turned to Shehryar and held his hand out for my coat. “Thank you,” he said when Shehryar handed it to him.

“I’m not col—” I started, but the fierce warning in Kai’s narrow eyes shut me up instantly.

He swung my coat over my shoulders, and I silently and obediently shoved my arms into the sleeves.

* * *

I stood directly behind Kai on the stone step of the red-brick country house as he rang the doorbell.

It had taken an hour to get there, and with each passing minute, Kai’s body language had grown visibly more rigid, though he tried to hide it. And it hurt, because I didn’t know what to do to reassure him without seeming like I was trying to coddle him. So, I pretended I didn’t notice instead.

The chime of the bell echoed from inside the large house for some seconds before the door was opened. Kai’s hand around mine tightened and I squeezed back as an older woman bowed her head in the entrance and gestured us in; clearly she’d been expecting us.

We headed inside and Shehryar, Rocco, Gary and another on Kai’s security team, Earl, followed behind us. Like planned the other two from the security team stayed outside.

After closing the door, the lady, who was quite possibly a housekeeper, led us through the white, modern hallway and said, “They’re in the back sitting room.”

“I told you not to invite any of your friends over without telling me, Dad. I swear if—”

“Sit down, Meg. Now.”

Kai’s hand cut the blood flow through mine as the voices of his ex-fiancé and an older man leapt out of the open doorway ahead of the older lady. His response to simply hearing her was a red, hot poker being traced all over my skin, leaving an intense, angry heat in its wake. I couldn’t even begin to describe the urge it gave me to hurt her.

Despite his reaction, Kai walked us straight through into a minimalist sitting room. The only features I registered were two white leather sofas, the three bi-fold doors that showed off the rolling hills beyond it, and the silence of the two occupants that followed our entrance.

Unlike her classy get-up at the luncheon gathering on Formation Day, Meg was wearing a pastel blue T-shirt, the designer label, Decay, printed across the chest, and black leggings. Her hair was in a ponytail and her face was make-up free. Annoyingly, she still looked pretty, but I found her stumped expression wonderfully satisfying. And the not-so-subtle way her lips thinned as she straightened her spine almost had me grinning.

Oh, she did not appreciate being caught off guard. But I didn’t appreciate her abusing such a beautiful, soft-hearted man—my man—so her discomfort served me great amounts of pleasure.

With a low scoff, Meg Fletcher plastered a big grin on her face from where she stood by the bi-fold doors. But fiery hatred flashed like a beacon in her eyes, directed solely at Kai and not once trailing to me. “Oh, look what the rats dragged in today. Now this should be interesting.”

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