Page 16 of A Royal Menace

“Give me a second,” I say, pulling my phone out to check the email Naomi sent me. “I’m taking Shannon Forthright’s spot inthe convention. Her room was supposed to be transferred into my name earlier this week.”

The woman taps at her keyboard for several moments, then nods. “I see the reservation was made, but Miss Forthright called and canceled it on Monday. No instructions were left to transfer it to you. I’m sorry, Miss Barnes, but the hotel is full, and I don’t have a room to give you.”

“You’re sure?” I ask, the words laced with hope and desperation.

“I’m so sorry,” she says with finality as she hands back my license, so I nod and turn away.

Heading for an empty couch in the lobby, I pull my rolling suitcase behind me, jerking it angrily when one of the wheels sticks. Great. This is just great.

Sitting on the edge of the sofa, I use my phone to search for nearby hotels. After a few calls, my mood plummets even further. Apparently, there are several large conventions happening this weekend, and every hotel in a five-mile radius is full to capacity. I can stay further out, of course, but that means adding travel time each day and paying for rideshares if I decide to drink at any of the nighttime events. And I’ll have to miss the welcome mixer tonight.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

My head snaps up to see Royal standing in front of me, his features twisted with concern. I close my eyes for a moment and take a deep breath. He’s going to have a field day with this, I’m sure.

“I don’t have a room,” I say glumly. “Naomi told me they’d transfer the reservation of the teacher I replaced to my name, but she actually called and canceled before the spot was even offered to me. I don’t know why no one told me so I could make other arrangements. And now, all the nearby hotels are sold out.”

Royal doesn’t say a word for several long beats, and there’s no sign of the gloating I’d expected on his face. He just looks thoughtful, then resigned. Moving forward, he perches on the edge of the couch next to me.

“Stay with me.”

“What?” pops out of my mouth as I stiffen and watch him with wide, disbelieving eyes.

“You can stay in my room,” he says, his voice firm with resolve. “I have two queen beds, and there’s plenty of room.”

“I don’t know,” I say slowly, my mind swirling with thoughts of how I’d planned to stay as far away from Royal as possible this weekend.

“I know it’s not ideal,” he says, “but isn’t being my roommate better than booking a room at another hotel and having to travel back and forth?”

I narrow my gaze. “Why are you being so nice to me?”

“Because I’m a really nice person,” he says, pressing his palm to his chest before grinning and taking a swig of the beer he’s still holding in his other hand.

I chuckle, and his smile softens. Pushing to his feet, he moves in front of me and holds out his empty hand. I stare at it for a few stilted seconds, then blow out a long breath before placing my own hand in it and allowing him to help me to my feet.

“Come on,” he says, releasing me to grab the handle of my suitcase and lifting it from the floor. “I don’t snore. I promise.”

“Fine,” I grumble, then my shoulders drop as relief floods through me. Meeting Royal’s gaze, I softly add, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he says, then his eyes light up with mischief. “Just make yourself scarce if you see a tie hanging from the doorknob, okay?”

“Okay. You know what? This isn’t going to––”

“Stop,” he says, his hand snaking out to clasp mine as I try to backpedal. “I was just kidding. Everything is going to be fine. I’ll be on my best behavior. I promise.”

CHAPTER TEN

Royal

What in thehell am I doing? Did I really just insist on sharing a room with Calliope Barnes? This is going to be one long-ass weekend.

But it’s not like I can just leave her stranded with no place to stay, right?

Turning, I hold out an arm, inviting her to precede me to the elevator. She takes a deep breath and blows it out roughly, and I hide my smile. She’s so fucking cute when she’s grumpy.

That thought gives me pause, and I quickly shake it off as the elevator doors swish open to let a group of teachers out. I follow Callie inside, then press the button for my floor. It’s a silent ride up to the twenty-sixth floor, and when we step out, I motion for her to go right.

This is going to be fine. Really. We’re both adults, and we can share a room for two nights without killing each other. Right?

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