Page 43 of Reluctantly Rogue

“But you only had one since I've been here,” he says. “And that was over seven months ago.”

I can't deny it. Obviously, he knows the truth.

And it's a good thing I haven’t had an infection.

“And you're taking credit for that.” I cross my arms over my stomach.

He nods. “Yes, I am.”

“I can't believe you studied my personal medical history.”

He shakes his head. “I don't study it. There are things that I check for. Things I need to know on a regular basis while I'm with you, while traveling. Some of it I find out as we’re going along.”

“Things like?”

“Like that your last gynecologic exam was perfectly fine and normal.”

I feel my mouth drop open. “You looked at my last GYN exam?”

“Didn't look for it or at it specifically. I skimmed over it while I was looking at other things.”

I honestly don't know what to say. “I guess I didn't realize how well you would know me.”

He nods. “Very well. But you can trust me,” he said, his voice gentling. “I only know what I know so that I can take care of you.”

See, that should probably not make me feel all warm and…aroused.

Fine, it makes me feel aroused. It shouldn't. It is invasive. The man is not my doctor, boyfriend, father, or anyone else who really needs to know these intimate details about my life.

But maybe he is.

He’s supposed to be keeping me safe and healthy. I think that the entire security structure around the royal family of Cara is a little overdone. Cara is a small country with very little reason for anyone to want to harm or even extort any of the royal members, but the king is adamant about their safety being taken extremely seriously. And I’m, sort of, one of them.

“Do you know all these things about Torin?”

“Of course.”

“The king?”

He inclines his head. “Yes.”

“Okay, I'm not mad.”

The corner of his mouth tugs slightly just before he takes a bite of cookie, maybe trying to cover up his smile.

“You think it's funny that I might be mad?”

“No. I think it's funny that you think I might care that you're mad about this.”

“You wouldn't care if I was mad?”

He sets the cookie down and brushes his hands together. “Your Grace, my job is to make sure that you're safe. Healthy. Happy. That you have everything you need. Whether that makes you mad, or not, is not a concern.”

I study him. He means this, I can tell. And it's a very strange mix of emotions I feel.

“Does that mean that you will help me get out of marrying your best friend?”

Chapter9

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