Page 44 of Reluctantly Rogue

Linnea

* * *

His brows arch. “So we’re off the healthcare issue?”

“Well, you're saying that your job is to make sure I'm happy and have everything I need,” I say. “I think I need one less fiancé.”

“But you also think you need the throne.” Despite how many drinks he had tonight, he pivots easily within the conversation.

I nod. “Any ideas how I can have both of those things?”

He shakes his head slowly. “No.” He pauses. “But I've been working on it.”

My eyes widen. “Really? You've been working on a way for me to have the throne but not have Torin?”

“If you think that I've been plotting some kind of assassination or kidnapping, you would be wrong.”

I laugh. “I don't want him to die.”

“Ihavebeen thinking about how to get you both what you want, though.”

“But there really isn't a way,” I say. “We both think we want the throne. But neither of us wants to be married to the other.”

He nods. “So far, that's where we’re at.”

For some reason, my heart is pounding.

Maybe it's just because I finally have someone taking me seriously.

He's not just hearing that I want the throne. He’s not just hearing Torin and me complaining about not wanting to get married. He really wants us to be happy. What we want is as important to him as the greater good.

“Thank you,” I finally tell him.

“For what?”

“For listening. For caring.” I pause. “For being my friend.”

He takes a deep breath, then blows it out. “You don't have to thank me for that.”

“Right. It’s your job.”

“No.” He pauses. “It’s…my pleasure.”

Oh.

Damn.

I like that.

“Well, you make me feel…”

He straightens on his stool and his eyes are suddenly laser-focused on mine. There's a heat, and intensity there.

“What do I make you feel, Duchess?”

I swallow hard. “Important,” I say, my voice almost breathless. “Taken care of. Just…good.”

He closes his eyes and I see his fist clench on the top of the counter.

---