Page 9 of A Wise Prince

I wrap my arm around her shoulder and rub her arm, trying to warm her a bit. I point out various buildings as we walk. I take us to the stables, which are heated.

“Do you like horses?” I ask her as we enter.

“I do,” she says. Her quiet manner has me wondering if she hates me or if she’s nervous.

“This is my horse, Brego.” I don’t mention he’s one of four horses that I own.

Her eyes widen. “Lord of the Rings?”

I grin. “Yep,” I reply as I give Brego a pat.

“I didn’t peg you as a Tolkien fan,” she says as she scratches Brego’s neck. He rubs against her hand, clearly enjoying her attention.

I shrug. “There’s probably a lot that people don’t know about me.” So many things that they don’t know, I add to myself.

“Do you ride?” I ask.

She nods. “When I was growing up, but not much anymore.”

“We have more horses at the Summer Palace. You really should saddle up one day and go for a ride. It’s a great way to see the estate.”

“I’d like that,” she says thoughtfully as she continues to stroke Brego’s long mane.

“So, who’s the woman?” she asks, not looking over at me.

“The woman?”

She glances over with a knowing look, and I sigh. “Just someone that I hooked up with a long time ago. She is…husband-hunting or should I say prince-hunting. I never should have hooked up with her. It was my mistake. I knew her game.” And that’s the truth. It was my mistake. I don’t mention that I hook up with many women and regret doing it most of the time. It’s a way to forget. One night of physical lust and usually drinks, and I can forget everything for a few hours. There’s probably a decade worth of therapy sessions that I need, but it’s the dark, ugly truth.

“Hey,” she says quietly, squeezing my arm and jarring me out of my thoughts.

“Sorry,” I reply, giving her a tight smile. “I should probably get you back up to the palace before they send out a search party.”

“Prince August—”

“Auggie, please,” I correct her.

“Auggie,” she starts again, “Terrance and I were going to go out later…maybe ditch the pomp and circumstance a little early. Would you…I mean, if you aren’t busy, would you like to join us?” She looks up at me and I notice for the first time how long her dark lashes are. She’s…breathtaking, not anything like the young girl I remember in the photos from her father’s inauguration.

I smile at her. “I think I would like that.” Normally, I’d only hang with Terrance if we were with a big crowd of people. He grates on my nerves. But something inside me pulls me to Kate. I want to know her, want to get to know her.

“Well, then, my lady, I think we should wrap up this ball,” I say with a wink as I hold out my arm to her. She giggles as she slides her arm through mine and lets me guide her back up to the palace ballroom.

Kathryn

Auggie…it’s weird to say that, like I know him or something…is not exactly like I thought he would be. It’s confusing. Between his charming behavior at the hospital and now, I’d swear he was just trying to get in my pants.

To be clear, he’s not the first guy to try to get in my pants. Being the daughter of a president means that people wanting to suck on the power teat constantly are trying to get with you. I learned that the hard way a long time ago. My thoughts go to my one and only ex-boyfriend, Jared Farrington.

Auggie’s hand presses against my back, bringing me out of my thoughts. He leans into my ear.

“You OK, secret agent girl?” he asks.

I pause and look up at him. He’s tall but only by a few inches while I’m in these ridiculous heels. “Yeah, I…” I trail off as I look across the room and see Jared as though my imagination has conjured him up.

Suddenly, Jared is blocked because Auggie is standing in front of me. His hand cups my cheek and I look up at him.

“You don’t look so good,” he says as he pulls me into an alcove along the hallway that leads out to a balcony. I grasp the railing and look out into the gardens of the palace. What the fuck is Jared doing here?

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