Page 49 of His Runaway Princess

That made her laugh. “I know a few. When you visit with little ones regularly, you get to know the good jokes.”

“What do you call an octopus that can camouflage?” His eyes twinkled.

She should know this. “Uh... octo-liar?”

“Nope.” He leaned closer. “Mock-topus.”

Amalia laughed so hard she almost snorted. “That’s good,” she finally managed to get out.

“I read it online once.”

She couldn’t stop laughing. “It’s not this funny.”

Ryker chuckled. “Then why are you laughing so hard?”

The tears started to roll down her cheeks. “I don’t know. Pressure release?”

Before he could answer, two waiters returned. One took their dishes and the other set their next course down.

He bowed again. “Enjoy, ma’am, sir. Please let me know if I can be of service in any way.”

As soon as Ryker thanked him, they were alone again.

They managed a normal conversation for the rest of the meal. Nothing serious. Nothing worthy of maniacal laughter either.

After deciding against dessert, Amalia signed the check and then held his hand as they walked out of the restaurant.

Even larger crowds waited and watched as they walked to the auto waiting for them. Amalia smiled and waved. As well as she could tell, Ryker smiled but didn’t really wave. The tension radiated off him again, a testament to his background and protective nature, though he tried to appear relaxed.

Once they pulled away from the curb, his attention went to driving. His hands gripped the steering wheel as they worked their way through the rush hour traffic.

Amalia tucked her hand into the inside of his elbow. “Relax. We’re not alone. There’s no danger to us here.”

He loosened his grip enough to take her hand. “I’m sorry. It’s going to take a while for me to get used to letting someone else worry about security.”

She linked her fingers with his. “You’ll probably always have that side of you, but at some point, you have to trust the team.”

“I know, and I do.” He did something unexpected. Bringing her hand up, he kissed the back of it. “I’ll get better. I promise. Since we’re in this for the long haul, I’ll learn.”

The traffic lightened as they wound through the streets. The decision had been made. They’d spoken briefly with her grandfather before leaving the palace for the late lunch.

To be seen by the press and the people.

Their first foray into public as a couple, even if it wasn’t an official appearance.

As they neared the palace, Ryker seemed to relax a bit more.

But as they sat two stoplights away from the actual turn onto palace grounds, he tensed.

Even more than he had been before.

His grip on her hand tightened until it hurt.

“What is it?” she asked, trying to remain calm.

His face had set in an unreadable mask. “He’s here.”

16

---