Page 33 of The Problem with Princes
He waves aside my apology. “You gave me fair warning. After the tram ride, I had an idea what I was in for.” He gives my hand a little squeeze. “It was worth it.”
“Yeah, it was a great view.” My feet land on the rocky ground, and the tension in my shoulders eases. I look up at the tall stone walls of the monastery and release a squee of excitement.Thisis what I’ve wanted to see.
“I wasn’t only meaning the view.” He winks at me, and I feel the heat climb up my neck. He is so smooth. It’s easy to forget that this is just how he is. And that we’re just friends.
“We could have hiked both ways.” We walk beside each other, and I glance out of the corner of my eye at him. He is staring at me.
I shrug. “The end height is the same whether we walked or trammed.” I think I might have just made that word up, but oh well. It fits. “I’ll be fine. I just need a few minutes.”
Tyrone reaches out to take my hand, but it’s still buried deep inside my pockets. I’ve finally calmed down every nerve in my body, I can’t rev it all back up again so soon by holding his hand. That’s what causes heart attacks. At least, I’m pretty sure I’ve heard that somewhere.
He drops his hand, but I see the confusion in his eyes. Yeah, I’m sure I’m even more confused than he is.
I look straight ahead, hoping he can’t see the waffling I’m doing in my head. Does he like me? Do I like him? Should I like him? Should we just be friends? But what if he likes me? Holy crap, it’s actually giving me a headache.
I take a deep breath. Three more days and I’ll fly home. We can be friends for three more days. How hard can it be?
He puts his hand on the small of my back to guide me between two pillars as we enter a kind of courtyard. But he doesn’t drop it once we are inside. In hindsight, I should have just given him my hand. He rubs small circles on my back with his thumb and smiles down at me. I scowl at the ground. “Three more days of torture! Please, just stop being charming for three more days,” I grumble to myself.
We stop just short of the door to the monastery. A young woman—I’m guessing about the same age as myself—steps forward. “Good morning, Your Highness.” She speaks in Greek.
Tyrone smiles at her and I feel unfriendly feelings toward the woman. “Good morning, Claire. Thanks for agreeing to do this for me today.”
She gives him a large smile, full of straight white teeth. “You know I can never say no to you, Your Highness.”
She moves closer to him and lays her hand on his arm. I want to bare my teeth at her, but I refrain. Ty and I are just friends, after all. But seriously. The nerve of this woman. Who hits on a guy when they are with someone else? I run a hand over my tightly plaited braid. Claire’s dark brown hair flows down her back in soft waves. Have I mentioned that I kind of hate Claire?
“Prince Tyrone says you are visiting from America.” She says in English as she eyes my flowy capri’s. Her nose scrunches. “Normally, you must wear long pants or a skirt to enter the monastery, but I think your pants are close enough to a skirt, it should not be a problem.”
Ty smiles at Claire and I want to punch her. Not in the throat. I’m not a monster. But maybe just enough to make her scrunched up nose swell to the size of a tomato—the beef steak kind.
He returns his hand to the small of my back, but then slides it over resting it on my hip and pulling me into his side. “This is mygoodfriend, Miss Martindale. She is very excited to see this place.”
I don’t know what to make of all this. Is he implying we are more than friends? Or is he just trying to tellClairethat he is not interested in her and I’m the excuse.
I give a little shrug. I can be his excuse. It’s what friends do, right?
Claire turns an icy look on me before placing a professional smile on her lips. “Then I will endeavor to show you as much as I am able.”
She opens the door and motions us into a smallish-sized room. Ty drops his hand from my waist, allowing me to precede him inside and Claire brings up the rear. Sander is already inside making a methodical sweep of the room. Hmm. I wonder when he snuck in here. And how does he think someone has planted anything? Claire was here before us. And the keys dangling from the ring around her neck makes me think this place isn’t just left open for anyone to enter. I give her a side eye. Maybe Sander doesn’t trust her. Not that I blame him. She seems a little shifty, if you ask me.
Sander completes his sweep and nods to Ty.
Ty grabs my hand and pulls me farther into the room.
“Did anyone know we were coming here?” I ask.
Tyrone shakes his head. “Only the few people that work here, like Claire and the guard below. But then, no one knew I was going to get coffee the other day either.”
I cast a suspicious look at Claire. “Does that mean you have a leak in your security team?”
Ty grins down at me. “More movie knowledge?”
“TV, actually.”
He pulls me a little closer to him.
“I don’t think so. I think it was more a crime of opportunity. But every angle is being investigated. If there is a leak, we’ll find it.”
