Page 63 of The Problem with Princes
“I’m sure she found those.”
I glance at the pile of clothing and realize he is right.
“Besides,” he tips his head to the side. “You’ll thank me when you get home tomorrow and don’t have a mound of laundry to do.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think of it that way.” Oh, man. I really need to apologize to Cora. I think I might have scared the poor girl.
He stares down at my shaky hands, then pulls me into a hug. “Sander told me about the video. He said you seemed tense when you left.”
I melt into his arms, pressing my face into his chest. “It was like reliving that moment all over again.”
He clasps his fingers behind my back and pulls me tighter to him. “I’m sorry it was hard for you. But I hope you know I won’t let anything happen to you.”
I snicker. “Oh? Are you sending Sander to watch over me in DC.?”
He stiffens in my arms.
I lean back and see something in his eyes. “Wait. You’re not sending someone to watch over me in DC, right?”
“I won’t say I haven’t considered it. But no arrangements have been made.”
I want to be mad, but really, I’m just relieved that he had thought about it. What if MSG isn’t caught before I leave? Would he follow me to the US?
I slouch against him, resting my head on his chest. “I’m sorry I over reacted. About everything. I was in a super controlling relationship not too long ago. Sometimes I react strongly when I feel like someone is trying to control me again.”
He holds me tightly and I try to infuse his confidence into my soul.
“I think,” he whispers into my ear, “that maybe we should work off some of that tension on the climbing wall. What do you say?”
It’s only then I notice he’s in a t-shirt and shorts.
I nod and take a deep breath. “It sounds terrifying, but probably just what I need. Let me change into something more appropriate.” I look back at him. “How high did you say the walls are?”
“I didn’t,” he grins.
Unlike Texie, I didn’t bring workout clothes with me. But thanks to Cora, the leggings I wore last night are clean and neatly folded in the stack of clothes in my suitcase.
“I can just wear my leggings and a t-shirt, right?”
He nods. “Or I can let you borrow some of my shorts.”
I shake my head. “No, I’m good. I can’t bring myself to discover how I look in your shorts. I’m afraid they will fit a little too good.” I cringe.
“And now all I can imagine is you wearing my shorts.” He winks at me. “But your leggings will be just fine.”
I disappear into the bathroom and change.
We walk down a maze of corridors and I’m reminded that I still have no idea where anything is in this place. Someone walked with me everywhere I went today. How long would someone need to live here before they could manage it on their own?
We stop at a set of double doors and Ty pushes them both open. It’s a huge room that opens up to the full three stories of the palace at the far side where it has been outfitted as a climbing wall. Although, the room itself functions as a full gym, complete with weights, treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, and a lap pool to the far left.
“Holy Mackerel,” I breathe out.
Ty nudges me farther inside and begins to sort through a bin, pulling out various harnesses.
He steps into one, pulling it up around his legs and waist. Then he places a second one on the floor and motions me to step inside.
I look at the harness and then look at the wall. “Are you really going to climb that?” I have no idea what I was thinking when I agreed to this. Climbing should have set off all kinds of alarms in my brain. I guess it just shows how distracted and stressed I’ve been.
