Page 64 of Risky Match
I bolt upright. “Did you say Fausto is bringing breakfast? No! He can’t know we slept together. This is a disaster.”
Blake laughs. “He’s just the chef. Why do you care if he knows we were together last night?”
I can’t tell him that I’m worried it will get back to the other members of the Covert Royal team.
“I try to keep my personal life from anyone other than Erin. It’ll make things awkward with Fausto.”
“Then you’ll be glad to know I was teasing. Breakfast is downstairs as usual.”
I playfully smack his shoulder. “That was mean.”
“I tried other more friendly ways to wake you first. When those didn’t work, I went for the shock factor.”
I yawn, stretching my arms above my head. “Now you know my secret. I’m not much of a morning person even after all the years of early practices.”
“I could tell,” he chuckles, rolling onto his back and sinking onto his pillow.
Somehow, he keeps his leg draped over mine as if he’s afraid I’ll try to escape.
“What about you? Do you prefer mornings or evenings?” I ask, as I rub my eyes, yawning.
“With my travel schedule, I cross so many continents and time zones, my body is always confused. Besides, our matches are sometimes in the morning and other times they don’t start until ten o’clock at night. At this point, I’ve forgotten if I ever had a preference.”
“If you were on holiday for three weeks, would you wake up early and go sightseeing or sleep in and party into the night?”
“I’d sleep for the first three days and then figure it out,” he grins.
Rolling onto my side, I curl into him, nestling my head into the crook of his shoulder and draping my free leg over his. “That was a dumb question on my part. With tennis tournaments back-to-back all year, I’m guessing you don’t get many extended holidays.”
“I don’t. A week off is a rare treat.”
“Have you thought about skipping a few of the lower-level tournaments and taking some time for yourself?” I ask, slowly tracing my finger along the contours of his chest and abs.
“Not really. My career will likely end in five to seven years. I’ve always assumed there would be time to rest and do what I want then.”
“We live strange lives, don’t we? There’s rarely any free time. I’m not playing tennis year-round like you, but when I’m not on tour, my royal duties fill my days.”
“What’s that like?”
That’s my cue. He’s given me the perfect opening to turn back to the mission even if it is a mood killer.
I close my eyes, not wanting to betray my feelings, explaining, “When I’m in Catalinius, it’s impossible to go anywhere and not be known. But I can’t complain too much. My oldest brother has it even worse. Since he took the throne as king, his photo is now on all the coins and paper money. Even the people on day trips to the island would recognize him.”
“Why doesn’t Catalinius use the Euro?”
“It may become our currency someday, but that hasn’t happened yet. I’ve heard that a number of people are collecting our coins in hopes they’ll be valuable if we eventually change to the Euro.”
“I can see that. My grandfather collects coins. I usually take foreign coins to him from my travels.”
My pulse skips a beat. Is this the proof our team has been looking for? Is Blake doing this for his grandfather? That doesn’t make sense though. He could just buy collectible coins and give them as gifts. Why resort to crime?
I press on. “Did you collect any for him from recent tournaments?”
I’m internally dreading his answer.
“A few. Nothing too special.”
“If you picked up any local coins when you played in the Catalinius tournament, I’d love to see them. Our coins capture the history of my family. I could share what I know. Then you could pass it along to your grandfather.”
