Page 37 of A Royal Arrangement
“I may be a man of few words, but I do try to remember what other people say.”
“Well, thank you. This means a lot to me, and the spa was amazing.” She leaned back in her chair as the servers removed their empty bowls and replaced them with plates of seared scallops with caviar sauce.
Colin took a bite of a perfectly cooked scallop. “What do women do at the spa, anyway?”
She wiped her mouth with a white-linen napkin. “Today I got a facial, a deep-tissue massage, and a full-body exfoliating scrub. You can also get scalp massages, manicures and pedicures, and body wraps.”
“Exfoliation sounds like a version of torture.” Colin grimaced.
“It’s worth it for your skin to feel as smooth as butter.”
Colin’s eyes roamed over her skin. It looked extra glowy tonight, even in the dim light of the room. Her cheeks flushed at his gaze.
He cleared his throat and motioned for the servers to clear their plates. “I’m glad you enjoyed your time at the spa.” Colin practically sighed with relief when the palace staff arrived, replacing the empty plates with the final course.
“For your entrée, we have prepared roasted branzino with caper butter served with roasted Brussels sprouts and herbed mashed potatoes.”
“Oh, my goodness, this looks delicious.” Rosalie’s eyes widened. “I could eat potatoes every day of the week. Maybe even every meal.”
Colin got a forkful of everything from the plate and bit back a groan as all the flavors danced together in perfectharmony in his mouth. When he finished chewing, he took a sip of his water before responding, “I completely agree. They’re very versatile.”
“I’m glad you feel the same way. I’m not sure I could remain married to someone who didn’t like potatoes.” She smirked before shoveling another forkful into her mouth.
He let out a small laugh, which he quickly covered with a cough.
“Another laugh, Your Majesty? If you keep letting those slip out, I’m going to start believing your grumpiness is all a façade.”
Colin bit back a smile. Her forwardness was refreshing—she was like Wes in that regard. He liked that she didn’t feel like she had to shy back from who she was around him. But it worried him that she was already attempting to get him to drop his guard around her. He wanted to be kind, but that didn’t mean he had to let her in.
“What did you do while I was gone today?”
“Addie and I had a tea party.”
She clasped her hands together and rested her chin on them. “That’s adorable. I’m sure she loved it.”
His lips twitched at the memory of Addie’s wide smile. “She did. She wore the cutest dress for it.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less. I’ve only known her a short time, but I already know that girl loves dressing up.” Rosalie grinned at him like they were two married people discussing their daughter. He supposed that technically was true, but the thought still took him aback.
“I bet she can’t wait until she’s older and can wear some of her mother’s dresses.”
Colin inhaled a sharp breath. He told Addie he would take her to see them soon, but the thought of her wearingthem brought up emotions he would rather shove deep, deep down. “I actually told her today I would show her Isabella’s dresses soon.” The words felt heavy coming out of his mouth.
“That’s great. I’m sure she’ll love it.”
He nodded and managed to maintain pleasant conversation for the rest of dinner. Once they finished their meal, Colin stood, stretching his back. “Are you ready to retire for the evening?”
She nodded, following him into the hallway. “Thank you again for arranging all this for me today. It truly meant so much.”
He grunted in response, and she shook her head at him as she wrapped her hand through his arm. Colin escorted her back to her room, thankful for the silence as they walked.
When they stopped in front of her door, she dropped his arm. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Goodnight,” he said with a dip of his chin before leaving her and walking into his own room a few feet away. He immediately shed his jacket, tossing it over the back of the couch. He pulled on a pair of charcoal joggers and settled on top of his comforter, closing his eyes and trying to decompress from his full day. He wasn’t sure how long he had been lying there when the sound of his door flying open caused him to open his eyes.
“Your Majesty.” Luna burst into his bedroom without knocking.
There was no reason she would ever break proper protocol and do that unless something was very, very wrong. Colin immediately jumped off his bed, his whole body on high alert.
