Page 51 of A Royal Promise
“What?”
“You look cute when you stretch.”
She was sure her face matched her pink tutu. Luckily, the announcer’s voice came across the speaker system again, saving her from having to respond.
“Racers, the seventeenth annual Survivor Run will begin in three, two, one.”
The sound of a horn blared through the speakers, and the charity run began. Bri and Drew started jogging at a steady pace, only speeding up or slowing down as they weaved in and out around slower joggers and walkers. Drew easily matched her pace, slowing his longer stride to fit with hers.
“I haven’t been able to ask you yet, but how did my cooking compare to the dinners you’ve eaten at the palace?” Drew’s words came out even and steady, like running the race wasn’t taxing at all.
“If I hadn’t seen you cook it yourself, I wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference. The head chef taught you well,” Bri said between measured breaths.
“Well, shucks.” He shot her a lopsided grin.
She gently shoved his arm. “If you were searching for a compliment, you could’ve just asked for one.”
“But it’s so much better when I don’t have to ask.”
Bri let out a sarcastic laugh. They jogged in silence for a few minutes, but around the halfway point, Bri couldn’t seem to shake the feeling someone was watching them. With a brief look over her shoulder, she spotted someone a few paces behind them with a camera slung around their neck.
When he saw her looking, the man held the camera up to his eye, snapping a picture in their direction. “Your Highnesses,” he called out, his voice ragged and out of breath. “Why did you decide to get engaged? What are you hiding? What is the palace hiding?”
With the paparazzo calling out his questions, Drew looked over at Bri, realization spelled out across his face. He nodded slightly toward a wooded path to their left, and she immediately understood what he was saying.
As they approached a water station, they slipped through the volunteers on the side of the road onto the wooded path. They increased their pace but were careful with their steps, looking out for any stray branches or other ways to twist an ankle.
Drew led them down a side path diverting off the main one. “I think this might be a shortcut.”
She jogged behind him, knowing he was trying to make sure they lost whoever had been following them. Bri looked behindthem after a few minutes, pleased to find that no one had followed them—not even Bastian. They were lucky they’d been able to slip away unnoticed.
When Bri faced forward again, she gasped, trying to sidestep a large tree branch. She heard a ripping sound and looked down, spotting a tear in her shirt near her ribs.
She heard Drew’s footsteps stop and watched him turn around and see how far back she was. He sprinted back to her and crouched to look at her directly.
“What happened?” His eyes raked over her. “Are you hurt?”
“I was checking to make sure no one had followed us, and when I turned back around, I nearly ran straight into a branch.” She motioned to it with her hand. “I was able to jump around it but not completely unscathed.” Bri poked her finger through the hole in her shirt.
He kneeled in front of her. “May I?” Drew pointed to the tear.
She nodded, and he pulled up the bottom of her shirt. His fingers gently grazed over her skin, and she had to press her lips together so she didn’t let out a gasp. Even though his touch was light, she felt it everywhere.
“Hmm, there’s a small scratch, but it isn’t deep enough to have drawn blood.”
Her hand flew to her chest in mock exaggeration. “Oh, thank you, doctor.”
He smirked at her. “You’re lucky I was here. I think you’re going to make it.”
She rolled her eyes as he stood up.
“Are you sure you’re okay? You didn’t twist your ankle or anything?”
“I’m good. My t-shirt, on the other hand, may not make it.”
“I can’t solve that problem right now, but I might be able to fix it enough to finish the race.” Drew stepped forward and grabbed her tutu, pulling it up so the elastic band rested over the tear,blocking it from view. “There. Nobody will notice anything was ever wrong. Now, what do you say we get back to the race so everyone doesn’t think we ran off into the woods to make out?”
She dropped her gaze to the ground, trying to hide her blush. “And so Bastian and your palace guards don’t freak out because they lost sight of us.”
