Page 10 of Tall, Royal Hater
He smiled. “I don’t mind.”
I beamed, opening my mouth to speak, but the voice that slammed against the walls didn’t belong to me.
“No,” Shehryar rumbled. A dark shadow cast over his pale-green eyes, his brows knotting together so ridiculously fiercely, and of course, it was all fucking directed at me. When he was the one bloody cockblockingme.
Why the fuck couldn’t he just do us both a favour and piss off? Why did he keep interrupting my conversation with Kareem?
“Why not?” I said through gritted teeth.
Shehryar paused like he was taking a moment to think. Then his shoulders slipped down, and his eyes wore that practiced mask again. His frown didn’t quite fade away as he addressed Kareem. “I promised Sully that you would be ready beforehand so that he could go over the meeting agenda with you, and you have yet to do a twenty-minute jog outside as the doctor insisted.”
Kareem opened his mouth to say something, but his words turned into a sigh. “Unfortunately, he’s right.” He offered me a small smile. “I may be the monarch, but Sully will have my head if I am late.”
Sully, Kareem’s private secretary, had the silently intimidating attitude and appearance of a stereotypical cartoon butler. A tall, lithe, older man with white combed back hair, a bushy moustache, signature white gloves, and a face that never seemed to show any emotion.
“That’s okay,” I said with a forced smile and shrug. “I can’t exactly keep you from running the state. Or running outside either.”
“According to my doctor, running outside is supposed to be good for me.” He leaned closer. “Though I hate it. Not being outside. I hate the running.”
I chuckled as vindictive me inside my head poked her tongue out at Shehryar. “You’re speaking to my soul, Your Majesty, and it’s making me feel a certain kind of way.” I winked.
Yes, I had just flirted with a king, and no, I wasnotsorry about it. Especially when his cheeks ignited adorably with colour as his mouth opened and closed for a second.
But for the third fucking time, the sound of weights pummelling to the floor shattered the air.
Shehryar slumped against the tall back of the workout bench he was sitting on, bracing his hands on his spread thighs as he breathed deep and silent, two dumbbells sitting at his feet. I wasn’t sure when he’d moved to the bench and picked them up, but when I caught his stare in the mirror, I knew with certainty he’d dropped them on purpose like everything else and was gloating on the inside.
A violent growl rose in my throat, but he didn’t say or do anything else, so I forced down the accusation. Only because I didn’t want Kareem to think I was a feral, angry bird.
“I most likely won’t be back until the evening,” the king said. “But Esmeralda made me promise I’d return in time for your dinner on the beach, so I shall see you then.”
“I look forward to it,” I said, giving him my best smile. “Have fun in parliament.”
He smiled back. I bowed my head. He thanked Shehryar, and then the beautiful man left.
The moment the door closed, my smile evaporated.
I swung around, teeth bared, and hands locked in fists.
So fucking ready to go to war with the only man who’d ever gotten under my skin in the worst way possible.
Chapter 3
Shehryar
“Do you have a problem with your hands that I’m not aware of?”
I ignored Mariyah’s irritated question and locked my teeth around an inhale as I extended my arms up towards the ceiling, shoulder pressing a dumbbell in each hand. I watched my form closely in the mirror, pretending I couldn’t see her standing behind me either.
Seven, I counted in my head and lowered my elbows level with my shoulders on an exhale.
“Like a grip as pathetic as your personality?”
Eight. And exhale.
I pushed into rep nine with a little more force than necessary as volcanic acid seeped into my blood. My left arm wobbled, but I quickly steadied it on the descent.
“Or were you throwing things around because no one was paying attention to your childish ass?”
