Page 187 of Tall, Royal Hater
Ull see
Mariyah
Friday morning, Shehryar drove me to my Pilates class, waited outside the whole time, and then from there took me to work.Withmy morning order of coffee, muffin, and chocolate twist.
I finished earlier at four, he picked me up, and I did my grocery shopping. We argued at the checkout and ended up dividing my weekly shop. I paid for my toiletries and household items, while he paid for my food with the vow to cook it all. And damn him, because when we returned to my apartment, he made the best spaghetti bolognese I’d ever had.
He gave me my three kisses, two on the forehead and one on the cheek, and then left for the night.
Saturday morning, he was back, and we went to the gym where he signed up there and then to join me too. He left me alone to workout but came over once to kiss my temple. And I had to admit, I was getting more and more sulky about the way he wasn’t kissing me on the lips.
In the evening, I met a few friends along with one of my cousins at a local restaurant for a night out, and Shehryar drove the four of us there. Unfortunately, they were alsoveryintrigued and easily distracted by the royal bodyguard who secretly paid for our dinner while we were still eating, even though he ate at a separate table and stayed away.
Still, I had fun catching up with them, and even let Shehryar drop me off outside my apartment door. But it fucking grated that he used his last kiss on my cheek again.
On Sunday morning, however, I woke up to the smell of something sweet cooking and subtle noises coming from outside my bedroom. I glared at my alarm clock in tired confusion, my brain too groggy to process what my senses were picking up. It wasn’t even nine a.m. yet.
Unless I’d learned to mind control my kitchen tools in my sleep, I definitely wasn’t the one cooking. Or I was being robbed and said robber had gotten peckish and decided to feed themselves.
Huffing and puffing in annoyance, I threw the duvet off and forced myself upright. I patted down my messy hair then wipedthe dried drool from the corner of my mouth as I stood. Feet nestled in slippers, I trudged out of my room and down the short corridor.
“Mum, is that you?” I croaked as I stepped into my open-plan living space.
“I prefer it when you call me Daddy.”
I came to an abrupt stop, and my mouth dropped. “How the fuck did you get in here?”
In my grey and white marble corner kitchen, Shehryar Timur, dressed in a dark green jumper with his sleeves pulled up, nudged a pancake in a pan with a flat spatula. There was a bowl of batter and a small ladle on his left, and on the other side of the stove was a stack of five pancakes, a bottle of hazelnut chocolate spread, and an unopened pack of strawberries. His coat hung on the pegs by the door, shoes underneath, and a grocery bag along with his car keys were atop the dining table.
“Through the door,” he said and threw a cheeky glance over his shoulder. He did a double take, his eyes perusing slowly down and up my oversized pink shirt and pyjama bottoms. His gaze lingered on my face as a secret smile tugged at his lips, then he turned back to the pan.
Oh, no. He wasn’t going to distract me with that look. Whatever it fucking meant.
“Shehryar Timur,” I growled, hands curling into fists, as he tipped the pancake onto the stack of others and set the pan away from the flame. “Did you break into my fucking apartment?”
He turned down the hob before heading towards me. “I knocked first. You didn’t answer. I wanted to make you breakfast—”
“So, you broke into my apartment?” I widened my eyes in accusation. “What the fuck is wrong with you? It’s not a bedroom lock, so how did you even pick it?”
“Easily.” His brows pinched in concern. “Too easily. And that’s not okay. It’s not safe.”
“It was never a problem before you,” I gritted out.
“But it is a problem. The fact that I got in so easily without you even realising proves it’s a problem.” He edged closer. “I’m going to order another lock and latch to add to the inside for double security.”
“Or just don’t break in like a fucking maniac,” I snapped and shoved at his chest.
He barely budged. In fact, he swayed closer. “I did message you to let you know in advance.”
I made a choked sound. “Are you seriously trying to justify this right now?”
His mouth unashamedly lifted in a lopsided smile. “I won’t apologise for it. It’s probably one of the only things I won’t apologise for.” He placed his large hands under my jaw, using his thumbs to nudge my chin up. “You’re the only one I’ve done it with, little menace. And I like that it’s our thing.”
“Our thing?” I echoed incredulously. “You mean,yourintrusion onmyprivacy.”
His smirk widened. “Don’t lock me out, and I won’t break in.”
I gawked, and a chuckle bubbled from him that fluttered through my chest. My body instantly recognised this flirtatious, confident Shehryar, and it was…
