Page 6 of Tall, Royal Hater
One of the perks of having a royal best friend was being invited by her prince boyfriend to come along to Touma for a vacation and stay with him and his family. Esmeralda told me we were going to go out and have fun exploring Pavilion City with Kai as our chaperone while celebrating his thirtieth birthday. But after what she’d shown me, I wasn’t so sure there would be much going out anymore.
My dirty little princess clearly planned to sex toy her vacation away.
“If you say so.”
She gave a firm nod. “I do.”
We shared a smiling moment, then I nodded towards her open suitcase. “You got any more sex toys hidden in there? Or can you show me the lingerie you bought now?”
Esmeralda excitedly packed away the clothes she had taken out, and with a bit of holding down the lid on my part, we zipped the suitcase back up, moved it over, and opened the smaller one.
One by one she took out the sexy lingerie and silk pyjama sets she had packed, all of them more lace and ribbon than any actual fabric. It almost seemed like the entire smaller suitcase was filled with them, they were endless. But we fawned overeach piece she showed me, laughing as we joked about plans of seduction for the birthday boy.
The lingerie was sprawled all around us when a steady knock at the door startled us.
“Yes?” Esmeralda called.
“Princess, it’s me.” The deep voice I hated all too well made my stomach lurch up. “I have the snacks the kitchen prepared.”
“Oh, shit,” she whispered, wide eyes flying all over the skimpy clothes on display. “One second, Sher.”
In a rush, we both grabbed what we could and shoved it back into her luggage. Not to hide the underwear like it was a dirty secret but piling them up so it was less obvious that half the thongs were crotchless. Something I knew Esmeralda didn’t wanthimto see.
“Hold on, let me get the door, Sher.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve got it,” the dickhead said from the other side.
The door clicked open, and it was a battle to stop my spine from reflexively locking straight as his light steps filtered into Esmeralda’s bedroom.
The moment he appeared in my periphery, heading to the white velvet chaise with a tray in his hands, a spiky heat flared somewhere in my midsection. It wrapped around my chest, jabbing at me from all angles, making me grind my teeth together, wishing it was his face I was grinding to a pulp instead.
Shehryar Timur.
Esmeralda’s bodyguard and private secretary.
The fucking bane of my existence for the last five years.
For whatever reason, he’d been bestowed with the build of an ancient warrior. Six-foot-five, sturdy legs for days, a back as broad as a dining table, shoulders that would make an Olympic swimmer look like a twig, and arms that could probably carry a baby elephant.Each. Annoyingly, everything attractive about hisbuild was only emphasised by the perfect fit of his thin jumper and tapered suit trousers.
Not that I found any part of him attractive.Ew. No.
That crush was long gone. Dead. Finished.
I killed those feelings the moment I realised he was an A-class asshole.
Shehryar turned around when Esmeralda waddled over to him on a seemingly numb foot. I quickly swapped the scrunch of annoyance on my mouth with bland regard as I peeked at the two three-tiered stands on the tray covered in brownie squares, mini macarons, little tarts, and other treats.
“Hana said she packed the extra brownies and custard tarts in containers and put them in the larder and fridge,” he said. “So, if you want more, let me know and I’ll go bring them. Otherwise, Mona will be up in a few minutes with your drinks.”
My heart was kicked in the backside with spurred boots, sending it into a burning frenzy of fury as narrow green eyes clashed with mine.
They weren’t bright like emeralds but rather had the effect of a drop of watercolour on paper. Pale around his pupils, their colour grew more vivid towards the edges of his irises. But that meant his stare always felt intense, and I hated it. It didn’t help that his warmer skin tone, arched brows, and strong nose drew all the more attention to his eyes. It was irritating.
Almost as irritating as his hair. He’d grown it out a little since the last time I’d seen him in Raven when he’d accompanied Esmeralda at the beginning of the year. Now the soft brown locks waved over the top of his ears and flowed, lush and thick, back over the top of his head.
He’d grown a beard too. I could have made fun of him if it was patchy or aged him into an ugly caveman that looked twenty years older than he actually was.It wasn’t. And it didn’t. It wasneat and trimmed close to his skin and suited his square jaw.Dickhead.
Fucking Neves, looking at him made my skin burn all over.
