Page 114 of Tall, Royal and Grumpy

“It’s unused,” he said as he flicked it open. “Let me clean you up.”

“I thought you wanted your cum dripping down my legs?” I teased with a raise of my brows.

His own eyebrows sunk into a bashful frown. “I did—I do.” He urged my knees apart as he lowered the tissue to my centre. “But that doesn’t mean I want you to feel uncomfortable and sticky. I couldn’t do that to you.”

Squealing on the inside at his adorably sweet answer, I let him wipe the wetness between my thighs without entirely wiping away his cum after which he moved my thong and skirt back into place. Then he cleaned himself up, pulled up his boxers and jeans, and disposed of the tissue in a scrunched up black bag in the corner by the door.

And I quickly remembered why all of this had started in the first place.

“The rose was for Kareem,” I said as Kai wiped my face with the unstained sleeve of his jumper.

“What?”

“Pierre didn’t give me that rose. He helped me choose it, but I was decorating it to give to Kareem.” Kai comically blanched. “Pierre took it out of my hand, saying there was a thorn on it, and then you showed up. Thinking back now, with the way he made it seem like he was giving it to me and your perfect timing, I think he planned it to irritate you on purpose.”

The confusion, the realisation, the pure vexation, everything played out on Kai’s face in real time. “Candy and Trevor,” he growled, his hand in my lap curling to a fist. “They told me he was with you and I… Bloody Neves, when I find them, they’re—”

“Don’t,” I chuckled and raised my hand to his cheek. “I just hope that you weren’t at any point jealous because you thought there was ever any chance that I would betray you.”

His hand on my lap leapt to my wrist. “No. No, Esmeralda,” he said urgently. “Never. I never once thought that. I trust you completely. I only…” He huffed out a breath, dropping his head a little. “I don’t know how to explain it without sounding absurd, but I…I can’t help wanting you all to myself, and when another man smiles at you and makes you laugh or even looks at you…” I was pretty sure his cheek heated under my palm. “I want to wrap you in my arms and hide you from them, which I know I can’t, and neither would I ever try to, but I cannot help feeling jealous when they do it so effortlessly in a way I know I never could.”

“Kai.” His name fell off my tongue like an aching sigh at the self-conscious vulnerability he admitted to. One that wasn’t true, because all this man had to do was exist and I felt explosively giddy.

He shook his head, pressing my palm deeper into his cheek. “But I would never stop you from being friends with anyone or meeting anyone or anything else, Esmeralda. You have my word on that.” His eyes did a pouty, puppy dog thing that shot through me like a heart-shaped arrow. “I cannot lie to you and say I won’t act like a jealous oaf after, but if it’s bothering you, I will stop. I promise.”

I shook my head, lifting my other hand to cup his jaw. “I don’t want you to pretend to be someone you’re not, Kai, so if you are jealous, I want to know.” I shrugged one shoulder. “Plus, it’s kind of, really quite cute.” He glowered and I gleamed. “And—I can use it as an excuse to remind you that you are literally the man of my dreams. My Perfect Prince. I don’t have eyes for anyone else.”

His face definitely warmed under my hands that time as his mouth rose shyly. Then he turned his head and pressed a long-second kiss to each of my palms and offered his lips for me to kiss.

“We should probably go back before they send out a search party for us.” It didn’t sound like he wanted to though.

“Probably.” I pressed another peck to his mouth.

“Would you like to change before going back? I ruined your jumper.”

“No.” Kiss. “And you clearly haven’t seen yourself.” I kissed his smile. “And everyone else should be covered in colour by now, so I think we’ll be fine if we just rub it in a bit more.” Kiss. “Though, we might need to find a water basin to wash the sweat off our hands and faces.”

My famous last words.

The moment we stepped out of the shed and ran into Shehryar on the other side of the scarlet hedges, he. Went. Ballistic.

To summarise Shehryar’s rant, Kai and I gave “caught red-handed” an entirely new meaning.

Chapter Thirty-Two

ESMERALDA

It was an hour or so after breakfast the next morning when Kai and I were standing by the garden doors getting ready to head out to the stables together.

After all the exhausting celebrations, both private and public, for the Festival of Life the day before, we thankfully had a day of rest. The first of two known internationally as Peace Bank Holidays with no royal events or activities planned. It also signalled the start of my last four days in Touma before who knew when I would be able to see Kai next.

The gnawing anguish at the idea of being apart from him without knowing when I would be in his arms again was nibbling at my belly like a twitching baby mouse. Small in its strength yet, but it was only a matter of time before it grew. I would have to find a way to cage it, because with our roles in state ruling and politics, avoiding the dating long-distance set-up was impossible.

But while I was with him, I planned to enjoy my time with him to the absolute fullest. All his worrisome grumbling and adorable frowning and every other expression I could tease out of him.

“It’s not that cold,” I purposely said, fighting a grin.

The frustrated line between his brows intensified. “Yes, it is.” He tugged the puffy standing collars of my dark green jacket together even though he had already zipped it up to my chin. “This jacket isn’t warm enough. You need a proper coat, Esmeralda.”

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