Page 141 of Tall, Royal and Grumpy

“You haven’t yet gone but it already hurts,” he said, nuzzling into my right palm. “Knowing we’ll both be busy. Not knowing when I will be able to kiss you and hold you next. It’s already killing me.” An ache ripped through my chest. “I will do everything in my power to make time to come see you in Jahandar, but what am I going to do when I can’t, Esmeralda? How do I sleep without you next to me? How am I supposed to not miss you every minute of every day?”

A sting scratched across the back of my nose and eyes. “I don’t know.” My voice cracked. “But we can videocall every day. And I’ll make time to come see you too. Whenever I can. And we can go to the same international events. All of them.” I swallowed down the rock in my throat. “I know it will be hard, but we can make this work. I promise you, Kai, we will.”

“I know we will,” he choked out and smashed his lips over mine.

We kissed and kissed and kissed. Long and slow. Deep and feverish, taking our time to wipe away the fear and doubt and pain. Left behind was only longing that turned the space between my spread thighs damp and hot and needy. And with Kai’s hard-on pressing right there…

“I need you. I need you now, Kai.”

He shook his head rapidly, a dazed flush painted across his face. “Last night was a lot, Esmeralda. I don’t want you to be sore later.”

“I want to be sore,” I said without missing a beat. “I want to feel you between my legs when I walk.” I rolled my pelvis against his erection. “I want that ache, Kai. Give it to me. Please. I’m begging you.”

Dropping his forehead against mine, he groaned, restraint and pleasure battling across his scrunched face. It was obvious pleasure was winning. “You and your filthy mouth, Babble,” he growled and lifted his head. “I shouldn’t make you ache. Tell me I shouldn’t.”

“You should.” I grazed my nails down his tense back and dug my fingers into his full arse cheeks through his pyjama bottoms. He hissed above me. “You really, really should.”

With our eyes locked and hands entwined above my head, he did.

Chapter Forty

ESMERALDA

“Would you stop doing that?” I said sternly to Shehryar, pulling his hand away from his tie. Again.

He battled to fend off a scowl as he curled his hands to fists by his sides. “It’s uncomfortable,” he grumbled. But the restlessness flaring from his body suggested it wasn’t just the tie.

He was uncomfortable, full stop.

There were two things Shehryar didn’t do. One, he never wore ties of any kind with his suits. And two, he didn’t attend royal events unless he was standing guard along the perimeter of the room.

But Prince Arsh had asked Shehryar and Mama Katiya to attend the closing ball of the Peace Celebrations as his guests, and the dress code as always was as formal as formal could get.

In other words, Shehryar sat opposite me during a five-course dinner, looking as if he wanted to sprint from Westcombe Palace’s dining hall while the Dowager Queen of Khaas made conversation with him. And since the event had moved to the Grand Hall, he had stayed glued to the wall.

Now, the ball was in full swing with a live orchestra playing in one corner by the entrance staircase, and beautiful white and pale blue flower displays dotted among the hundreds of invited guests, royals, and ministers in attendance.

It took me twenty minutes to get from where I left Kai with Candy, Pierre, and Trevor in the middle of the packed gothic hall to where Shehryar was hiding in the corner after being stopped by nearly everyone I passed. I had about five minutes to drag him to his mother before the royal families took to one end so King Rami and Queen Leila could start the closing speeches.

“I know it’s uncomfortable, Sher,” I said sympathetically, “but you can’t hide here the whole night. You should be with Prince Arsh and Mama Katiya so he can introduce you to everyone.”

“I shouldn’t even be here,” he said, glancing around over my head as he adjusted his tie again.

I knew he was eyeing the expensive suits and designer dresses among royal tunics and dresses in national state colours, all worn by people he never usually interacted with. They made him feel out of place. A counterfeit product on a shelf of real ones.

That wasn’t true. But Shehryar was a stubborn mule who rarely budged once he’d made up his mind. The stupid man didn’t even realise with his tall, muscular build, he pulled off his red tie and black, fitted, three-piece suit better than nearly all the men in the room.

“You should be here, Sher,” I said, tugging him forward away from the wall with a hand around his elbow. He came like a moody teenager. As his fingers went up to his tie, I swatted them away. His brows dipped but he swiftly wiped the glare off and instead gritted his teeth. I grinned fearlessly.

He couldn’t tell me off. This was my turf. Protected princess turf.

“Touch that tie again and I will use it to strangle you later,” I warned through my smile.

He blinked, having not expected that, then shifted. “You sound like Mariyah.”

“Oh, you would be much livelier if your nemesis was here, wouldn’t you?”

He grunted like that was an impossibility, but I didn’t miss the way he rolled his jaw and glanced away for a second. Idiot. When was he going to admit that he didn’t find my best friend as irritating as he wanted everyone to think he did?

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