Page 42 of Tall, Royal and Grumpy

“No, it’s okay.”

“But—”

“Stay seated, Esmeralda.”

There was no arguing with his tone, so I pressed my lips together and shuffled back on the table. But as he put a few books away at a time, I got to watch him to my heart’s content.

For nearly seven years I’d had a crush on this man. I’d watched him intently from the other side of ballrooms and royal events. I thought I knew him. His stoic calm and elegant charm. The exact curve of his smile. The deep sound of his laugh. But the last few days had made me realise I didn’t know him the way I thought I did, not entirely at least.

While that side of Kai—my Orange—might have sparked my attraction for him, it was learning the other side of Kai that turned that spark into a blazing fire.

The one who glared so ferociously and grumbled his hate for the cold. The one who despised rain but hadn’t abandoned me in it, twice. The one who rescued animals, who laughed and then tried to pretend he never had, who blushed so adorably and was as equally awkward as he was domineering.

It was a little scary how quickly and intensely I was falling for him all over again. But at the same time, it felt so good too. Like soaring high in the sky and free-falling all at once.

Kai leaned past me to grab a few books, surrounding me in his warmth and enchanting, woody scent. For barely a moment, but it was enough to make my head cloud over and spin.

Gosh, if only he knew how much I…

I like you.

Just as Kai stood upright, he froze. Completely still. The only movement came from the quick flicker of his eyes behind his glasses to me. His shocked, wide eyes.

I froze as cold realisation splashed down my back.

No…no…no, no, no!

I sucked in a sharp breath.

Had I said that aloud? No, please. I hadn’t said that aloud, please.

But no matter how much I wanted to hope that I hadn’t, there was no other plausible reason for the raw surprise on his face.

A dam broke inside me. Of panic and fear and embarrassment. The explosive heat of it was so overwhelming that before I could even think to laugh it off as a joke, the urge to run swamped me.

I jumped off the edge of the table, stumbling as I landed on shaky legs. I spun back around, and Kai had only turned his head to look at me, his expression the exact same. My panic soared.

“I, uh,” I muttered hoarsely and took a step back.

I wanted to deny what I’d said, but I could barely hear my own thoughts over the racket behind my ribcage. I couldn’t figure out how to deny it, so I shuffled back away from him one step at a time.

“I, uh…I’m tired, so I’m going back to my room. Good night.”

I whirled around, barely managing to stop myself from sprinting out the library.

The moment I was in the palace corridors, I ran. So fast.

* * *

Esmeralda

MARIYAH!!

Esmeralda

What do I do?????

Esmeralda

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