Page 37 of Tall, Royal and Grumpy

No, no, no. I didn’t like that. But unable to logically explain aloud why I didn’t want her to go with him, I could do nothing but grind my teeth together.

“I would love to Pierre,” she said but smiled sadly. “But I sent my main security, Shehryar, with Prince Arsh and the children, and it’ll probably be late by the time they get back after eating out. I don’t think Sher would be very happy if I went out without him.”

“Are you sure? I’m sure we could work something out with the security that stayed behind.”

“He might be okay with that…or maybe we could go another day when Shehryar is here?”

I glared thoughtfully into the golden, crystal-clear liquid in the mug before me.

I must have gone mad. She had made me mad. That was the only explanation as to why I was considering such a suggestion. Esmeralda had messed with my head so badly I’d gone insane.

First the game of chase in the rain. And now this.

I rarely ate ice-cream in the summer, Neves forbid ever in the middle of winter. I was always cold enough as it was.

But if she went with me…

“I could take you.” Three heads whipped around to me, and I realised I had said it aloud.

Fuck.

I cleared my throat. “My security team are still around. If we let Shehryar know where we’re going, I’m sure he’ll be fine with it.”

She sat up in the stool, her expression as bright as a light. “Really? Are you sure? They won’t mind?”

“Hmm, I’m sure.”

“Wait, what?” Pierre looked around baffled.

“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” Nur added cheerfully. “We’ll leave dessert off the menu so you can go straight after dinner.”

“I’d like that,” Esmeralda said, her glittery gaze sinking heavily into my chest.

Besting Pierre felt good, but knowing my suggestion put that look on her face? That felt fucking epic. Made me feel like the biggest, most powerful man in the world.

“Dude,” Pierre exclaimed at me. “Did you just steal my date?”

I nearly scoffed. As if I was going to ever let him take her on a fucking date.

Damn…since when had I been this possessive?

* * *

“I think I ate too much,” Esmeralda groaned.

She dropped her head back against headrest, sitting in the other window seat. She clutched her belly with both hands between the flaps of her dark green coat. Her expression of discomfort was lit up by the streetlamps we passed on the road as we headed back to the palace.

I grunted. “You didn’t have to finish the entire sundae.”

Thanks to the suggestion of the head of my security team, Rocco, and Gary, my personal driver and bodyguard, Esmeralda and I went to a small, family-run ice-cream parlour a half hour’s drive from the palace straight after dinner. A dinner that was just for us two in the end.

Thankfully, ice-cream wasn’t the only thing they had on the menu, so I opted for a small stack of pancakes, while Esmeralda ordered a sundae. I was honestly surprised she managed to finish it. But she was obviously suffering the repercussions of eating the whole thing.

“But it was so good.” She sighed. “I don’t think I’ve ever had mint ice-cream that tasted that good before. I should have asked for the recipe.”

“Or we could go again.”

Her head lifted off the headrest with a blink of surprise. I was probably looking back at her with the same amount of surprise. Crap, I didn’t think before I spoke.

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