I laugh under my breath. “Of course they did.”
I have no doubt his grandmother played a role in this. Maybe I’m being paranoid. But after she all but bribed me to walk away, what am I supposed to believe?
“What do you mean by that?” Anderson asks.
“Nothing.” I grab my napkin, dabbing at my mouth before pushing back from the table and standing.
Anderson and Bridge jump to their feet, their own etiquette training kicking in like it’s second nature.
“I have a busy day, so I should get to the palace. Am I to assume I won’t be seeing you at my doctor appointment?”
“I’ll be there,” Anderson says without a moment’s hesitation.
“But, sir,” Bridge interjects, “your schedule is quite packed today. I don’t see how we can add anything else without canceling something. And, as I mentioned, everything is deemed a high priority.”
“I understand that,” Anderson responds in an authoritative tone. “But my priority is and always will be Ms. Tremblay. Her doctor appointments are the highest priority. Even above anything to do with this referendum.” He turns back toward me, grabbing my hand. “I’ll be there.”
“Don’t make any promises you have no intention of fulfilling, Anders. I’d rather go in knowing you won’t be there than be disappointed later.”
“If I tell you I’ll be there, I’ll be there.” He loops an arm around my waist, pulling me against him.
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Bridge lower his head and walk away, giving us some privacy, as I expected. After all, overt displays of affection between royalty are severely frowned upon.
“Better yet, I’ll cancel all my engagements afterward.” He nuzzles my neck, peppering light kisses along my skin. “We’ll have a nice, romantic dinner in the gardens. Then a night to do anything we want.”
I close my eyes and melt into him. In a heartbeat, all the unease that’s consumed me since I woke up this morning slowly vanishes. This is exactly what I’ve needed. To not feel so alone. To be reminded why I gave up my old life. Now I have something else to look forward to instead of spending all day worrying about my appointment.
“How does that sound, gorgeous?” he asks in a husky voice that should be illegal in public. Or at least in his formal dining room, where we’re never truly alone.
“Heavenly.”
“Good.” He abruptly pulls back, leaving me wanting. Judging by the smirk on his face, he knows it, too. “To be continued later.” He waggles his brows. “For now, shall we?” He extends his elbow for me.
“Of course.”
I hook my arm through his, allowing him to lead me from the dining room, down the corridors, and out to the front driveway where two black SUVs wait to whisk us away for our morning obligations.
He kisses my cheek before I turn, giving Lieutenant O’Kelly a smile as he holds open the rear passenger door for me. I’m about to climb inside when a hand on my arm stops me. I whip my head up to see Anderson clutching onto me. Then he yanks my body against his.
“Kylian, you might want to turn around, particularly if public displays of affection make you uncomfortable.”
“Yes, sir,” my protection officer says with a slight laugh, doing as he was ordered.
“And what kind of public display of affection did you have in mind?” I flirt.
“This.” Anderson’s hold on me tightens as his lips slowly descend toward mine.
It’s not a ravenous, desperate kiss. More loving and affectionate, his tongue urging my mouth open and swiping against mine in carefully measured strokes. I sigh and curve into him further, wanting to be as close to him as possible.
His kiss is like that first warm, spring day after a winter of cold and desolation.
Like that first taste of wine after a long, trying day of work.
Like the smell of hot chocolate on a snowy day.
Welcome.
Inviting.
Absolutely beautiful.
“New rule,” he says when our kiss comes to an end.
“What’s that?” I toy with a few tendrils of his hair. What I wouldn’t give to run my hands through it and mess it up so it more closely resembles the man I met in that Chicago diner.
“No more leaving without kissing each other goodbye.”
“You kiss me goodbye every morning.”
He gives me a knowing look. “A kiss on the cheek is a rubbish way to say goodbye.”
“Rubbish?”
“Bullshite. I hate it, all because of some stupid rule against public displays of affection. This is our home, so if we want to make out on the front steps, we’re going to bloody make out on the front steps, to hell with who sees.”
I laugh, an overwhelming sensation of weightlessness filling me. My chest expands at the love I can physically feel radiating from his heart and into mine.
“From now on, we agree to never say goodbye without a real kiss. Okay?”
I edge toward him, ghosting my lips against his. “I think this might be my new favorite rule.”
Chapter Seventeen
Nora
Sometimes it’s the littlest things that make the biggest difference in your day. One positive thing to change your outlook.
That’s precisely the impact Anderson’s new “rule” has on my day.
I’ve had so much positive energy all morning that I’ve barely thought about my doctor’s appointment. I feel deep in my soul it will all work out. That it won’t be like the last time a doctor hooked up the ultrasound machine to me, only to quickly turn the screen away so I wouldn’t be able to tell there was no heartbeat. This time, I won’t have to go through it alone. No matter what happens, Anderson will be by my side.
“Pardon the interruption.”
I pop my head up when my private secretary peeks into the conference room where I’m currently in the middle of a meeting with my PR team, all of whom I’m convinced hate me.
“A call just came in for you, ma’am.”
No longer having control over who has access to me has been one of the most difficult things for me to get used to. All incoming calls to my old cell phone are forwarded to one screened by my private secretary, who decides whether I should take them or if it’s simply something for him to handle on my behalf.
“Prince Gabriel?” I ask.
In the past three weeks, Anderson’s the only one he’s let through. Everyone else has been told to leave their information for me to call back.
“No, ma’am. It’s a nurse from a hospital in New York.”
My breath hitches, panic rushing through me. Maybe it’s just Izzy reaching out to see how I’m doing. I glance at the clock to see it’s only a little past noon here. Meaning it’s barely after three in the morning in New York.
Lieutenant Thomas drops his voice. “Mentioned it’s regarding your friend, Chloe.”
I jump to my feet.
“I’ll show you to an office for privacy.”
“Thank you.”
He quickly leads me from the conference room to a vacant office a few doors down the corridor. But unlike most office spaces I’ve seen in my life, this isn’t filled with florescent lights, a cheap desk, and filing cabinets. The desk is solid mahogany, the walls all built-in bookshelves, containing what appears to be law books and other historical texts.