ROYAL ROCK(16)

I shook my head, amazed. “There’s so much history in here.”

“You’re right. Sometimes I forget about that.”

“You have other worries.”

“The luxury of you non-royals. You get to think about things like history while I’m stuck ruling a country.”

I moved through the shelves and he walked behind me, giving me space to browse. I couldn’t read the majority of the books, but they were old and they were beautiful.

I couldn’t imagine being in a place like this back in America. The oldest books were a couple hundred years old there. But here, the oldest spanned back much, much further.

“Come on,” he said finally. “I’ve got lots more to get through.”

I nodded, looking back at him. He was smirking at me, and I couldn’t help but feel my heart beating fast in my chest.

This man had grown up around all of this. He had it in his blood. His family was powerful and ran an entire country, and now he wanted me to be a part of that. I couldn’t even begin to fathom all of the things he knew and the responsibilities he had.

He turned and I followed him. The guards shut the library behind us and fell in at a respectful distance as he took me on the rest of the tour.

He showed me antique arms and armor and even let me hold a sword. It was way heavier than I would have guessed. Next he showed me a room filled with art, another room filled with musical instruments, and another room dedicated solely to sculptures. There was even a garden courtyard at the very center of the castle.

As we walked, I had to appreciate how complex the castle was. It was far larger than I would have guessed, and I had been absolutely lost the second we’d left my room. I wouldn’t have known where to go if it weren’t for Trip leading the way.

Finally, we ended up at a pair of glass doors. “This is my favorite spot in the castle,” he said.

“What is it?” I asked,

He pushed the doors open and we walked into a thick, muggy heat. I laughed, shaking my head. “Really? A pool?”

“I like to swim,” he said, grinning. “I come here most nights. I’ll swim until I’m tired. It’s a good stress reliever.”

There wasn’t much special about the pool, but that in itself was impressive. It looked like any other indoor pool, no special paintings lining the walls or something like that.

“It’s just so plain,” I said.

“I like it that way. Not everything needs to be covered in gold in this place.”

“I thought that was part of being royal. You needed to look royal.”

“Only in front of the peasants,” he said, grinning at me. “But I do appreciate how appearances can matter.”

“I can tell.”

“You seem to appreciate it, too. You wore those panties for me after all.”

I blushed. “Not exactly for you.”

“Maybe, but you only succeeded in making me want to strip your jeans off that much more.”

“Careful. I’ll push you into the pool.”

He smirked. “You think that can mask how wet you already are?” He stepped closer to me, and I felt my breath catch in my throat.

He was a cocky asshole, and his guards were standing twenty feet away.

And yet if he put his hands in my panties, he’d find out just how soaking wet he really made me.

“Your Highness.”

We both looked over. Standing in the doorway was a woman I recognized.

“Lynette,” he said. “I’m busy at the moment.”

“Yes, I see that, Your Highness,” she said, her lips pursed. “But we have a meeting.”

Trip sighed. “It can wait.”

“Please, sir. It won’t take long.”

“Very well.” He looked at me. “To be continued then, Bryce. Al will return you to your rooms.”

“Okay,” I said. “Have fun ruling.”

“I’ll do my best.” He smirked at me and then turned and left.

I watched him disappear behind the woman, and for a second I wanted him to come back. I felt bad that he couldn’t have any time to himself and was getting pulled into important meetings all the time.

It was probably pretty hard to have a normal life when you were a king, which was all the more reason to stay far, far away from getting involved with Trip.

As I followed Al back to my room, I kept thinking about the castle, about the history and the splendor. It was a beautiful life, even if it was a complicated one.

I was starting to see how a normal life could be a little overrated.





10





TRIP





“This better be good,” I said to Lynette. “I canceled our meeting for a reason.”

She nodded, her face completely blank. “Yes. I saw your reason.”