Reluctantly Royal(71)

“That’s not fair.” Alex frowned and looked at his wife. “I helped make the baby too.”

“You got the fun part.” Sam huffed. “I get the final say.”

“You two are so going to lose.” Cathy cackled.

Meredith sat back in her seat and smiled. Either she had a great poker face—which I already suspected—or she knew something we didn’t. Either way, I enjoyed watching her interact with my family.

By the time we’d gotten back to the house, Marty had fallen asleep on his mother’s lap and Samantha was leaning against Alex. I waited outside of the car and when Meredith slid to the door I reached in and took Marty out of her arms, letting his head rest on my shoulder.

With my free hand I reached to Meredith to help her out of the car. Her face filled with an expression that I didn’t completely understand. Her fingers wrapped around mine, and when she was standing next to me she stood on her tiptoes and kissed me softly.

The feel of her lips on mine sent a chorus of emotions rustling through my body. It wasn’t excitement, but akin to satisfaction. She kept her fingers in mine as we walked back to the house while Marty snored softly on my shoulder. One of the butlers opened the door for us, and I walked straight to the room Marty was using.

Once I laid him on the bed, Meredith pulled his shoes off and tucked him under the blanket. He had taken his jacket and tie off in the limo. She motioned for me to be quiet as we backed out of the room. With gentle hands she pulled his door shut and looked up at me.

“Thank you.” She licked her lips. “I don’t know how I’ll repay you for all that you have done for my family.”

Half a thought blossomed in my brain and I almost blurted out that she was family. She and Marty had inexplicably found a spot in what I considered mine. It was a tiny crowd, and the fact that they had slid into the select group so quickly was a bit scary.

“I was glad to do it.” I tugged on a strand of hair that had slid out from behind her ear.

“It means a lot.” She yawned and I chuckled.

“I think you need a nap too.” I let go of her hair. “It’s been a long morning.”

“Even longer for you.”

I shrugged. I hadn’t wanted her to deal with a difficult father on the day she laid her grandfather to rest.

Reaching out, she grabbed my hand and tugged me toward her. I cupped her cheek and looked down into her bright eyes.

“Come with me.” She chewed on her lip. “You’re tired too. I can see it in your eyes.”

She wasn’t suggesting sex. She was asking for something just as personal; to sleep with me. I couldn’t remember the last time I had slept with someone. Sex, I’d had plenty of sex. But I never stayed long afterward. And I certainly didn’t have girls staying at my house. This was blowing my comfort zones out of the water. Then again, the entire week had pushed me past all of my set boundaries.

I studied her face and noted the nerves that made her eyebrows pull together, the way her teeth worked her bottom lip. This wasn’t something that had been easy for her to suggest.

Taking her hand, I headed for my room.

I opened the door and let her walk in ahead of me. Her eyes traveled around before she walked to my desk and picked up the drawing on top. It was the one I’d done of her the morning after my nightmare.

I swallowed hard as her eyes traced the lines I’d drawn. For some reason it made me feel exposed. Could she see what I had felt while drawing her? After a minute she set the paper back down and walked toward the bed.

She stepped out of one shoe before using her toe to help pry the other off. Reaching up, she undid her earrings and put them on the bedside table. There was something in the little things she did that kept me spellbound. Such simple things like taking off her shoes shouldn’t be exciting. But with her, everything was sexy. Even when she wasn’t intending to be.

Clearing my throat, I slid my jacket off and hung it on the back of my desk chair. Kicking my shoes off, I undid the cuffs of my shirt before taking off my watch and setting it next to her earrings. I looked at the earrings for a minute, surprised by the amount of emotion that came from seeing her things sitting with mine.

Like that was the way it had always been.

“Could I borrow a shirt?” She looked at me from under heavy eyelashes.

I opened one of the drawers of my dresser and fished out a shirt. She undid the zipper of her dress before sliding it off and hanging it over my jacket. As she walked toward me in nothing but a bra, barely-there panties, and garter belt, I had to mentally remind myself that we were napping. Feebly I held out the shirt I had taken from my dresser.