The physical awareness hadn't gone away just because I'd learned his real name.If anything, it had gotten worse.Now when I looked at him, I saw both Peter and Archie layered together, and the combination was infuriatingly appealing.
"I'm not saying I forgive you," I said finally.
"I'm not asking you to.Not yet."
"And I'm not saying I trust you."
"That's fair."
"But I guess I'm willing to...coexist.For now.In a hostile, suspicious kind of way."
"I'll take hostile and suspicious over complete silence."
"Don't push your luck."
The pilot's voice came over the intercom, announcing our approach to Solmarina.I turned back to the window, grateful for the distraction.
The islands that came into view were nothing like what I'd expected.I'd been picturing something gray and imposing, all dramatic cliffs and medieval fortifications.Instead, I was looking down at what appeared to be a postcard come to life: white sand beaches, crystal blue water, and clusters of buildings in every shade of blue and white imaginable.
"It's gorgeous," I admitted grudgingly.
"The main island is where the palace is located.The royal family has lived there for eight hundred years."
"Eight hundred years of Solmarian royalty.That's a lot of accumulated stuffiness."
"You'd be surprised.Solmarina is actually quite progressive by European standards.We have universal healthcare, strong environmental protections, and my mother only threatens to have people executed on special occasions."
I glanced at him to see if he was joking.The slight quirk at the corner of his mouth suggested he was, but with royalty, you could never be entirely sure.
"Your mother.The queen."The reality of my situation hit me fresh."I'm about to meet my mother-in-law.Who is an actual queen."
"She's looking forward to meeting you."
"Is she?Or is she looking forward to assessing whether the American barista is going to embarrass her country?"
"Probably both.She's efficient like that."
"Fantastic."
The landing was smooth, and within minutes we were being escorted off the plane by yet another security detail in expensive suits.The Solmarina team wore slightly different colors than the Valdorian one, but they had the same general air of people who could kill you with their pinky fingers if the situation required it.
A convoy of black cars waited on the tarmac, engines running.Archie gestured for me to get into the lead car, and I slid across the leather seat, grateful to be out of the Mediterranean heat.
When Archie settled beside me, the spacious interior suddenly seemed considerably less spacious.I was acutely aware of how close he was sitting, of the way his cologne mixed with something that was just him, of the heat radiating from his body in the air-conditioned space.
This was going to be a long six months if I couldn't even share a car with him without my nervous system staging a revolt.
"The drive takes about twenty minutes," he said, adjusting his cufflinks in a gesture that drew my attention to his hands.
I remembered those hands from the stables.The way they'd guided mine on the reins.The way they'd steadied me when I'd dismounted.The way they'd almost touched my face by the fountain before we'd been interrupted.
I looked away quickly, annoyed at myself for noticing.Annoyed at him for having nice hands.Annoyed at the entire situation.
"Betty," he said, and something in his tone made me turn back."I know this is hard.I know I made it harder by handling everything so badly.But I want you to know that whatever else happens between us, I'm going to do everything I can to make sure you're happy here."
"Why?"
"Because you deserve to be happy.And because..."He paused, seeming to choose his words carefully."Because making you unhappy would make me unhappy.We're connected now, whether either of us planned it or not."
