Page 29 of Royal Cocktail

Skye dropped back onto the couch again, then faced him. “So you’re saying … I should still be angry with … you because of that time you washed all my … sweaters on hot?”

“I didn’t realize—”

“Or that time you took me to that kara … oke bar and you were so … drunk that you insisted I sing? And the crowd …started jeering me?” She shuddered. That had been one of the more mortifying moments in her life.

“Yeah, but I was really drunk, and—”

“You’re one of my best … friends, Bart. I forgave you. Of course I forgave you.”

Bart leaned back with a sigh. “But he’s not one of your best friends, is he? He’s a man you could fall in love with. And that’s going to make everything different.”

Skye swallowed, wanting to argue, but there wasn’t anything to say.

She met Hannah’s eyes, and saw the resignation there, too.

They all three knew the bottom line—Leo could hurt her again.

The only question now was if she was willing to take the risk.

* * *

Skye spent Saturday afternoon burning off energy by cleaning the apartment while listening to an audiobook on the history of Avelle-am-see. She lasted three hours before she couldn’t stand it anymore and switched over to an Eighties mix on Spotify.

She was jamming to You Shook Me All Night Long with a rag and a spray bottle of Clorox cleaner, when she twirled out of the bathroom and ran straight into Leo. She gasped, yanking the headphones out of her ears. “How did you get in here?”

“Your fiancé let me in.”

It took her a second to process the fiancé part. “Oh. Right. What time is it? I’m so sorry I’m not even ready. I was just cleaning. I must’ve lost track of time.”

“Don’t worry. It’s only four.”

“I thought we were going out at seven.”

“We are. I was supposed to go over to Professor Malkin’s house for a quick drink this afternoon, but his little girl is sick. I thought I would take a chance and come by here since my afternoon opened up.”

“Oh. I’m so sorry.” Except she wasn’t. She wasn’t sorry at all.

“It’s probably just a cold, but he didn’t want to risk me catching it. Honestly, neither did I.” His mouth twisted and he managed a small shudder.

“What?”

“Trust me when I say that being a royal with a cold is a miserable experience.”

“Over-tending?”

“The entire palace staff walks on eggshells and tries to make me feel better. It’s exhausting.”

She laughed, enjoying the moment until he turned that sexy smile toward her. Then the happiness shifted, and a wave of shyness crashed over her. She put the rag and cleaner on the coffee table, then had nothing to do with her hands. She shoved them in the pocket of her ratty shorts, then realized that she was only wearing flannel sleep shorts and a threadbare white tank top that was practically see-through.

“Um, well, it’s good to see you.” She thought about crossing her arms over her chest, but decided that would make the predicament more obvious.

“I thought we could get a little bit more work in.”

“Sure. Just let me get dressed. We can head on over … to my office and start planning how you can advocate for amending the … constitution. I was listening to the history of Avelle-am-see while I was cleaning, and I think—”

“I didn’t realize that our history was quite so bouncy. You managed quite an interesting number with your hips.”

She cleared her throat, certain her cheeks were burning. “You saw that?”