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“Call me Alex,” I say as we reach the rotunda at the top of the hill.
Her eyes flick briefly to mine before she looks away. “Sure. Alex,” she mumbles.
Is it just the warm day, or are her cheeks reddening a touch?
I for one am enjoying this unexpected chemistry between us.
“That wasn’t so hard, was it, Texas?” I ask.
Her face is bright from the exercise, and as she bites down on her lower lip it suddenly strikes me how very kissable those lips of hers are.
The atmosphere around us seems to shift.
She holds my gaze for a beat, and my pulse quickens. But no sooner have we shared an unspoken moment, when she pulls her gaze from mine, shrugging.
“It’s fine. Whatever,” she replies glibly.
I can’t help but feel a stab of disappointment.
Strange. What was I hoping for? That she’d tell me she got me wrong and now sees I’m a great guy, someone she wants to spend time with and get to know better?
Someone she perhaps even wants to…kiss?
No. That’s crazy.
The woman’s made it clear. She doesn’t like me. And anyway, Father told me it’s my job to win her over—and feelings like attraction cannot be a part of my plan.
“Shall we head back? I’ve got an engagement to get to,” she says.
“Of course.”
We make our way down the hill, the splendor of the palace glowing in the morning sun.
“I didn’t explain cheese rolling to you,” I say as we reach a bench. “Would you like to sit for a while?”
She eyes the bench as though it could bite her. Or, perhaps, that’s what she’s worried I’ll do.
“Actually, I need to get going.”
“Allow me to walk you back to the palace, then.”
“Sure. Hit me with the cheese rolling,” she says.
“It’s just what you imagine it would be: rolling a wheel of cheese.”
“That sounds more like a job than a game.”
“Well, you do have to roll the cheese on a course down a hill using only a stick as a guide. The first to cross the line at the bottom of the hill wins.”
She laughs. It’s a pretty tinkling sound that makes me smile.
“And you beat your dad doing that last year?”
“Proudest moment of my life.” I pause before I add, “Not his.”
“He wasn't ecstatic his son beat him at something publicly? Weird,” she jokes.
“Weird,” I confirm.
