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“Kiera is adorable. Is she truly thirteen? I hate that she’s growing up.”
“Me too. So far, she hasn’t been a dramatic teenager. Though her perilous stunts cause drama for the family and heart failure for me. The boys still call her Wild Child.”
She smiled at the term. “I’m certain her stunts terrify you. She continues to idolize Prince Derek and Princess Ellery?” The royal couple often competed in American Ninja Warrior events and usually won.
“I think she might become more accomplished than either of them.” His face grew stern. “Don’t you dare reveal I said that.”
“Mum’s the word. I don’t fancy landing on the powerful king’s bad side.” She zipped her lips, though his power was no joke. He wore it like a second skin. The power had obviously been earned and, as far she knew, had never been abused.
They both laughed.
Madeline appreciated the easy rapport between them. She could spend months with him if it was this comfortable and fun. Would tingles and romance become part of the equation? For her, they already were.
A rap sounded on the door, and then it flung open. Tristan hurried in. “Pops, we have that Zoom meeting with Prime Minister Carrera, and his secretary is insisting you need to be on as well.” He turned to Madeline. “Are you supposed to participate or be a fly on the wall?”
“Fly on the wall,” she told him.
“Sorry. Our meetings are boring enough. Observing will be worse.”
She shrugged, appreciating his concern. “I’ll survive. I’ve sat through years of parliament meetings.”
“True.” Tristan grinned. “Not sure why you’d be a glutton for that kind of punishment.”
“It’s my chance to make a difference, and sometimes protect our distinguished king from unfounded accusations.” She winked at Nolan before she could think better of it.
Tristan chuckled, but Nolan’s gaze was intense. She couldn’t tell if he liked her protecting him or not.
“I’d rather be the one protecting you. The strapping, brave king, you see.”
The image of him protecting her stirred something deep inside her, something long repressed. Chad had always been protective of her, but until he was fifteen and reached six-two, none of the men who pursued her had taken him seriously. She loved her son’s protective nature and devotion to her, but the idea of Nolan protecting her was dreamy and thrilling.
“I don’t need anyone’s protection.”
“You’re very impressive, Madeline.” The king’s voice dropped, and his blue eyes became piercing. “But Chad has told us often enough how many men pursue you.”
If only he would pursue her. And why would Chad share men’s attempts to date her with the king?
“Nonsense.” She waved a hand. “I’m past my prime and rarely pursued any longer.”
“You are hardly past your prime,” Nolan said. His gaze traveled slowly over her. “You are stunning.”
Madeline couldn’t speak. She could hardly breathe through her suddenly thick throat. His words made her heart race and, crazily enough, made her emotional. Stuff and nonsense. She wasn’t an emotional woman. She’d never had the luxury of that. Many men had bestowed compliments on her over the years. Why did this one affect her so deeply?
He was the king. But he was also … Nolan. She wasn’t certain which title was more enticing. The combination of both was irresistible.
“Pops.” Tristan’s voice broke through their moment. “The prime minister is on.”
Madeline flushed. She should not have let her guard down with the king like that. Especially with Tristan watching. What must her son’s best friend be thinking?
She snapped her laptop closed, stood, and hurried to the desk in the corner. Quietly setting up, she settled in and listened and observed. There was an obvious strain between the three men, and she wondered if one of them would bring it up.
The prime minister knew she was here, but he’d cautioned her not to reveal her mission to anyone but the king and crown prince. They didn’t need rumors flying. Her purpose was to put any rumors to rest.
She’d have to speak to Nolan about what to tell the rest of his family. Only Tristan, Jennifer, General Ray, Macey, and Kiera permanently resided at the castle. Steffan and Hattie lived in Traverse near the hospital. Curtis and Aliya lived in the mountains a few miles from the castle. Derek and Ellery traveled back and forth to America but were often at the castle with Ellery’s mum and aunt in tow. Malik, Sophie, and Sunny lived in Traverse near her parents, running Sophie’s catering business and Malik’s health and fitness center that he co-owned with Steffan and Derek.
The afternoon wore into evening. She didn’t like the inactivity, but she’d grown accustomed to sitting for hours on end in meeting after meeting. She did like how often Nolan caught her gaze or made sure she had water, a more comfortable chair, or walked with her out on his office balcony to stretch and enjoy the sunshine between meetings. On any break, they discussed aspects of the most recent meeting. He asked her opinion, and she shared it. He seemed to value what she said.
It did seem silly to have her sitting through meetings with the prime minister, as if Nolan was hiding Naomi Rindlesbacher under his desk or something, but this was her assignment and she would fulfill it with exactness so nobody could claim their illustrious king was doing anything out of line. She owed it to him and to their country.
