Recklessly Royal Read Online Free Page B

was incredibly delicious to look at. “What’s your issue with Lilaria?” I was pretty fond of my country and found it hard to imagine anyone could dislike it so quickly.
    “I’m not sure I have a problem with Lilaria, exactly.” He shrugged. “It’s just so different from where Sam and I come from.” He looked around awkwardly. “Speaking of Sam, any idea when she’ll be up? I need to ask her some questions before the wedding. I doubt I’ll have much time to talk to her afterward.”
    “Let her sleep a little longer. She has a big day ahead of her.” I frowned. “And it’s really not that different here. She has a family that loves her and she still works with birds.”
    “Yeah.” He looked around the kitchen, and I tried to imagine it from his point of view. Rousseau wasn’t the largest home of the royal families, but Alex had told me about the tiny house Sam had shared with Jess.
    “How long did it take you to find a broom this morning?” I decided I’d try to make him more comfortable. Maybe that would help his defensive attitude. “I came over to visit not long after Sam moved in. It took us ten minutes to figure out how to use the oven.”
    “Roughly fifteen minutes.” He smiled at me. “Maybe someone will draw me a map.”
    “I bet Chadwick already has.” Turning away from him, I poured myself another cup of coffee. I really needed more water than coffee, but I’d grown accustomed to the stuff since I had been spending so much time with Sam.
    “He must have been the one that left the coffeepot ready for this morning.” David lifted his cup and frowned. Standing up, he came to the coffeepot to pour another cup.
    “Him or Margie.” I sipped from my cup and tried to ignore how close he was standing next to me.
    “Margie?” He looked down at me with his dark eyes and I understood why I had drunkenly asked him to undress. The man was gorgeous.
    “Uh, the cook.” I took another sip of my drink and forced myself to stop contemplating how the angle of his cheeks highlighted his eyes.
    “The cook.” He sighed and leaned against the counter. “How many people work here?”
    “Not many.” I shrugged. “Maybe ten? Too many people make Sam uncomfortable.”
    “Ten.” He shook his head. “That seems like ‘many’ to me.”
    “Think of it like a resort. They’re just here to keep things going and to make sure you have what you need.” I didn’t point out that there was twice that many at D’Lynsal, and ten times that many who worked in the palace.
    He shifted his shoulders and frowned into his cup. He looked so uncomfortable I felt a twinge of sympathy for him. It was hard to leave your normal life behind and do anything different. And he was here because Sam trusted him with her home and the Future Bird Trust, which had become her baby over the last year.
    “You know, it’s not so bad.” I smiled at him. ”You’ll be so busy with the FBT you’ll hardly notice anything else, but you won’t have to worry about washing your clothes or cooking dinner.”
    “It doesn’t sound that bad when you put it that way.” Something warm filled his eyes when he looked down at me. “You know, you don’t really seem like a princess.”
    “Wow. You’re really bad at compliments, you know that?” I laughed. “Besides, how many princesses do you know?”
    “Well, not many.” He chuckled. “You, and I guess Sam will be one soon.”
    “Exactly.” I shook my head. “Speaking of the morning grump, she should be up soon.” I looked down at my watch. We had a lot to accomplish and very little time to do it in.
    “I’m up. There better be more coffee.” Sam shuffled into the kitchen, her eyes half lidded. “And if you call me Princess, I will throat-punch you.”
    In fear for my life, I turned to open the cupboard to get a cup for her and face-planted into David’s chest. My coffee splashed onto his shirt and I cringed.
    “Yow.” He grunted and pulled at his shirt.
    “Sorry!”