Recklessly Royal
Page 36
“It’s amazing what a good name and logo can do for someone,” David said thoughtfully. “I’ll think about it. Maybe we could brainstorm on our next date.”
“Already want another date, huh?” I couldn’t help my smile.
“Well, it hasn’t been horrible if you don’t count the zombies.” His eyes ran over my face and I felt my heart grow lighter.
“Don’t worry. I’d protect you.” I reached over to pat his hand, but he captured it and brought it to his lips. “What was that for?”
“Your smile.”
“Be honest. Did you buy a book of compliments?” My breathing increased and I could feel the heat in my cheeks. Just his touch sent my body into overdrive.
“I’ll never tell.” He winked.
“Fine. I’ll let you keep your secrets.”
The sound of a camera clicking caught my attention and I looked at the window to see several photographers taking pictures from the hallway. “Shit.”
“What?”
“We’re being photographed and they saw you do that.” I frowned and turned back to my food. “Don’t look at them. They want a full face shot if they can manage it.”
“What does it matter?” There was a defensive look in his eyes.
“Don’t you remember what happened to Sam?” I leaned forward and lowered my voice. “The paparazzi almost killed her; wrecked her car and chased her through the streets while her father was dying.”
“I’m not a duke.” He narrowed his eyes. “Or is that the issue?”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I sat back in my seat. I’d really been enjoying myself up until this moment. “I wouldn’t care if your mom was the bearded woman at a circus, but I do care that you would think so little of me.”
“Whoa. Let’s back up.” He held his hands in the air. “I shouldn’t have accused you of that. Mainly I don’t think I’d have the same problem as Sam. I’m no one.”
“Yeah, Sam thought that about herself too.” I shook my head. “What do they teach you at that school?”
“Okay. I’m not a nobody. I’m just not someone that would be of interest.” He shrugged.
“If you’re dating me, you will be someone of interest.” I cringed. “That sounds incredibly egotistical but that’s not how I mean it. Because of who my family is my entire life is subject to observation. There are people just waiting to dissect every picture of me.”
“Okay, you’re saying that if I’m dating you, people will want to take pictures of us together.” He frowned and stared at the table for a minute, his mouth pulling to his side as he thought it over.
“Not just us together.” I shook my head before grabbing my plate and standing up. “C’mon. We’ll talk somewhere else.”
He followed me without question and when I looked back at him I could see the wheels still turning behind his eyes.
The attention of the press had amplified the curiosity of the staff and other people in the cafeteria. We dumped our trays and let the security detail clear our path. We made our way back to the room Selene was in, but when I noticed an empty hallway, I pulled David along with me.
“Look, I like you.” Blunt was the only way to handle this type of situation. “But if we date—even just one date to the movies, or a quick lunch in a hospital cafeteria, you’re going to become tabloid fodder. Strangers meet and decide to date all the time. People have one-night stands all the time. Couples break up or decide to go their separate ways all the time. But with me? Or anyone in my family? All of that makes front-page news.”
“I get that, Cathy.” He lifted my chin.
“Your face will be everywhere, on everything, plastered across social media. If you decide that this doesn’t work for you, it will pop up whenever someone searches your name on the Internet.”
“I know.” His voice was so calm, there was no way he could understand what I was explaining.
“It’s not fair to you, because you don’t even have a chance to get to know me to decide if all of that craziness is worth it.”
“I think it is.”
“I mean, you could decide that I’m a silly— Wait. What did you say?” I frowned.
“I decided that it was worth it.” He smiled at my shocked expression. “Look, if we try this out and it doesn’t work, then fine. We’ll go our separate ways and I’ll deal with what happens. But I think we should give it a shot.”
He thought I was worth it? “But you don’t know me yet.”
“I know enough.” His thumb traced my bottom lip. “I know I want to know more.”
My heart pounded and I wondered if it was possible for a person to die just from the look in someone’s eyes, because at this moment I was pretty sure I was well on my way to melting into a puddle of goo.
“I’d really like that.”
“Then let’s take this one day at a time. We will deal with reporters and nosy tabloids if we have to, but for now let’s just take some time to learn more about each other.” He dipped his head down lower so that his lips were near mine. And photographers or innocent bystanders be damned, I wanted to kiss him again. The inclination was even stronger now that I’d spent more time with him, and it took every ounce of self-control I possessed to keep from crushing my mouth against his.
“Already want another date, huh?” I couldn’t help my smile.
“Well, it hasn’t been horrible if you don’t count the zombies.” His eyes ran over my face and I felt my heart grow lighter.
“Don’t worry. I’d protect you.” I reached over to pat his hand, but he captured it and brought it to his lips. “What was that for?”
“Your smile.”
“Be honest. Did you buy a book of compliments?” My breathing increased and I could feel the heat in my cheeks. Just his touch sent my body into overdrive.
“I’ll never tell.” He winked.
“Fine. I’ll let you keep your secrets.”
The sound of a camera clicking caught my attention and I looked at the window to see several photographers taking pictures from the hallway. “Shit.”
“What?”
“We’re being photographed and they saw you do that.” I frowned and turned back to my food. “Don’t look at them. They want a full face shot if they can manage it.”
“What does it matter?” There was a defensive look in his eyes.
“Don’t you remember what happened to Sam?” I leaned forward and lowered my voice. “The paparazzi almost killed her; wrecked her car and chased her through the streets while her father was dying.”
“I’m not a duke.” He narrowed his eyes. “Or is that the issue?”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I sat back in my seat. I’d really been enjoying myself up until this moment. “I wouldn’t care if your mom was the bearded woman at a circus, but I do care that you would think so little of me.”
“Whoa. Let’s back up.” He held his hands in the air. “I shouldn’t have accused you of that. Mainly I don’t think I’d have the same problem as Sam. I’m no one.”
“Yeah, Sam thought that about herself too.” I shook my head. “What do they teach you at that school?”
“Okay. I’m not a nobody. I’m just not someone that would be of interest.” He shrugged.
“If you’re dating me, you will be someone of interest.” I cringed. “That sounds incredibly egotistical but that’s not how I mean it. Because of who my family is my entire life is subject to observation. There are people just waiting to dissect every picture of me.”
“Okay, you’re saying that if I’m dating you, people will want to take pictures of us together.” He frowned and stared at the table for a minute, his mouth pulling to his side as he thought it over.
“Not just us together.” I shook my head before grabbing my plate and standing up. “C’mon. We’ll talk somewhere else.”
He followed me without question and when I looked back at him I could see the wheels still turning behind his eyes.
The attention of the press had amplified the curiosity of the staff and other people in the cafeteria. We dumped our trays and let the security detail clear our path. We made our way back to the room Selene was in, but when I noticed an empty hallway, I pulled David along with me.
“Look, I like you.” Blunt was the only way to handle this type of situation. “But if we date—even just one date to the movies, or a quick lunch in a hospital cafeteria, you’re going to become tabloid fodder. Strangers meet and decide to date all the time. People have one-night stands all the time. Couples break up or decide to go their separate ways all the time. But with me? Or anyone in my family? All of that makes front-page news.”
“I get that, Cathy.” He lifted my chin.
“Your face will be everywhere, on everything, plastered across social media. If you decide that this doesn’t work for you, it will pop up whenever someone searches your name on the Internet.”
“I know.” His voice was so calm, there was no way he could understand what I was explaining.
“It’s not fair to you, because you don’t even have a chance to get to know me to decide if all of that craziness is worth it.”
“I think it is.”
“I mean, you could decide that I’m a silly— Wait. What did you say?” I frowned.
“I decided that it was worth it.” He smiled at my shocked expression. “Look, if we try this out and it doesn’t work, then fine. We’ll go our separate ways and I’ll deal with what happens. But I think we should give it a shot.”
He thought I was worth it? “But you don’t know me yet.”
“I know enough.” His thumb traced my bottom lip. “I know I want to know more.”
My heart pounded and I wondered if it was possible for a person to die just from the look in someone’s eyes, because at this moment I was pretty sure I was well on my way to melting into a puddle of goo.
“I’d really like that.”
“Then let’s take this one day at a time. We will deal with reporters and nosy tabloids if we have to, but for now let’s just take some time to learn more about each other.” He dipped his head down lower so that his lips were near mine. And photographers or innocent bystanders be damned, I wanted to kiss him again. The inclination was even stronger now that I’d spent more time with him, and it took every ounce of self-control I possessed to keep from crushing my mouth against his.
