“Need some help?” she asked innocently, laughter dancing in her eyes.
Pulling his gaze away from her, he stared blankly at the coffee machine manual, unable to read the words, but it was better than staring at her. And wondering what kind of underwear she was wearing under that hideous dress. He shook his head, trying to clear away the thought. “No. Go away. I’ll have the coffee ready in a minute.”
She shifted, tying something behind her. Involuntarily, he turned to watch. This dress was navy blue with big, white tulips all over it. It wrapped around her, cinching tightly around her tiny waist, and showcasing how round and lush her hips were. She didn’t have large breasts, but what she had were perfect. Not too small, not too big. Just perfect. For a long moment, he stared, his mouth watering as he pictured those breasts bare and heaving. Pictured himself touching those breasts and taking them into his…!
“Your Highness?” she asked.
Brutally, he ripped his gaze from her breasts and looked into those amazing green eyes of hers. She wasn’t wearing her glasses at the moment, so he could see her eyes clearly. They looked confused and thankfully, not offended by his lack of discipline.
“Right. Go away. I’m making coffee and it’s going to be good.” He looked down at the manual again, trying to read the words but all he could see were her breasts.
“If you let me, I can have the coffee brewing in just a….”
“I’m on it,” he said firmly, not bothering to look up.
“Fine,” she replied and he heard the soft chuckle. He also thought he heard something along the lines of, “I can get it at the corner store faster than this.” She disappeared back into the bathroom before he could demand that she repeat her comment.
Staring blankly at the instruction manual, he sighed with irritation. A moment later, he tossed the manual back into the cabinet and stormed to the front door. His guards stood in the hallway, alert and tense. “Do either of you know how to make coffee?” he asked.
Both of them blinked at him, confused. “Your Highness?” one of them asked, needing clarification.
“Coffee,” he repeated. “I told Rachel I’d make coffee for her, but I can’t figure out the coffee machine. Either of you know how?”
They shared a bemused glance before one stepped forward slightly. “Come on. I have to hurry before she finishes.”
He heard the hair dryer turn on as the guard followed him into the apartment. He walked over to the coffee machine, eyed the machine, and nodded. “This has a reusable filter, Your Highness. You just add coffee grounds in here, and water in here, then press this button.”
The man efficiently scooped several spoonfuls of coffee grounds into the machine, filled up the carafe with water, then poured it carefully into the reservoir, slid the carafe into the machine and pressed the button. “That’s it, Your Highness.”
He nodded, absorbing the knowledge for the future. “Excellent. Thank you.”
“Anytime, Your Highness,” the guard said, and returned to his post outside. Tarin spotted the man’s smile at his inabilities, but, thankfully, the man didn’t say anything. He simply pulled the apartment door closed, leaving Tarin to search for mugs.
He was sitting down on the sofa with a cup of perfectly brewed coffee, flipping through a magazine when she emerged. He almost laughed at her skeptical expression.
Silently, he took a sip of the coffee.
“How did you…?” she asked, then stopped, looking over at the coffee maker. There was another cup set beside the coffee, so she carefully poured a cup. Taking a sip, she sighed happily and nodded her head. “Okay, you did it.” She took another sip, eyeing him over the rim of the cup. “How did you do it?”
“Are you questioning my masculinity by assuming I can’t figure out how to make coffee?”
She smiled at him. “Well, I’m challenging your ability to make coffee,” she replied.
“And yet, you’re drinking said coffee.”
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Did you watch a video online or something?”
He shrugged, not bothering to answer, secretly irritated that he hadn’t thought of that himself. “Are you packed? My pilot is standing by.”
A slow grin curled her lips. “I’ll figure out how you did it, Your Highness,” she warned.
He moved closer. “I’ll tell you if you promise to use my first name.”
Rachel felt the spark of challenge, among all of the other sparks that were fizzling in the air between them. “Eh,” she shrugged nonchalantly. “I don’t want to know that badly.”
With that, she opened a cabinet and grabbed her travel mug. She poured the coffee from her mug into the travel one, then filled it up to the top. “You didn’t tell me why we’re going to Paris. I thought we were working on identifying architectural firms that are capable of handling your university project?”
“We are, but I always visit Paris before starting a project like this,” he told her. “Are you ready?”
“Yes. I suppose. Although, I don’t understand your agenda, so I don’t know if I packed appropriately.”
“Don’t worry about that,” he said and stepped into her bedroom. “If you need anything, we can get it there.” And with that, he grabbed her suitcase off of her bed and carried it to the door. “Let’s go.”
She followed him down the hallway, carrying her tote bag and computer while he carried her suitcase. Rachel could have handled it herself. But since he wanted to carry it, she saw no reason not to let him. And besides, she liked watching him do it. The task seemed to make him more human somehow. Just like making the coffee, which she was still skeptical about, he was more approachable now. Still overwhelming, but human too.
Chapter 6
“So, what other things do you want to learn?”
Rachel looked up from the laptop she’d been working on to blink at him. “I’m sorry?”
He’d been on the phone with someone for the past hour. She hadn’t noticed that his phone call had finished. They were flying to Paris and she absolutely loved the luxury of the plane. It was smaller than the plane that had flown her from Padar to Izara, but still amazingly plush and decadent. The royal family definitely traveled in style!
“You told me that you want to learn to dance and ride horses. What other things are you teaching yourself?”
She rested her hands on the leather armrests, her fingers grateful for the rest from the summary she’d been typing up.
“Well, I’ve always wanted to speak French and Spanish fluently. But I can’t seem to find the time to do that. Every once in a while, I study a verb or two, but I haven’t found a way for me to practice often enough for it to make an impact on my progress.”
“What else?”
She shrugged. “I want to know how to defend myself. As a single woman,” she didn’t add that she’d probably be single for a long time. “I know that it’s important to know how to fight off an attacker. So, that’s another skill I want to practice. I don’t have a regular schedule, so I can’t find a self-defense class where I can learn the skills.” She shrugged. “And that isn’t something I can learn online by myself.”