Page 23 of A Royal Mistake
It was true. She wore a lacy white dress that emphasized her curves and her golden hair was swept back from her face and secured in a high bun, making her dark eyes look impossibly large.
“Why, Henry, are you crashing my party?” she asked, coy smile suggesting she didn’t mind the interruption. “Whatever will the papers say?”
He winced. “That’s why I’m here, actually.”
A shadow fell over the table, and he glanced up to see one of the suitors. It was Prince Leopold of Belgium. Henry had seen his face in the papers enough to recognize him, but he knew little about the royal.
“Excuse me, but I believe I’m next,” the prince said, looking down his nose at Henry. “I’ve been waiting nearly half an hour.”
“He has a point.” Pippa’s grin widened until it spanned the entire width of her face. “How would it look to the others if I let you jump the queue?”
Henry pulled a small white box from the pocket of his jacket and winked at the princess. “It would look like I was the only bloke smart enough to come bearing chocolate.”
Without another word, she waved the Belgian prince off and reached for the box. He handed it over, and she promptly removed the lid and selected a chocolate dusted truffle. Henry watched in fascination as she popped the candy into her mouth, pink lips moving sensually as she chewed.
“Oh-my-God,”she moaned, eyes rolling back in her head as she swallowed. “This is exactly what I needed. Thank you.”
“You’re quite welcome.” It was the least he could do, and if he got to see that look on her face? Well, that was just a bonus.
“Seriously, though, what are you doing here and how did you know these were my favorite chocolates?” she asked, licking cocoa powder and melted chocolate from her fingertips.
His pulse quickened, and he averted his gaze.
Bloody hell. Did she have to use her tongue like that? It was fucking torture.
“A little bird told me.”
Pippa dipped her chin and arched a delicate brow. “A little bird? Well, that doesn’t sound dodgy at all.”
“Would you feel better if I told you I read it in the tabloids?” He hadn’t, of course, but she didn’t need to know that. His sources were his own, and he wasn’t about to reveal them. Not when he might have future need of Pippa-related facts.
“Definitely not.” She shook her head. “The tabloids are a royal pain in my arse.”
“Bloody vultures.” He raked a hand through his hair, collecting his thoughts. “There’s a special place in hell for tabloid journalists, but—”
She sat up straighter and leaned forward, clasping her hands in front of her. “You’re not going to back out of our agreement because of some tabloid gossip, are you?”
“No, no. Nothing like that,” he said, resting a hand atop hers. To reassure her. Not because he needed to touch her. “I wanted to apologize for the headlines and the whole midnight tryst accusation. If I hadn’t spirited you away on my bike, none of this would have happened.”
Pippa sagged, relief clear on her face. “If it wasn’t a midnight ride, it would’ve been something else.” She glanced sidelong at her security detail and withdrew her hands from his. “Which is why you shouldn’t believe everything you read in the papers. I mean, the idea of me having some wild fling is laughable.” Her cheeks flushed scarlet, and she suddenly became very interested in the tablecloth, pulling at a loose thread. “Which you know firsthand, thanks to my overzealous security.”
Was she saying what he thought she was saying? Was Pippa… a virgin?
Christ. I did not need to know that.
Time to redirect the conversation before his cock started getting ideas. “Who needs a fling when you’ve got twelve dedicated suitors?” He forced a laugh and jerked his chin toward the men, who were now openly staring at him with disdain. “From the looks of it, you’re going to break more than a few hearts this summer.”
“Oh, please.” She rolled her eyes. “If even one of them was serious, I might feel bad, but they aren’t here for me. They’re all here for the crown.”
He couldn’t disagree. It might be the twenty-first century, but political marriages were alive and well. It was one of the many reasons he had no regrets about his decision to walk away from his title and live a simpler life.
Pippa paused, sucking her bottom lip between her teeth. “So, what about you? Why are you still single?”
He froze.
Fucking hell.He could not go there with the princess. It was a bad idea.
“Sorry. That’s too personal. I shouldn’t have asked.” She shrugged and smoothed her skirt as if the answer didn’t matter, but when her gaze locked on his, he knew damn well it did. “It’s just that if you keep bringing me gifts, people might think you’re joining this courtship circus otherwise known as my life.”