Page 75 of The Bad Boy Prince in Love

“Look, I wanted to help you, but maybe being a pretend boyfriend is not for me.I’m not a freaking saint!”

“That’s for sure.”

“Well, excuse me for not being a saint.”

“You know what, I’m going to go,” Hallie said.“You’re not completely well yet, and I should let you rest.”

“Okay,” he said neutrally, “see you.”

He picked up his book again, and Hallie strode out of the room.She didn’t know why she was so upset.How could she have expected him to be more sensitive, knowing his personality?And now that she knew he was a royal prince, it explained why he expected people to fawn over him, despite his shortcomings.

Well, she wasn’t going to give him that satisfaction.He had come here to live as an ordinary person, so that was the kind of treatment he was going to get.Maybe it would teach him a lesson.

As she drove back to Jessica’s place, Hallie didn’t know what she was feeling.It was possibly a pang of regret about leaving on such a sour note.She hadn’t wanted to admit this, but she had some sort of feelings for that arrogant man.

She had experienced a similar longing before, and she had resolved never to waste her time feeling that way again for someone who didn’t feel the same way about her.

Later that night, Jessica came home to find Hallie getting ready to go back to the ranch.Hallie told her about what had happened at the hospital and her falling out with Luke.

“You’re absolutely right,” Jessica said, “Who cares if he’s a prince?If he treats you poorly, he can go to hell.”

“Thanks,” Hallie said, giving her friend a hug, “I knew you’d support me on this.”

She hadn’t told Jessica about the longing that distracted her every moment of the day, like the strains of some sad, distant melody.

Chapter 39: The Lonesome Cactus

Prince Lucas had lotsof work to catch up on, but somehow his mind wasn’t on it.He was trying to crush the recurring feeling of boredom by having dinner with a woman he had picked up in a café that morning.

She had a cute smile and a slightly naïve look.Dressed like a librarian in a cardigan and a long skirt, she piqued his interest.

But all through dinner, as she blathered on about her favorite hobby, photography, he somehow became even more bored than before.

His broken rib was aching, and his mind was still kind of dull from the concussion, but he didn’t regret any of it.

He missed the Royal Strait Ranch, the Mathews family.He missed Hallie, he even missed the smelly horses and cows.