Page 53 of The Unlikely Heir

He continues to stare at the table, tilting his head quizzically.

“Hey, do you think the stain on this table looks like a maple leaf?”

I give a startled laugh. “I have to admit I haven’t spent much time contemplating it.” I squint at it. “I’ll give you a cloud, maybe. I can’t really see anything botanic though.”

He raises his eyes to mine. “My mom had this saying on her wall, ‘To catch a glimpse of the beauty and magic of this world, you simply need to look at everything through the lens of wonder.’”

I love the way Callum’s brain works.

The thought slides into my head. It’s not helpful right now.

“I’m not sure you’re going to find beauty or magic in a cafe tabletop,” I say.

“But you never know, right?” He gives me a grin. “That’s the whole point. You never know when the magic will reveal itself.”

You never know when the magic will reveal itself.

His words want to implant themselves in my skull.

“Like, over there, see how that girl’s shoes reflect on the tiles, making those miniature mirror balls.”

I follow his attention to another diner whose rhinestone-embellished cowboy boots cast shining small rainbows on the tiles, unnoticed by everyone but us.

“Is that magic?” I ask.

“I think it is,” he says. “There’s beauty and magic in lots of small things we overlook every day. You just need to watch out for it.”

“I’ll have to tell my optician to make sure my next prescription contains wonder lenses,” I say.

Callum’s eyebrows shoot up. “Do you wear glasses?”

“Only for reading.”

“I’ve never seen you in glasses before.”

“That’s because I don’t wear them in public because I’m vain.”

He smiles, and I smile back. And somehow, we get snared, our gazes locked together.

It feels dangerous to keep looking at Callum, so instead, I drop my gaze to the tabletop. Maybe there are more stains I can bring his attention to.

“I’ve never had this before,” Callum says, his voice quiet.

I jerk my head up. “Never had what?” My words are cautious, hesitant. Has he picked up my attraction to him? Is he about to say he’s never had a guy attracted to him before? Bloody hell, what do I say to that?

“Never had someone I could talk to for so many hours and not run out of things to say.” A blush treks up his cheeks, and for an insane second, I want to touch his skin, run my fingers along his cheekbones so I can feel the blood thrumming under the surface. My fingers twitch with how much I want to touch him right now.

I clear my throat, but my voice still comes out husky. “I haven’t either.”

ChapterFourteen

Callum

I’m on my way to another royal engagement, but instead of preparing myself, I’m hunched over my phone.

“What are you watching?” Raymond asks from the front seat.

“The live stream of Prime Minister’s Questions. I’m just trying to get a handle on your politics,” I say, as it seems like a very conscientious future-king thing to do.