I opened the lid slowly, not sure what to expect. I shouldn’t have worried. Inside was a simple gold chain with a bird charm trapped among the links. I pulled it free, careful to not tangle the chain. I looked at it and realized that the charm wasn’t meant to hang at the bottom, but sit along the side of your neck so that it looked like it was in flight.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Would you like to wear it?”
“Yes, please.” I handed him the necklace and turned so that he could put it on me. He took his time, his warm fingers sending goose bumps racing over my skin. When he was done, I peeked in the mirror on the wall. It was dainty and wouldn’t draw a lot of attention, and I absolutely loved it.
“It looks good on you.”
“Thank you.” I met his eyes in the mirror.
“You’re welcome.” He tilted his head to the side, watching my reflection. “Now, go change into the jeans that had you salivating.”
“Yes!” I hurried for the door and hesitated. “Should I meet you out front?”
“Perfect.”
I smiled at him as I made my way through the door. Once inside, I quickly snagged one of the passing maids to help with the zipper and then threw on my favorite pair of jeans. Closing my eyes, I sighed in happiness. It was like slipping into my favorite pj’s after a long day. I dug through my clothes and found my favorite sweater. My warm pea coat, scarf, and boots completed the outfit—I was ready to be me.
I stopped at the mirror briefly and checked my hair before running my fingers over the necklace. Smiling, I wrapped the scarf around my neck, turned the lights off, and headed for the front of the palace.
Alex was talking with a blond woman wearing a cocktail dress, her hand laying on his arm. She laughed at something he said and stepped a little closer to him. I looked down for a minute and tried to rein in my jealousy. I had told him I wanted to be friends and I had no right to envy the way she was touching him.
She said something in Lilarian and he chuckled while shaking his head. I couldn’t understand anything they were saying, but thankfully I didn’t hear the word stuffed.
I cleared my throat when I got closer, not wanting it to seem like I was creeping up on them. The woman turned to look at me, her expression open and friendly. I tried to not focus on the fact that her hand was still on his arm.
“You must be Samantha!”
I held out my hand to shake hers and smiled. “That’s me.”
“Samantha, this is Adriane, the Lady Minsington—Daniel’s sister.” I hoped my face didn’t falter as I realized this was one of Alex’s past flames. No wonder she was so comfortable with him.
“Nice to meet you.”
“You, too. Alex was just telling me that you were going out to do a little shopping.” She looked over at him. “I offered to let you take my car. I figured it might keep some of the reporters off your tail.”
“Thank you, that’s very generous.”
“You’ve been hounded this week and need a break.” She shook her head. “It’s hard enough for us who are used to it. I can’t imagine what it would feel like being thrown into all this.”
“It’s definitely been an experience.” I buttoned up my coat. “But I’d hate to take your car and leave you stranded.”
“I’m in town for a charity event, so will be staying at the palace. It won’t be a problem at all.” Adriane checked her dainty watch. “In fact, I’m supposed to be meeting with the president of the organization shortly.”
“Would you like to try to duck out?” Alex looked at me, assessing my response to her offer.
“Will you hum the Mission Impossible theme song?” I smirked.
“You two have fun. I’ll chat with you again, Samantha.” Adriane’s eyes slid between me and Alex. She gave me a sly smile before heading down the main hallway.
“So, the palace is like a cross between a Motel 6 and a dorm.” I followed Alex as he led me away from the front door.
“That’s a rather apt description.” He put his hand on my back as we walked through the kitchen.
“So this is where they hide the food.” I looked at the industrial-grade appliances and open pantries. “Now I can get my own midnight snack.”
“They keep ice cream in the third freezer on the right.” Alex winked at me.
“Nice.” We exited a large door, and I whistled when I saw the car.
“Adriane has always had a fondness for fast cars.” Alex clicked the key remote and opened the passenger door.
I slid into the low seat and ran my hands over the leather. “Not exactly low profile.”
“The press will assume it’s just Adriane and she’s not the one they’re after.” Alex revved the engine and I could understand why Adriane loved this car. It was sexy and powerful without feeling too masculine. He moved the car around the palace and toward a rear exit. A guard waved us through the gate and we were off.
“Why don’t we leave through the back gate all the time?”
“If we give them a little of what they want, we can keep a little for ourselves.” He glanced over at me. “When you leave through the main gate for official royal tasks, it keeps them from looking everywhere else.”
“Seems a bit lazy that they didn’t have someone watching the back exit.” I reached up and grabbed the handle above the door as he turned onto an expressway.