Free Royal Date by Sariah Wilson Page B

I felt when he sat next to me. Like sitting next to a roasting fire after a day spent out in the snow.
    “Good morning, bella .” His smile faltered, and he put an arm around my shoulders. “What’s wrong? Has something happened?”
    Me and my stupid expressive face. I refrained from resting my head on his shoulder. I wanted to fall into his embrace, to let him help me. But I had to stay where I was and stop sending mixed signals. “Nothing. I’m fine.”
    “Are you certain?” he asked as someone outside the car closed the doors. We pulled out with black SUVs in front of us and behind us.
    “Yeah. Totally sure.”
    “You have only to tell me what dragons need slaying, and I will see to their quick deaths.”
    That made me laugh in spite of myself, and Nico looked happier too. He took his arm away and pulled out his ringing cell phone. He said, “ Mi scusi ,” to me, and then “Pronto ,” when he answered the phone.
    I looked out the window, ignoring the conversations going on all around me. It was my first look at the castle from the outside, and it was one of those fabulous fairy-tale kinds, all gray stone and tall towers, with slanted roofs covered in thick snow. We passed through a massive outer wall on our way down the hill.
    I had my hands at my side, and Nico’s hand was next to mine. He used his littlest finger to gently rub the top of my hand. Instead of it being something that got my blood racing, it comforted me and improved my mood. I didn’t get a chance to talk to him as he had one phone call after another during the entire trip.
    Before long we were on a tarmac, next to a small airplane. A stewardess stood at the top of a set of stairs. I looked over at the airport. “Don’t we have to go inside? Get our passports checked?”
    “Not when you travel with me, you don’t.” Nico grinned, putting his phone away. In addition to the people in our car, there was an SUV full of security, and another one that had secretaries or assistants like Giacomo in it.
    Everyone moved to the plane, and Nico took my hand to help me up the steep steps. I didn’t need his help, but I didn’t make him stop either.
    Inside there were comfortable-looking cream-colored leather chairs separated by small tables, and some full-length couches made of the same material.
    “Wow.” A private plane? I’d only ever seen them in movies, and now I was getting to ride in one!
    Lemon came and commandeered me away from Nico. “My turn now,” she said with a flirtatious smile, and it flooded me with warmth when I realized that Nico hadn’t even looked at her or responded. His gaze was instead fixed on mine, until one of his secretaries handed him a stack of papers, directing him to a different area so that they could talk.
    Lemon and I buckled in as the very pretty flight attendant asked if she could get anything for us. I said no, and Lemon asked for coffee.
    “Okay, this is pretty amazing,” I told her.
    “You won’t believe this, but it has a full bathroom and a bedroom on here, too.”
    “How do you know that?”
    “Because Dante offered to ‘show’ me the bedroom.” She rolled her eyes, and we both laughed.
    I saw the two brothers talking to their “family friends.”
    “What are the twins like?” I asked. “I haven’t actually spent any time with them yet.”
    “Rafe is quieter, more easygoing. Loves to read, but really loves videogames. He’s finishing up his degree in gaming design. And Dante . . . well, let’s just put it this way. I am wildly attracted to him.”
    “Which means he’s an obnoxious playboy with no real ambition who will break your heart.”
    Lemon sighed. “You got it. I will be steering clear.”
    I put my hand on her arm and squeezed. “Good thing you have Salvatore. How’s that going?”
    “Slowly. Slowly, but surely.” She tapped her perfectly manicured nails on the armrest. “But let’s talk about your boy, shall we?”
    I let out a happy sigh. I picked up where