Free Prince's Dirty Little Secret (A Royal Secret Baby Romance) by Riley Rollins Page B

what's best for your people. If that's true, start with me, my prince ." I say it sarcastically, and he curls his lip at me.
    "So be it. Make your call. I'd not grant this privilege to another soul in this kingdom."
    "How do I know you won't listen?"
    He smirks. "I thought trust meant taking a person at their word."
    Damn, he's infuriating. And so is his perfect face, so arrogant and cocksure. I hesitate, but I can't come up with a legitimate counterargument. When it comes down to it, he has no more reason to trust me than I do him.
    "Fine," I say. "Where's the phone?"
    "In the study." He points to a door on the side of the room.
    "Cover your ears and go in the closet."
    He scoffs at me. "Rich. That a prince should cover his ears like a little boy and hide in his own closet."
    I shrug. "Prove that you mean what you say."
    His face is a cross between a frown and a pout, and it's actually kind of cute.
    "Very well," he says with a huff. He puts his palms over his ears, his fingers wrapped behind the back of his head, his elbows sticking out like wings. He walks into the closet, hooks his foot around the door, and pulls it shut after him. It closes with a thud. Behind the door, I hear him whistling.
    I shake my head.
    In the study, I pick up the receiver and listen. It sounds good. Not hollow, like I'd expect a tapped phone to sound.
    Of course, I have absolutely no idea what a tapped phone actually sounds like. I really do have to take him at his word.
    I dial 1 for the country code, then Ashley's number. I breathe a sigh of relief when she answers on the fifth ring.
    "Jenna? Is that you?"
    I LEAN BACK in my chair and unsuccessfully try to stifle a burp as I stare at the array of empty dishes in front of us. Splinters of cracked crab legs litter my plate, and splashes of red cocktail sauce dot the white table cloth. There's a suspiciously large pile of shrimp tails on my plate, perhaps even bigger than the one on Nikolai's plate.
    He raises an eyebrow after I belch. "In some cultures," he says, "burping after a meal is a sign of respect." He tilts his head down and stares into my eyes. "This is not one of those cultures."
    "Sorry," I groan. "I'm stuffed."
    His side of the table is way cleaner than mine, and he even managed not to get food stuck in the gorgeous beard coming in on his face.
    Our dinner, served to us in his private quarters, was absolutely delicious and probably cost more than my car.
    Part of me wants to pounce on Nikolai and have him for dessert. Now that I know my baby is safe with Ashley, it feels as if a great weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I'm still dying to be reunited with Josh, but I'm not fretting as much.
    And it seems like Nikolai told the truth about not listening in on my phone conversation. Because if he had, there's no way he'd have been able to hide it at dinner.
    He definitely doesn't know about the baby.
    His mind must be in the same place mine is, because he walks around to the back of my chair, puttig his strong, thick hands on my shoulders. He rubs them, then runs them down my arm, the tips of his fingers caressing the sides of my breasts on the way down. But after the distraction of filling my belly is over with, more serious matters float to the top of my mind, and I shrug away from his touch.
    I twist my body around in the chair and look up at him. "Last time I was here, you promised you would do something for the people of North Molvania."
    He raises an eyebrow. "I did. I've considered, and I've decided that things are going swimmingly."
    I shake my head. "But you just told me the other day that—"
    He turns away from me, irritated, and paces across the room. "I chose to forgive you for filling my ears with such nonsense. I cannot believe your audacity—"
    I cut him off. "Bullshit," I exclaim. He's getting me angry again. This is the way it always seems to go. I get all hot and bothered for him and I forget all about the things I hate, until the next time he makes me mad.