Free Leopold: Part Four by Ember Casey, Renna Peak

telling me I should want her, telling me she was exactly the sort of woman I should want, but I was paralyzed. If it had been you on that floor, you begging me—”
    “I don’t want to hear this.” She puts her glass on the table and tugs at her seatbelt. The moment she’s free, she springs out of her chair. “If your goal for this day is to upset me or insult me, then you’re doing a pretty damn good job. Otherwise, I’d appreciate it if you just shut up about this.”
    Fuck me, I’ve made it even worse. How did this happen? I’m saying all the wrong things, tripping over my tongue trying to explain to this woman how I feel about her. This isn’t like me at all.
    And then it hits me.
    “You’re jealous,” I hear myself say.
    “I most definitely am not. ”
    “But you are.” I’m grinning again as I undo my seatbelt and rise. “Just like you were with those teenage girls back in Santa Monica—”
    “I’m not jealous,” she insists, but the color of her cheeks says otherwise. “And you are enjoying this way too much.”
    “I’m not enjoying this,” I say, even though we both know that’s a lie. “Elle.” I take her by the shoulders and look her in the eyes. “I assure you, you have nothing to be jealous of.”
    She purses her lips, and I can see the wheels turning behind her eyes.
    “There is nowhere else I’d rather be than here with you,” I say. “All other women pale in comparison to you.”
    “There you go, being cheesy again,” she says, shaking her head. “Can I give you a tip, Leo?”
    “Of course.”
    “Don’t talk about having sex with other women when you’re on a date.”
    “Once again, in my defense, there was no sex—”
    “Then don’t talk about almost having sex. Or kissing. Or whatever it was that you did.” She gives me a wry look. “Really, Your Highness, I would have expected you to know better. You’re the self-proclaimed dating expert, after all.”
    “I never called myself that.”
    Something of the sparkle is back in her eyes. “But you did promise to sweep me off my feet. And if this was what you meant—”
    “Point taken,” I say. “It was a classless move on my part. I apologize.”
    Her eyes widen in feigned shock. “What’s this? Prince Leopold is apologizing ? And admitting he’s not an expert in seduction—”
    “I never said that , either.”
    Her lips spread into a full grin. “Really, it’s a good thing I came along. Someone needs to call you on your bullshit more often. To help keep you honest, of course.”
    To keep me honest.
    If I were honest, I’d tell her I have her passport in my pocket. If I were honest, I never would have run away from her in the first place.
    “How’s this for honesty?” I say, pulling her close. “I’m going to give you the best day of your life.”

Elle
    T here’s something about the tone of his voice that’s making warning bells ring in my head. It’s not that I don’t want to believe him—I do. Sort of. I think. But the way he’s saying things is making me think he might have more than a weekend fling in mind.
    I look into his eyes for a moment, trying almost desperately to read whatever it is behind them. I don’t know what he’s up to, but the warning bells don’t seem to be from the bullshit meter this time. There’s something else going on—something I’m missing.
    I let out a long breath. “Leo, I haven’t seen you in three months. And I’ve spent a lot of time working on this stuff. Many hours of…” Therapy . Yeah, this is probably not the time to bring that particular issue up.
    “Misery.” He tries to finish my sentence. “I know, Elle. I can’t begin to describe the empty feeling I was left with myself. And I realize now that it was my mistake—that my choice to leave may have impacted the rest of my life. And I truly want you to know how grateful I am for the second chance—”
    “It’s not a second chance, Leo. I already said this is only for the weekend…”