Page 40 of A Royal Obligation

“Thank you again. For everything. Goodnight, Jules,” Barrett said.

Jules gave him as much of a smile as she could muster and then basically ran from the kitchen back to her bedroom. She took a shower, taking the time to scrub all the flour off her skin and out of her hair. After she was thoroughly clean, she put on the pajamas Rory had laid out for her. As she was brushing her teeth, a realization came to her.I forgot to get Wadsworth’s tea! I’m going to have to remember to apologize to him tomorrow.

She walked back into her room and jumped into her bed, letting out a groan.Why did I ever agree to teach Barrett how to woo Charlotte when all I want is his toned arms around me forever?

Chapter Twenty

Barrett

GoosebumpsspreadoverBarrett’sbody as he waited in the kitchens for Jules.It’s just the draft. Okay, there isn’t even a window down here, but I can’t go around proclaiming that the thought of Jules Smith gives me the chills. That she makes me feel things I have never felt before.

His feelings for her had only grown all the more during their dating coaching and through the letters they had written. He had done everything in his power to put off any lesson that required physical touch. Because he knew that the more their hands touched, the harder it would be to stay away from Jules. Touching her was like playing a dangerous game. One he wanted to play over and over again, but one that could cost him everything.

His duty to Wistonia was the most important thing to him. He had always planned on marrying solely for the sake of the kingdom. But he never imagined in his wildest dreams that love could be in the cards for him. All the women who had shown any interest in him in the past wanted him for one thing—the crown. The promise of becoming queen. But no one ever really wanted to know the man behind the crown. That is, until he met Jules.

She had waltzed into the palace and into his heart and changed everything.

He had it all planned out before. He would find a royal woman that he could get along with well enough. Charlotte had always seemed to be the one to fit the bill. She was beautiful, graceful, kind, and loyal.And she isn’t a threat to my heart.

Yet it was Jules who made him believe that he could actually fall in love. That maybe he could have both the kingdom and a love-filled marriage. He could just never have both with her, because she wasn’t royal. Even so, he was torn between his obligation to Wistonia and his heart. He’d always been someone who listened to his head over his heart. But there was something about spending time with Jules that made him forget the rules set in place.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and he knew Jules had walked into the room before he even turned around.How does this woman have such a pull on me?Now, if only he could channel those feelings when he was with Lady Charlotte. If he could feel those feelings with her, he knew he would have a happy marriage.

But how can I be happy if I can’t haveJules?He shook his head. He had always followed the rules and now wasn’t the time to change that.

“Earth to Barrett.” Jules snapped her fingers in front of him and then settled them on his shoulder. His skin instantly felt like it was sizzling through his shirt.

“Sorry, I drifted off into my thoughts there.” He cleared his throat and took a step back.Space is good.Yet, he missed her touch the minute it was gone.“Did you ask me something?”

“I asked how your day was. I didn’t see you at dinner.”

“I got stuck in a meeting with Viscount Stephen Howard.” His lips curled up in distaste.

Jules’s face pulled into a grimace in response. “I didn’t like that man from the moment I met him. A real gentleman knows where to keep his hands while dancing with a lady.”

Barrett clenched his fists at the memory of watching Jules dance with Lord Howard at the ball.

“Okay, back to business.” Jules clapped her hands and smiled up at him. “Today, we’re going to move things outside.” She paused and tapped her chin. “There are lights in the palace gardens, right?”

“Yes, the gardens are well lit. What dating advice will I be getting today?”

“You will be learning the art of showing a woman you are interested in her by the smallest of touches,” Jules said over her shoulder as she led them out of the palace and into the gardens.

Crap.

Barrett swallowed down the nerves threatening to rise to the surface. “Sounds great,” he said in more of a squeak than a sentence. He cleared his throat and repeated himself. “Sounds great.”

Barrett kept his head down during the rest of their walk to the gardens. He needed to focus on slowing his racing heart. And looking at the way Jules’s sleek black hair swished back and forth with her steps would definitely not be helpful. And a gentleman didn’t look at anything below the head as he walked behind a woman. He shook his head, trying to erase the image of Jules’s sashaying gait from his mind.

Breathe in for five seconds. Hold for five seconds. Exhale slowly.

Once they were outside, he looked up just in time to stop himself from running into Jules. She smiled back at him over her shoulder, as if she sensed how close he was to her.Does she feel the magnetic pull between us, too?

She clapped her hands and spun on her heels to face him. “All right, are you ready for the next lesson?”

He looked around, trying to find a way out, but all he saw were the palace guards keeping watch.

“As ready as I can be,” he mumbled under his breath.