Page 41 of A Royal Obligation
“What was that, Barrett?”
“I was saying I’m ready.”
“Great. So, something that I think Lady Charlotte would love is walking through the gardens since she loves flowers. It is a quiet place to talk, but not too intimate.” Jules pulled on his arm, dragging him so that he was standing right next to her. “I know we talked about this briefly in the flirting lesson, but this one deserves a lesson of its own. A great way to show a woman you are interested in her is by small touches. It will look innocent to bystanders, but the smallest of touches can bring about immense feelings with the right person.”
She looked up at him and her kind eyes held his captive. A blush flooded her cheeks and she faced away from him again as she spoke. “One way to show a woman you are interested is simply by offering your arm to her when you are walking together.” Jules nodded at him, prompting him to offer his arm to her.
He took in a deep breath and extended his arm to her. She smiled and accepted, wrapping her petite arm through his, making him feel like a giant next to her dainty frame. He pushed down the temptation to flex as she settled her hand on his bicep.
Okay, maybe I flexed a little.
She let out a cough that sounded eerily similar to a giggle. He tried to focus on the smell of the garden around him and not the tingling, burning sensation starting in his arm that was beginning to spread throughout his body.
They took a round through the gardens, enjoying the sounds of nature and the scenery around them. He had never been around someone who made him feel so comfortable. Where he didn’t feel the need to fill the silence. Where he could be his true self.
Jules glanced up at him and sighed. “What’s going on in that mind of yours? It looks like you are constantly thinking about where you need to be next. Do you ever just live in the moment?”
He jerked his head toward her. All he wanted to do in that moment was take her in his arms and kiss her. Live in the moment, as she called it. He started to lean down toward her face when she pulled back.
“What are you doing?”
He attempted to come up with an excuse. “A bug landed on your face.” The words fell out of Barrett’s mouth as he brushed his knuckles along her cheek, causing her to inhale sharply.What was I thinking? I can’t kiss her.“Your face is perfect now,” he said as he gazed into her hopeful, dark chocolate eyes.Yeah, that wasn’t much better of a thing to say.
“Thank you,” she said breathlessly, averting her eyes. “Sorry if I came across bluntly. I care about you, and it seems like you sometimes need a reminder that you need to let yourself live. Otherwise, life is going to pass you by.”
“It’s difficult though. When everything you do represents the Crown, there isn’t much room for fun and frivolity.”
“I get that. From what I know about you, you’re a great prince who has done so much for Wistonia. All I’m saying is that sometimes you need to do things for yourself, too. You can’t take care of other people if you don’t take care of yourself first.”
“You’re right.” Barrett stopped walking and squeezed Jules’s arm. “Thank you, I needed to hear that.”
“Anytime, Your Highness.” She winked at him and stepped away. “Next is stepping through a smaller space with a lady.” She led Barrett over to an archway in the gardens. The opening was big enough for only one adult to fit through comfortably.
“Let’s get back in position.” She took his extended arm and stopped in front of the archway. “So, in this scenario, you want to make sure you always allow the lady to go first, as I’m sure you already know. But for a lady you are interested in, you should settle your hand at the small of her back to guide her through.”
Barrett laid his hand between her shoulder blades and Jules let out a hearty laugh. “If she’s a girl you’re interested in and not your grandma, you’ll want to put your hand here.” She reached behind her, grabbed his hand, and pulled it down to her lower back. “Not up there.” She looked up at him, and he could see the playful glint in her eyes.
His cheeks burned from the realization of how close his hand was to her backside. Barrett was comfortable around Jules, but he was a prince with morals after all. He cleared his throat and did as Jules had instructed him to do. The faster they moved through the archway, the quicker he could remove his hand from her lower back.And the quicker I can get my breathing and racing heart back under control.
“I think that’s enough for today’s lesson,” Barrett yelled over his shoulder as he speed-walked back to the palace right after making it through the archway. How was he supposed to do any of this with someone else when he couldn’t even keep it together in front of the one woman he felt comfortable with?
Barrett knew he shouldn’t look back at her, but he couldn’t help it. He glanced over his shoulder at Jules. Her head was tilted slightly to the side and her brows were drawn together. He gave her a brief wave and smile that she returned slowly, almost as if in question.
He turned back around and continued briskly walking back to the palace.
“Is everything okay, Your Highness?” A guard rushed up to him.
“Just fine. Please return to your station.” Barrett waved him off and continued his rushed pace until he was back to the safety of his bedroom.
He laid in bed that night trying to fall asleep, but his brain wouldn’t shut off. All he could think of was how perfect the small of Jules’s back had fit in his hand and the way he felt whenever she was near.
The undeniable attraction he had felt for her had turned into so much more over the last few weeks, and he didn’t know how to reverse it. But if he was being honest with himself, he didn’t want to. Because if this was what it felt like to fall for someone, he wanted to spend the rest of his life falling in love. Now, he had to figure out how to fall in love with Lady Charlotte instead of her assistant.
Barrett walked into the library after breakfast. He headed toward his favorite table in the back, ready to finalize more plans for the state dinner Wistonia would be hosting at the beginning of next year. Barrett refused to let his father down in yet another way. After already failing in the dating area of his life, he didn’t want to fail in completing his royal responsibilities, too.
He stopped in his tracks when he saw Charlotte sitting at the table. Her back was to him, and he debated whether he should turn around and leave or acknowledge her. Before he could make a decision, she turned in her chair to face him.
“Don’t leave on my account. I can move to my room if you would like your space to work.”