The Prince and I - 26

I met AJ later that morning. It only took a moment—and the sneer on his face when he saw me that vanished the second he saw Connor was right behind me—to let me know we’d never be best buds or anything close to. I was half tempted to give back the clothes he’d told Connor I could use. If I’d had anything of my own that didn’t make me look like what I was, I probably would have.

AJ was tall, taller than my five-eleven, and good looking in the same well-groomed way his father was. The main difference between them was the superior look on AJ’s face—as if he was the most important person in the room. I suspect he felt he was.

When Connor introduced us, AJ acknowledged it with a slight nod of his head before he picked up his cup of coffee and left the kitchen.

Mrs. Robert’s shook her head in obvious disgust. “That young man thinks way too much of himself. One day someone will take him down a peg or two and then he just might realize he shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.”

I snickered. “Especially since the ‘book’ is wearing his clothes.”

Connor also added his two cents worth, apologizing for AJ’s actions. I shrugged it off, letting him know I was used to it. “Well you shouldn’t be,” he told me adamantly. “You’re twice the man he is.”

“You’re prejudiced.”

“A bit, yes.” He surreptitiously patted my ass. I had the feeling if Mrs. Rogers hadn’t been standing right there he’d have kissed me instead.

He did kiss me a while later, after we’d eaten a very late breakfast. As a matter of fact we kissed several times, once for each room in the mansion as he showed me around. We ended up in his bedroom where we did a hell of a lot more than kiss.

Afterwards, because he seemed to understand—probably from the look on my face as I got dressed again—that I really could use some clothes which were both nicer than my own and not borrowed from the snob, we went in search of Sadron.

Connor was good to the point of being manipulative. He played his uncle until Sadron finally gave in. He agreed we could go shopping but only if we took two bodyguards along. Then he called Arthur to find out what the best place would be for what we wanted.

“Like a man his age would even know,” Connor whispered with a dramatic eye-roll. We both snickered then turned serious when Sadron hung up and turned back to tell us our destination.

“Damn, he does know.”

“It’s a good place?”

“Yeah.” I shook my head with a sigh. “I’m going to be paying someone back for the next fifty years.”

Sadron overheard me. “You’re not to worry about that. We are far from poor, even in this world. I think I can afford to pay for your clothes as long as you don’t go overboard.”

I would have protested but Connor tugged me toward the door with a muttered “Don’t argue. He’s right.”