Tempting the Crown (The Crown 1)

I pressed my thumb to the latch. Once my thumbprint was recognized the device unlocked, revealing the official royal schedule. There was a complete listing of every event my brothers and sister would attend today, as well as the talking points I needed to address for my lunch with the prime minister of the Bostique islands.

My sister Isabel was on the other side of the country representing my interests in the irrigation of the country’s olive groves. Although we couldn’t match Spain, our farmers were out producing our neighbors per square acre. It was something I thought worth investing in. Irrigation would double their production.

I ran down the list. Liam had a dinner with the Chinese ambassador. Trade was the number one topic. Klein was on the west coast for the opening of a data research center. Galona tax payers had funded the project.

I held my breath when I saw Dominic’s assignment. Sending him to represent the crown was always a risk. He had a late morning engagement at the hospital in the city. I groaned. As long as Kenley stayed close by, we should be able to avoid a scandal this morning.

I glanced at my aunts’ and uncles’ locations for the day. My cousins were also scattered. Nothing related to official crown business on the list. I folded the page and began to read the diplomatic situation with Morovina. I exhaled. I hated tiptoeing around the fucking obvious.

“Hi.” Molly tapped on the door.

I looked up from my notes, closing the royal briefing with a click.

I stood from my desk. She was wearing the clothes I requested. A slim black skirt that showed off miles of legs and a sleeveless silk shirt. She looked edible. And I knew exactly how sweet she tasted. My cock twitched. Fuck, she had thrown me off my game.

“Are you busy? Should I come back?” she offered.

“No. I was going over today’s agenda. I can look at it later.” I walked to the front of the desk, taking her palm and dragging her toward me.

My hand slid along her jaw, twisting her hair through my fingers. Her lips parted and I couldn’t resist. My kiss wasn’t gentle or romantic. My tongue plunged into her mouth, coaxing a moan from her throat.

I gripped her ass with my other hand.

“Ready to see the royal library, Molly Washington?” I teased.

She dragged her lips over mine. “Mmmhmm.”

“Let’s go.”

I straightened my jacket, positioning my cufflinks so that the family crest was upright. I pressed the button on the elevator.

Molly seemed to have more time to take in her surroundings. “Are there other people here?” she asked.

I cocked my head toward her. “You’ll have to elaborate. My staff is nearly 200.”

“Oh.” She fidgeted nervously. “Visitors? Touris

ts perhaps?”

I nodded. “Not in this part of the palace. There is a limited route. I try never to intercept them. It causes a security nightmare in the palace if the tourists see me.”

“This place is enormous. What do you do with all the rooms?”

The doors retracted and we stepped into the foyer. Last night’s security had been replaced with two fresh faces. They stared straight ahead as I guided Molly along the corridor.

“You’ve seen the king’s residence.” I winked. “I do share my roof with three princes and a princess. It can get crowded.”

“Your brothers and sister?”

“Yes. We all have apartments. The first two floors are reserved for official state business. Meetings, balls, state dinners, field trips for children. The living quarters for some of the staff and the kitchens. Then there are the art galleries, the gardens, and the recreational areas.”

“Holy shit, this is insane. It’s a city inside a city.”

I laughed at her language. Rules changed outside my residence. Decorum mattered.

“You’ll watch that dirty mouth.” I eyed her. “Save that for my bed, Sapphire.”

Her mouth opened in shock. Her eyes dropped to the floor. “I’m sorry.” She sucked in her bottom lip. “And you can’t call me that,” she scolded playfully. I liked how easily she fell into banter.