Tempting the Crown (The Crown 1)

“Is there a problem?” I sat on the edge of the desk.

He looked up. “Nothing for you to worry about. I’ll come back to bed soon.”

“It must be a big deal if you’re working this late. Or is it early?” I had no idea what time it was. “Maybe I can help,” I offered.

He sat back in the chair. I could see the ridges of his abs. He folded his arms, his biceps bulged. He was unbelievable.

“All right. Maybe you can come up with an idea to pass funding for my irrigation program.”

I blinked. Was he serious? He was asking for my opinion on an official Galona matter. “Ok, what kind of irrigation?”

“Olive groves,” he explained. “Spain is our top competitor. I know we could double our production with irrigation in these areas.” He pointed to locations on the map of rural areas of the country. “But half of my cabinet disagrees with allocating more funds to the groves. I need a majority for approval.”

He looked at me, waiting for a suggestion.

“Well, why don’t they want to fund it?” I needed more information.

“They’d rather push the money into other areas. They don’t see the need to support the groves like I do.”

“Hmm.” I twisted my lips together. “But the other half does support it?”

“Yes. I’ve managed to convince half.” He exhaled. “The other bastards are stuck in the past. They don’t want agricultural upgrades. They claim we’ve never had them before, so why start now?”

“That seems short-sighted.”

“It is.”

“What do the farmers say?” I questioned.

“What do you mean?”

I tugged on the hem on the T-shirt. There was no way it would come close to covering my thighs.

“Well, have they spoken to your cabinet? Have they

argued in an open hearing?”

He ran his fingers through his hair. “No.”

“Maybe try that?” I shrugged. I wasn’t a political analyst, and I didn’t pretend to be.

He chuckled. “You make it sound so simple, Molly.”

“Maybe it is.” I smiled. “If you can’t bring the farmers here, why not at least bring their stories to the cabinet?”

“Personalize what they’re going through.” He nodded. “I think that’s exactly what they need. So many of the cabinet members have lost touch with the rural parts of the country. They’ve forgotten there is more to Galona than cities like Freychon. There are people who still work the land.”

“I’m from a rural area in South Carolina. Our thing is peaches. Not olives, but still pretty important.”

He chuckled lightly. “And this is how your peach farmers get things done?”

I couldn’t tell if he was teasing me. He seemed to take my recommendation seriously.

I shrugged, reaching for his hand, unfolding his arms. “Can we go back to bed?”

He rose from the chair. “Why would we do that?” I saw the look in his eye.

My breath caught. “I thought …”