Page 72 of Handle Me

He shook his head, and I shrugged, my point already proven.

“This is their racetrack. They’re fans.”

Anders raised an eyebrow and stayed quiet. He wasn’t a fan of Alexander, but other people were. He needed to see that. Even if he didn’t want to be a royal, there was still a chance that he could be the type of prince I thought he might be. The kind that handed the princess a sword and let her slay her own dragons, then kissed her and live happily ever after.

But first, he needed to see that this wasn’t all bad.

Brex pulled up to the front entrance, and more guards rushed forward to usher us inside. Anders was out of the car almost before Brex could put it in park. To my surprise, he rushed around the car, shooed a guard away, and opened my door. I bit back a smile as he offered me his hand.

I took it, lacing my fingers with his and climbed out. It felt right. Him and me. Even here. The place I’d thought things might fall apart.

Brex came up beside us, grinning at our joined hands. “So, I’m not going to have to keep sneaking you two around, huh?”

“Let’s just get this over with,” Anders said, looking suddenly gloomy.

“Right this way, Your Highness.” Brex bowed a little and gestured to the side entrance.

Anders glowered as we followed him, and I realized a nerve had been struck. That was my first course of action. I needed to get him comfortable with being a member of the royal family. The question was: how?

Before I could come up with an answer, Brex led us around a corner and directly into Alexander’s path.

My brother-in-law was a formidable man. He didn’t give off the same English gentility his father had. Rather, he was like a hurricane. You never knew when he would descend or how much damage he’d inflict until it was all over. Today, he looked especially stormy. His shirtsleeves were rolled to his elbows, stubble dusted his chin, and judging from the circles under his eyes, he wasn’t sleeping.

“That took long enough,” he barked at Brex, and I flinched. Sometimes I wondered what my sister saw in him. The fact that he was the King of England might sway many women, but not Clara. I’d never quite understood them, even though they obviously loved each other.

“Half of London is outside,” Anders interrupted, going rigid. “He did the best he could.”

Alexander stopped, regarding his brother with calculating eyes that dropped down to where I was holding hands with Anders.

“Interesting,” he muttered.

I wasn’t sure how to take that.

Anger rippled off both of them, and I wondered if they would get in another fight. Before they could, I dropped his hand and stepped between them.

“I wanted to check on Clara and the baby. Is now a good time?” I asked calmly.

A muscle twitched in Alexander’s jaw. “William is sleeping, but I’m sure Clara would love to see you. It seems you two have some things to catch up on.”

I ignored the pointed remark and turned to Anders.

“Join me when you’re done talking?” I asked him softly. Alexander stiffened as though he disliked this request, but he didn’t say anything.

“Sure,” Anders said. His eyes strayed over my shoulder to his brother.

“Behave,” I whispered.

“Only if he does, boss.” He winked at me, and then before I could stop him, he pressed a quick kiss to my lips.

Maybe it was the fact that we were in mixed company, but my whole body flamed to life at his touch, especially my cheeks.

“Clara is in our quarters,” Alexander said stiffly.

I nodded, glancing between the two of them before I slowly made my way toward the apartments the royal family kept at the palace. Part of me wanted to run before the next bomb detonated between them, but I wouldn’t let anyone—not even Anders—see me ruffled.

When I reached the gilded ivory doors, I stepped inside and released a long sigh.

“Do I want to know?” a curt voice interrupted my moment of solitude.