Read Online His Royal Princess: A Billionaire Boys Club Novella by Jessica Clare - Free Book Online
Authors: Jessica Clare
Tags: Romance, Contemporary
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s’il vous plaît.”
“Mais bien sûr. Suis-moi s’il te plait
.
”
Alex took his hand and pulled him along behind her. To her credit, she sauntered through the restaurant like she owned the place, and he was pretty sure not a single head turned around. That was good. He snatched his baseball cap off his head and when they were led to their table, he was pleased to see it was a candlelit nook in the back of the restaurant that was cozy and extremely private, with high walls separating the diners. The only people who would be able to see them there would be the waitstaff as they rushed back and forth to the nearby kitchen.
He waited for Alex to sit, and then slid in next to her. The maître d’ rattled off some fancy-sounding shit in French, and Alex smiled and listened attentively, ending with
“Bon, merci
.
”
“What was that?” Luke asked when the man was gone.
“He said he’s always had a crush on you and wanted to show up at your hotel room later to give you a personal massage.” Her dimple peeped out.
Luke snorted and caught her hand in his. He rubbed her knuckles again. “Nice try. What did he
really
say?”
“You don’t speak French?”
He shook his head. “You are talking to a very uneducated man, Alex. I’m lucky I passed English.” Actually, he was pretty sure he hadn’t, which was why he’d gotten his GED. But he didn’t tell her that. She was already outclassing him by far. “Do you speak a lot of languages?”
“Not that many. French, Italian, Spanish, German, and some Portuguese, though that involves a little guesswork.” Her soft smile indicated that she was serious.
“You . . . think that’s not many? Jesus.”
Alex looked worried. “You forget that we are a small European country. All of those languages are spoken around us on a daily basis. To not know them would be impolite.”
Then he put himself down as impolite, he supposed. But damn, he felt like an idiot around her sometimes.
He let her order for him, since she was the one fluent in the language, and it felt like a weird sort of role reversal. She didn’t seem to notice his discomfort, maybe because she didn’t date much. The wine she ordered was incredible, and he had a moment of apprehension when her plate arrived and it was full of delicate vegetables and sauces. The sizzling steak put in front of him a moment later showed she knew him better than he’d expected.
“To a first date?” she asked, raising her wineglass.
“To the first of many, hopefully.”
Her blush-tinged smile was charming, and Luke relaxed again. The conversation picked up, and he was having a hell of a time enjoying himself in her company. She was smart, witty, and listened as much as she talked.
The role reversal came to an end a short time later, when the check was sent to the table. Alex stared at it, confused. “Oh, dear.”
“What is it?”
She looked abashed. “I . . . don’t carry money. It’s something I’ve never truly thought about—”
He laughed and reached for the check. “This, I can handle, Alex. Let me.”
“All right.” She gave him a nervous smile. “I feel foolish, though. Such a small, simple thing.”
A small, simple thing that didn’t seem to exist in her world. He got it, actually, and his weird feeling about the date vanished. They were both out of their element, weren’t they?
Luke paid the tab and left a generous tip, just in case tipping rules were different in France. Alex didn’t know the answer, either, and they were afraid to ask anyone around them. As they left the restaurant, the moon was high in the sky and a cool mist covered the streets.
“It’s lovely,” Alex said with a happy sigh. “Want to go for a walk? There’s a lovely little bridge down by the river.”
So she wasn’t ready for the date to end, either? “A walk sounds great.” He took her hand in his and linked their fingers again. Just being here with her was nice. Real nice.
They talked about the
“Mais bien sûr. Suis-moi s’il te plait
.
”
Alex took his hand and pulled him along behind her. To her credit, she sauntered through the restaurant like she owned the place, and he was pretty sure not a single head turned around. That was good. He snatched his baseball cap off his head and when they were led to their table, he was pleased to see it was a candlelit nook in the back of the restaurant that was cozy and extremely private, with high walls separating the diners. The only people who would be able to see them there would be the waitstaff as they rushed back and forth to the nearby kitchen.
He waited for Alex to sit, and then slid in next to her. The maître d’ rattled off some fancy-sounding shit in French, and Alex smiled and listened attentively, ending with
“Bon, merci
.
”
“What was that?” Luke asked when the man was gone.
“He said he’s always had a crush on you and wanted to show up at your hotel room later to give you a personal massage.” Her dimple peeped out.
Luke snorted and caught her hand in his. He rubbed her knuckles again. “Nice try. What did he
really
say?”
“You don’t speak French?”
He shook his head. “You are talking to a very uneducated man, Alex. I’m lucky I passed English.” Actually, he was pretty sure he hadn’t, which was why he’d gotten his GED. But he didn’t tell her that. She was already outclassing him by far. “Do you speak a lot of languages?”
“Not that many. French, Italian, Spanish, German, and some Portuguese, though that involves a little guesswork.” Her soft smile indicated that she was serious.
“You . . . think that’s not many? Jesus.”
Alex looked worried. “You forget that we are a small European country. All of those languages are spoken around us on a daily basis. To not know them would be impolite.”
Then he put himself down as impolite, he supposed. But damn, he felt like an idiot around her sometimes.
He let her order for him, since she was the one fluent in the language, and it felt like a weird sort of role reversal. She didn’t seem to notice his discomfort, maybe because she didn’t date much. The wine she ordered was incredible, and he had a moment of apprehension when her plate arrived and it was full of delicate vegetables and sauces. The sizzling steak put in front of him a moment later showed she knew him better than he’d expected.
“To a first date?” she asked, raising her wineglass.
“To the first of many, hopefully.”
Her blush-tinged smile was charming, and Luke relaxed again. The conversation picked up, and he was having a hell of a time enjoying himself in her company. She was smart, witty, and listened as much as she talked.
The role reversal came to an end a short time later, when the check was sent to the table. Alex stared at it, confused. “Oh, dear.”
“What is it?”
She looked abashed. “I . . . don’t carry money. It’s something I’ve never truly thought about—”
He laughed and reached for the check. “This, I can handle, Alex. Let me.”
“All right.” She gave him a nervous smile. “I feel foolish, though. Such a small, simple thing.”
A small, simple thing that didn’t seem to exist in her world. He got it, actually, and his weird feeling about the date vanished. They were both out of their element, weren’t they?
Luke paid the tab and left a generous tip, just in case tipping rules were different in France. Alex didn’t know the answer, either, and they were afraid to ask anyone around them. As they left the restaurant, the moon was high in the sky and a cool mist covered the streets.
“It’s lovely,” Alex said with a happy sigh. “Want to go for a walk? There’s a lovely little bridge down by the river.”
So she wasn’t ready for the date to end, either? “A walk sounds great.” He took her hand in his and linked their fingers again. Just being here with her was nice. Real nice.
They talked about the
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