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“If you were an Uber? Four out of five.”
I gawked. “What? My driving was impeccable.”
“You hit the curb twice.”
“That’s because I’m not used to driving such a big vehicle, okay?”
Kris chuckled. “Apart from that, you did very well. If you decide not to become a lawyer, I’d happily hire you on as one of our fleet drivers.”
“Really? I’m glad to know I’ve got such fantastic job security.”
He held my hand over the center console as we continued to drink in the view. It was nice and quiet, nothing but the rustle of the wind through the trees and the symphony of crickets to fill our ears.
“Kris?”
“Yes?”
“Are you still upset about what happened earlier with the duchess?”
There was a brief pause before he leaned over and unfastened my seat belt buckle. “Come here,” he said, gently pulling me onto his lap in the passenger seat. There was a surprising amount of space, so I was easily able to settle on his lap, my back pressed to his chest. Kris held me tenderly and peppered kisses against my shoulder as I continued to watch the pretty skyline.
“I know you were worried about all of us,” I said gently. “But we had everything under control. The guys were right there in case the duchess and I needed anything and—”
“Sam,” he said firmly, “do you remember why we hired you?”
“Um… Because I look like the duchess?”
Kris nodded. “From afar, you lookexactlylike her.”
“That’s kind of the point of a body double, remember?”
“Yes. And you were such a good fit for the job that you even hadmefooled.”
“What do you mean?”
“When I came back from my meeting and I entered the restaurant, I saw the two of you up at the bar.” He took in a deep breath, his hold around me tightening a little. “I thought Duchess Arianna wasyou, Sam. When I saw that man put his hands on her, I thought—”
“You thought he was putting his hands on me,” I concluded, breathless.
“That’s why I stormed over. That’s why I was so pissed. I’ll admit that in hindsight, it was an overreaction, but…” He exhaled slowly and hugged me close. “You are the single most important person in the world to me, Sam. If that bastard could touch you, it meant that he could have hurt you, too. That’s why I was so upset. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you.”
Moved by his confession, I turned carefully so I faced him, straddling him with my hands on his shoulders for stability. “I’m safe,” I whispered, trying to comfort him. “I’m safe and I’m here.”
He closed his eyes as I let my forehead touch his. “This whole Terrance thing, the gala… I can’t wait for it to be over so that we can take you home.”
I cupped his cheeks in my hands. “We’re almost done, my love. Everything’s going to go smoothly, and we’ll be back in New York before we know it.”
“I sincerely hope so.”
I nodded. “Are you and Charlie going to be okay?”
“Yeah, we’re going to be fine. I’m not going to lie; his announcement wasn’t all that unexpected.”
“It wasn’t?”
“I’ve known the guy for years. I’ve seen how unhappy he’s been lately, though he’d never say it out loud. That’s why I never argued against him taking on more administrative responsibilities. I figured it’d make him happier, but even that seems to be wearing off.”
“He wants to open a bookstore,” I blurted out, excited.
