“Good. Really good.”
“You’re even more beautiful today, like you’re glowing.” He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and hugged her. Her skin was chilled from her damp hair, and her eyes weren’t as bright as usual. “Anna, let’s get you something to eat.” They’d ended up in bed instead of at the table for their picnic.
She patted her stomach as she said, “Sounds good.”
Leo led her toward the breakfast nook, the patter of rain outside on the windows soothing. He lifted a lid off a platter of sandwiches. “Now what’s going on?”
She took a chicken club so he chose the same and settled in the seat next to her. She asked, “What do you mean?”
He glanced at her while she sat with her shoulders high. “Your face is white.”
Anna twirled her wedding ring after putting her untouched sandwich down. “I was on the phone with my grandmother. I…”
Ah. He’d guessed as much, but figured she’d be happy to hear from her. He held his sandwich to his face and waited for her to do the same. Then he ate and she did too.
A few minutes later both the sandwiches were gone and he offered her another. She shook her head, but picked up some watermelon slices and her wine.
He took some grapes and then asked, “Okay. Now what’s going on?”
Anna sat back, more relaxed. “It seems her neighbors are all coming to her with questions about their socialized medicine benefits now that they think she’s related to the crown.”
She’d said her grandmother was stubborn. He took Anna’s hand in his and traced her knuckles. “If she moves to the dower house, then she’s better protected. Right now it’s her neighbors, but all it takes is one bad person….”
Her lips pressed together and she nodded like she expected to jump out of her seat to go over files. “I’ll make it a priority.”
“Good.” He kissed the back of her hand.
She licked her lips and instantly awareness grew inside him as she asked, “Why is my grandmother so important to you?”
He studied her white robe and wondered if she was naked under there like he imagined. “I want my wife to always be happy.”
Her coy smile somehow made her the most enchanting woman he’d ever seen when she said, “So you care about me?”
Perhaps Anna Camila didn’t understand. He tightened his hold on her hand. “I’ve cared about you for the past year. Now that you’re my wife, I hope that what’s happening between us might make us stronger for the future.”
Her happiness beamed but then her lips pressed together. He tilted his head, encouraging her to speak. “Did you talk with all your women like this after…y’know?”
Francesca.He needed that to end in his favor. Hopefully everything worked out but for now he lifted his brow and asked, “After sex?”
She picked up her wine. “Yeah. Were you this sweet after sex with Francesca or the others?”
The back of his neck was hot and he wanted to end this line of questioning, but he couldn’t make a royal decree with Anna. “I wish you didn’t know about them.”
She discovered the tray of cakes and placed the vanilla slice with white frosting on his plate. “It’s strange that I paid off some old girlfriends of yours now that I’m actually your wife, but at least I know who they were. Not one of them struck me as being in love with you, or you with them.”
He dabbed his forehead with a cloth napkin. “You’re more observant than me.”
She chose a piece of fruit tart for herself from the offerings. “I don’t think so.”
Leo needed to get this conversation back on track, so he reached for her hand. “To answer your question, no. I normally wanted to escape the woman’s bed in the night, well before morning, to avoid awkward conversations.”
A spark grew in her eye before she glanced in the wine, avoiding his gaze again—but she ate a few bites of her tart and so he did the same.
Anna set her fork down. Hopefully the conversation didn’t steer backward. He scooted closer, on pins and needles, as she asked, “So, no helping grandmothers except mine?”
It wasn’t that she was jealous, he realized, of what had gone on before. She wanted to know that she was different—special. Leo polished off his cake, then sat back in his chair and zeroed in on the hint of flesh at her cleavage. “Not at all. Do you feel rested?”
Her gaze narrowed, and she didn’t blink as she leaned closer. “I think so. Why?”
