Royal Opposites

by Crawford, Lori

  No running this way and that. Just the two of them having an easy conversation that didn’t involve their survival for the next few hours. It was nice.

  “You still have a lot to learn, but you’ve made a good start.”

  “Excellent. I’m glad the teacher approves.”

  “I didn’t say all that.” He was relaxed enough to pick out the teasing note in her voice. And welcomed it. He teased her back.

  “Just what are you saying?”

  “You’ve made some progress.” She heaved a heavy sigh.

  “But, I’m afraid you’re still making rookie mistakes.”

  “Well, I guess you’re going to have to put the class back in session. It is simply not fitting for royalty to be a ‘newbie.’” She laughed outright at his faux snobbery. Still, she didn’t come back at him with the retort he’d expected. He listened to the silence. Her soft breathing wasn’t even like she’d fallen asleep on him. He wanted to roll over to hang off the edge of the bunk where he could look at her. But he was also afraid of what he might see even in the darkened room. Was she already withdrawing from him? He hoped not. Even if a romantic relationship wasn’t in the cards for them, he’d like to think they’d be friends for life. After all they’d gone through together; he couldn’t imagine what life would be like without her in it in some shape or form.

  “Isn’t it gorgeous?”

  The quiet question startled him. Along with the abrupt change of subject. He was in no way mistaken. She had just changed the subject. Though he couldn’t figure out why.

  “What’s beautiful?”

  “Look out the window.”

  Tom frowned, but obeyed. He sucked in a breath when the full moon beamed its light through the window. Once his eyes adjusted to the light, he was able to take in the desert plain bathed in moonlight while they rumbled through. She was right. The view was breathtaking. It was one that seemed to be designed with lovers in mind.

  “Yes. It is lovely,” Tom agreed, then squeezed his eyes closed. The view would be perfect if only they were more than friends. It didn’t take much for him to imagine how perfect it would be if they shared a bunk. He could picture the moonlight bathing her smooth, caramel-‐-colored skin in its glow. He would devour her body with his eyes before his mouth joined the fun. She would writhe and moan under his ministrations. Her back would arch to…

  “Tom?” The fantasy blew away just like smoke facing down a strong breeze. “Did you say something?”

  He rubbed his jaw. He hadn’t groaned, had he? That would be embarrassing. “No. Just admiring the view.” It was part of the truth anyway.

  Her silence told him she wasn’t buying what he was selling.

  Still, she let the subject drop.

  “Could you imagine living out here? Yeah, it’s pretty right now, but I would think the elements could be deadly.”

  He was grateful on so many levels for the change of topic. It went a long way toward derailing his dangerous train of thought.

  They still had twenty plus hours before they reached Dallas. The last thing he wanted was to spend that time frustrated or in the shower. He pressed his hand to the window and shivered.

  “It must be cold out there. Feel the glass.”

  “Yikes! That is chilly. No wonder these curtains are so thick.

  Passengers would freeze otherwise.”

  “Maybe not freeze.” He smiled at her exaggeration. Tom was glad to have the conversation back on some type of even footing.

  “Darn near,” Joan contradicted and they fell into a good-‐-

  natured argument.

  From there they talked about any and everything under the sun. Tom surprised himself by sharing some of the concerns he’d have to face once he became King. He’d always known this day was coming, but he didn’t expect the depth of the anxiety that had settled in his heart over the last few weeks of his year away. And he certainly wasn’t expecting her to understand or give him the wise council that wiped out his doubts in a few short sentences.

  Not for the first time, he thought about how wonderful it would be to have her at his side all the time. He made up his mind then and there that they’d always be friends, but it would be nice if they had the time to become more. While he listened to her voice he smiled and realized she was no longer making sense. Given how heavy his eyelids were, he was sure he wasn’t either. He drifted off to sleep thinking he could pretend they were more for now and let tomorrow take care of itself. Tom slept with a smile on his face.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Joan buried her face in the pillow trying to shut out the bright light that was disturbing the best sleep she’d had in days. In spite of the fact that Tom had kept her up talking long into the night. She smiled. Okay. Well maybe not long into the night seeing that they’d settled in not long after dark. She listened to see if he were awake. The smile faded when she noticed the room seemed quieter than expected.

  She rolled over and blinked in the bright sunlight. “Tom?”

  There was no answer. Joan pulled the curtains closed blocking out the morning sun then sat up. Was he still asleep? She wanted to think that was the case, but the only breathing sounds Joan could hear were her own. She had no need to check the top bunk for confirmation. Her instincts told her it would be empty.

  Joan lay back down and tried not to let the sadness get the best of her. After all, it was her own fault for pretending they were anything more than roommates while they talked over everything under the sun before drifting off to sleep last night. She’d known the fantasy would end sooner or later, she just hadn’t expected it to hit a brick wall the moment she opened her eyes this morning.

  With a sigh and determination to move on, Joan settled back in her bunk. Maybe she could get a few more hours of sleep. At the very least, it would stop her from wondering where he was and what he was doing and with whom. She was pretty sure she didn’t care much for the jealousy that speared her heart. Instead, she tried to tell herself she was worried because the conductor had confined them to their compartment. If the man caught Tom out, they’d be tossed off on their ears.

  Not long after she closed her eyes, she felt the air move when the door opened. Yeah. The relief that flooded her heart had nothing to do with the consequences of the conductor catching on to their scheme. Still, she didn’t have to be all the way pathetic.

  Determined not rush into her first sight of him this morning like she wanted to, Joan remained curled on her side with her back to the door. Still, that didn’t stop her from being in tune with every move he made.

  There were clanks and rustles and tinkles like he could care less if he woke her or not. Already irritated, Joan flopped over nailed him with an annoyed look. It didn’t faze him in the least. He just grinned and said, “Oh good. You’re awake.”

  “No thanks to you,” she groused even though her souring mood had a lot less to do with him than with her stupid little schoolgirl fantasy that had gotten crushed.

  “Not much of a morning person, are we?” He observed then poured orange juice into a glass. At last she noticed the silver trays which had made an appearance with him.

  “What’s all that?”

  “I thought we could use a little breakfast.” He strode over to the bunks and folded the top one away. Joan had the perfect vantage to admire his flat tummy when his shirt stretched taut across it with the movement. Her memory supplied the details of the muscles she’d find there and she refused to let her eyes drift lower. At least for not more than a moment. She dragged her gaze away just in time to meet his smiling one.

  “It took a little convincing, but the chef allowed me to bring it back here. I thought you could use breakfast in bed for a change.”

  He moved away so he didn’t see her jaw drop open. He was going to serve her breakfast in bed? The fantasy came rushing back and she didn’t put up too much up of a fight. “I’m sorry to wake you up. But I didn’t want it to get cold.” He picked up the tray and gave her one of those devas
tating smiles. “Forgive me?”

  “Are you kidding me? I’m being served breakfast in bed by a hot prince and you think I’m upset about being woke up?” Joan snorted while she sat up and tucked the sheet around herself trying not to be too self-‐-conscious about her braless state. Tom froze halfway to setting the tray down on the table he’d unfolded next to her bunk. A curious half smile settled on his lips.

  “You think I’m hot?”

  Joan rolled her eyes. “Do you expect me to believe there’s a woman on this planet who thinks otherwise?”

  He laughed and set the tray down then sat in the seat opposite her. “There are lots of women who disagree. Until now, I thought you were one of them.”

  Joan dropped her gaze in an effort to appear nonchalant. “It wouldn’t do to have you go getting the big head now, would it?

  We’ve had enough of a problem keeping up with the few meager possessions we do have. The last thing we needed to worry about was trying to get your head to fit through doorways.”

  Tom laughed. He uncovered a plate piled high with sausage, biscuits, bacon, and eggs. “So, you think I’m hot, huh?”

  He asked with a lopsided smile that revealed one of his sexy dimples.

  “See. That’s what I’m talking about. They’ll have to cut a hole in the train to get you out of this cabin once we arrive in Dallas.”

  He uncovered a bowl of fruit while his grin blossomed to include his entire face. Why had she brought this up? What in the world was the matter with her?

  “Wow! This looks yummy.” She offered up a quick prayer of thanksgiving then dug in.

  Tom picked up a strawberry and bit into it while staring at her. Judging by the mischievous glint in his eye, she wasn’t going to like what he was thinking.

  “You didn’t answer the question.”

  “It’s a rhetorical question. You already know the answer.”

  “Maybe I just want to hear it again. You know. So I don’t misunderstand.”

  “You’re a smart guy. I’m sure you didn’t misunderstand.”

  Tom pressed a hand to his chest feigning heart palpitations.

  “You think I’m smart, too? My goodness. Is the world coming to an end?” She glared at him. “Your world might be coming to an end.

  Very soon.”

  “Is that a threat? You know, I could have you beheaded for such a treasonous statement against the crown.”

  “Good thing you left your crown at home then, huh?”

  He laughed. “Yeah. I suppose it is. It would be a shame to see that pretty little head of yours rolling around on the floor all detached from your body and everything.” He snagged a sausage link from the plate and chomped down on it.

  She frowned. “There might be a compliment in there somewhere, but the whole idea is far too gruesome to root around in for very long.”

  “You’re right. It is a pretty gruesome way to die. As a personal favor, I’d find a much nicer way to have you killed.”

  “Gee, thanks. I feel so much better now.”

  “I knew you would.” He picked a biscuit from the plate and studied her while he munched on it. Self-‐-conscious, she swiped at her mouth with a napkin.

  “What?”

  He shrugged. “Just wondering why you didn’t follow up on the real compliment.”

  “You mean I should feel honored you’d take such a personal interest in my death?” Joan knew what he was getting at and chose to ignore it. She was already having too much trouble separating fantasy and reality without letting the fact that he’d called her pretty help the two bleed together even further.

  “You know what I mean. And yet you ignore it. Again.

  Interesting.”

  “So you prefer I should annoy you to follow up on what I already know? No, thanks.” She made a sausage biscuit and took a bite.

  “Do you? Know, I mean? ‘Cause it seems to me like you don’t have the first inkling how—”

  “How about we change the subject before we ruin a perfectly lovely breakfast?”

  He looked like he was going to argue the point. She released the breath she was holding when he shrugged and reached for some bacon.

  “So, what do you wanna do today? Seems to me like we’ve got around fifteen hours to kill.”

  “I’m sure there’s some kind of entertainment on board.” Joan frowned. “Except we’re kinda confined to the compartment. And there’s the little issue of clothing.” She fought off a blush when she brought up the subject.

  “We were. The conductor’s shift ended at the first stop this morning.” Tom jerked his head to a couple plastic bags hanging on the rack. “And I found a souvenir shop onboard. I had to convince him to open early, but…” Tom shrugged while letting his sentence trail away.

  Joan studied him with a narrowed gaze. “How much money do we have left?”

  Tom waved off her concerns. “Don’t worry about it. You’ve already won the bet.”

  She stopped breathing for a moment. “How much, Tom?”

  He shrugged and stood to retrieve the plastic bag. “A little over ten dollars. But I saw what you did at the grocery store. We have more than enough to live on for a week the way you shop.”

  Joan stared at his unconcerned face. The breakfast she’d eaten threatened to make a return appearance. “Tell me you’re kidding.”

  Tom frowned and brought the bag over to her and sat down again. “What’s the matter? You’re the queen of coupons. I have faith in you. We’ll be fine.”

  “I don’t have any coupons, Tom.” Joan fought to breathe. It was a fine time for him to decide to depend on her. “Remember? I couldn’t get my bag out of the car. Everything was in my binder.”

  “So where do we get more coupons?”

  “The Sunday paper for the most part. But that was yesterday. And there was only a Red Plum insert with lots of vitamin Qs.”

  “That’s bad?”

  Joan took a deep breath. “Maybe. How expensive is food on the train?”

  “All meals are included with the compartment.”

  The weight lifted off Joan’s shoulders. “In that case, I guess we just have to figure out what to do today. Worry about the airport when we get there.”

  “I bet we can find some interesting people to watch,” Tom suggested.

  And that’s what they did. More or less. Tom and Joan roamed around the train from car to car being nosy and just to see what they could see. The first time, she was startled when Tom linked his fingers with hers. He didn’t seem to take note of her questioning look. Despite her need to keep reality and fantasy separated, she decided to indulge herself. Besides, how many times would she have the opportunity to have a great looking guy display such affection for her in public? And he was a prince no less. So, yeah. Reality could wait a little while longer.

  After a while, holding his hand became second nature. She knew it was petty, but every time some woman gave her “the look”

  like how had she managed to snag such a hot guy. Joan felt her spine straighten with a touch of arrogance. Oh boy, was she going to have to give herself a nice attitude adjustment when the two of them went their separate ways and she was back to being plain ole Joan Smith.

  While roaming, they made friends with another couple who was traveling to Chicago via that particular line and were invited to a rousing game of cards to help pass the time. Joan teamed up with Sheri to take on Shawn and Tom in Spades. Since Tom wasn’t familiar with the game, Joan and Sheri enjoyed their advantage. He caught on fast, though, and it wasn’t long before the guys were giving the women a run for their money.

  Before they knew it, dinner was announced. Shawn and Sheri had packed food for the trip and offered to share. Tom declined for him and Joan on the pretense he’d been craving the lemon chicken on the menu since breakfast that morning. They made a plan to meet back in their spot to finish up the game in a few hours.

  Joan was surprised when he didn’t even order the chicken letting her in on his very
blatant lie. She couldn’t puzzle it out and he refused to explain. Instead, he led her to a secluded booth where they had a cozy dinner for two. It reeked of date, but she was sure that couldn’t be right. She set aside her suspicions as wishful thinking and enjoyed the meal and the company. He hinted he hadn’t wanted to miss dinner because it had been included in the ticket price, but Joan’s instincts told her something more was going on. She couldn’t trust herself that her inkling was anywhere near correct.

  After dinner, they rejoined Sheri and Shawn. Tom proceeded to show the women just how fast of a learner he was when he and Shawn started winning hand after hand. When Joan called him on hustling them, Tom’s only response was to high-‐-five Shawn and grin.

  At last, the ladies begged for mercy and they brought the game to a close. Joan and Tom bid the couple goodnight then returned to their cabin for the evening. Like they had last night, they talked about any and everything under the sun before drifting off into contented sleeps. The next morning, they joined the other couple for breakfast then bid them a fond farewell where they parted company at Dallas Union Station.

  While the train chugged away, Joan could feel a heaviness settle on her shoulders.

  “So now what?” She asked to keep her mind occupied.

  “We find Jai then let him do his job.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  It all sounded too easy. Would this whole ordeal be over just like that or had their one safe haven just chugged off down the tracks? Joan studied their surroundings half expecting to see the guards closing in on them. Instead, all she saw were normal folk going about their business and not paying them the least bit of attention. That wasn’t entirely true. More than a few women interrupted their regularly scheduled lives for a second or even third glance at Tom. Joan couldn’t help the satisfaction that settled in her chest and walked a bit taller at the feeling of his fingers linked through hers. At least they were for the time being anyway.

  Turns out, the ‘time being’ was even shorter than she’d imagined. After brief consultations with the signage at Union Station, Tom led her to the local platform where they caught another train followed by a bus. She frowned when he escorted her into Sonny Bryan’s Smokehouse.