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A Royal Pain 4
Chapter FourHeavy breathing woke her, and she immediately recognized it as a sound of pain. It was coming through the intercom system, and there was no question about the source. She slid from bed and didn’t worry about changing out of her sleep shorts and T-shirt as she slid her feet into slippers and rushed from her room to Bennet’s.She found him quickly, and in his bed, as expected. He was curled up into the fetal position as much as possible, and his face betrayed agony. Lines bracketing his mouth spoke volumes, and concern filled her. There was also a rush of tenderness she was unaccustomed to feeling for a patient, and she tried to push it aside as she moved closer to the bed. “What’s wrong?”Even as she asked, she realized he was having an attack of spasticity. His muscles were tensed, and his legs were stiff before him. Since he was lying on his side, it made it easy to get on the bed behind him and start rubbing his back in slow, deep circles. “Does that help?” Sometimes, i
A Royal Pain 5
Chapter Five“You aren’t breathing properly.” He was already winded after just ten minutes at the rowing machine. With his physique and general level of fitness, that shouldn’t have been the case, but he had been more sedentary since his injury, and today was the first day he actually seemed to make a full effort.He glared over his shoulder up at her. “I know how to breathe. That part’s not broken.”She put a hand on his when he would’ve begun using the machine again, stilling the motion. “Let’s go over some respiratory exercises before you try again.”His rolled eyes and huffy sigh left no doubt about his opinion, but he wheeled away from the machine to face her. Harper knelt down beside him, until they were roughly equal in height. She put her hand on his chest, ignoring the rapid fluttering in her own as she touched him. His skin was warm through his tank top, and she forced herself to focus on the rhythm of his chest instead of the feel of the muscles under her palm. “Breathe in
A Royal Pain 6
Chapter SixBennet was done with his physical therapy for the day, and she should probably just let it go, but she was confused why his stamina hadn’t yet improved. He wasn’t out of shape by any means, but she knew he could do better. He needed to do better to give his physical therapy his all.She’d almost brought up the discussion while he was working out that morning, but he’d been so focused on his goals that she hadn’t bothered. He’d been like that for the last three days, and their sessions had been textbook perfect. He was doing everything she asked of him, and while he was not hitting his goals, he was certainly making progress. She should’ve been flush with satisfaction, instead of vaguely discontented by the emptiness of the time she spent with him.How ridiculous was that? He was her patient, and it shouldn’t have affected her on an emotional level at all, other than hurting when he failed, or celebrating when he succeeded. That was second nature for her with all of her pat
A Royal Pain 7
Chapter SevenHaving won a hint of capitulation from her, Bennet was determined to abide by the terms of their agreement. During the mornings, he yielded to her direction and put forth as much effort as he could to achieve results as quickly as possible. As a result, seven days after their first liaison in his room, he managed to take three steps with the assistance of the treadmill, though without the weight-bearing equipment. He was flush with success, though stymied in a different area.Harper had clearly meant it when she said she didn’t have sex indiscriminately. They had spent hours together, and he was no closer to having her in his bed. It wasn’t as though he was forcing himself to go through the motions of getting to know her just so he could take her. He enjoyed the time they spent together pursuing a variety of activities, but he was frustrated by the lack of progress in a sensual direction.“Are you even listening?”Bennet blinked and looked down. They were in a quiet nook
A Royal Pain 8
Chapter Eight“Why are you so quiet this morning?”Harper looked up from the water, where her feet dangled in, to meet Tucker’s gaze. “I’m not.”He smiled. “You are. You’re usually a morning person. It’s absolutely disgusting, so I can tell something is bothering you.”She shrugged a shoulder. “It’s nothing. I guess I’m just tired.” She was also a bit cranky, though she had no right to be. Just because she’d gotten accustomed to having breakfast with Bennet didn’t give her the right to feel annoyed that he had chosen to eat with his siblings that morning without telling her first.She’d shown up in his room at the usual time, prepared to eat before they started working. Tucker had greeted her in the hallway with the news that Bennet had risen early and decided to join his siblings for breakfast. When he had suggested they dine by the pool, she had acquiesced. Somehow, that had transitioned to sitting on the side with her feet dangling in the water, and not a bit of food in sight.“I d
A Royal Pain 9
Chapter Nine“Are you sure you want to do this?” Harper ran a hand through her hair as she asked the question that had been weighing on her mind. “You’re making good progress, and neural implants are an invasive procedure; not to mention still experimental.”He looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. “I’m sure this is what I want. And I’d like you to come with me.”She blinked in surprise at the invitation. He was due to leave tomorrow for Geneva, and she had anticipated spending the time he was gone moping around without him, though she wouldn’t have admitted that to him. They had gotten close in the last three weeks, perhaps closer than was wise for her heart, and she’d hoped to use the time away from him to put some distance in her emotions as well.She hovered on the brink of refusal until she saw the hurt appearing in his eyes. “Of course I’ll come with you, if that’s what you want. Just know that if I have any reservations, I intend to voice them.”Bennet grinned at her.
A Royal Pain 10
Chapter TenEven the admonishment to herself that she shouldn’t consider the royal palace home couldn’t make it feel less like she was returning after a long absence to a welcome homecoming. The royal family had gathered to greet them, though she didn’t fool herself into believing that they were there for her. She was simply an accessory trailing behind the prince, but she was okay with that. Having them greet her in any other, more familiar way would mean they had realized there was something more to their relationship.She was still aware of what a violation of her ethics it was to be sleeping with Bennet, even though she thought she had been fairly successful in separating her professional obligations from her personal feelings for him. They still had to be discreet.As she made her way to the servants’ quarters after parting from the prince, each step felt like a lightening of her load. It was good to be back, and she couldn’t deny that. For however long it lasted, she should just
A Royal Pain 11
Chapter ElevenHer apartment was just as she’d left it, but with a stale odor that inevitably developed when a place was empty for too long. She moved straight to the balcony to open the door before hustling around to open the windows. She was conscious of Bennet watching her the entire time, and she couldn’t explain why was she was having such a hard time meeting his eyes. He seemed to be offering her everything she wanted, so why was she so reluctant to hear it?She was scared. There it was, and no escaping the epiphany. She was frightened of what an escalation in their relationship might mean. He already meant so much to her that the prospect of losing him made her tremble. How much harder would it be to endure losing him if she loved him even more than she did already?She stilled as the word love flittered through her brain, forcing her to turn and face Bennet. He was near the recliner, so she crossed over to it and sat down, bringing them almost to eyelevel. She was still feelin
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