Page 21 of Penny & Royce
This was what she wanted.
She told herself this over and over. She wanted to get back to the happy person she had been before life got hard. She needed to start enjoying life again.
And even if Royce couldn’t help her do that, he might be the catalyst that got her moving on her own.
A few minutes past ten, the door opened, and the most distracting man she’d ever met strolled inside.
His hands were tucked into his leather jacket, and he wore his cowboy hat. The sight of him should have made her smile.
Instead, she remembered the motorcycle.
Penny’s stomach roiled, and she darted for the bathroom. Since she’d been too nervous to eat breakfast, she ended up dry heaving into the toilet until there was a quiet knock at the door.
“Everything okay in there?”
She groaned. “This is so embarrassing.”
“Can I get you anything? Water? A wet washcloth if you have one?”
“No. I’m fine. Truly. I’ll be right out.”
Penny hurried to clean herself up, then pulled open the door and glanced shyly at the man before her.
Royce’s expression shifted the moment he saw her. The easy confidence softened into concern. He pressed the backs of his fingers against her forehead.
“Are you sick?”
She shook her head. “It’s my nerves. I have an overreactive stomach. When I get too stressed out, I make myself sick. But it passes.” She winced. “I’m sorry.”
“Hey,” he said quietly, “you don’t ever have to apologize for something you can’t control.”
The gentle tone caught her off guard.
He studied her face, keeping his hands to himself even though he looked like he wanted to do something. Help somehow.
“How do you manage it?” he asked.
Her brows shot up. “Why do you want to know?”
“Because I’d rather not make it worse.” His mouth curved faintly. “And because I care about you, beautiful. I thought I made that clear.”
She snorted and leaned back against the doorframe. “You barely know me.”
“True.”
“And you still don’t know my last name.”
“Klein,” he said.
Penny stilled. “Excuse me?”
Royce’s confidence slipped a notch. “I found that out when I asked around about you.”
She studied him for a moment, trying to decide how irritated she ought to be. “And did you find out anything else?”
“Enough to know I should probably stop talking.”
“That much?”
