Royal Date (22 page)

“I had hoped it would make you smile. If I’d known it would make you cry . . .” he teased.

I shook my head. “These are happy tears. I’m just overwhelmed. You’re overwhelming.”

He looked at me intently, his eyes glittering even in this light. “I don’t want to overwhelm you.”

“I know.” But he still did. I wasn’t prepared for this. I didn’t have the right thing to say or do.

So I stood up, putting some distance between us so that I could collect my thoughts and myself. I wasn’t normally the crying type, and he had reduced me to a puddle of tears with just a doll. I put the Barbie on the small table next to the couch, watching as the Christmas lights reflected off the plastic surface of the box.

No one had ever treated me this way. No one had ever cared about me the way Nico did. How did I thank him? How could I let him know what was in my heart? How he had moved me and made me feel things I didn’t know existed?

Nico lay out on the couch, putting one of the pillows behind his head. “Come here.”

There was just enough room for me to lie on my side next to him. I stayed put.

“You won’t?” I clarified.

“I won’t. I promised. I would like to hold you, though.”

How could I say no to that after my present? Not to mention the fact that I was all for being held. Especially with the vulnerable way that I was feeling right now.

I lay down, nestling my head on his shoulder. He wrapped his right arm around my shoulders, and I put my right arm across his chest. He put his free hand on top of mine. He rested his head against mine. He took in a deep breath. “Apples,” he sighed.

He closed his eyes and five seconds later had passed out. I had no intention of staying there. I decided to stay and enjoy the cuddling for a few minutes, and then I would get up and go to bed.

His breathing was deep and even. I was mesmerized by him. I felt like I only existed to watch him and hold him. His black hair flopped over his forehead, and his wasted-on-a-boy long black lashes rested on his cheekbones. He looked boyish in his sleep, and I could see a glimpse of what he must have looked like when he was little. I smiled. It felt amazing to be with him, like I was warm all over, just by being close to him.

A torrent of emotion flowed through me. This felt good. It felt right. It felt like this was where I had always belonged.

But the last weird emotion I had, right before I accidentally drifted off, was the feeling that I had finally come home.

The sun had just barely started to rise when I woke up. I had a small moment of disorientation, not sure where I was or what was going on. I quickly remembered because Nico had shifted at some point in the night and was lying on his side, facing me. He still had his arms wrapped around me, and our legs were intertwined. I had never been this physically close to someone. My nerves were hyperaware and sensitive at every point where our bodies made contact. And there were a lot of contact points.

Our faces were practically touching. A low, steady thud started in the base of my stomach, and my blood sizzled and snapped.

“I could get used to this,” he murmured, his eyes still closed.

“What?” My voice sounded stupid.

He opened his eyes, and his piercing blue gaze turned the thudding into drumming. “Waking up every morning with you in my arms.”

“I thought you said you had insomnia.”

“I do. Last night was the best night’s sleep I’ve had in I don’t know how long.” He started tracing patterns on my back with his fingers, running them up and down, making me cold and hot at the same time. “It seems I’ll just have to fall asleep with you every night if I ever want to sleep that well again.”

“If I was with you every night, we both know there would be no sleeping going on.” It was probably one of the boldest things I’d ever said.

He gave me a lazy grin. “That’s true.”

Then his fingers were in my hair, and I stretched into it like a purring cat, wanting more. I closed my eyes for a second, reveling in the sensations. I tightened my hold on him, without even realizing it. I only knew I wanted to be closer to him.

His fingers stilled, and I opened my eyes to look at him. He was staring at my face. It was more than a little disconcerting. “What are you looking at?”

“I’m counting your freckles.”

I put my hands over my nose. “Don’t do that.”

“Why?”

“I hate my freckles.”

“They’re adorable.” He moved my hands and kissed the bridge of my nose. He was lucky I didn’t actually spontaneously combust and set us both on fire. “You’re adorable. Beautiful.”

I glanced off to the side, not able to endure the intensity of his gaze. I saw my doll on the table and melted all over again. My pulse skittered wildly.

I looked back at him, studying him in return. He hadn’t pressured me or made me feel dumb or dumped me or anything that I expected a man to do if I told him I wouldn’t kiss him. He had respected me. Spoiled me beyond belief. Wooed me with his words and his actions. Had proved himself reliable and worthy of my trust in every way.

And my affection.

I closed the small distance between us and said, “Thank you for my Barbie.”

Then I kissed him.

He pulled back, looking serious. “Does this mean . . . ?” His question trailed off.

“Yes.”

He had a very self-satisfied grin. “If I’d known all it would take was buying you a Barbie, I would have bought you the entire company.”

“That’s not why . . .” I started to protest, but his mouth was moving against mine and there were no more words.

I held my breath, and I could hear my blood rushing in my ears. He tilted his head, angling so that our mouths fit together better. My breath quickened, and I quickly discovered I wasn’t the only one affected. I could feel his heartbeat racing under his shirt.

His arms tightened around me, pulling me closer to him. But we couldn’t get any closer than we already were.

I wanted to growl because of my frustration. This wasn’t like before, when I wanted to kiss him just because I was curious and wanted to understand what the big deal was. I wanted more.

I wanted to know what the stubble on his jaw felt like against my skin (like prickly sandpaper). How his hair would feel underneath my fingers (soft and full). How the muscles in his upper arms would feel (large and solid).

He moved from my lips to my neck, and I leaned my head back as far as I could to give him better access. His mouth moved over my throat, kissing and nipping at me, and it was too much and not enough all at once. My limbs felt heavy and light at the same time.

A warm, strong pressure started to build inside me, and I pulled him back to my lips, where he continued to kiss me like he’d waited his whole life to do just that.

Then a shocking sensation—his fingers had slipped under my sweater and were pressing into the bare skin of my back. I went still, but he didn’t seem to notice. Impossibly, my heart beat even faster as I dealt with this new feeling.

I liked it.

I considered doing the same to him, wanting to know what the skin on his torso would feel like against my fingers. His fingertips slowly moved up my side, and I stopped breathing as I waited to see what would happen, what he would do . . .

Then something heavy landed on top of me.

We broke apart to see Serafina scowling at us. “You had a slumber party without me?”

“We did,” Nico said, and his voice sounded even and normal. I was panting like a dog who’d just chased down the mailman.

“You’re supposed to have slumber parties in your room.”

“Hear that, Katerina?” I didn’t need to look at him. I could hear the seductive teasing in his voice.

“Can we have another slumber party in your room?” Serafina asked me.

“Yes, can we?” Nico asked.

“We can,” I said.

He raised his eyebrows in playful anticipation.

“Serafina and me, I mean.” He looked so puppy-dog sad that I laughed. “Nico’s not invited,” I told her.

She nodded. “Because he’s a boy.”

“She won’t ever invite me to her room, Sera. What should I do?” That set my blood racing again and my heart pounding. He was not playing fair.

She considered this thoughtfully. “Be nicer.”

He laughed. “I am very nice to her. As nice as she’ll let me be.”

“Then you will have to try harder.”

He started tickling her, and she giggled and squirmed on top of us. “Stop it, Nico! Mamma is looking for you. All the guards are worried. Johann is screaming at everyone because nobody knows where you are.”

Nico rolled his eyes. “Duty calls.”

I had to get up first, and then Serafina climbed down. Nico got up and gathered up his clothing. I stood there awkwardly, not sure what to say or do after the Couch Event. He kissed me quickly as he again held me close. “You said I was wonderful,” he said in a low, gratified voice.

I did. He was. He promised to see me soon.

I needed to talk to Lemon.

I got my Barbie, and Serafina tagged along behind me, singing a song.

When I had made a promise to myself to wait, nobody had bothered to tell me how amazing everything would feel and how much I would want to keep going. I had thought it would be so easy to draw a line in the sand and tell him to stop. To draw that line and say, “Here, and no further.”

I had no idea I’d be the one wanting to move that line all over the place. I’d let him do something that I probably shouldn’t have just because it felt
so
good.

It wasn’t Nico’s fault. It wasn’t his promise. And he wasn’t doing anything I didn’t desperately want him to do.

But it was all too fast and overwhelming. I had to put the brakes on. I was the one who would have to be more careful.

I had vowed that I would wait until marriage. I would keep that vow. I’d never considered all the steps that could happen in between. So I had to keep things in check.

Because keeping my word, doing what I said I would do, was what made me
me
.

I
needed
to keep my promise to myself. I would have to be more vigilant.

Regardless of how much I wanted to rethink the whole thing.

Lemon was waiting for me in my room, on my bed, tapping away on her phone. She looked up when we entered. I noticed that her eyes were red. Had she been crying, or was she just tired? “Somebody owes me an explanation as to why they were gone
all night
.
Where have you been?”

“She was kissing Nico. It was gross,” Serafina informed her. Lemon’s eyes got huge.

“Hey, Serafina, I’ve been wanting to see your Anna costume. Why don’t you run to your room right quick and get it ready for us. Have one of the maids do your hair?”

That got rid of her. Lemon was sly.

She jumped up and hugged me. “Darlin’, I am happier than a goat in a Dempsey Dumpster. I want to know everything.
Everything
.”

So I told her. All the sordid details I wanted to share. And her eyes got bigger and bigger until I thought they might actually pop out of her head.

“Good heavens, I was only kidding the other night, but you really are going to marry him. I’m going to be a maid of honor for an actual princess.”

“What? You need to slow down there. I only kissed him. That’s it. Nothing else. This is light and breezy and fun. We’re going home in a week. This is not serious. He said it couldn’t ever be serious.” Our fun conversation had taken a sad turn that was depressing me.

“When did he say that?”

“Yesterday. He told me he wasn’t ever getting married.”

She waved her hand. “Oh, please. Every man in the world says that, and yet they somehow all still manage to get married.”

Lemon didn’t get it. She hadn’t been there and heard the finality in his voice. He had been serious. But I didn’t want to talk about it anymore.

“Why are you dressed up?”

“Turns out there’s more family arriving.”

I had pulled off my sweater and thrown it on the bed. I stopped to look at her. “How can he possibly have more family?”

“This is more of the extended family. The Fiorellis are related to almost every royal family in Europe. All that intermarrying royals used to do. So we need to dress up to welcome everyone. When Nico told me about the people coming, I thought we should take advantage. I’ve arranged for a professional photographer to capture everything to go on the website. That TV show is going to give me whatever I ask for and beg me to have Nico on there.”