Page 23 of Gilded Princess

Chapter Nine

MADDIE

I tilt my head to the side as I give the guy another obvious once-over. I wasn’t sure if it was him at first, but now the surprise is wearing off, I recognize those muscles in that royal blue polo shirt.

A wide grin spreads across his too-handsome face. “Ah, so she does see me. I was getting worried that I went invisible somehow.”

A flush warms my cheeks as I fight the smile trying to break free. “Does that happen to you a lot?”

He pushes off the bakery case and takes a step toward me. “Do gorgeous women ignore me? No. Not usually.”

I bite the inside of my cheek to stop the unexpected laugh. He’s too charming for his own good—I can already tell. “No, I mean, do you often go invisible? Are you the next Marvel neighborhood superhero hiding in plain sight and just waiting to fight crime?”

His eyes narrow for a moment, and it’s gone before I can put a name to the expression on his face. He moves toward me, leaving his coffee on the counter. He takes a moment to scan my face, and I find myself holding my breath without making a conscious decision to do so.

He nods, the movement small and slow. “Do you ever feel like you’re alone in a room full of people? Like you might as well be made of glass for how often people look through you—dismiss you?”

My breath catches and I feel a flash of raw intensity, like he just peeled back my layers effortlessly and saw inside. The only thing that stops me from either snapping on him or dismissing him altogether is the look in his gaze. The vulnerability and pain that’s so unexpected it takes me by surprise.

When I don’t answer, he leans back and grabs his coffee. “Yeah, me neither,” he says before taking a sip.

I feel like I’m on the precipice of something here—and I don’t know what it is, or what it means, but I know that I’m at a crossroads. I can feel it in my bones.

My horoscope today said to take chances and push myself outside of my comfort zone. What if—what if this is the chance I’m supposed to take? Two dark and broody men flash before my eyes, but I dismiss them. The likelihood of seeing either of them again anytime soon is so slim it’s laughable.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Jerry set my iced tea on the counter without a word and turn around to wash down the espresso machine. So I decide to seize the moment.

I leave my drink on the counter and walk the few steps that puts me just inside his space. He quirks a brow but doesn’t say anything. I thrust my hand out, my pink-tipped nails inches from his chest. “I’m Madison.”

A slow smile spreads across his face, and I’m hit with his dimples. I swear to god something inside me clenches at the sight. A man shouldn’t be so good-looking. It goes against the nature of things—and it makes perfectly reasonable girls do stupid things. I can only hope that won’t be the case for me.

Either way, I have a feeling this changes everything.

He clasps my hand in his much larger one, his palm warm and slightly callused. “I’m Leo.”

I half expect the door to burst open and small woodland animals to barge in, chirping like I’m in a live-action Disney movie or something. I swear I feel an electric current zip through my body from his touch. If he notices my weird reaction, he’s polite enough not to mention it.

“It’s nice to meet you, Leo.”

We’re still shaking hands, though it feels more like just holding hands by this point. Neither one of us pulls away, and I bite the inside of my cheek to hold in the cheesy grin that’s trying to break free.

“Believe me, Madison, the pleasure’s all mine.” A smile spreads across his face, flashing those dimples again. Jesus, those things are lethal. “You busy now? Got someplace to be?”

“I’m free now.” My words come out rushed and a little too eager. And I’m sure I’ll be reliving this embarrassment for the next two weeks, but for now, I don’t let it affect me.

“Perfect. Let’s sit down and enjoy our coffee together.”

We each snag our drinks off the counter, and with his hand still holding mine, he pulls me toward one of the small bistro-style tables at the front of the coffee shop. It’s nestled in the corner of the seating area, next to a small collection of watercolor art on the wall.

He pulls out my chair and waits for me to sit down before he steps around the table and sits down across from me.

“Aren’t you quite the gentleman?” I tease with a quirk of my brow.

He shrugs a shoulder and takes a sip of his coffee. “I have many hidden talents.”

The words are said casually enough, but there must be something in the air, because all I can think about is what other talents he has. And if I’ll get to experience them.

I sip my iced tea to give me something to do and to cool myself down a little bit.

---