Page 26 of Last Minute

My throat has gone dry, and I’ve forgotten how to speak English. “Tu es beau.”

I clear my throat and try again. “Du bist siehst gut aus.”

Erik laughs. “Danke schön.”

I smile wide, realizing I just spoke in the two languages that Erik also speaks. “You look really good,” I finally say in English.

Erik’s smile is wide and beautiful. “I got that the first two times you said it.”

I can feel the blush coloring my cheeks, but I won’t take back what I said. Erik looks good. I’ve seen hundreds of men in hundreds of tuxes. Royal men in royal regalia. Nobility as far as the eye can see. But none of them hold a candle to how good Erik looks standing in front of me.

“Have you found anything yet?” he asks, eyeing the pile of dresses.

“A few. I should probably try some on before I pull any more off the racks.” I bend down to gather the yards of fabric, but Erik is quicker and scoops them up with ease. I follow him to the changing area he exited a few minutes ago. He helps me hang them up in one of the stalls before stepping out.

“I’m going to change out of this and wait for you out here.” Erik gestures to one of the couches near the mirrored area.

I pin him with a glare. “Don’t you dare pay for it while I’m changing. This is on me.”

Erik shrugs.

“I’m serious, Erik! You didn’t even want to go in the first place, so you shouldn’t have to buy your tux.” I put my hands on my hips and take a step toward him. I lower my voice, so as not to be heard by any lurking boutique employees. “Do I need to pull the princess card on you?”

Erik leans down and I hold my breath as he glances at my lips. Would I die a little bit if he decided to kiss me right now? In the middle of a bridal boutique while looking like the most handsome man I’ve ever seen in my life?

Yes.

But Erik doesn’t kiss me.

“You better change fast, then.”

When he steps away and turns toward his own changing room, I let out my held breath and hurry back to my stack of dresses.

CHAPTER 18

Erik

I almost kissed Ellie.

I don’t know what possessed me to even dare to get that close, but I’m glad getting out of this tux gave me an excuse to walk away. Because if I had stood there much longer, I probably would have.

I would give anything for Ellie to look at me like that again.

I like her. It’s hard to ignore the stunning shade of her hair in the sunlight or the way her eyes sparkle as she talks to the incandescent beauty of her smiles. She’s incredibly attractive, but I’m not the one for her. For a bevy of reasons.

The first and foremost is that I’m her EPA. I can’t be going around, kissing my client. I should be protecting her, not getting distracted by her. The next and most obvious is that she lives in a palace in a small European country, while I live in a small apartment outside of Arlington, Virginia. There’s long distance, and then there’s long distance.

And the cherry on top? Ellie isn’t looking for a guy like me. She deserves some high class, educated, suave prince or lord or duke. Someone from the historical romance novel I keep in my jump bag. But unlike my book, a class difference like that…doesn’t work.

Just the thought makes jealousy flare in my chest, even though I have no right to the emotion.

I shake my head and hurry to change out of the tux. I need to get to the counter before Ellie makes it out of the changing room.

When I first open the door, it looks like I’m in the clear, but two steps into the central area between the changing rooms, Ellie’s door cracks open, and I stop.

The person who steps out of that dressing room is not the same cute and spunky Ellie I’ve been driving around for days.

That woman is all Princess. Capital P. Her Royal Highness Princess Eloise Genevieve Wilhelmina Haynes of Brysard.

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