Page 10 of Undecided Heiress

“I thought we’d already established there are very few romance novel options in the libraries here,” I chuckle.

She opens her mouth to reply but there’s a knock at the door. “Prince James? Are you in there?”

“Yes, what is it?” I growl.

“Your brother’s wedding is set to begin within the hour.”

“Oh, thank fuck,” I sigh in relief, and at the same time Anna asks, “Your brother?” I call back to the woman, “We’ll be there in a few moments.”

“What have you done?” Anna snaps with the same fire I’ve become accustomed to from our first meeting here.

“What needed to be done, my dearest Anna. What needed to be done.”

Anna

James rushes to the door and whispers something to the man on the other side. When he returns to me, his wide grin gives him away before he speaks. “No need for us to get married,. After all, at least not today. Eliza is no longer on the market.”

“You never answered me. What did you do?”

“When you left, I recalled the only reason ‘James’ wanted to get married in the story was to ensure his brother didn’t become King.” He rubs the back of his neck. “So, I’m letting him.”

“James,” I shriek, “you’re ruining the book!”

He prowls up the bed, bracing a hand on either side of me above my head. “I’d ruin fifty if it meant that in the end, I get the coveted happily ever after with you.” I scramble to get away, and he lets me. “Do you trust me?”

“No,” I laugh, pulling the skirt of my dress down.

His brows furrow. “Why not?”

“You literally just told me that you’d ruin the author's work to be with me. While I appreciate the book boyfriend energy, this isn’t a dark romance, James. It’s a cosy Regency drama where they fall in love after pretending to be together in a fake relationship.”

“Then, pretend to be with me. If that’s what it takes to get us out of this nightmare, I’ll take it.”

There are only a few ways I typically wake from a dream—falling or an obnoxious alarm clock. I’d jump out a window, but I’d risk the story changing even further. James claims he set an alarm back in our present-day reality, but I have little faith I’ll wake on my own if something is amiss back home. We’ll need to see this through until the end.

“Prince James,” the voice from the other side of the door calls. “We must hurry if you want to attend the wedding.”

James pushes off the bed and adjusts his attire, and while he looks dashing, I prefer him in modern clothing. I’m beginning to have real feelings for him, so the sooner we get out of here, the better. Jen will never allow me to live this down if I ever tell her that he convinced me to go through with this ridiculous plan of ours—of mine.

“We should go,” he says with a defeated sigh.

“I’m hardly dressed for a wedding.” I gesture to my ripped gown.

A small smirk tugs at his lips. “I’d still proudly have you on my arm.”

It’s the moment you sense coming on in books—the ‘fuck it’ moment—where the hero or heroine gives in to everything and risks it all. It’s right there, in the air, practically crackling between us. He takes another step back, the moment moving further from reach.

“I can’t be seen like this! I look as if I’ve been fucked senseless.”

His eyebrows raise slightly as he bites his lip. “That can be arranged.”

I make my way off the bed and to the vanity to fix my appearance. Smoothing out my dress and replacing pins in my hair, James comes up from behind. As he snakes his hand around my waist, he splays his fingers on my stomach, pulling me to him. Quickly turning in his arms, I wrap mine around his neck and pull him closer to me until our lips are a breath away.

I’m about to enjoy my quick ‘fuck it’ moment when there’s a rapping of knuckles on the door. James rests his forehead on mine. “It’s for you to decide, Anna. Stay here with me, or stop the wedding.”

“What happened to the whole ‘you’re mine’ bit?” It’s ridiculous of me to ask, but I can’t help myself.

“Do you honestly think I’ll give you up when this is over? I don’t care about the outcome of the book. In the end, all I want is you.” His words sear me worse than fire, making my heart stop.

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