Page 40 of Beauty Sleep

Prince loops an arm around my waist, holding me up like it’s second nature.

Thisis the man who took my innocence and my heart and gave me my future. No matter how much I squirm to tell him that I’m not falling and it’s a deliberate maneuver… he can’t even think of letting me go, just in case.

I clutch his shirt tightly in both hands instead, staring into those beautiful stormy eyes.

“I’m sorry, Prince. I swear I won’t do that to you ever again.” My throat is tight, and tears are leaking down my nose again. “I’m done trying to sleepwalk through life. I promise. If you want me…” I draw a deep, shaky breath. “I want you. God, do I ever want you.”

Prince leans in, and even though I pucker up, he’s not aiming for my lips. He kisses my nose, my forehead, both cheeks, my eyes… all over my face, until my tears slow down.

He thinks I can’t see the tears in his eyes that way… but I can. When he finally leans down into me, resting his forehead on my shoulder, I grab my chance to hold him tight.

“Oh, Beauty. I’ve been waiting a lifetime to hear someone say that.”

“I know,” I whisper as his hands come to rest gently on my back, and mine on his. We’re swaying gently again, ignoring the beat thrumming through our chests, and the crowd, and everything besides each other.

At last, I mumble, “It’s Briar.”

“Briar.” Prince smiles slowly. “My beautiful Briar. I’m Prince. But I guess you know that now…”

I can’t help cracking a grin. “Yeah. I think I saw your face somewhere. A wanted poster, maybe?”

“Funny,” Prince snorts dryly.

I giggle, and at last I can’t hold back the ear-to-ear grin. “Prince,” I repeat, just like he did. “MyPrince.”

“Always,” Prince swears, and then he pulls away from me to take both of my hands. “I’m free to go home.” Then a mischievous sparkle appears in his eye. “Or the darkroom is right that way… or we can do it against this wall, if you’re not too shy…”

“Shutup,” I snort with laughter. “I thought?—”

“Oh, I know what you thought, Beauty.” Prince chuckles. “You havefartoo many dirty thoughts for a face as pretty as yours.”

He’s still grinning wickedly as I drop one of his hands and spin around to march for the entrance of this room. I don’t remember where I’m going, but I know where I want to go: home.

“Too much time in the dark for you lately?” Prince asks, taking over leading the way before I can even ask.

“Yeah,” I admit, glancing up at him. “I want to meet you in the light.” Then I blush. “You can surprise me in the dark for round two, later. At home.”

“Perfect.”

Prince pulls me against him right in the middle of the doorway and kisses me so deeply that he almost bends me in two. I’m dimly aware of the whoops and hollers and cheers from nearby—and I can’t stop blushing as I let go of everything.

At last, I sink into Prince’s arms, and he catches me. He sweeps me clean off my feet, and even if I squeak with surprise, I trust him to know what I need. In yielding to him, I’m showingPrince—telling everyone, too, even without saying a word—what I need and want.

I want him. I need him to be the beast, the prince,andthe fairy for me.

And I’m going to be his Beauty. I’m going to tell him every day that I want him. And I’m going to mend his heart until he forgets how to be wicked at all… except in the middle of the night, when I need it the most.

“Your castle or mine?” I ask him playfully.

He grins down at me. “You’ve shown me yours. I’d like you to see mine. It’s on the second floor, so there’s no climbing into windows. And definitely no climbing out of windows.”

“We don’t need windows anymore,” I whisper. “Take me there, Prince.”

I wrap my arms around Prince’s shoulders, and he carries me outside into the warm, rainy night.

Chapter

Fifteen

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