Page 25 of Princess Bride Swap

She moved forward toward the row of windows in the living room that offered a spectacular view of the mountains. She all but pressed her nose to the glass. “My God. I didn’t think anything else could be more beautiful than that overlook, but you’re right. This is even better.”

There were no villages below. Only mountains and valleys, alpine lakes glittering like jewels in the sun. A stunning and breathtaking view. He’d always loved it. Always loved viewing it in privacy. He could not come out here as much as he liked now that he was crown prince. There was too much pressing work at the palace, but every time he came he felt...renewed.

But he’d never shared that with anyone. Always liked this as aprivateoasis. Where he could sort through whatever needed sorting in his mind. But he supposed privacy wasn’t something he had anymore. A wife. Children eventually. He would bring them all here and...

Something about the reality of Beau made all those plans he’d had...not change, exactly. Just flesh out. His children would be people, like Beau was a person. They would have their own wills and whims and irrational fears with some unknown combination of genes from him and Beau.

Beau with her hazel eyes and shy smile. Except it wasn’t shy right now. She turned to look at him and she was beaming. Beautiful. But he stayed where he was, by the entrance and out of reach, because he did not trust any of the unwieldy storms clattering around inside of him. The desire, not just to put his mouth on her. To see every inch of her. To touch, to take,finallytake. That he could deal with. Understandable and all that.

It was the desire to hold her just as he had at the overlook. And feel a strange peace he’d never known, never expected to exist. There was something about the way shebeamedat him that twined a darklustwith some kind of incomprehensible soft desire.

And he didn’t trust emotions that twisted. That couldn’t be worked out. He needed to set it aside until it could be carefully picked apart and put into a careful compartment of the appropriate reaction.

“We should eat something,” he said. Inanely.

Some of the joy on her face faded. He didn’t know why. And it didn’t matter, he told himself. He led her into the kitchen. He heard himself talk. About the sandwiches the staff would have left. About how tomorrow morning they would need to fend for themselves. About everything and anything that kept him from thinking about her.

“Tomorrow, we’ll go on a hike.” Bundled up. Physical exertion. Not alone in the same cabin.

“Sounds lovely.”

Silence settled around them again. An awkward, uncomfortable silence. Which was new for them. Everything up to now had been fairly easy. All the moments following him on the edge of making a mistake had included a step back. A reset.

But there was nowhere to go here. Which made this feel like a mistake. They should have stayed at the palace.

He had brought her here to get this over with. To have her away from prying eyes and whispers. To not have to worry about...himself.

But he was worried. He forced himself to eat. Ignored the heavy, oppressive silence. When they were both done, he cleared the table. Beau trailed after him. “I also know how to wash dishes. In theory.”

He smiled in spite of all these ugly things roiling around inside of him. She was such an interesting woman.

“Let’s put that theory to work.” He showed her the dishwasher. He instructed her to rinse dishes, then hand them to him so he could place them inside and he instructed her how to put them in properly so that she could handle this chore if she so chose.

But it put them close. Hip to hip as they worked. He could not pretend she wasn’t there. That she smelled like something faintly floral. Just the hint of something he’d need to lean closer to identify.

When she handed him the last dish, he placed it inside and closed the door. He turned to suggest they take an hour or so to read before having some dessert, but no words came out as they stood face-to-face. Close.

And all too well he could picture all that pale skin underneath her clothes. The way color rode high on her cheeks, and her eyes darkened with interest when he’d had very little on himself.

She raised her gaze to meet his. He should lay out how the rest of the night would go. He should set out rules.Thenthey could go to the bedroom.Thenhe could control himself well enough to get this over with in an appropriate, heir-making way.

But she leaned in. With a slight hesitation, she slid her hands up his chest. Locked her arms around his neck.

Why did she fit so well against him? Why did it unravel and dissolve every tenet of discipline that had always come easily to him?

Then she rose to her toes and pressed her mouth to his. Initiating a soft, sweet kiss.

It should be sweet. It should be easy. But it lit a fire inside of him that was none of those things. Because he had never had soft and sweet inside of him. He was made by his blood, and the blood was tainted. A line of royal men who’d never resisted an impulse in their lives.

Grandmother had tried to convince him that he could be stronger, better, but he knew.

What he wanted, what he desired, was just as bad as what had felled the men who’d come before. The only difference between them and him wascontrol.

Which had never once been threatened like this. When itshouldn’tbe called into question at all.

Whether she was his wife or not, she was innocent and sheltered. That should be enough to keep his desires on their usual simple leash. Instead he wanted to rip every scrap of clothing off of her, take her roughly, right here against the countertop.

Even as he told himself hewouldn’t, he drove the kiss deeper.

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