Page 15 of Snowbound Princess

Chapter 6

Kay woke up in a much more adult mindset and begged Bastian to make his eggnog for breakfast. He had argued it was too early in the day to start drinking, but somehow, he gave in to her pleas. Lounging on the couch, she sipped her drink, and sighed. "You should consider making vats of this stuff and selling it."

"I don't know about all that."

"No one was supposed to read my letter you know?" She dragged the topic back to what had been on her mind since Bastian had penned a reply. He had done so much for her, but she didn't think she had anything to offer in return. It would be easier on both of them if she got everything off her chest and they returned to normalcy. A life where Sebastian Cruise wasn't around to keep her in line. The thought caused her lower lip to tremble, but she pressed on. "I certainly didn't expect you of all people to see it."

"Why me of all people?"

"I've been so down on myself lately. I figured you would be way too busy with your own life to help me out."

"Don't be down on yourself, Kay. Let me be the one to go down on you."

"You!" She smacked his upper arm. "I'm not a five-star meal for you to feast on."

"No, definitely not. I don't have enough stars to award to you." He winked. "I want to help you. Let me worry about the how, okay?"

"You don't understand what you're getting into. Can you imagine how hard it is to face the world when you've been the subject of every man's fantasy in a five-hundred-mile radius?"

"I do. I was on a billboard in Manhattan once, so I understand your concern. It is rather annoying to be the star in every man's fantasy."

"Bastian!" She smacked his arm again. "I'm really being serious."

"Listen, Kay. Most people are so caught up in their own lives, they probably wouldn’t notice if you walked down the street naked as a jaybird. I would notice you even if I were blind, but other people are too busy. I think you're perceiving their looks as judgment."

"The lady in the boutique last week called me a hussy."

"What were you wearing?"

"Excuse me?"

"Do you remember the outfit you wore that day?"

Kayleigh bit down on her lip. Fuck. Bastian had the magical ability to shake up her memories and get her to dig deeper into the events surrounding them. "Yes. I had on black jeans, short black fuzzy boots and a cute red top."

"Go get the top."

She raised an eyebrow, but she placated him by rising to her feet. "Whatever." One swat landed across her ass, and she hissed. Hadn’t he punished her bottom enough since he'd shown up? Kayleigh huffed but went off to do as requested. She brought the shirt out and handed it to him.

"I’m surprised you wore this shirt to work." Bastian cocked an eyebrow. "Check out the deep V-neck. With your incredible assets, I'd bet this shirt was inappropriate for a retail environment."

"You mean the woman called me a bad name because of my outfit?" She sank down onto the couch. "What an idiot I am."

"No, Kay. You’re not an idiot, but you are lacking customer service skills. Think about it for a minute. You started modeling when you were in high school. Most girls around here suffered through the horrors of being a waitress or ringing up hungry people at fast-food restaurants. Yes, this woman could have kept her opinion to herself, but I don't think it had anything to do with your photos. Does that make sense?"

"Where the hell was your logic right before I smashed a perfume bottle on the floor?"

"You could have called me." He trailed his hand down her cheek. "Lately you've isolated yourself. Am I right? I think you're so worried about people judging you, that you haven't given anyone the chance to help you out of your situation."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right but I'm ashamed of those pictures. I don't ever want to think about them again. I'll never regain the popularity I once had, and even if I could, it wouldn't be for the right reasons."

"You shouldn't be ashamed of them. You are absolutely gorgeous, and your photos were amazing. They captured something, Kay."

"I don't want to hear it. I'm done modeling."

"What if you change the path slightly? There's a high demand for the kinkier style you showcased. My buddy Brian is a fetish photographer. I was actually headed to his house for a party before the storm kicked up. His top model just went on maternity leave for lack of a better word. She's about to have a baby, so it's anyone's guess if she'll return to kink photography."

"I didn't even know that was a thing." She rolled her eyes. "I couldn't model for him."

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