Page 30 of Fallen Prince

I turned my grateful smile on him. As soon as my eyes met his stunning blue gaze, my cheeks flushed with a rush of heat. He was so brilliantly beautiful that I could barely look him in the eye. How was I going to stand here and make small talk for another fifteen minutes?

“Thanks,” I managed to murmur, resisting the almost overwhelming urge to drop my gaze in shyness. “You went to Harvard?”

He shrugged, as though his prestigious degree meant little to him. “Yes, I just graduated. I’m thinking about getting my MBA next year, though. Maybe I’ll apply at NYU.” His grin hit me square in the chest.

“Don’t joke, Nikolai,” his father scolded, his voice heavy with disapproval. “You’re working for the family business now. No need to waste another year on your education.”

Nikolai’s smile twitched ever so slightly, faltering. With annoyance? He’d clearly been needling his father with the NYU comment, but he didn’t seem to like being censured in public.

I didn’t blame him. I’d want to sink into thefloor if my dad rebuked me in front of people I barely knew.

“Excuse me,” a new, masculine voice cut into our conversation. “Could I get a photo, please?”

Oh, no.Now so wasn’t a good time for a photo op. I was way too off balance for this moment to be permanently captured and potentially posted on the internet.

Nikolai cocked his head at me, those glimmering eyes quickly studying every nuance of my expression. The intense attention was riveting, and I stared up at him in stunned silence for a second, utterly entranced.

The heavy click of a camera jolted through my body like a firecracker, and I jumped slightly. A warm hand brushed my elbow, steadying me. The camera clicked again as I looked up at Nikolai in surprise at the casual touch. Heat sank into my skin where we made the lightest contact, and warmth flooded my stomach when I found myself locked in the glow of his heart-stopping smile. He was close enough for me to smell his cologne: something expensive that was an intoxicating combination of spice and tobacco and man.

I’d been on a total of five dates with boys before, and I’d been close enough to kiss two of them. ButNikolai wasn’t a boy; he was an imposing man. No one had ever affected me this strongly, and he was barely touching me.

A memory of Max’s big hands engulfing my calves burst across my mind, and I felt the phantom heat of his massive body as he leaned in close.

You don’t have to be afraid of me, Bambi. I’m sorry if I scared you.

A small shiver ran through me. The camera clicked again, snapping me fully back to the present.

Nikolai was still watching me with that almost predatory focus, his eyes tracing the pebbled skin at my collarbones. “That’s enough,” he told the journalist, never taking his eyes off me.

I was peripherally aware that the photographer left, but I couldn’t tear my gaze from his. He was magnetic, and his intense attention captivated me completely. I’d never experienced anything like it. It was unnerving, but it set off all my feminine gratification signals. The warmth that bloomed in my chest was heady, a pleasant sensation I’d never felt before.

“Hey, Allie.” Isabel’s melodic voice wrapped around me, tugging my attention away from him. “We’re missing you over by the chocolate fountain.”

I turned to her, grateful for the lifeline. Myprotective friend must’ve noticed my discomfiture and come to my rescue.

“There’s a chocolate fountain?” My voice squeaked slightly, increasing the burning heat in my cheeks. I was probably red all the way to my ears by now. No amount of makeup in the world could conceal a flush this intense. Damn my pale complexion.

She wrapped my hand in hers, lacing our fingers together. Isabel really was better than any big sister I ever could’ve asked for. I returned her gentle squeeze, a silentthank you.

“Will you excuse us, Mr. Fitzgerald?” she asked, all charm and grace. “Allie needs sustenance.”

My dad laughed, a rich, warm sound. He’d always liked Isabel. I was pretty sure he approved of her protectiveness. “I’m not sure if chocolate counts as sustenance.”

“There are strawberries,” Isabel countered. “Totally healthy.”

“Totally,” he agreed, chuckling. “Go on.” He waved toward the fountain, giving me an out. “Have fun, sweetheart.”

Isabel tugged on my hand, leading me away from the anxiety-inducing conversation and the mind-scrambling, handsome man who’d cracked my composed mask.

“Oh my god, he’s so hot,” Isabel said in an undertone as she led me away. “Are you sure you want to be rescued? You seemed shaken, but OMG. That man is sex on a stick.”

My giggle was slightly manic. “He’s way too hot for me. I could barely look at him! Thanks for coming to get me. I think his dad wanted to set us up. It was really uncomfortable.”

Isabel stopped in her tracks. “Wait, wait. You actually have an opportunity to date that man candy? We’re going back.”

I dug in my heels. “No!” I hissed. “He’s too beautiful. I couldn’t handle it.”

I could still feel the phantom heat of his hand on my arm. And for some reason, I sensed the lingering caress of Max’s touch on my legs.

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