Page 62 of A Valiant Prince

“I suppose it can wait till later. It does look pretty bad out there,” she says with a frown.

I squeeze her arm. “It’s fine. Worst case we can go get your computer tomorrow,” I say to her just as the lights flicker back on.

“Fine,” she agrees. Pete gives me a look of gratitude.

“Let’s head up. I’m exhausted. I could use a nap,” I say to Anna.

We make our way up to our room.

Anna flops down on the bed. “I don’t even think I have the energy to shower,” she says as she pulls the scrubs off and tosses them on the ground. She lies on the bed naked, and I have to look away because a naked Anna is just too damned tempting.

I hear her pull the covers up as I remove my scrubs, climbing into bed naked beside her. She turns off the side table lamp and curls up against me. She feels amazing in my arms, our skin touching.

“I think I’m instituting a new rule,” I say to her as she lays her head on my chest and starts to trace small circles on it.

“What’s that?” she asks.

“No clothes at bedtime ever again,” I say, using my best authoritative voice.

She laughs. “Oh, OK,” she says, her voice laced with sarcasm.

I poke her. “I’m serious,” I say to her. She turns in my arms and looks up at me.

“What if it’s cold?” she asks.

I grin at her. “I think I can find a way to keep you warm,” I respond as I run a hand down her side. I can feel the chill bumps break out across her skin.

She shakes her head slightly. “We can’t have sex every time I’m cold,” she says.

“Why not?” I ask.

She rolls her eyes again. “Men,” she huffs and snuggles back against me. I grin even though she can’t see it. I love teasing her. I take a breath and her scent fills my nostrils. Damn it, I love breathing her in, tasting her, touching her, talking to her. I love her. The realization of how far down the rabbit hole I am hits me in my gut. I must tense because Anna looks back up at me.

“What’s wrong?” she asks.

I shake my head. “Nothing. Just tired,” I say because I’m too chicken shit to tell her I love her.

“If you say so,” she says with a yawn.

We lie in silence, listening to the rain pelt the windows and roof until we both fall asleep.

Chapter Twenty-Two

The storm doesn’t let up until dinnertime.

“I’ll take you over to the cottage after dinner,” Jack says to Anna when we meander downstairs in search of food after spending most of the day in bed. I grin to myself because Anna woke me in the best possible way.

“Get that shit-eating, post-coitus smirk off your face,” Auggie says, throwing a chip at me.

I laugh. “Damn, that’s harsh,” I say, placing a hand over my heart.

Auggie tosses me a beer from the fridge.

“Fancy a game of billiards later?” he asks me.

“Sure,” I say as I pull out items from the fridge to make sandwiches. Everyone heads downstairs at some point over the next hour as people eat and graze off the snacks set out by Jack. He’s a good host but disappears often to go to his study where I can hear him making phone calls.

“You want to go get your computer?” Jack asks Anna as Auggie racks up the balls on the billiard table.

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