Page 40 of Some Like It Royal

“I didn’t have a date.”

“Because high school boys are stupid.” He didn’t miss a beat and she couldn’t help but laugh.

“Well, maybe, but in their defense, I was the new girl. It’s hard to be the new girl at the big blowout to celebrate the end of your high school career.” Once upon a time that hurt, but she’d moved past it. “I went to the prom, I bought a dress, I got shoes, I dressed up and I danced. I danced with girls, I danced with guys, I danced by myself. I got my picture taken.”

“And this?” He nodded to the swaying lanterns casting their muted romantic glows and the luxuriously attired couples dancing around them. “It reminds you of prom?”

“Oh no. It’s about a thousand times better than prom.” She grinned. “Not only do I have a dress and shoes—” she leaned in conspiratorially, “—I have the best-looking date here and he gave me a corsage.”

“Lucky, lucky man.” He matched her smile and tugged her closer, fisting her joined hands against his chest. His mouth slanted over hers and she was lost in the gentle massage of his tongue seeking entrance, the pounding of his heart and the feel of his palm gliding across her lower back, just skimming the curve of her hip.

The telltale whir of a camera and the eye-blinding flash pulled them out of their haze and she blinked slowly. Daniel gave the man a mild look of irritation, but the photographer ignored them, moving on to take another picture.

“You want to get out of here?” he murmured.

Her heart squeezed. “Yes…but I’d like to dance one more song.”

“Whatever you want.”

* * *

Daniel

An hour later,they wandered through the vineyard back toward the house they were staying in. His hosts had waved them off when they paused at their table to give their excuses. He slipped off his suit jacket and draped it around her shoulders when a chilly breeze swept through the grapes.

“Thank you for bringing me to this one.” The moonlight emphasized the graceful column of her neck when she glanced up at him.

“It was an excellent choice.”

“And you do business with none of those people.” She danced ahead of him, stretching his arm out as she twirled and faced him, walking backward. “They’re fashion designers, wine-makers, directors, movie producers and celebrities.”

He laughed softly and shook his head. “No, I don’t do business with any of them. It’s rather remarkable that we were invited, wasn’t it?” Victor’d pointed out that this invitation was the first of many, a tacit acknowledgment of Alyx’s status and something they should take advantage of. If she hadn’t gotten excited about the location, he wouldn’t have cared one way or the other.

Better to not examine his motivations with regard to that.

“Thank you.” She waggled her brows playfully. “It’s beautiful here and I had a lot of fun.”

“Me too.” Strangely enough, he really had enjoyed it. From the wine tour they took the first day to the tasting they’d attended the night before, to this morning’s tennis doubles with their hosts and a handful of other guests. Alyx never failed to surprise him, least of all with her ability to hit the ball on the courts.

He hadn’t realized she knew how to play tennis.

“Good.” At the edge of the vineyard, they crossed over onto a well-manicured lawn with decadently thick grass. The lack of rain in the region hadn’t stopped their hosts from using judicious irrigation to keep the area green and beautiful. Alyx paused to slip off her shoes, bracing one hand on his arm for support.

Wiggling her toes in the grass she grinned. “Okay, they didn’t hurt earlier, but my pinkie toes are not happy with me.”

The absolute lack of guile and artlessness she delivered with the line was just one of the many reasons he enjoyed her.I adore her. She’s wonderful.The thought crept out to ambush him. But he couldn’t dispute the validity of the sentiment.

She paused on the steps and glanced at him. “Daniel?”

“Hmm?” He tucked the emotions away for examination later.

“You okay?” Concern edged around her quiet joy.

“Great. I was just thinking we’re going to have a hard time secreting our ice cream upstairs.” It was the first thought that crossed his mind and when her eyes lit up, he was glad for it. “Tell you what. Head up and get changed. I’ll see what I can do.”

“Okay.” She skipped ahead of him and he blew out a long breath. It was hard to take his gaze off her. Shaking off the stupor, he diverted from the stairs to head into the kitchen. The cook took almost no bribing to prepare the hot fudge sundaes with nuts. He carried both up the stairs along with a carafe of hot coffee and two mugs.

Their shared guest room was empty, but a light shone under the en suite bathroom door. “I’m almost done,” she called.

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