Page 51 of Some Like It Royal

After all, he’d only secured her time for the year.

Grimacing at that thought, he stared down at his pancakes moodily.

“Hey.” She nudged him with a foot along his leg. Whisker burns reddened the sides of her breasts and her cheeks. He really needed to shave before he touched her again. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he lied with a quick shake of his head. “Just—just business stuff.” He wanted to tear up the contract. Martin would kill him, but that was exactly what he needed to do. Tear it up and give her the shredded copy.

Then get down on one knee and ask her to stay for real. Not for money. Not for business.

But for him.

The thought cheered him somewhat and he dredged up a smile. “I’m going to shower and shave—” Her fingers stroking his cheek stilled the next words and he looked at her questioningly.

“I kind of like my sun gods scruffy.” The sultry words went straight to his cock and it gave a valiant attempt to firm up.

“Sun god, huh?”

“Oh yeah.” Her fingers rasped against the stubble. “Blond hair, blue eyes, bronze skin and a killer smile. Definitely a sun god.”

“Thank you. But the scruffy keeps marking your skin and I don’t want to hurt you.”In any way.

She leaned back against the pillows and nibbled her last slice of bacon. She was so unabashed in her nudity, one knee up, her breasts full and lush and utterly kissable. God, if he sat here much longer he’d forget about the shower and remind them both why he needed to shave.

Stacking the plates together, he set them on the table. “I’ll be right back.”

“I hate to see you go, but I love watching you walk away.” He could feel her gaze on him all the way across the room and he resisted the urge to puff out his chest. But when he paused in the bathroom door to look back at her, he couldn’t help but grin at her wolf whistle.

“You’re terrible,” he accused her, still smiling.

“You love it,” she teased, wrinkling her nose.

“Oh yeah.” He swept his gaze over her. “I do.”

Her little inhale sent another grin to his lips as he stepped into the bathroom. He met his gaze in the mirror and nodded. Everything would change when they went home. Shred the contract, talk her into staying and turn this charade into the real thing. Princess or not, deal or not—he wanted Alyx.

Fear punched him in the gut.

But does she want me?

* * *

ALYX

The bathroom door closed behind him and Alyx rocked up to hug her knees. Her heart beat triple time. She’d teased him about loving her, but the look in his eyes, the way he agreed and saidI do… Her insides knotted up.

She’d fallen for him, hook, line and glass slipper. But the Daniel she fell for wasn’t the one paying the bills or writing a check—it was the crazy man knocking on her car window. The sensitive guy who seemed truly troubled by the fact that she slept in her car. The thoughtful one who took her to Sacramento to search for her past. The crazy guy who made love to her in the backseat of a limo. The playful one who pinched her bottom and tickled her even as he made love to her.

It was the Daniel who stayed up all night to fix a software problem because it helped someone or shared ice cream and silly stories with her in his kitchen. It was the protective Daniel who stood up to Victor. And—God help her—the passionate one who kissed her until the rest of the world faded away.

But does he mean it? Or has he just fallen for the image we’ve been creating?

Self-doubt was a cold bed companion and it crawled across their passion-scented sheets to wrap its icy fingers around her spine. As much as she’d tried to not obsess over it, Rhonda’s words and doubt haunted her. She looked at the bathroom and listened to the sound of the water. Sliding forward, she started off the bed to join him—to ask him. She’d never been a coward and she wasn’t going to start acting like one now, but a buzzing interrupted her. His cell phone sat next to the bed and Martin’s name flashed on the caller ID.

Ignore it,she told herself, but hesitated. It could be important. Daniel had kept his phone off for most of their sojourn at Big Bear. They’d actually been followed part of the way by photographers—a first and totally unwelcome experience—but once on the resort property, they were safe behind security gates.

On the fourth buzzing vibration, she scooped up the phone. “Hello, Martin. He’s in the shower. Is it important?”

“Well, Princess, it’s definitely fantastic news, but I can tell you and you can tell him. How’s that sound?” Martin didn’t sound like the tough, cynical lawyer she’d first spoken to. His guarded tone was gone, replaced by one that was almost giddy.

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