Page 22 of His Runaway Princess

“Go ahead. I will, too.”

It didn’t take long to change into a pair of comfortable pajama pants and a soft t-shirt. Amalia took a scoop of the gelato and put it on one of the smaller plates then moved a cake next to it. Ryker left a couple of the low lights on and turned off the larger, harsher one then did the same.

The atmosphere in the cabin had turned almost romantic with the change in lighting.

“What if we turned on another movie?” she asked as she sat criss-cross near the end of the bed by the table.

Ryker grabbed the remote and turned on the telly, finding the HEA TV app before settling in with his own plate of dessert.

Amalia used her spoon to cut into the cake and watched as the chocolate oozed out and mixed with the gelato. Getting some of all three parts of the dessert on her spoon, she closed her eyes as she tasted it. “This is amazing,” she murmured as she went back for more.

Next to her, Ryker chuckled. “It looks like it.” He pressed another button on the remote. “Any preference on the movie?”

She shook her head. “Something that doesn’t sound horrible, I guess.” A thought occurred to her. “Do we have the MyBingeFlix app? ThatMarsshow is supposed to be really good, but I haven’t watched it yet.”

Ryker maneuvered the on-screen menu until the title card forManagement on Marsappeared.

The first episode started a moment later. Ryker pointed his spoon at the screen. “I’ve met Eli a couple of times. He’s a good guy.”

“Really?”

“His wife is from a small town in the States. I’ve been there a couple of times and met him in passing.” He took a bigger bite of his dessert than she had.

Amalia thought about it as she scooped up some more. “I think I know someone from that area, actually.” Didn’t his wife live in Trumanville? That’s where her long-lost half-sister, Ginny, had been raised.

She and Ginny had never really had any in-depth conversations, so she had no idea if her sister knew the celebrity or not.

Though already quite funny, the first couple of episodes of the program clearly showed the cast and everyone else trying to find their footing. By the time the second episode ended, Amalia felt like she’d eaten her weight in dessert. Three of the cakes, with the corresponding amounts of gelato, were more than she’d eaten in one sitting in her life.

Amalia flopped backward onto the bed and groaned as the credits rolled before going to the next episode.

“Are you all right?”

She groaned again. “Just ate too much. I should have stopped sooner, but it was so good.”

He chuckled. “I understand. I probably shouldn’t have eaten quite as much as I did either.” Ryker cleaned up the dessert trays and moved the table back to the original spot.

While he did, Amalia tried to convince herself to move back against the headboard but couldn’t make herself do it.

“Need help?” The barely-concealed mirth in Ryker’s voice made her smile.

She looked over to see his outstretched hand. Reaching out she grasped it, and tried to pull herself up.

But instead...

Instead, somehow, she pulled him down.

Ryker landed half on top of her and looked down at her much as he had the night they danced.

Like he wanted to kiss her.

8

Against his better judgment, Ryker dipped his head farther and gently kissed her.

Her lips clung to his as they both froze.

But then her hand grasped the side of his shirt, and the kiss took on a life of its own.

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