Page 39 of A Girl and HER Prince
“I—” She was temporarily out of words.
He drank in the myriad of emotions passing through her face under the full moon—some guilt, some appreciation, though mostly a softening in her eyes as she turned to him, the moonlight brightening a pale cheek.
“As always you’re inventive, Venice. Thank you.”
The smile she directed at him made him feel like a million dollars. He stilled, wanting to kiss her so badly… Was it too early? There was still the matter of Deedee ready to ambush him at any second.
Livvy looked ahead. “Where do you think they went?”
Yeah, it’s too early—what are you thinking?And there was no way they were finding their friends out here, either. That became abundantly clear with the amount of foliage at the top of the hill, but Venice kept his reservations to himself with a shrug. For now, they had this place to themselves. It was more than he could hope for. “So when are we having that rematch, Luvvy?”
She shouted out in feigned exasperation, “Soon, Aeneas.” He softened at how easily his real name came to her. She giggled. “Sheesh.”
That wasn’t enough for him. He wanted more. “When…?”
She broke from his grip and faced him. “I’d say now, but I need you to keep me warm instead.”
That was it… he was kissing her!
He gripped her arms. She stilled. Her breath hitched as she stared up at him. His heart pounded, urging him to make her lips his. Does she want this?He reeled her closer.Only one way to know.
Her hands traveled up his shoulders. That was a good sign—Livvy had to want him as much as he did her, even if it was absolutely against her better judgment. He wasn’t the wise choice. She was smart. He was unworthy. She was softening.
No longer fearing her wrath, he invaded her space, breathing her air, exploring this explosion of sparks between them as he came closer like a reckless thief. Her hold on him seemed almost second nature after their dancing, and yet it also felt worlds different. Her fingers pressing into his neck electrified him all over, waking him up when he hadn’t realized how much of a daze he’d been in, and now all this new sizzling energy focused on her.
He studied the freckle against her cheek, the crease of a smile against her mouth, the fringe of her lashes. His stomach jolted when he watched them flutter then shut.
That was all he needed to close this hateful distance between them. His soul called out in relief as his lips found her deliciously soft ones. He felt them move under his in a sigh that melted the rest of his jaded heart.
Yeah, she likes me.But how to convince her that he was good to keep around for the long run?
And why his sudden change? Only yesterday, he was thinking of having his fun before he was forced to return home to his doom, butshe—she wasn’t just fun, was she?
No, to think of the angelic Livvy in such a way was sacrilege to the God who made her.
His fingers slid past her long neck as he tried to figure out a way to keep touching the smoothness of her skin for as long as she’d let him. He’d need to tread carefully or face the wrath of the heavens… if not from her best friend. He was flirting with danger, and how could he think of consequences with these depths of emotion heating his blood?
The nectar of her goodness, he tasted in those sweet lips, her rosy cheeks, her tender ear.
Her earring knocked against his face. He swept her curls back, along with those dangling sapphires to drink in the wonder that touched her expression before he went back to kissing her again.
Her hands loosened over his shoulders. “Venice!”
“Lavinia,” he whispered in return. She was his breath, his life, his Aphrodite.
A reluctant moan escaped her as she eased away, though she clung to him still. “We—” She took a minute to catch her breath enough to finish that sentence. “We—we’re supposed to be friends.”
“Definitely.” His fingers tightened over her before she got any crazy ideas of holding him to that hasty promise. Earlier, he would’ve agreed to go to the moon and back just to keep her with him forever. And now? It wasn’t enough. How did he think to ever live without her?
What am I getting myself into? Deedee will have my head.
The same doubts must be assailing her because her lips curved up in a shy smile. “Is that how you treat all your friends?”
He played with the earring that his jaw had found seconds before. “Not at all, Luvvy.”
“Aeneas!” His name was a lecture, and yet, leaving her tongue still sounded like it was the beginning of a sonnet.
“Hear me out,” he said.
