Page 26 of A Girl and HER Prince
“Watch this.” He flipped off his sandals and stepped into the Jacuzzi, wading to his knees. The warmth soaked into his skin, a preview of how it would feel to really hold her. He already had an inkling of how fantastic that would feel every time he got lost in her eyes; it was the same relief that filled him when soaking his weary body in these soothing waters after a long day.
And he was getting ahead of himself.
First to teach her a lesson.
He knocked his elbow against the tiny basketball hoop he’d set up against the sparkling edge of his Jacuzzi. It shot up through the water. Its ringing springs echoed her surprise at seeing it. “What do you say to a game?” he asked.
She stilled and he knew she was torn. This sumptuous dinner and romantic evening alone were meant for him and Deedee—he’d bet his inheritance on it, though in Deedee’s company, nothing would’ve gone as far as it was going now.
He wasn’t sure what was keeping Deedee from showing up like a screeching harridan, but he’d uncover Lavinia’s role in this soon enough—he was looking forward to it. “You can’t say you’ve suddenly turned chicken, Luvvy? After all your brave deeds?”
“Chicken?” she sputtered. “Luvvy?” She held up her finger at that. “Brave?” Clearly, she wasn’t sure which offense to address first. “I’ll play on one condition,Aeneas… you call me Livvy!”
Once again the sound of his real name melting from those sweet lips felt like honey to his ears.
“We’ll see about that!” Venice snatched at the basketball floating on the water and shot it into the hoop. “If I get the first three shots, then I get to call you Luvvy andanythingelse I want.” Angel. Maiden sacrifice. His? He shot her a cocky grin. “And if you get in one… Livvy, it is.”
“Three!” she argued. “You’renotgiving me a break!”
That forced a surprised chuckle from his lips. Shedidhave brothers. “You’re on.”
She dumped her flimsy wrap unceremoniously against her chair and flew forward to meet his challenge head on, completely unaware of what she was doing to his pulse with those long legs of hers as she marched down the steps of the Jacuzzi, making his every dream come true as she joined him in the water. Her high cheekbones were flushed with delicious excitement at the competition ahead.
He couldn’t rip his eyes off of her. Gulping, he handed her the basketball. “Ladies first.”
She accepted it with one hand and passed it to the other, only to push the ball into the hoop behind her in one smooth movement.
Good thing she’d fought him on how to score this thing.
He burst into laughter, and held his hand out for the ball. Giggling with pure mischief, she took two steps back to retrieve the ball and handed it to him. He tossed it over her head to get a basket for himself.
She huffed—her previous triumph switching to dismay. Her hands tightened into fists against her hips. He tried not to get distracted. “I see I’m going to have to start playing dirty,” she muttered.
He could hardly wait to see what that meant. He handed her the ball. This time he was ready for her. He blocked her hand when she tried to make another basket and she folded over the ball to stop him from taking it. Short of treating her to a tickle torture, he wasn’t getting this ball from her. His arms went around her anyway, and he lifted her out of the water. “That’s holding!” she shouted.
It sure was!
She wriggled around to face him, her arms wrapping around his neck and sending his heart into his throat. But she wasn’t through with him. He listened to the ball go into the hoop behind him.
Clever little jade!
He lowered her back into the water while she shrieked out in triumph and danced around. It was all he could do not to surprise her with a victory kiss.
Livvy retrieved the ball and shoved it into his stomach, meeting his eyes with her sparkling ones. “Do your worst,” she said.
If he wasn’t careful, she’d turn his brain into mush with that kind of talk. He clasped the ball, and pulling it out of the water, he held the dripping object over her head.
She jumped, but there was no way she’d ever reach it.
Her hands went to his shoulders next, and using him as an anchor, she went for the ball again. “Wait, isn’t that holding?” he asked her.
She shouted out her defense, “You did it first, cheater!” She’d lost all sense of boundaries with him. Gone was the shy angel destined for the volcano and in her place was the fierce tigress, desperate to win at all costs. He knew he’d pull her baser nature out of her. She was using every handhold to get at that ball—his arm, his knee, his head.
And he still kept the ball out of her reach. “Cheater? What do you mean?” He dunked the ball into the hoop behind her back, sending her into cries of objection.
“Oh, just you wait!” she called out.
He was ready for her this time. He’d be calling her “Luvvy,” “lovely,” “love” before the night was through. He scooped the ball out of the water and dropped it into her hands. Immediately, she twisted and sprang at the hoop.
