Page 43 of Royal Catch
I rush to his side and throw myself in his arms, my heart pounding against my rib cage. He holds me close for a moment before guiding me down on the mattress, his expression tender as he brushes my hair back and cups my jaw.
A breathless moment of charged silence passes, our gazes locked.
His lips meet mine, and I’m home.
Chapter Thirteen
Anna
I collapse onto the mattress, breathing hard, after another marathon sex session in the early dawn. I’m a limp noodle, worn out and well satisfied. The mattress creaks as Gabriel gets out of bed and heads for the en suite bathroom. I’m too tired to move. A few moments later, he’s back, and then he’s lifting me, pulling me to lie on top of him. He settles the covers over us in a warm cocoon. I rest my head over his heart and listen to the steady thump.
He strokes a hand down my back. “What do you do back home in your kingdom?”
I tense. I hate lying to him.
“Polly?”
I lift my head. The early sunrise filters through the curtains, illuminating his handsome face. His eyes are intent on mine, his jaw relaxed, sporting a five-o’clock shadow. I love this scruffier relaxed version of him.
“You must do something,” he prompts.
“I have a lot of responsibilities, and I work hard. I want to achieve something lasting.”
He smiles. “I love that.”
Encouraged, and still being very much myself, I share from the heart. “I don’t think working hard means you don’t get to have fun. I try to connect with people. It’s so important for people to feel recognized. And a little positivity goes a long way.” This is the secret to my loyal salon clients, but I keep that to myself. I’ve been very focused on a specific dollar goal to own my own salon by thirty, but underpinning all that is something more. I care about my clients. I like making them feel good about themselves. And, yes, I’m a born entrepreneur, independent and driven.
He cradles my face with one hand. “You could be a great help to Villroy, to me—”
“Tell me about your wild days before you were all duty and obligation.”
“Please consider staying. That’s all I ask.”
“I’m tied to my responsibilities back home. It’s impossible.”
“Not impossible.”
I know I can’t let it go further. He still thinks I’m a princess. If I tell him the truth, he’ll hate me. He’s in love with a fantasy.
I shift off of him and sit up. “I should go.”
His hand clamps on my wrist. “Stay and I will tell you of my wild days.”
I give him a small smile, my heart aching. “I knew you had to have some.” I lie on my side and prop my head on my elbow to listen. And then I find myself grinning as he shares his pranks on his younger siblings as a boy, his teenaged makeout sessions in the very cave where we made out (classic), and even some bar fights that got him a lot of bad press.
“That’s why I kept a low profile for the past several years,” he admits. “I kept out of the press, out of the spotlight, even shaved my beard so I’d be less recognizable. I dishonored my title.”
“Oh, please, you could never dishonor your title. You are honor.” I stroke his arm in a soothing gesture. “Now I know why I didn’t recognize you when we first met and I thought you were the butler. You must’ve been laughing your ass off on the inside!”
He chuckles. “I might’ve been if I wasn’t so pissed off about all that wedding garbage.”
“Furry wedding! It’s still hysterical.”
We laugh. And then he rolls on top of me and kisses me. I close my eyes and let him carry me away from reality once more.
~ ~ ~
I sneak back to my room Sunday morning a little later than I planned, hoping I get there in advance of my maid. It’s not that I care what she thinks about what I do with Gabriel. That’s between me and Gabriel. It’s just that I don’t want to cause problems with Francesca. Leave it to me to fall for a man I can’t have. Maybe that’s why I opened up to him, because it was safe. He could never be a serious consideration for me. Probably some deep abandonment orphan issues in there, but I feel too good right now to dwell on it. It’s astounding the deep happiness of the moment. The memory of our night together will stick with me for a long time.
