Page 78 of A Royal Disaster
Just as she reached for him, a horn blared in the back alley.
What the hell? Lena straightened. The alley was used almost exclusively for garbage pickup, although she was pretty sure it wasn’t garbage day. Maybe a new tenant in the building next door?
The horn blasted again.
With a sigh, Lena went to the window to see what all the commotion was about. “This better not be a sign of things to come,” she muttered as she pulled back the curtain and lifted the glass.
Her heart leaped into her throat when she realized the back gate was open. She definitely hadn’t unlocked it.Coño. Had one of the neighborhood kids broken the lock again? She looked down into the courtyard, searching for signs of vandalism.
The horn honked again and this time when she looked up, she could see a limo crawling down the narrow alley. There was a dark-haired man in a suit and tie hanging out of the sunroof, an umbrella in one hand and a giant bouquet of roses in the other. “Elena!”
Liam?
Her heart slammed against her ribcage, and her palms began to sweat. He was supposed to be in Valeria. So what was he doing in her alley?
“Princess Elena! Come down!”
Lena stared down at him and he stared right back.
Right. Only one way to find out.
She slung a leg over the windowsill and ducked her head through the open window, crawling out onto the fire escape. As she did, it hit her. Liam was reenacting the final scene fromPretty Woman.
Maybe he’d finally sorted out his shit. No, she wouldn’t get her hopes up. She couldn’t. Not after he’d broken her heart with his lies. It had nearly killed her to walk away, and she didn’t know if she could do it twice.
The limo glided to a stop in front of the open gate, and Liam disappeared inside the car. When the door popped open and he emerged, brilliant smile fixed in place and dimples on full display, her resolved faltered. Dammit. Why did he have to be so sexy?
“You’re trespassing,” she called out, resting her palms on the metal railing of the fire escape. Behind her, Jinx—the fickle little bugger—purred in approval.
“I’m willing to accept the consequences,” Liam returned, striding across the courtyard with confidence to spare. “I’m coming up.”
Lena couldn’t suppress the grin that split her face and for once, she didn’t care if she looked like a fool. Liam was here and he was recreating the iconic scene from her favorite movie and she wasn’t going to overthink it. Not this time. Not when hope bubbled up from her belly, smothering the part of her that insisted this would all go horribly, painfully wrong.
She squared her shoulders and pulled the pencil from her hair, letting it spill over her shoulders. If the fire escape came crashing down, then so be it. They’d go down together.
Liam used his umbrella to hook the lowest rung of the fire escape, and just like Richard Gere, he gave it a hard tug. Only the ladder didn’t budge. His cheeks reddened and Lena covered her mouth with her hand, trying to stifle a laugh.
Screwing up his lips in fierce determination, Liam tucked the bouquet between his teeth and reached up with both hands to give the umbrella another tug. The ladder made a horrendous, ear-splitting shriek before sliding down and clanging against the pavement below. Liam looked up at her, his face glowing with triumph.
Lena’s heart soared as he climbed the fire escape, bouquet in hand. He charged rapidly up the steps, no hesitation. The man was fearless.
Well, except when it came to Their Majesties.
Which was why she needed to temper her expectations.
When Liam reached the upper landing, Lena blocked his path. With him steps below, they were on even footing now, their faces—their bodies—mere inches apart. Just how they were meant to be.
“Elena.” He whispered her name like it was a freaking prayer, and her ovaries stood at attention.
“Liam,” she said, impressed by her ability to sound cool and collected for once. “What are you doing here?”
“I know you don’t need rescuing, but the truth is, I do. My life at the palace is crazy and demanding and sometimes it’s bloody infuriating, but I’ll lose myself to the crown without someone by my side to keep me grounded. You’re that person, Elena. I love you, and you make me happier than I’ve been in years. Your laughter, your kind heart, your sense of humor; they make every day brighter than the last. With you at my side, I feel like I can breathe for the first time in ages.”
The words were beautiful, but the passion and sincerity with which he spoke them touched her soul in a way she’d never dreamed possible. Tears stung the back of her eyes and she promised herself she was not going to ugly cry. Not when this wonderful, sexy man was pouring his heart out to her. She wanted to hear every word and imprint them on her brain for eternity.
After everything she’d been through, she deserved that much. Besides, Nia would never forgive her if she didn’t recount every single detail of this moment.
“Please don’t cry, love.” Liam reached up and cupped her cheek in his palm. His hands were warm and steady and felt like heaven against her skin. “I know I hurt you and I hate myself for it, but if you give me a chance, I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you. Not a day will go by that you won’t know just how much I love you.”
