Page 16 of A Princess for Christmas

He pulled over and parked the car—the street was relatively empty this time of night. New York City had given her the impression that it was always wall-to-wall with people and vehicles, but that wasn’t the case right now.

“Actually...” He was leaning over the center console and peering out her window, staring rather intently at something called “CVS.” It seemed to be some sort of pharmacy, albeit an absurdly large one. He was close enough that she could smell him. He smelled like... oranges. She always associated oranges with America. The California trips of her youth.

He pulled back abruptly. She missed the oranges, suddenly and sharply.

“Can you do me a huge favor?” he asked.

“Yes.” She was startled by the immediacy of her answer. Normally, she didn’t trust easily. She did her duty but hesitated over giving more than that.

An even more startling realization?

She would do pretty much anything Mr.Leonardo Ricci asked her to.

And so Leo found himself perusing the feminine hygiene aisle in a Midtown CVS at one in the morning with the princess of Eldovia.

“Gabby got her first period this week,” he said as they slowedto a stop in front of a bewildering display of products. “She needs, uh, supplies. I should really take some home for her. I tried to google earlier to figure out what to buy, but there was so much . . . choice.”

Marie’s dimples came out, and they were just so fuckingcute.

She scanned the shelf. “There are so many different products, it can be confusing even for those of us who’ve been doing this awhile.” The skin between her eyebrows wrinkled and she started walking, seeming to dismiss the area immediately in front of him. “I’m going to say she probably doesn’t want tampons yet.”

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Could everyone just stop sayingtamponsin front of him?

“I think the best thing to do is to purchase an assortment of pads and liners, and she can see what she likes. Thereisa lot of choice.” She pulled a box off the shelf and turned it over. “More than at home. And I don’t know all these brands—we have some different ones in Europe.” She was concentrating like he’d asked her to diffuse a bomb. He couldn’t help but appreciate the seriousness with which she was approaching her assignment, even as it amused him.

After a minute or two of silent perusal, Marie picked a few items off the shelf, some in boxes and some in plastic bags sort of shaped like boxes. “This should be good to start.”

She led him to the checkout, plunked her booty on the counter, and when he got out his wallet, said, “Let me buy them.”

“You don’t have any money,” he reminded her.

She expelled a little breath of frustration. The dimples came back out, but they were fake dimples this time. Not the same ones she’d flashed at him earlier. He didn’t know how he knew the difference—he just did.

“Good evening,” Marie said to the clerk. “I don’t suppose if I told you that I am a member of the Eldovian royal family and am staying a block up—at the Plaza—and pledged to return tomorrow to pay for these items that you would extend me credit this evening?”

The cashier rolled her eyes.

“She’s an honest-to-God princess,” Leo added, not because he was going to let her pay. He wasn’t. But he was enjoying watching her try to conduct a retail transaction on royal credit. She had even turned up an accent that Leo had only heard flashes of before. Previously, she had spoken mostly unaccented, if slightly formal, English.

“We don’t take princess credit at CVS, honey.” The clerk examined her manicure as she spoke.

Laughing, Leo laid his credit card down.

“I’m sorry!” Marie exclaimed as they emerged onto the street, where it had just started to snow. A big, fat flake landed on one of her absurdly long eyelashes. “I can’t even buy you a slice of pizza.” The dejection that had crept into her tone would have been comical if it hadn’t seemed so sincere.

But she quickly perked up. “Oh!” It was hard keeping up with her. Her mind moved fast, and her expressive face reflected the rapid cycling of emotions she seemed to engage in. Princess Marie didnothave a poker face. Leo settled in to try to get a read on her current mood. Her eyebrows were high. She was buoyed by whatever thought had popped into her head. “You could come up to my suite, and we could order room service!”

He didn’t answer right away—because it was tempting. Which was ridiculous, because whatever kind of food she would order at the Plaza would not be his kind of food. It would be like Daniwasting the fancy ice cream on him. And anyway, he needed to get going so Dani could go home.

He had been silent too long, though, because Marie gasped as if a horrible thought had just occurred to her. “I didn’t mean...” She looked at the ground.

“You didn’t mean what?”

Leo had a pretty good idea what she was thinking, given the way she was looking everywhere but at him, but bastard that he was, he wanted to hear what she, with her prim, formal way of speaking, would say.

“Well... I understand from American television that the late-night invitation to visit one’s quarters can be a... euphemism for other activities.”

One’squarters. He bit back a laugh. “Really?” He schooled his face to look confused. “What activities?”

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