“Let me get that for you.”
He started back up the hill to assist, but she had already given the shoe another yank. It came free with a sickly pop. The weight of the picnic basket now worked against her. She waved her arms crazily to catch her balance, but gravity claimed her and sent her tumbling down backwards, right into the prince’s arms.
She hit him hard in the chest and his feet slipped out from under him. Together they tumbled through ten feet of wet grass and eventually plopped in a giant puddle of mud. Her eyes grew wide as she stared at the prince sitting in front of her. His shirt was no longer white, rather, the sickly brown color of dirt. Mud coated his pants and trails of it ran down his face. He stared back at her in shock, lightning striking in the sky above.
She’d never been so embarrassed. If she could’ve disappeared into the mud, she would’ve sunk right then and there.
Suddenly, a low rumble of a laughter poured from Viktor’s mouth. His lips curled into a grin that stretched from ear to ear and he threw his head back. She watched indignantly as his chest shuddered in laughter, a beautifully pleasing sound that drew an unbidden smile to her face. And then, quite unexpectedly, she found herself joining in, laughter peeling throughout the meadow. They laughed until her belly ached and the sky began to clear into a brilliant blue.
“I believe you owe me that tap dance,” he said with a last chuckle, pinning her with a heavy expression that took her breath away.
She stared back at him, a small smile on her face. It seemed that she’d forgotten how to speak.
He leaned in closer, cupping her chin gently with his hand. His touch was like fire on her icy skin. Her heart threatened to burst from her chest as he guided her face closer, his smoldering gaze turning her stomach into a pool of molten lava. Their lips touched, softly at first, and then with more urgency. He tasted sweet, like the cinnamon caramel lattes she used to order at the drive-through. She slid her hand behind his neck and into his wet hair. It was as soft as she’d imagined.
Sparks ignited where his hands touched her. Her cheek, down her neck, and the small of her back. She pressed herself against his chest and sighed happily into the kiss, instantly forgetting the plan and everything that went with it.
Miranda wasn’t going to be happy with her.
?
A thoroughly pleased smile wouldn’t leave Viktor’s face. He’d grinned like a fool through dinner with the two royal families and even managed to ignore the werewolf twins’ jabs at his sudden change in mood. It wasn’t until he caught Babushka watching him with a knowing twinkle in her eye did he force his aching cheeks into a grimace.
His afternoon with Cate had ended on such a high note, he felt like he could take a running jump off of Deadman’s Cliff and fly to Alaska. Of course, that was ridiculous. Vampires only flew in those horrifically inaccurate Hollywood films. According to them, he should also have secret powers of hypnotism and seduction. He didn’t. Although, the same couldn’t be said for his amorous brother.
His lips still tingled where Cate’s had touched. He lay in his giant king-sized bed and stared up at the dark ceiling, remembering the feel of her soft body against his. One minute, they’d been trudging toward the stables because of her hair-brained idea of taking a walk in the storm and the next, they were drenched in mud and laughing harder than Viktor could ever remember laughing. He couldn’t help but kiss her. She’d looked so beautiful with the water running down her flushed cheeks and over her pouted lips. All it had taken was one look from those blue eyes and he’d been sunk.
She was so unexpected. Educated, charming, and opinionated. He liked to hear her talk about her family. It made him feel like she was entrusting him with a secret. And she didn’t seem bored by his love for his country or when he fell into conversation about politics. They’d spent the entire afternoon hiding out in the stables, petting the horses and talking about whatever came into their heads. It was a nice change to boring policy meetings or stiff dinners with distant royalty. Stasia liked her, which was telling in itself. Werewolves seemed to have a nose about sniffing out people with insincere motives.
?
??Oh, Babushka, what have you done?” He sighed and turned over, the sheets sliding over his naked chest.
A knock came at his door. He shot up, his pulse racing. Could that be Cate? Would she come to his room? He didn’t hate the idea.
Pushing open the door, he blinked as a big black eye was shoved in his face. A cameraman stood behind Jezebel, who wore a simpering smile on her face and a black lacy nightgown that left very little to the imagination.
“Jezebel?” He glanced between her and the camera in confusion. “What are you doing here?”
“I understand you had a little date today.” She flattened her palm on his bare chest and pushed herself into the room. The camera followed. “I thought we could do the same. Only better.”
He tensed his jaw as she strolled right past him and took a turn around the darkened room. Satisfied with what she saw, she gave him a seductive smile and ran her hands down her hips. “Do you like? I had it delivered from Paris especially for this occasion.”
“It’s uh...” he glanced at the cameraman. “...nice. But this really isn’t the time.”
“Really, now, Viktor.” She turned the notch up on the seductive smile and batted her long dark eyelashes. “I’ve seen the way you look at me. Don’t pretend there isn’t heat between us.”
There had never been any heat between them. It was the opposite of heat. Stasia was the one who had decided to keep her in the next round of dates. He scratched his chin, his eyes darting toward the door and then to the camera. What if he ran from the room? Would that be cowardly? Probably. And everyone in the country would see it. No, he needed to handle this like a vampire prince of Monstrana.
“Listen, Jezebel.” He held his hands up and edged the bed until an entire mattress stood between them. “I appreciate that you’ve come here tonight to tell me how you feel. That takes guts. But this can’t happen.”
A knowing grin tugged at one side of her mouth as she dropped down to her knees on his messy bed and tugged the night gown dangerously high up on her thighs. “Let me be your queen for tonight. Then, we can discuss our future in the morning.”
He resisted the urge to smack a hand to his forehead. “I’m not kidding, this isn’t going to happen.”
“Don’t be coy, darling.” She lay down and rested her head on her elbow.
Her dark hair spilled out onto the silky sheets around her like a deadly siren in the water. From the extended angle of her neck, he could see the lovely hollow at the base of her throat. Like drugs to a vampire. She was beautiful — that he had no problem admitting. But she would never make his dead, cold heart beat again. Not like it had with Cate.