The Crown Prince's Bride (Royal Duology 2)

They did make a rather stunning couple, and their happiness shone for everyone to see.

And Stephani was still going back and forth in her mind, knowing she had to leave Marazur and let Raoul go, but craving his presence like he was an addiction.

When the dancing started, the lights dimmed and Diego took Rose in his arms for a romantic slow dance. Raoul still wasn’t back, but Steph stood at the edge of the dance floor and watched what fulfillment looked like. Diego and Rose never took their eyes from each other. Once, Diego said something and Rose laughed, and Stephani saw his hand tighten at her waist. She didn’t realize her own arm was half wrapped around her middle until Raoul came up behind her and put his arm over hers, so that they were in a very loose back-to-chest embrace.

“Sorry I took so long,” he apologized, but Steph couldn’t think. She simply froze at the intimacy of the contact. If she leaned back by only two inches, she’d be cradled against him. Even this much was incredibly familiar, particularly in public.

Thankfully—or not so much—he slid his arm away and came to stand beside her.

“The children got to bed okay?” she asked, suddenly unsure of what to say. It was strange. Normally they were never at a loss of things to talk about.

“Max might pay the price for all that sugar,” Raoul said, “but otherwise, yes. They’ve had an exciting day.”

Again, an awkward silence fell between them, the quiet saved only by the music playing.

When the next song began, Raoul held out his hand. “Shall we?”

“Of course.”

Being ensconced in his arms was heaven. He still wore his tuxedo jacket, and she marveled how he could still look perfect, with not a hair out of place, when she’d already freshened up twice during the day and felt as if her hair were coming out of its pins and if her lip stain wasn’t as long-lasting as she hoped. She forgot about most of that, though, when Raoul reached up and tucked a very small piece of hair behind her ear and smiled. “Let’s show them how it’s done,” he said, then smiled. And she was a goner.

Smooth, sexy, and confident. That’s how she’d describe Raoul as a dancer. He navigated the floor with the same surety that he worked a boardroom, and took her with him. One hand was warm on the hollow of her back, just above her tailbone, while his other hand clasped hers firmly. Their bodies brushed rather than clung, each graze lighting little flickers of desire until her whole being was attuned to his.

His dark gaze captured hers, and she couldn’t look away.

She bit down on her lip, and his gaze dropped momentarily to her mouth, then back up again. Her lips tingled; it almost felt as if he’d kissed her.

The song was nearing its close, and as he navigated them in a turn, her breasts brushed against his jacket. When had they gotten so close? Why was her heart beating so fast? What were they going to do?

She didn’t realize she’d voiced that question out loud until he answered it. “I don’t know,” he said roughly, his eyes never leaving hers. “I don’t know.”

With that simple question and answer, Stephani realized they were both on the same page. All the times that he’d said he wasn’t interested, that he’d never marry again, that she was “family”—they all faded to the back of her mind. In this moment, they were touching in at least five points of contact, and admitting that there was an attraction they could neither prevent nor control.

The song ended and he released her, taking a half step back. Nothing would happen now. Not here, not in public. And maybe in an hour or two this crazy feeling would wane and they’d come to their senses. She knew that would be the right thing, but the need for him was overpowering.

Diego came up to them, wearing a big smile. “Rose wondered if you’d each dance with the other member of the wedding party during the next song. You don’t mind dancing with her brother, do you, Steph?”

“Of course not.” She forced herself to smile brightly. “I’d love to.”

They went their separate ways, but somehow they always found each other across the floor. She danced a faster song with Rose’s brother, Devon, while Raoul danced with Becca. Then they lost each other momentarily as she danced with Rose’s father and then with Diego, and Raoul danced not only with Rose’s mother, who blushed furiously, but also took Hayley on a turn around the floor, who Steph took as trying to be unimpressed but unable to hide her secret triumph in her smug expression.

Then there were guests, and duty once again reared its head as she made the rounds so no one would feel slighted. She danced with their finance minister and then paired him off with a visiting dignitary from Andorra. Finally, near midnight, she made her way outside the ballroom to the terrace. A handful of people were out in the fresh air, and she slid off to a corner to catch her breath and make sense of everything.

The air was perfumed with the heady scent of flowers from the gardens, mingled with the freshness from the nearby Mediterranean. Stars had popped out in the inky sky, and she focused on a particularly bright one, wondering if it was a planet and not really a star at all. Wondering where she’d end up next, and what the view would be like. If there’d be a terrace like this one, or a high-rise with a view of the skyline.

Either way, there would be no Raoul, would there?

“It’s a beautiful night,” came a deep voice behind her.

The sound shivered over her nerve endings as a sense of inevitability enveloped her. She’d slipped away; he was out here because he’d sought her out. Wasn’t that what she wanted? Memories of kissing him last year in the alcove came rushing back. Up until six months ago, she’d managed to keep her feelings locked down, but once the door had been opened, she’d found she couldn’t go back to before. Everything had changed.

She wanted it all, and was afraid to even step forward into the remotest possibility of having it. As much as it was going to hurt to leave, it would hurt worse to fall deeper into love and then have to go, wouldn’t it?

“You’re shivering,” he observed, and took off his jacket. He put it over her shoulders and she grabbed the lapels, holding it close. It was warm from dancing, and his scent rose from the fabric, swamping her senses.

“Thank you,” she murmured. She turned around and fac

ed him, his features illuminated by the lights coming through the ballroom windows. “Why did you come out here?”