“No?” Armin’s jaw tensed. “It seemed to be very much about me.”
“It’s about her own grieving process. And, honestly, sometimes kids are little assholes. Dealing with that is just part of parent
ing.”
This time, Armin’s laugh was genuine.
“I’m sure you weren’t always a little angel,” Katie prodded.
Armin grinned, and she got a flash of the boy he’d been. “Not always. Sometimes I…raised a bit of hell around the palace with my brothers. We weren’t always…decorous.”
“You can’t bait me like that.”
Armin stood from the chair, and she was reminded again—boom—of how tall and muscular and handsome he was. Just standing there was hot. And remembering those lips pressed against hers…
Her breath came short. It could happen again, right now.
“Bait you?”
“I want stories. If you were a hellraiser, then you have to tell me about it.”
“Oh, no. I’m not about to start telling you tall tales.”
“And why not?”
“Because it’s time for a tour.” Armin’s eyes shone.
“A…tour?”
Armin stepped closer. “There’s more to this place than the lake and the rooms. I think we should spend a little longer in the garden, then go into the village.”
“What’s in the village?”
“A little vineyard.” Armin’s expression softened. “It was my mother’s favorite vineyard. This villa—and the village—this was her favorite place in all of Stolvenia. And I want you to see it.”
8
The girls could hardly keep their eyes open when they came back from the village.
Armin had filled the afternoon with another romp through the gardens—they were much larger than Katie had realized at first, because on their first visit, they’d taken a direct path through to the lake—a trip to the vineyard to select bottles of wine, a picnic in a cute little gazebo on the far end of the beach from the boathouse, and a game of Clue. Katie couldn’t believe it when Armin pulled the vintage set out from one of the antique cupboards. Then they’d gone back into the village for ice cream, which had done both of the girls in.
Katie led them through a quick bathtime routine. Armin made it through exactly two pages of the storybook they’d chosen for him to read before both girls were snoring lightly in their beds.
Score.
Katie and Armin crept from the room, Armin pulling the door closed behind him. He’d looked happily worn out while they were putting the girls to bed, but now…
…now there was a gleam in his eye that made Katie feel like she was heating up from the inside out. The blushing warmth spread from the center of her hips outward.
“Come with me.” The grin curling at the corner of Armin’s mouth set the cut of his chin in sharp relief. Katie’s heart pounded as she followed him back down the hall.
Her heart beat faster when he stopped outside the door to his suite and beckoned her inside.
The suite itself was lush but understated, done in shades of cream and dark blue befitting a prince. The color scheme was similar to her own room. Katie barely noticed it as Armin led the way through the room and out to the balcony.
Two lounge chairs sat on either side of a small round table. On the table was a wine bucket. Armin retrieved the bottle and presented it to her with a flourish.
Katie didn’t know what she was looking at, but Armin radiated a quiet pride.