The Prince's Christmas Vow

“There’s something else. Something that you’re not saying. What is it?”

She shook her head.

“Zoe, look at me.”

She didn’t want to. How could she look him in the eyes and continue to deny that she still had feelings for him?

“Zoe, don’t do this. Don’t avoid talking to me because it’s easier. Don’t run away from us.”

“I’m not running. I’m standing right here.”

“And you can’t even look at me. You might not be running down the beach, but inside you’re hiding from your feelings—from being honest with me.”

She faced him. “What do you want me to say?”

“I want you to tell me what you’ve been holding back all of this time. I want you to admit that we have something special and it isn’t all in my imagination. I want this—” He swept her into his arms.

The surprise of his actions had her dazed for a moment. He pulled her close and without a moment’s hesitation, his lips sought hers out. Her lips moved hungrily beneath his. This kiss wasn’t sweet and innocent. His actions were full of raw emotions. Love. Loneliness. Pain. All jumbled together.

And what surprised her most was that she was just as hungry for him. For almost a year she longed for him. And this past month, he’d been so close and yet so far away. What would it hurt if they shared this one special moment? They both wanted it—needed it.

Tonight they would create a memory to keep her company on the long, lonely nights when he was no longer hers. That was what this was—a passionate goodbye.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

WHAT HAD HE DONE?

Demetrius raked his fingers through his hair as he lay back on the couch. Zoe’s head rested against his bare chest. When this whole affair had begun, all he’d intended to do was get some answers from her and then negotiate an annulment that would keep their past out of the tabloids. When had he lost control?

Tonight he’d abandoned his resolve to hold her at arm’s length. He’d tossed aside the walls he’d worked so hard to build between him and Zoe. When her lips had moved beneath his, none of the reasons he’d been telling himself to keep his distance from her seemed so important.

Nothing had mattered in that moment but being with her.

In the end, the joke was on him, because somewhere during that frantic kiss and their mind-blowing lovemaking he’d realized he wasn’t over her. Not by a long shot. He loved Zoe as much today as he had the day he’d married her. Okay, a lot more.

But how was that possible?

How could he trust her when he knew that when times got tough she’d rather run than talk?

“What are you thinking?” Zoe’s soft, dreamy voice wound its way through his alarming thoughts.

“The truth?”

“Always.”

“I was wondering how we ended up here—like this.”

Zoe pulled back and slipped on his discarded dress shirt. He liked the look on her. The shirt definitely looked so much better on her than it ever did on him. He’d never met anyone as beautiful as her—both inside and out. She was a very special woman.

Once she finished buttoning the shirt and rolling up the sleeves, she curled her bare legs up on the couch. She turned a big worried look to him and sighed. “Are you implying this was a mistake?”

He hated that he’d ruined this moment for her. He would have to be more careful with his words going forward. He reached out to her, but she resisted. He needed to say something to fix this. After all, it’d been a year since their marriage had failed. They’d both done a lot of growing up. This time, things would be different. “No, it wasn’t a mistake. It was fantastic. You’re fantastic.”

At last, she gave in to the pull of his arms and snuggled to his side again. “I think you’re fantastic, too.”

His fingers stroked her silky hair. “You know, we still have to do something about the annulment?”

“I know. I just don’t want to think about it tonight. I want one last night with you. A night where we don’t have to think about the future.”

He didn’t like the thought that he’d never get to hold her like this again. He’d already been down that road. And even with his busy schedule and countless meetings, it still didn’t erase the empty spot in his heart where Zoe should have been. But now she was back, and he didn’t want to let her go again. Holding his wife close was heaven—it was the way it should be.