‘The stampede?’ she teased him.
Lucaj shook his head. ‘Those photographs are opportunistic shots taken by the paparazzi.’
‘You had to be there for the paparazzi to take them, but you don’t have to explain yourself to me.’
‘Maybe I want to,’ Lucaj admitted as he came to sit beside her on the couch. ‘Maybe I value this chance to talk to someone who doesn’t care about who I am, or what I’m worth.’
In social as well as financial terms, Libby guessed as she imagined the fawning sycophants Lucaj must come across.
‘Admit it,’ he prompted, lips tugging in a smile. ‘Your mind was full of preconceptions when you learned I was a prince.’
That was the least of it. She had been bowled over by Lucaj’s compelling presence, his sexy smile and his unique brand of charm, long before that. ‘I think your accident of birth puts you into a type of royal straightjacket that makes others think you’re unapproachable, and makes it almost impossible for you to mix with the rest of us outside the charmed circle.
‘You certainly are a refreshing change.’
‘And maybe you’re tired of living a rigidly structured life, and having to put up with other people’s ideas about you. Maybe you like to escape your everyday life as much as everyone else.’
‘That’s very deep of you, Libby.’
‘Sorry.’
‘Don’t be. Don’t you like the high life?’
She laughed. ‘I wouldn’t know.’
Lucaj had an ironic expression on his handsome face. ‘So your cousin never invites you to join her in her glamorous escapades?’
‘Lucinda always includes me,’ Libby argued heatedly, racing to her cousin’s defence. ‘We’ve been friends ever since I can remember, and we’ve lived together for most of our lives.’
‘Bravo!’ Lucaj’s smile put an attractive crease in his cheek.
‘It’s not Lucinda’s fault that she’s outgoing and I’m not.’
‘What happened tonight to change that? You don’t strike me as introverted.’
‘I assert myself every day on behalf of other people, but somehow, it’s different when it’s me,’ Libby explained. ‘And then I put this dress on – and these heels?’ She laughed. ‘These could never be described as the safe option. It was as if something magical happened – like putting on a costume and getting ready to go on stage to play a very different role from the usual me.’
‘So we can safely blame the shoes,’ Lucaj commented, almost managing to curb a smile.
‘Even if they are killing me,’ Libby agreed, kicking them off.
What was she doing? Standing up, she turned around to give herself chance to think. This wasn’t just breaking the rules. Relaxing to this extent with Lucaj equated to throwing the rule book out of the window.
Lucaj stood too. They were so close she could feel his heat warming her.
She couldn’t let this continue. She shouldn’t lead him on. She had to come clean and spell out exactly what type of girl she was. One thing was certain – as bad girls went, she was a flop.
‘We can’t – I mean, you can’t – I’m just a –’
‘You’re just a woman,’ Lucaj interrupted. ‘And I’m just a man.’ His lips slanted and his eyes were warm. ‘And just for tonight, like I said in the bar, I think we should both forget the rules we live by.’
Her gaze slipped to his mouth.
‘One rule in particular,’ Lucaj murmured, one corner of his mouth tugging up in the most engaging way.
‘And what rule is that?’ Libby murmured.
‘The rule that says a very bad man like me shouldn’t be allowed to kiss a good girl like you.’