Yours Royally (Billionaires and Brides 3)

“I'm glad you enjoyed yourself,” Marco said, smiling. His dark eyes sparkled with laughter at their adventure. “It turned out to be even more entertaining than I thought it would be. I'm fairly convinced the employee was behind the effects.”

Sabrina nodded, as she pulled out the key card from her purse and slid it in her door. “Yeah, it's possible. I guess we'll never know, though.”

There was a pause as Sabrina stood there in front of her door. She didn't want the night to end yet. It was still early and she had absolutely nothing to do in her hotel room, besides watching the boring infomercials that would inevitably be on TV.

“I guess I'll see you tomorrow,” she said, with a sigh. “Valetta set up some sightseeing opportunities for you tomorrow, so I'll make sure everything is ready.”

“You're going to bed already?” Marco asked. “Why don't you come enjoy a drink with me in my room? There are some decent vodkas stocked in the refrigerator.”

“That sounds great,” Sabrina said, not hesitating to accept the invite. In fact, it was exactly what she had been hoping for. She quickly put her key card back into her purse. “Just promise me that there won't be any orange flavoring in it this time.”

Marco chuckled as he opened the door to his room and held it for Sabrina. “I think we both had more than enough orange flavoring last night. I was thinking of making something simple, like a vodka tonic.”

Sabrina stepped inside and glanced around. Marco's oversized suite was was still neat and orderly from the work she had put in earlier that day. His clothes were folded and the bed made in the bedroom and the front sitting room was organized and clean. She knew the bathroom was spotless and she'd vacuumed as well as any housekeeping staff. She definitely didn't mind the work at all, but she looked forward to the day when her future college degree would pave the way to a job that didn't include manual labor.

Marco stepped past her and went straight to the bar to fix some drinks. Sabrina took a seat at one of the bar stools and watched him. Her mind was swimming with thoughts as she admired the way he moved around the kitchen. Everything about Marco was elegant, from the way he dressed to the way he spoke. She was drawn to it, with the fascination of a child. His refinement in everything was such a far cry from all she had ever known.

But there was another side to him that she had seen as well. She saw it when they had run from the paparazzi and she noticed it in the haunted apartment building. During those moments of stress, Marco had made a distinct effort to protect Sabrina. It seemed as though he would have happily stood in harm’s way to keep her safe.

“Here you go,” Marco said, spinning around with two bubbly drinks in hand. “Vodka tonics, with a squeeze of lime. It should be a little more refreshing than the drinks we had last night.”

Sabrina took the glass from him and then held it in the air. “Here's to a very interesting day.”

“Salut,” he replied, clinking his glass against hers. “The most interesting day I've had in quite some time. I'm glad you were there with me to witness it.”

Sabrina took a sip and Marco did the same. She watched his mouth as he tasted the liquid and smiled. She wondered if she kissed him, would he taste like the vodka? Or would he taste sweet like before?

Something about the privacy of his room and the fact that her lips still tingled from their kiss at the haunted apartment made her keenly aware of her own intentions. She wanted to kiss her boss again and it made her nervous. He was leaving for his home in a few short weeks, but until then, he was still her employer.

Maybe he treats every woman like a princess. What would make me so special? she thought, taking another sip of her drink. I'm nothing like the women he's probably used to. I wear clothes from a second-hand store and live in a trailer park. There has to be a catch. Why does he like me?

“How would you like to hear some music?” Marco asked, shaking Sabrina from her thoughts. “I'll play you something from my home.”

“That sounds nice,” she said. “What kind of music is it?”

Marco walked swiftly to the bedroom and returned with his computer. “It's kind of like salsa music. It's for dancing.”

Sabrina swallowed, feeling a burst of nervousness fill her. She hoped that he wasn't going to ask her to try to dance. She was horrible at dancing. She didn't have rhythm and was cursed with two left feet.

Marco started up the music. It began with a simple drum beat, but soon flutes and horns chimed in. The music was extremely complicated and sounded like a combination of jazz and blues, mixed with salsa. Underlying the melody, though, was a rhythmic beat that actually caused Sabrina to tap her toes.

“Do you like it?” Marco ask

ed, as he stepped close to Sabrina and placed his hand onto her lower back. “I imagine it sounds quite a bit different from the music that is made here.”

Sabrina nodded. Her bangs fell into her eyes and Marco reached up, pushing her hair across her forehead and behind her ear. It was such a simple act, but meant so much to her.

“My hair is a mess,” she said, desperately filling the silence with anything she could think of.

“I think you look beautiful,” Marco said, sliding his fingertips down her cheek. “The most beautiful girl in New York City.”

Sabrina bit her bottom lip and looked at the ground, unable to fully accept such a compliment. How Marco saw her and how she saw herself were two entirely different things.

“That's really sweet,” she said, bringing her gaze back up to his eyes. “Thank you.”

Marco leaned in and kissed her. Her eyes widened at first, surprised by the sudden affection. They resumed what they had started at the haunted apartment, though this time with even more passion and far fewer ghosts. Sabrina stood up from her stool without breaking the kiss. She brought her hands to the top of Marco's shoulders, pulling herself close to him. Her body tingled all over as their tongues danced.

Somewhere, in the very back of her mind, Sabrina knew that she was falling for this guy. And she realized that it put her at risk of getting hurt. She'd had her heart broken before, and she understood that it could likely happen again. But Marco was different. She wanted to believe that he would never hurt her.