The Millionaire's Royal Rescue

Grayson pulled back. The phone stopped ringing. Too little, too late.

He ran a hand over his mouth as though realizing the gravity of what had just happened between them. It wasn’t just a passing fancy. There was something serious growing here. Annabelle wasn’t anxious to examine it too closely. Everything would be better if they just kept it light and simple.

The phone began to buzz again. Grayson frowned. “I better get this.”

Annabelle sat up and straightened her clothes. “Go ahead.”

It was funny how things went from very heated to suddenly awkward in a matter of seconds. What in the world had come over her? She remembered their sweet moment of abandon. It had been so good. And so not what they should have been doing together. After all, she still had a deal to sign with Grayson. The last thing she needed to do was complicate matters even more than they were already.

Still... She sighed, recalling the way his lips felt against hers. Heat swirled in her chest and rushed up her neck. She resisted the urge to fan herself.

Annabelle lifted a sheet of paper with a copy of the note. This was what she should be concentrating on, not Grayson and his tantalizing lips.

“Sorry about that,” Grayson said, turning back to her. “It was business.”

“Um, no problem.” She pretended to be concentrating on the note, but she was having a severe problem focusing. “I was just thinking some more about this note.”

“Oh, no, you don’t.” He swiped the paper out of her hand and set it on the coffee table.

“Hey, what did you do that for?”

“Because we weren’t finished yet.”

Again, heat flooded her cheeks. “Grayson, I don’t think—”

“Hey, you owe me an answer and I’m not letting you get out of it.”

An answer? He wasn’t talking about picking up where they’d left off with the kiss? Oops. She averted her gaze, not wanting him to read her thoughts.

“Well?” he prompted.

She glanced at him, surprised to find merriment twinkling in his eyes. So, he didn’t regret what just happened between them, but had she read too much into it? That must be it. She needed to lighten up.

Her thoughts were cut off when Grayson’s fingers began tickling her sides again. Why did she have to be so ticklish? How embarrassing.

Laughter filled the air and her thoughts scattered. What was it about

this man that made her forget her responsibilities and just want to have fun with him?

Having problems catching her breath between the laughter, she finally gasped, “Okay.”

He paused and arched a brow. “Okay, what?”

“Okay, you win.” She drew in one deep breath after the other, so relieved that the tickling had subsided. “I’ll tell you.”

“So out with it. What devious plan do you have in store for me?”

“Eating cake.”

His brows drew together. “What?”

“You’re a judge for the baking contest tomorrow.”

It took a moment for her words to sink in and then a smile lifted his very tempting lips. “I can do that. I like cake.”

“There’s more than cake. There will be cookies, bread and some other stuff.”

He rubbed his flat abdomen. “Sounds good to me.”