The Prince's Bride (Modern Fairytales 2)

“Absolutely, if the situation warrants it.” He rested a hand on her knee. “If the attraction is there…who am I to deny that?”

She sucked in a deep breath and held it, suspecting he’d found plenty of those “situations,” and that maybe, just maybe, she was way out of her league with him.

She was saved from having to admit as much by the bartender, who came over carrying the drinks. “Here you go,” he said as he set the glasses in front of them. When the worker glanced at the man beside her, his eyes widened, and he backed up a step. “Excuse me—”

Phantom leaned over the bar to whisper something to the other man. The other man nodded, still gaping at the man next to me. “Here.” He handed the man a tip that would pay for a great meal at a nice restaurant.

Yep, definitely out of my league.

The bartender bowed. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Hell, she’d bow for a tip like that, too. “Thanks.”

“Anytime.” He picked up his beer. “So, what are you doing here tonight, Alicia? What brought you to a club like this?

A dirty bucket list, and the free drink vouchers slipped under my hotel door. “Alcohol, dancing, flirting, and having fun. The usual. What about you?”

“I came to catch the attention of a blonde,” he answered, letting go of her knee. She immediately missed his touch, which said a hell of a lot.

Pulse racing, she ignored every shy bone in her body, every instinct that told her with this guy, she might have bitten off more than she could chew, and said, “Well, you have your blonde. What comes next?”

After chugging his drink, he turned more firmly toward her, his knees brushing against her bare thighs as he stood and held his hand out. “Come with me if you want to find out.”

Oh, you can bet your ass I want to find out.

Chapter Two

He led her across the nightclub, glancing over his shoulder at her. His brown hair was even darker on the dim nightclub dance floor, lending him a mysterious air, especially since the mask hid most of his features. It reminded her of the scene in the Phantom of the Opera where the Phantom is leading Christine down to his lair, and Christine is vibrating with nerves and excitement.

It had always been her favorite part of the musical.

Now she was living it.

His hand was so large, like the rest of him. It wasn’t a far stretch of the imagination to imagine what his hands would feel like if he ran them all over her—

Oh God.

Was she actually going to do this?

He stopped at a small, clear spot on the dance floor and pulled Alicia into his arms. His hard abs brushed against her, and when he held her close, she sucked in a deep breath. He was so hard, so huge, and so freaking hot. And he was staring at her like he couldn’t get enough.

Is this guy for real?

He slid his leg between hers, his knee brushing her bare thigh as he urged her closer, pressing against her intimately. She quivered. Actually quivered. “I’m dying to see you move, my lady.”

Snapping out of her daze, she curled her fingers behind his neck and moved her body to the music, losing herself in the rhythm, sensing his tightening muscles as he watched her. Back before her world had fallen apart, she’d been in ballet. It wasn’t the same thing as gyrating on a dance floor, but her body still knew what to do.

This wasn’t the time for overthinking. This was a time of letting go like she’d never done before. “Get crazy,” her best friend Brian had said. “Live.” And then he’d died, leaving her alone in the world, once again.

This is for you, Brian.

She turned around, giving him her back and swinging her hips Shakira-style. Her but

t brushed against the zipper of his pants.

He sucked in a breath.