Is it wrong that I’d love to trail my tongue right down that muscular groove?
Yes. Wrong. Bad Cara.
Theo smiles at me, and that’s all it takes for heat to spark between my thighs. I clench them together as a blush creeps over my cheeks.
It feels like a switch has been flipped inside me. Theo went from being a friend, to all of a sudden being the one man that manages to make me melt with nothing more than a glance.
Whether it’s the knowledge that he’s the future King—and my potential husband—or just some innate quality of the ultra-good-looking, all of a sudden, it’s hard for me not to twirl my fingers in my hair and bat my eyelashes whenever he’s near.
I’d be embarrassed if I had enough extra brain cells to use on embarrassment. Right now, they’re all occupied thinking of all the compromising positions that the Prince has had me in over the past twenty-four hours. None of which ended the way my body had hoped.
“Your Highness,” I say, nodding. “Didn’t think I’d see you here tonight. To what do we owe the honor?”
“You know why I’m here, Cara.” His voice is gruff, his eyes low.
Why is that so hot? His scratchy voice. His dark eyes. Everything makes me want him. Shouldn’t I be telling him all the reasons I can’t marry him?
“Yeah,” I manage to croak.
“My father told me about the proposal today. I’m sorry they sprang it on you without warning. I didn’t know either, if that makes it any better.”
“So you…” I clear my throat. “You want this?” I move my finger between the two of us.
He swallows, and I watch his Adam’s apple bob up and down. “Uh… Do you?”
“I… I can’t.” My voice is small. It’s hard to say the words. I stare up at him, blinking rapidly. “I have to leave, Theo. Everything I told you on the sailboat is still true. I have to see the world for myself. Get out of here. Move on.”
Theo sighs, nodding. He tilts his head back, staring at the ceiling. “Then I have a favor to ask.”
My heart thumps. “Uh huh?”
“I need you to pretend.” His eyes land on mine, sending another wave of heat coursing through my veins. How does he do that with nothing but a look?
Then, my brain processes his words, and I choke on my own spittle. I cough, hitting my chest with my hand before looking at him. “Pretend?”
“I know it sounds crazy. Dante needs a couple of weeks to talk to lawyers and figure out if I actually need to marry to take the throne. I was thinking…” He trails off, biting his lip.
“What?”
“I have a tour of the islands coming up the day after tomorrow. It’s three weeks long. It might be better if you come with me.”
“How would that be better? Won’t that be sending a message to our families and the Kingdom that we’re going to be married?”
Theo sighs. “I’m worried that if you’re here and I’m away, there might be more pressure on you. They might threaten you, or make you agree to things without my knowledge. If you fight it, they’ll fight harder. At least if we’re both gone and both together, it’ll keep them happy for a while. It’ll buy me some time.”
“So we pretend to agree.”
Theo nods. “Or at least, we pretend to consider it.” His brows are drawn together, concern etched on his face. “I know. I’m not asking you to give up your dreams, Cara. I just need time.”
I gulp. My thoughts are at war with each other. I was supposed to leave the Kingdom this week and start my new life. I was supposed to chase my dreams. Now, the future King is asking me to stay and pretend to be his future fiancée.
The Prince sighs, taking a step closer to me. He strokes the side of my cheek with his good hand and I close my eyes, leaning into his touch.
How does he manage to smell so good all the time? Being near him is like standing in a soft ocean breeze on a warm day.
When I open my eyes again, Theo’s chest is almost brushing mine. His eyes are low. When his tongue slides out to lick his lips, my heart stutters.
“I guess I could delay my disappearance,” I say in a small voice. A hint of a smile twitches over my lips. “You’ve been good to me and my family. The least I can do is return the favor.”
“You’ll get a free trip around the Kingdom, too.”
My smile widens. “Could be worse.”
The air between us crackles. There are so many things unsaid between us. I can see, reflected in his eyes, the desire I feel. Pretending to be his future fiancée isn’t a terrible thought. A part of me kind of likes it.
The Prince lets out a low groan. His fingers stroke my face as he gently shakes his head. “Something happened between us on that boat, Cara.”
My throat tightens. I know what he’s talking about, but I ignore it. “Uh, yeah. I saved your life.” I force a smile. “Twice.”
The Prince’s hand sweeps along my jaw to tangle into my hair. His touch sends shivers running through my body. Goosebumps erupt all over my skin and I suck in a deep breath to try to contain myself. My fingers disobey, though. They hook into the waistband of his pants and before I know it, I’m pulling him toward me.
The air between us thickens.
A few inches of space separate his lips from mine.
He’s right. Of course he’s right.
Something happened on his sailboat, and it wasn’t me saving his life. It was a shift in the energy that flows between us. A change in the course of our destinies.
This whole marriage thing isn’t the cause of it. What’s going on between us had already started before my mother decided to find me a royal husband. It started the instant he stepped into my house and asked me to come sailing with him.
The Prince sweeps his thumb over my cheek as he erases the distance between us. My back presses against the wall as his big body cages my much smaller one. I can feel the heat of his chest against mine. The raw power coiled in his muscles.
I want him. Badly.
“There’s only one thing that worries me about this plan.” His eyes drop momentarily to my lips.
“What’s that?” I’m breathless. My body is burning up. My nipples pebble under my thin shirt, and I know the Prince can feel them.
“Whatever’s going on between us. That worries me.”
The words send a thrill through the pit of my stomach. I like the sound of something going on between us. The more I think about it, the more I like it.
I suck in a breath. “There’s nothing between us,” I force myself to say.
“No?”
I shake my head. “Nothing.”
“Why does that sound like a lie?”
“Because it is one.” My voice is a whisper.
Theo grunts. His eyes are hooded. My body screams.
“This is a bad idea, Theo.”
The Prince inhales. “I need time. Just for this three-week tour. We can tell your parents and my father that we need to get to know each other.”
“We’ve known each other our whole lives.”
“Not like this.” His finger strokes my cheek, and a wave of heat crashes into me.
No, definitely not like this.
“Why me?” My voice is a breath. A whisper.
He shrugs, a grin tugging at the corner of his lips. “Could be worse.”
“Okay, Casanova.” I roll my eyes and shove his chest ever so slightly, clinging onto anything that will cut the tension between us.
What does pretending mean right now? I’m not even sure anymore. It feels pretty real to me.
Theo’s eyes flash, then, and he angles his head toward me. His lips hover over mine and the heat of his breath sends another wave of electricity tripping down my spine.
“You’re special, Cara. More than you know. More than I’ve let myself admit.”
My fingers curl into the waistband of his pants. His skin is hot against my knuckles. His smell is all around me. His lips taunting. My doubts and hesitations get quieter, and quieter, and quieter. ‘
Pretending’ is starting to sound like a good idea. Like the only thing that makes sense right now.
The Prince stares into my eyes. “So, let’s pretend to consider the engagement. You come with me on a tour of the islands. We tell no one about the engagement. We tell our parents the only way we’ll agree is if we have time to talk it over. Just the two of us.”
“Then what?”
“Well, either Dante tells me I can be King as a single man, and you go off on your soul-searching adventure”—his eyes darken as his voice grows hoarse—“or, we decide that we can’t live without each other, and you marry me. We live a happy life together and have lots of little heirs.”
His words are deliciously wrong. Forbidden. Out of the question.
So why do they sound so good?
I arch my back, pressing my hips against his. It’s all the sign he needs.
In the hallway of my parent’s house, after aching and wanting and dreaming of him for days, Prince Theo finally, finally kisses me. It’s more than a kiss. He crushes his lips to mine, pulling my body to him. He claims me with his lips, and I know that I’m already his.
I could deny it. I could pretend I don’t want it. I could say that I still want to run away from Argyle.
I’d be lying.
I need his kiss like I need air. When he lashes his tongue against mine, I melt into his embrace. A moan slips through my lips as his fingers curl into the nape of my neck. Needles of pain erupt over my scalp as he tugs at my hair, transforming into pleasure in an instant.
His leg kicks mine apart, and I relish the feeling of grinding myself against him. Every bit of my body is hot. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him closer as the Prince kisses me harder. He slips his hand under my shirt and sweeps his palms across my back.
His injured arm is pinned between us, pressing up against my body as we moan together.
“Cara,” he mumbles into my lips. I love the way my name sounds coming from his mouth. I want him to say it over and over again. I want to hear it as a groan when he drives himself inside me. I want to hear him whisper it in my ear and scream it.
I want Prince Theo. There’s no denying it, and no going back. I’m not pretending right now. This is very, very real.
Something changed on that sailboat, and I’m not sure I’m strong enough to resist.
A noise down the hall makes us pull apart. I glance down the empty hallway, then wipe my mouth, stealing a glance at the Prince.
I chuckle awkwardly, smoothing my hair. “Well. That happened.”
Theo’s lips curl into a grin. He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear and shakes his head.
“Three weeks is all I’m asking, Cara.”
“We shouldn’t be kissing,” I say, even though my lips want more.
“Why not?”
“Because it’ll complicate things.”
Theo’s body is still brushing against mine, and sparks fly between us. He shrugs. “What if I like kissing you?”
“It doesn’t change the fact that we’re supposed to be pretending. We’re not supposed to actually go through with it.”
He takes a step back, nodding. “Maybe you’re right. We should keep it platonic.”
Yeah, right. Whatever that means.
Every time we speak something out loud, our bodies say something entirely different. I want him badly. I don’t want to pretend at all. Every single cell in my body wants to go on this tour with Theo, if only to be near him. The voice in my mind screaming that it’s a bad idea is too easy to ignore.
But as he takes another step back, I feel the distance between us in my gut, immediately regretting my words. Is it right to push him away? Should I be jumping in his arms?
It feels good, but is it right?
I glance at the Prince, who seems to be going through the same turmoil I am. In a whisper, I say the question that keeps plaguing my mind. “What about Luca?”
“What about Luca?”
“You know what I mean.”
“All I know is my brother lost his chance with you when he pushed you away. You don’t have to marry me, but I don’t want you to keep torturing yourself over my brother’s mistreatment of you.”
I chew my lip. Gathering my courage, I force myself to drag my gaze up to Theo’s. “Is this a bad idea? Pretending to consider this engagement? We just kissed, Theo. And I’m going to leave when we get back. You’re going to be King. It’s too complicated. It’s a disaster waiting to happen.”
Theo lets out a breath. His eyes are clear, and after a pause, he just shrugs. “Maybe it’s best that you’re leaving afterwards. Whatever happens between us, we know there’s an end date.”
I nod, gulping.
The Prince sighs. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want you, Cara. Whatever happened on that sailboat, it hit me hard. But no matter how much I want you for myself, I don’t want you to give up your dreams for me. So, it might seem complicated, but it’s really not. I just need your help. No strings attached.”
I wish those words didn’t have an effect on me. I pride myself on being adventurous. Independent. Thrill-seeking. But having a future King tell me that he wants me?
That does something to me.
And it does something to my panties, too.
This is a Bad Idea, with a capital ‘B’ and a capital ‘I.’ He might think it’s no strings attached—that I’m just buying him time and doing him a favor—but I know the truth. My heartstrings are already tangled. I’m already confused.
I already want him, too.
“Can’t you find some other girl, if any woman will do to buy you time? Someone more noble?”
“I don’t want someone more noble. I want you.”
There it is again. That declaration.
Theo arches an eyebrow, running his thumb over his lip. I follow the movement, my thoughts flicking back to the kiss we just shared.
I nod. “Okay. Just for the tour.”
The Prince nods. “Yeah. Just for the tour.”
“We don’t let our parents push us into this. I still get to leave and chase my dreams on my own.”
“Exactly,” Theo says, stepping toward me. “I may only be the Prince, but I still won’t let my father dictate everything to me, least of all who I choose to marry.”
I nod. “Yeah,” I agree, even though I’m not sure exactly what I’m agreeing to.
Theo ducks his head down and presses a soft kiss to my lips. Heat ignites in my core again, and I know that things definitely won’t be as simple as he claims.
9
Theo
Walking back to the Shoals’ living room, my heart is thumping and my palms are sweaty. I know that this plan has the potential to blow up in both our faces in a spectacular fashion. I know that this could backfire. I know that things could go wrong.
But I don’t have a choice. I need time to figure this out.
The only way I can think of to keep my father happy and give Dante some time is to tell my father I’m considering this engagement. The only way to keep Cara away from external pressure about this engagement and to safeguard her plans to leave Argyle is to take her with me.
Cara leans over toward me, nudging me with her elbow. “That’s three times I’ve saved your life.”
I grin. “At least this time didn’t include a dislocated shoulder. Being saved by you is dangerous.”
“Careful, Your Highness,” Cara grins. The glance she throws my way is indecipherable. I can’t tell if she’s worried about what we’ve agreed to do or excited about it.
One thing I do know is my pulse quickens whenever she’s around. From the moment things shifted between us on the sailboat, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about all the things I want to do to her.
As we walk into the living room, all eyes turn to us. Cara’s parents and sisters stare at us expectantly. Cara stiffens beside me, and I can almost sense the regret flowing off her.
I clear my throat. “Thank you for having me. I have to ge
t back to the palace, but I’d like to ask your permission to take Cara on a royal tour that leaves the day after tomorrow.”
Mrs. Shoal lets out a squeal, her eyes flashing with a gleam I’m not sure I like. “A tour?” she asks. “That sounds important. You don’t need our permission, Your Highness.”
“It is important,” I answer. “Cara and I have a lot to discuss.” The back of my hand brushes Cara’s. Heat flows through my arm. My body is far too receptive to her.
No strings attached? Don’t make me laugh.
“The Prince and I are just spending time together after a long year apart, Mother. Don’t get any ideas,” Cara says. Her voice sounds strangled. “We just need to talk everything through.”
Mrs. Shoal waves a hand, dismissing Cara’s words. The movement doesn’t sit well with me, and I know why Cara feels like she has to leave. Being here is stifling.
I steal a glance at Cara. Her face is dark. I can tell she’s uncomfortable with this, and she doesn’t like lying to her family. Sensing my gaze, she glances up to meet my eye.
“I’ll walk you back to your car.”
We bid her family goodbye and walk in silence toward the front door. Conflict swirls inside me. On the one hand, the thought of being near Cara excites me. On the other, I know our situation is complicated. I’m asking a lot of her, and not providing much in return.
When we get to my car, my driver hops out to open the back door for me. I stare at the vehicle before turning to face Cara. Taking her hand in mine, I bring it up to my lips. Her eyes follow the movement.
The memory of our kiss floods my brain. All I can think about is how good she tasted. How right it felt to have her in my arms. How much I wish I had the use of both limbs to wrap around her and never let go.
“So, this royal tour…” Cara arches an eyebrow. “What’s it all about?”
“It’s a tour of the islands. Three weeks. We’ll stop at all the major towns and do a lot of hand-waving and baby-kissing and smiling for the cameras.”
“Won’t it send a very clear image if I’m there beside you? I thought we were keeping things private. If we start doing a lot of public appearances together, people will talk.”
Royally Unexpected 2: An Accidental Pregnancy Collection (Surprise Baby Stories) Page 48