by Sara Hantz
It was like he came from a different planet. She’d been to Europe, and it certainly wasn’t how he’d described.
“No, not kidding,” he replied, his voice serious.
“So you can’t eat breakfast in your pajamas?” she asked. Not dressing for breakfast was one of the things she loved most about vacations. If she wasn’t going out, she’d been known to spend all day in her PJs. Her parents didn’t mind.
“I’m talking dinner in the evenings. Though I do always get dressed for breakfast,” he added.
His whole life seemed so unreal. Nothing like the easygoing existence of living in America. “Being here must seem very strange. Do you think we’re all a bunch of bad-mannered loudmouths with loose morals?”
“Not at all. Americans are just different, but in a good way a lot of the time. It’s just been hard for someone like me to acclimatize. It helps being with you and Josh.”
She hadn’t really considered that he might actually feel uncomfortable about fitting in, or not. He always seemed so confident. Well, from now on, she would make more of an effort to help him settle.
“I’m glad to help. What do you think of it here in New Hampshire?” For some reason, it was important to her that he loved it as much as she did.
“It’s very remote, compared with what I’m used to.” His eyes glazed over for a moment. She guessed he was missing his home. She would if she were thousands of miles away.
“Do you live in the city?”
“Our main residence is in Mlanz, the capital, and we have several weekend retreats in the country.”
Several weekend retreats. How rich did that make him?
“Wow. Next you’ll be telling me you have servants.” She gave a loud, very American laugh and then slammed her hand over her mouth as his expression indicated she’d gotten it right.
“We do have staff, yes.” He shrugged like it was no big deal. Then again, why was she taken aback? Barden Heights was a top school. Lots of rich people went there, including the children and grandchildren of former presidents.
“Cool. What’s that like?” She’d love for her mom to have someone to do the laundry and all the chores in the house on a daily basis. Especially if it would mean that she wouldn’t have to clean her own room or clear the table after dinner or take the trash out.
“Shall we order? What would you like?” he asked, seeming to ignore her question.
Taking the hint, she picked up the menu and scanned it. “A Vanilla Chiller, please. And a cinnamon roll.” She reached in her purse and pulled out ten dollars. She held it out to him.
“No. I’ll pay.” He waved his hand dismissively.
“You don’t have to,” she said.
“You’re my guest. I’ll go and order.”
Not wanting to get into a debate about it, she returned the money to her purse and watched him head for the counter and stand in line. He oozed confidence. If his pale blond hair made him stand out, that charisma just put him over the top. Plenty of girls and probably a few boys were clearly checking him out, but he either didn’t notice or was very good at pretending not to.
Butterflies whizzed around her stomach. All her good intentions about not falling for him seemed to have fled. It wasn’t just his undisputed hotness. It was something else. Something intangible that mesmerized her.
Without stopping to think, she picked up her cell, zoomed in on him, and took several photos. She couldn’t resist. After all, it wasn’t like anyone would see them.
She placed her phone on the table and then glanced first at Nik and then back at it. She chewed on the inside of her mouth. What if he picked it up and saw the pictures? The ones he’d asked her not to take? She didn’t want to upset him.
She considered deleting them, but as she swiped through them, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. The boy really was ridiculously photogenic.
Quickly, she emailed all of them to herself and then hit delete. There—they’d remain private and just for her. Relieved to have gotten rid of the evidence of her sneakiness, she sat back in the chair and watched him.
…
Nik tossed a glance at the table where Amber sat. They’d had fun choosing him some clothes. Well, he certainly had, and it appeared like she had, too. Yet, despite all her teasing, she seemed to be holding back, like a shadow hid behind her eyes. Of course, that was likely the fact that she’d had cancer. Josh had told him she was in remission, but he wouldn’t blame her if she occasionally worried.
Still, Nik had to wonder if it was the only thing. He was usually good at working people out. It was essential, since there were so many opportunities for people to take advantage of his royal position. That was something drilled into him often by his parents. Don’t take people at face value.
“Are you ready to order?”
Nik started when the guy behind the counter spoke to him. He’d been so absorbed with thinking about Amber that he hadn’t realized he’d made it to the front of the line. He quickly gave their order, paid, took the numbered flag, and headed back to their table. Another new experience—his parents and circle of friends weren’t big on restaurants that didn’t offer at least five courses.
Amber seemed preoccupied with her cell and didn’t notice him until he was virtually on top of her. When she did see him, though, those dimples made yet another appearance. They would soften even the hardest of men. Which meant that she was officially weakening his defenses, and he had to tone down this “friendship” before it turned into something entirely too complicated.
Why? Would dating Amber really be a problem?
Only if she wasn’t interested in dating him.
“Hey,” she said.
“We’ve got to wait a while for our order. They said they were really backed up.” He placed the flag on the table and sat down.
“That’s okay. I’ve got nothing to get back for. Apart from math homework, which is so yawn-worthy.” She wrinkled her nose.
“I love math.”
Idiot.
“What?” Her eyes widened, and he was captivated by the sparkling gold flecks that flashed in them. So unusual for someone with such dark brown eyes.
“Yes. It’s my favorite subject.” He forced himself to stop staring so obviously in case it made her feel uncomfortable. He’d had an affinity with numbers ever since he first started school. His parents were pleased and hoped he would go on to study accounting and economics in college, which they considered to be very useful in their line of work. On this point, they agreed. Not because of how it would help but simply because he found it so interesting.
“You’re kidding. I get good grades in math, but I find it painfully boring. Why do you like it?” Amber looked shocked. He knew that not everyone liked math as much as he did, but he’d never come across anyone who seemed so against it.
“Numbers are predictable. Once you know the formula, they will always act in the same way.”
Even to his ears, it made him sound boring. Though that wasn’t what he meant. Predictability could be a good thing when you had the lives of others to consider. A definite plus when you’re a royal.
Not so much as a commoner.
“Where’s the fun in that? Where’s your sense of adventure?” she teased.
“I like adventure.” He didn’t want to fuel the impression he had given. “When I’m in control of it,” he murmured.
“However much you try, you can’t control everything.” Her eyes glazed over, and she looked like her mind was elsewhere.
He couldn’t understand her reaction, until it hit him. She must have been thinking about her cancer. He felt an idiot for upsetting her like that. Would he ever get it right as far as Amber was concerned, or was he destined to screw up every time?
“I just meant when it comes to adventure,” he replied, noticing that as soon as he’d spoken, she became alert again.
“That sounds like a cop-out to me,” she replied, her tone adamant.
“A cop-out?” he asked, not r
eally understanding her meaning.
“Taking the easy way out. If you’re in control of your adventure, then it’s not a real adventure. You’ve taken the uncertainty out of it. And it’s the uncertainty that can get the adrenaline flowing.”
It might be exciting in her world. In his, uncertainty very often caused monumental problems. An unplanned visit somewhere could end up being plastered over the newspapers. Being seen out with a girl could result in all sorts of unpleasant speculation. One wrong decision could adversely affect an entire swath of the population. One wrong remark could sway a key vote in an unhealthy direction. The list was endless.
“So you’re into adventure?” he asked, wanting to turn the subject away from anything that might cause him to inadvertently reveal his identity.
“No. Not really. My brother’s the adrenaline junkie, to quote him. Skydiving. Rappelling. Caving. You name it, he’s tried it.” Amber leaned back in her chair. “The craziest thing I’ve done is paddle boarding on a calm river.”
“But do you like uncertainty?” he prodded, for no other reason than to see if there were any similarities between them at all. Of course, if it wasn’t for his background, then maybe he wouldn’t be so overly cautious. Or as Josh had said, such a stuffed shirt.
“Predictable can be boring, as I said before.”
He regretted ever talking about predictability in math because he wasn’t keen on the direction their conversation was headed. “You think I’m boring?” he asked, unable to hide the disappointment in his voice.
“No. I didn’t say that.” Her cheeks flushed a delicious pale pink. He loved how easily she blushed.
He gripped the table with both hands, in an attempt to stop from leaning across and sliding his fingers gently down the side of her face. A breath hitched in the back of his throat. She was getting to him in ways he hadn’t believed possible. And for once, he knew that whatever happened between them would have nothing to do with him being a prince. If she liked him, and he was hoping more than anything that she did, then it would be because of him as a person and nothing else.
“I was teasing,” he pretended, so she didn’t feel bad over what she’d said. He grinned and was rewarded by a brilliant smile from her in return.
“You got me that time.” She laughed, that loud, deep, very American laugh that was really starting to grow on him.
Nik simply watched her for a few seconds and then joined in. A genuine laugh that was so unusual for him. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed so completely. It felt good.
As their eyes locked, his heart pumped. In that instant, he realized for sure that if he really was Nik Gustafsson, he would want them to be more than friends. To have a relationship.
But he wasn’t Nik Gustafsson. He was Prince Niklas III of Lutgenstadt. Whom the crown would deeply frown upon if it became public knowledge that he was “having an affair with an American commoner.”
And he couldn’t bring himself to start something with Amber, only to tell her it would have to be temporary, because he had a home across the ocean and a country that depended on him. She’d had enough heartache to deal with.
Plus, if things turned serious, he’d have to tell her who he was—and watch her attitude toward him change. It always did. Would she be starry-eyed? Would she stop standing up to him and become overly agreeable because he was royalty? Would he have to wonder from the point where she discovered he was a prince onward whether she still liked him for him or for his crown?
Maybe it was just better never to find out.
Chapter Eight
“Let’s get the bus back to school,” Amber suggested as they stepped outside the mall, and she noticed the Number 72 bus to Barden Heights, which had just pulled into the stop, its engine idling. She squinted as the late afternoon sun shone directly into her face.
Despite the obvious fact that they were such total opposites, she still would love to delay their return to school and spend more time with him. Except she didn’t want to risk being late for check in and suffer the wrath of her resident manager, who was obsessed with tardiness. And she had a lot of work to do on her portfolio, which really should be her focus instead of Nik and his too-pretty face.
She was sure Nik wouldn’t want to be late, either. It wouldn’t look good for him to get into trouble so early on in his first year at Barden. She glanced casually in his direction, and her nerve endings tingled. It was crazy how he had this effect on her, and she seemed incapable of doing anything about it. She’d love to get into his head and find out if he felt the same.
Even if I’m not doing any kind of relationship this year.
They reached the bus together. Of course, he stepped to the side to let her on first. After showing their school-issued bus passes, she led them to the back. She scooted along the seat to the window, and he sat beside her. She gave a little shiver as his leg touched hers. And then she mentally slapped herself for being so ridiculous.
Apart from the two of them, there were only three other people on the bus: an elderly couple sitting at the front in silence and a young boy of around twelve sitting in the middle, headphones in his ears. She liked that there was no one close who could listen in on their conversation. She could pretend it was just the two of them. The bus hissed and jolted as it moved away from the stop and into the oncoming traffic, distracting her from her thoughts.
“Traveling by bus is fun,” Nik said.
She turned her head away from where she’d been watching the shops passing by, wondering if he was kidding. A quick glance at his face showed that he was being serious. She’d certainly never thought of being on a bus as fun. At least, not since she was very young and going by bus rather than car had been a special treat.
“I guess. I thought Europe was better at public transportation than we are. Don’t you have buses in your country?” Another of her dumb questions.
And whose fault is that?
“Yes. I just don’t use them,” he replied.
Simple answer. Except it still seemed weird that he found it fun.
“You drive everywhere?” she asked, searching for a reasonable explanation.
“I don’t drive.” He shrugged.
Amber frowned. He didn’t drive. He didn’t catch the bus. Surely his parents wouldn’t take him everywhere he wanted to go. That would be ridiculous, seeing as he was seventeen and not seven. Not only that, it wouldn’t be practical. “How do you get around?”
“We have a driver.”
A driver. Who the heck has a driver to take them everywhere? Movie stars. Yeah, well, he’s not one of those.
“A driver? What about if you want to go out late at night?” She idly brushed her fingers along the top of the seat in front of them.
“We have more than one. They work shifts, so there is always someone available.”
Drivers working shifts. Why didn’t she think of that? It was a whole new world to her. It was like Oprah or Mark Zuckerberg. Was it any surprise that he had that arrogant air about him? His wealth had to be in a different stratosphere compared to even the wealthiest kids at school. Either that, or life in his country was so different from her own that she shouldn’t be making comparisons.
“Whoa. That must make you very rich.” The words were out of her mouth before she could check them. How rude did that make her?
An awkward expression crossed his face, and he rubbed his chin. Yet again, she had the sense that he was hiding something.
Even so, she could’ve kicked herself for prying. She hated when people did it to her. She’d much rather keep things to herself. The thing was, she found his reticence to talk about his home life in more detail than a couple of words intriguing. There was a secret there, she was sure of it. That or he was just embarrassed at how rich his family really was. They could be billionaires and because he wanted to fit in with the students at school, he didn’t want to reveal that. She chewed on her bottom lip. Yes, that made sense.
“Compared with some peop
le, we are, yes.” He frowned, and Amber couldn’t decide whether it was because he felt annoyed with her, or because…actually, she didn’t know what else it could be.
And it doesn’t matter. Being close to him now is all that counts.
“I didn’t mean to be nosy.” She sucked in a breath, hoping that she hadn’t ruined things between them.
“That’s okay.”
Her skin tingled as he snuggled against her and slid his arm around her shoulders, the tips of his fingers lightly grazing her collarbone.
She shuddered, her heart pumping erratically against her rib cage. She could hardly breathe. One thing was for sure, he didn’t hate her for prying. Then again, was the reason he was touching her to distract her? If it was, he’d scored big-time because all thoughts of his background were relegated to the far recesses of her mind.
Remaining motionless, she waited for his next move. She hoped more than anything that he was going to kiss her. She’d completely forgotten why that would be a bad idea. In fact, if he didn’t, she suspected that she might grab him and kiss him first.
But she didn’t have to, because sure enough, he turned to her, his blue eyes dark with desire. He cupped her face in his warm hand and tilted her chin ever so slightly. Leaning forward, he gently pressed his perfect lips on hers. Tendrils of heat shot through her body. She grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled him closer, their lips parting. He explored her mouth with his tongue, and she responded, enjoying the sugary taste from the pastry he’d eaten earlier. Her fingers glided down the contours of his back. She shivered. Who knew a kiss could feel like that?
And where would they go from there?
“Tell me again,” Lauren begged, sitting cross-legged on Amber’s bed, her eyes wide with anticipation. “This time in more detail.”
“Why?” Amber replied, stifling a smirk. She’d already told Lauren all about the kiss. The kiss. She’d played it over and over in her mind nonstop, since Nik left her outside her dorm. What’s more, in a way, it was almost like it hadn’t happened, because when they said good-bye, Nik didn’t mention them going out together again. He acted like they were back to being friends. Nothing more. Which she supposed was a good thing if she listened to her head. Though why would she do that when her heart was screaming the total opposite?