Page 14 of Marrying a Prince

Marianna followed after Leo as he led her to the designated spot. Her stomach was all twisted up. Why did the prince have to be so nice—and confident.

She felt like a fool for allowing her emotions to cloud her judgement.

In her entire relationship with Samson, he had never once asked her about her family or made sure she was okay the way Leo did. Was this what it was like to have a good guy around?

She swallowed, forcing down all of these ridiculous ideas. She was here to do a job and, dang it, she was going to do a good job.

Part of that job was faking this engagement to help Leo out of his situation. If she wanted to makes sure her heart was intact at the end of this arrangement, she needed to build a wall right now.

Leo DeLuca was off limits. Period.

Just as they rounded the corner and saw the large glass windows, the media who were milling around the sidewalk outside perked up. Marianna had to squint as flashes went off on the other side of the glass. Everyone wanted to get a glimpse of the prince.

Her heart pounded when she realized that they were taking photos of her too. Now her private life would be on display for the world to see. Those thoughts made her stomach twist. She prayed that she wouldn't throw up. Not in front of the cameras.

"You okay?" Leo asked. He'd stopped and Marianna hadn’t noticed how close he was to her until she heard his voice.

Glancing up, she saw that he was inches from her. Too scared of what her voice would sound like if she tried to speak, she just nodded.

He leaned closer, his lips inches from her ear. "You can back out right now if you want. I won't be angry. It's a lot, what I'm asking you to do."

His accent, mixed with his warm breath, sent shivers down her skin. It felt good to be needed like this. and there was no way she was going back to that hospital in the emotional state she was in.

Marianna smiled and waved to the cameras. "You promised me sandy beaches and a month-long vacation. You're not backing out on me, now are you?" She reached out and wrapped her arm around Leo's waist.

She could feel his low chuckle reverberate in his chest. "Nope. I'm committed."

"Good, so am I."

From the corner of her eye, she saw him glance down at her.

"Then get ready."

In a moment, he turned to face her and dropped down on one knee. Marianna heard a gasp. She glanced up to see Gisella walk into the foyer followed by his family.

"Will you marry me?" Leo asked.

Mrs. DeLuca's eyes bugged and her skin paled. Marianna could see her trying to process what was happening. The media on the other side were having a field day documenting this.

"Well?" Leo asked.

Marianna glanced down to see his earnest expression. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring. Her breath caught in her throat as she took in its size. The diamond was well over a carat. It was nestled in some intricate gold filigree. He slipped it onto her ring finger and then glanced back up.

"You need to answer," he whispered.

So she did the only thing she was sure of. She nodded. "Yes," she whispered.

He raised his eyebrows. "Yes?"

"Yes!" she shouted, hoping that everyone around them bought their lie.

And then Leo wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. The room felt as if it were spinning as he lowered his lips to hers. Suddenly, they were kissing.

Warmth spread from Marianna's lips, across her cheeks, and exploded throughout her body. Every point of contact heated from his touch. Her hands moved from his chest up to his shoulders and into his thick hair.

That seemed to be the response Leo wanted because he pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. After a moment, a sob could be heard from across the room.

Leo pulled away first and glanced over. Dazed, Marianna stared at him.

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