Page 27 of Marrying a Prince

He leaned closer until his lips were next to her ear. She fought the urge to turn and press her lips to his. Their previous kiss had happened so fast that there were times she wondered if she'd made it all up. But right now, standing in his suite, she would know. She would remember. And she was sure she would never be the same.

So she kept her face forward and waited for what he was about to say.

"Is it working?" he asked. His voice was deep and and smooth as chocolate.

Shivers assaulted her skin. This wasn't fair, him standing inches from her. She needed to get a hold of herself and step away. Put up a wall and protect herself.

But, this was fun. And it felt so good to be needed. It didn't hurt that he was a prince and that rubbing their engagement in Samson's face would help heal all the cracks that walking in on him and Barbie had given her.

So she pulled back, plastering on a fake smile. "Your Highness, this is in breach of our contract."

When she met his gaze, she saw something pass through it. Was it hurt or fear? Had what he said been true—did he really want to get close to her? Maybe he was waiting for an opening.

Why was she even thinking these things? Opening up Pandora's box was never good. If she entertained the idea of having feelings for Leo, or worse, thinking that he might have feelings for her, it would only result in heartbreak.

She always dived into every relationship with both feet. And she always seemed to be with the wrong guy. Leo DeLuca, crown prince of Caro, was definitely the wrong guy for her.

He leaned back, grabbed the container, and scooped up another spoonful of ice cream. "Wow," he breathed, winking at her.

She stared at him. What was he doing? "What?"

"Nothing. It's just that I threw my big guns at you, and you didn't flinch. That's impressive." He shoved the ice cream into his mouth and swallowed. "It means you're ready."

Marianna tried to push out the pain that clung to her chest at the thought that he was testing her. That he didn't care about her, like she was fighting so hard not to care about him. She reached out and shoved his shoulder. "You were testing me?"

He laughed and took another bite. "Yep." He turned and leaned against the counter, extending his legs out in front of him. He looked so relaxed. Like this was the most normal conversation. "You don't understand the world you are entering into. I mean, people are going to throw themselves at you. It'll become hard to know if people are real or not." His voice trailed off as he stared down at the kitchen floor. "It can be really lonely."

Marianna's heart swelled at his words, how hard that had to be. Living your life and never knowing what was genuine. Part of her wanted to tell him she knew what that was like, but the words felt like a lie. Sure, men had cheated on her and lied to her, but she had genuine friends and loving parents. People who would support her no matter what.

Leo had parents who were forcing him to marry a woman he didn't love, without any thought for how he felt. He was going to have to live the rest of his life for his country. For people who didn't know him and probably never would.

It had to feel lonely.

Before she thought about it, she reached out and rested her hand on his forearm. She hoped it would come off as supportive and not creepy. As soon as her fingers brushed his skin, tingles raced up her arm and exploded in her heart.

How could something that felt so right be so wrong? She swallowed, forcing herself to remember that this was for Leo. She wasn't going to pull her hand away just because it made her feel something. That wasn't his fault. He needed a friend, and she was going to be that friend.

His eyes widened as his gaze made it's way up to meet hers. He held it for a moment. She could see some turmoil in his eyes. As much as she wanted to believe it was because he felt something too, she wasn't going to entertain those thoughts. Instead she smiled. "Well, I will be there. I'll be your friend."

He hesitated and then smiled. "Thanks, Mari."

She nodded and dropped her hand, fighting the urge to run her thumb over her fingertips. "That is, if they don't run me out of town for being a fraud."

He patted her shoulder. "I won't let them. You'll be great."

She chuckled and took a step back. It was getting too hard, this touching each other like they were friends bit. They weren't friends and the more time she spent with Leo, the more she realized that they never were going to be.

She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, facing him. "What does a girl who's fake-engaged to the prince do?"

He shushed her and then glanced around. "Ears," he whispered.

Marianna thought everyone had left, except for Filippo. And the more she was getting to know Filippo, the more she was beginning to realize that he was extremely loyal to Leo. There was no way he would snitch about their plan.

But, from the way Leo's cheeks were turning red, she was beginning to realize that there was something more. Something he wasn't telling her. He looked sheepishly toward his bedroom.

Her gaze followed his. Was someone in there? Who?

When she glanced back over to him, she quirked an eyebrow. She knew she had no right asking him who was in his room. They weren't dating. But, she'd put her trust in him, and as much as she wanted not to feel like he was breaking it, he was.

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