Page 30 of Marrying a Prince

That's not what someone with amnesia would do. Or was it? Perhaps, it was time he admitted to himself that he had no real game plan. He was flying by the seat of his pants. And Marianna might be the one to get hurt in the process.

His chest squeezed at the thought of Marianna hurting. It was the last thing he wanted, and yet, it was the only thing he seemed to be doing.

He pulled open the bathroom door and peeked out. Most of the passengers were reading or sleeping. Taking this moment, he reached around the divider and grabbed Marianna's arm. She yelped and turned to look up at him.

"What are you doing?" she hissed.

He widened his eyes. There was no way he was going to let her push him away. There had been moments between them. Moments when they had confessed things about themselves. He may not be allowed to have romantic feelings for her, but they could still be friends.

"Can I talk to you?" he asked.

She stared at him and then sighed, unbuckling her seatbelt and standing. She glanced around and must have felt that the coast was clear because she turned to face him "What?"

He shook his head. "Not out here." He reached out, grabbed her hand, and pulled her into the bathroom with him.

It was small and cramped, and he couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of her so close to him again. When she widened her eyes, taking in the space between their bodies, he smiled. He knew she felt more for him than she was letting on. It felt good to see that he wasn't the only one affected by their relationship.

And then he scolded himself. That was not what a friend thought about another friend. If he truly cared about her, he wouldn't revel in the thought that she liked him. Especially since he knew they could never be anything.

So he forced the feelings from his heart and stared down at her.

She tried to place her hands on her hips, but there wasn't any room, so she settled on folding her arms. "What do you need, Leo?"

"I've been trying to talk to you all day."

She sighed, bringing up a hand to brush a strand of hair away. "Why?"

He studied her. Why was she acting so coy? Was she serious? "Because of what you thought was happening in my room last night."

"I don't know—"

"With Gisella."

She hesitated and glanced up at him. "Okay."

"I wanted you to know that she wasn't there because of me. Mother insisted she stay with me. I think she's hoping I'll remember who Gisella is and then call everything off with you."

Marianna's cheeks hinted pink as she studied him. There was a pain in her gaze that made his heart swell. Did those words hurt her? He studied her. Was it wrong that his heart picked up speed at the thought?

But before he could interpret her reaction, she sighed and glanced around. "That makes sense. It's best to keep those you have a history with around you. At least, that's what I would do." She met his gaze. "Is that what you wanted to tell me?"

There were tiny gold flecks amidst the blue of her eyes. Leo couldn't help but focus on how beautiful she looked, all irritated and annoyed, peering up at him. She was inches away from him. Inches away from his lips. How easy it would be to dip down and kiss her again.

"Leo?" she raised her eyebrows.

Snapping back to reality, Leo blinked and pulled back—well, as far back as he could in the tiny airplane bathroom. "What did you say?" This time, he was going to focus on her words.

She studied him, narrowing an eye. "I said, is that what you wanted to tell me?"

He nodded. Was it? His chest felt like it was squeezing his lungs. But there was no way he was going to say the words that were floating around in his mind—that he liked her, more than their agreement allowed. So he smiled and reached for the door handle.

"Of course. I just wanted to clear the air. I wanted you to know…" His voice trailed off. Was what he was about to say true?

She raised her eyebrows. When he didn't continue, she said, "Know what?"

He reached up, brushing his knuckles across her cheek. It had been instinctual, and he didn't notice he was doing it until he felt her warm, soft skin against his own and the desire to feel her lips pressed against his filled his mind.

Her lips parted as if they were sharing the same thought. Could she want it as much as he did? Was their close proximity doing the same things to her? His heart pounded so hard that he heard it in his ears. But it didn't drown out the fear that crept up inside of him. The fear that he would hurt her and, in turn, hurt himself.

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