Page 50 of Marrying a Prince

Leo glanced around and saw a drawer just under the oven door. He pulled it open and found a cast iron pan. He grabbed it out and set it on the grate on the stovetop. "Now what?"

Bernardo laughed. "We need to heat it up."

That had something to do with the burners. Leo knew that much. But cooking wasn't something the crown prince was expected to learn how to do. He glanced down at the black dials and studied them.

"Turn the gas on and grab a match. They're on the shelf there." Bernardo had grabbed some seasonings from a cabinet and was lining them up.

Leo turned the dial to light and then grabbed the matches. A foul smell began to fill the air as he pulled down the bag.

Bernardo was to his side in a second, flipping the dial to off. "Un momento," he said, holding up his finger. "You will explode this place if you light a match now."

Leo widened his eyes as he glanced around. After a few minutes, the air cleared, and Bernardo took the matches from him. "I will do it," he said, motioning for Leo to step back.

Leo obeyed, and soon the burner was lit and the pan was warming up. Feeling like an idiot, Leo glanced around. He wanted to help, but he’d almost destroyed Bernardo's home. How did he think he could ever run a country? It would be better if Ermes did it.

"Crack the eggs into the bowl," Bernardo said, nodding toward the bowl that he'd placed in front of the seasonings.

That was something he couldn't screw up, so Leo walked over to the counter and grabbed an egg. Just as he moved to tap the egg on the side of the bowl, Marianna's voice made him jump.

"Can I help?" she asked.

His body heated from her proximity. She was standing just behind him, peeking over his shoulder. She smelled clean, like coconut and lavender. Her damp hair had been pulled back into a bun at the nape of her neck. And she had on a simple dress. Light blue, accentuating the color of her eyes and her fair skin.

He swallowed, stepping to the side. Just as he did, the egg slipped from his fingers and crashed into the bowl, sending bits of eggshell flying everywhere.

Marianna giggled and moved closer to him. The skin of her arm brushed against his as she peered into the bowl. "We should probably get those out. We wouldn't want crunchy eggs." She reached over and ran some water over her finger. "Watch and learn," she said, lowering her eyelids in a flirtatious way.

Leo's emotions caught in his throat. He attempted to clear them. This was exactly why he'd left their room this morning. It was too confusing—too intoxicating—to be this close to her.

She dipped her finger into the egg and removed a bit of shell triumphantly. She held it up for him to inspect. "Now you," she said, nodding toward the bowl.

"Okay," he said, grateful for the distraction. He needed to focus on something other than her gaze and the way it seemed to pierce his soul.

He reached his finger into the bowl, but then the warmth of Marianna's fingers surrounded his wrist. He glanced over at her to see her studying where their hands touched. As if she was feeling the same reaction.

She glanced up at him and smiled. "Water first."

He nodded, shifting his arm away from her and over to the water. After flipping it on, he ran his finger under it. Once his skin was damp, she motioned toward the bowl. After a few attempts, he was about ready to give up. She giggled and grabbed his wrist again. "Let me help."

She dipped his hand down into the gooey egg mixture and led him over to a piece of shell. She pressed his finger against it and slid his hand up the side of the bowl. When she brought his hand up, she smiled over at him. "You got it," she said.

Even though it seemed so simple, his heart pounded in his chest. She was close. So close. And all of his attempts to push her away were for naught.

He shook his hand out over the garbage and stepped to the side. "You do this so much better. I'll go set the table."

He nodded at Bernardo as he walked by. Not sure where he was going, he picked a doorway and went through it. Thankfully, a small table sat in the middle of the room. He walked over to the china hutch and opened the doors, pulling out plates and setting them on the tabletop.

He flexed his hand as his gaze made its way over to the kitchen. He could hear Bernardo and Marianna's voices as they talked. The soft tones of her voice filled his mind and drove his desire to walk back into that room, take her in his arms, and dip her down so that he could press his lips against hers. Show her exactly how she drove him crazy.

He was in trouble.

Chapter Eighteen

After breakfast, Leo jumped at the opportunity to help Bernardo with his chores. Marianna watched as he followed Bernardo out the door with a speed that rivaled NASCAR. Now alone, she studied the walls, which were packed with pictures. Some had a much younger Bernardo in them. Some of them were more recent.

Her gaze slipped from one to the next, and she couldn't help but smile. He seemed to have lived such a full life. An ache took up residence in her heart when she discovered that the more recent pictures were of Bernardo alone. There was a woman in particular who showed up in all of the earlier photos, but then disappeared.

She wondered if the woman had been his wife and if she'd died. Her heart went out to him. Bernardo was such a kind man. Just like Leo, but less stubborn.

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