Page 30 of The Princess and the Pizza Man

Winter had said Garreth wasn’t all that bright, but that wasn’t exactly a bad thing. Women made men act stupid, and Will wasn’t a stranger to the fumbling that came with trying to catch a woman’s attention. There’d been plenty of times a pizza would fall right out of his hands when Penelope was watching his every move.

Or I just trip all over myself and take the woman down with me.

He blinked and shook his head. No… last night was just embarrassing, not the effects of being infatuated.

He scratched at his beard, surprise hitting him when his fingers grazed only a thin layer of scruff the electric razor had left him with. Bells had assured him that he looked “so incredibly handsome, William!” but he was still a bit skeptical. What had possessed him to make himself feel even more out of place was beyond him. Yeah, he did stuff for Bells all the time, but not when it came to his beard. That was reserved for other women.

He slapped a hand to his face and ran it down slowly. His brain was short-circuiting. He needed more food.

A tray of something that smelled like heaven and pork passed him, and he turned from Bells to follow the server. Just as he caught up and snagged the toothpick, his attention was effectively diverted.

Winter had just stepped into the pool, her short legs looking long as they peeked from her sparkly blue bathing suit. They disappeared inch by inch as she descended the pool steps, the water kissing her skin in small waves. Her hair wasn’t done up like Bells’—instead, the platinum locks were slicked back into a clip atop her head, flyaways framing her face. A smile was wide on her lips, her eyes on the water like it was a river of chocolate. Her fingers splayed across the surface, and she made soft circles until she caught sight of Michael. An adorable, evil glint sparkled in her gray eyes, and she bit her lip and squealed, sending a giant wave his direction.

Now, not just Will was captivated by Winter, but most people were watching. Michael wiped his face free of water, a playfulness in his gaze as he prepared to splash back. Winter laughed, the sound so much louder with the acoustics in the room, and swiveled in the water, the wave Michael sent at her splaying over her back and cascading down her head. Will wanted nothing more than to jump in and dunk her face under the surface, only to have her giggle and try to dunk him, her body up against his and her hands on his head.

But darn it if he couldn’t move a muscle.

A few guests hopped into the pool, taking Winter’s lead into the splash party. Bells kept her distance, curling her feet up on the chaise to keep from getting wet. There was a small frown on her face, her eyes on the pool like she wanted to jump in, but she wasn’t going to risk messing her hair up.

Winter caught Will’s eyes, pool water dripping down her bright face. She tilted her head, blinking for a few seconds, and that’s when he realized he was still frozen, hand poised to eat the appetizer.

He slid the food into his mouth and quickly tossed the toothpick into the trash behind him. Winter’s teeth came out over her bottom lip, the evil glint still in her eyes as she softly splashed his direction—a coax to get him in the pool.

He slowly shook his head, a grin playing on his mouth. There were now several bodies in there, and wasn’t he supposed to be doing something?

Watching Bells, that’s right.

Winter’s bottom lip jutted out just the tiniest bit, and he came undone. His grin turned to a full blown smile, and he took a running leap into the water, cannon-balling right next to her. He heard her gleeful scream just before he sunk underwater.

As his face broke the surface, Winter had both her arms up in victory. “He has fun, people!” she shouted, and when everyone laughed and cheered, his ears burned. Had he really been that much of a sad sack?

His eyes locked on hers, his heart pattering in his chest at just how different Winter was from the spoiled rich girl he’d assumed she was when he’d arrived. He splashed her again, and his embarrassment swept away with the waves.

“It looks good on you, you know,” Winter said, dragging her hands down her hair and wringing the water out into her white towel. They were both perched on the edge of the pool, feet dangling in the water. Winter’s toes were painted white with small jewels dotting the corners of her big toes.

“What’s that?” he asked.

She lifted her chin, her eyes dropping to his mouth. “The scruff. It looks soft.”

He chuckled. “It ain’t.” Then he leaned in so she could have a feel for herself. Her shoulders shook with amusement before she settled her palm against his cheek. A cute wrinkle appeared above her nose as she rubbed his face.

“Ouch.” She laughed.

“Told ya.”

Her hand drew back, her eyes moving from his lips up to his eyes. He’d forgotten for just a moment that she might be playing her role, but he really prayed she wasn’t.

“I’m not needed at dinner tonight,” she said, dropping her gaze to the pool. She lifted her leg from the water before letting it dip back in. “Might be a good time for the four of us to get together.”

He gave her a blank stare, and she raised her eyebrows. “You said we should do something alone with Maybelle and Garreth.”

“I did?”

She nodded. “Last night.”

That explained it; he barely remembered anything other than the feel of Winter’s flannel pajamas against him.

“Oh, well, what did ya have in mind?”

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