Page 23 of Royal Charmer
“Yes,” she says softly.
“Good.”
She takes a deep breath, her breasts rising noticeably in her snug dress.
I focus on drinking my tea, averting my gaze.
“Will there be balls?” she asks.
I nearly spew my tea. I did not expect that. Raunchy talk from sweet Alice? Is she propositioning me? “Fine by me,” I manage.
“Great!” she exclaims. “That would really help my story.”
Her stories must be sexier than I realized. Maybe I don’t have to fight the attraction after all. This could befun.
I give her my crooked, sexy smile.
“She means a formal ball, Prince Charming,” Anna cuts in.
I shoot her a sour look, hiding my disappointment. “I knew that.” I turn to Alice, and she’s blushing.
She leans close and whispers, “Did you think I meant something dirty?”
“My mind works a well-worn dirty path,” I say and smoothly shift away from temptation. “No formal ball. Likely a dinner. Is that a deal breaker?”
“Could there be a ball?” she presses. “I’d really like there to be a royal ball.”
And suddenly I want to make that happen for her. She’s helping me by stepping in as my fiancée for business purposes, and I want to do my part to help with her story. “I could look into it. There may be a ball in another kingdom.”
“Excellent,” Alice says, sounding enormously pleased. “Since this is for my story, which necessarily needs to be romantic, would you act the part and pull out all the princely stops?”
Anna kicks me under the table, and I slide her a dark look before turning back to Alice. “What princely stops do you mean? Like, flowers?”
She shakes her head. “You know, like, hand kissing.” She demonstrates by lifting the back of her hand and placing a kiss on it, her eyes intent on mine. My nerve endings stir into awareness at the sensual pucker of her lips. She drops her hand. “As well as courtly bows and draping your cape across a puddle for me to walk over. Stuff like that.”
Is she serious? She sounds serious.
“Err…cape? I don’t wear a cape.” Am I supposed to dress like a relic from Regency England? I’m afraid to ask.
She huffs. “If I have to teach you how to be a proper romantic prince, it won’t work at all.” She shakes her head. “Something is seriously lacking in your princely education.”
I bite back a smile. “Maybe you should take that up with my mother, the former queen.”
“Oh! I would never…” She blushes and glances at Anna, who looks like she’s watching a fascinating documentary called How Lucas Sucks at Being a Regency-Era Fiancé. In my defense, any man would.
I gesture toward the door. “Let’s see her right now.”
Alice leans so close I catch her flowery scent. “Lucas. Please. You’re embarrassing me in front of the queen.”
Anna holds out a book to me. The cover has a man in a black suit with his arm around a woman in a red dress. It saysThe Duke’s Darein flowing script. It’s Alice’s book. “Read this,” she says. “It’ll tell you everything you need to know about pulling out all the stops. And don’t bend the pages or crack the cover. This is my prized signed copy.”
The book looks way too romantic and girly. I can feel Alice’s eyes boring into me. Then I remember she told me her idiot ex criticized her book and never even read it. And she’s an award-winning, bestselling author. It says so right on the cover. Surely a man of honor can do better than her ex and read the damn thing. Just as long as my brothers don’t catch me with it.
I take the book. “Thank you. I’m sure it will be an interesting read.”
Alice gives me a sweet smile, and my heart thumps a little harder.
Anna nudges my shoulder. “By the way, your mom is on her way to the US, so you’re off the hook with the whole lacking-princely-education deal.” She smiles. “Your mom’s going to visit Silvia, and then she’s going to check out a spa for cancer patients and people recovering from it to see about adding the recovery massage service to our spa. It’s the kind of thing your dad and mine could’ve benefited from.” Both of us lost our fathers to cancer.
