Page 30 of Winter Wedding for the Prince

“Oh, you know,” he said with a shrug. “Paperwork, royal proclamations. Not to mention Arianna and her wedding planners have taken over the royal residence.”

“In other words, you are hiding out.”

“Precisely. If I stay, I’m liable to be asked my opinion on embossed napkins. My future brother-in-law can deal with that stress on his own.

“It’s not the same during the day, is it?” he said, helping himself to the coffee cup in her hand. “The tree loses something when the lights are on.”

Right. The tree. For a moment, she’d been distracted by the way his lips curled around the foam. If he kissed her now, she would taste the coffee on them. “Definitely. But then, most things aren’t.” She wondered if the rule applied to kisses, too. If Armando were to lean in right now, would she feel the same swirl of desire? Considering the way her insides buckled over watching him drink coffee, she was pretty sure the answer was yes.

Armando’s lips glistened with liquid. “I’ll tell you what’s not the same,” he said with a frown. “Coffee without sugar. I thought you were going to stop this diet nonsense.”

“There’s nothing wrong with watching your weight.”

“Drinking bad coffee is not weight watching, it’s torture. I forbid you from doing it anymore.”

“I’ve got a better idea. Drink your own coffee,” she said, snatching back her cup. The banter felt good. She’d been afraid last night might taint their friendship.

At least it felt good until she went to take a sip and realized her lips were touching the same spot as his. Instantly, the butterflies returned.

“By the way, I—I had a great time last night,” she said.

“So you said last night.”

She knew that, but talking seemed a far better alternative to her other impulse, which was running her tongue along the cup rim.

“I just wanted to make sure you know how much,” she said.

“I had a good time, too.” To her surprise, pink inched along his cheekbones. “I was afraid you might regret opening old wounds...”

“No, not at all. In a weird way, telling you was liberating. I never realized how much the secret was weighing on me.” Or rather, the shame of it. “Thank you, by the way, for not thinking me a complete failure.”

“You’re not a failure, period. Your taste in men could be a little better...I mean, I could have told you Fredo was a poor choice. For starters, the man eats far too much garlic.”

“Yes, he does,” Rosa laughed. “And too much dairy. What was I thinking?” Her smile faded. “Sometimes I could kick myself for being so stupid,” she said.

“Not stupid. Naive, maybe, but never stupid.” When he said it, she believed him. Maybe last night’s magic hadn’t completely dissipated after all.

The sounds of footsteps floated up from below. Beneath them, security guards were readying the archway for the public. Armando leaned his forearms on the stone railing. Rosa joined him, cradling her coffee and watching the activity on the first floor.

“Clearly there is only one solution,” he said after a moment.

“Solution?”

“Regarding your terrible taste. From now on, you’ll have to run all your potential dates by me, and I will decide if they are worthy of you.”

“Is that so?” He was joking, but Rosa’s spirits sagged slightly nonetheless. A tiny part of her had been hoping last night’s kiss...

“Absolutely,” he continued. “You’re going to need my discerning eye. We don’t want you falling for any old line. Just the ones I like.” The sparkle in his eyes belied his seriousness. “I have to warn you, though. I have exceedingly high standards. In fact...” He pressed his shoulder against hers, and the wave of warmth that passed through her almost made her drop her coffee. “There is a very good chance I won’t find anyone suitable at all.”

“Is that so?”

“No. Very few men will measure up, as far as I’m concerned.”

“None at all?” she asked.

His gaze aligned with hers. Between the shadows and his pupils, Rosa could barely make out the blue. “Maybe one or two,” he replied.

She suddenly had trouble swallowing, the air from her lungs having stopped midway in her throat. “One would be enough,” she managed to say. Had his pupils gotten even larger? The blue had been completely obliterated.

“One, then,” he replied. “One very qualified candidate.”

“Very qualified?”

“The best.” Rosa didn’t know a few inches could be so far away until Armando leaned in toward her. They were in their own private space. “We’re standing underneath the mistletoe again,” he whispered. “You know what that means...”

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