“So this is where they hide the food.” I looked at the industrial-grade appliances and open pantries. “Now I can get my own midnight snack.”
“They keep ice cream in the third freezer on the right.” Alex winked at me.
“Nice.” We exited a large door, and I whistled when I saw the car.
“Adriane has always had a fondness for fast cars.” Alex clicked the key remote and opened the passenger door.
I slid into the low seat and ran my hands over the leather. “Not exactly low profile.”
“The press will assume it’s just Adriane and she’s not the one they’re after.” Alex revved the engine and I could understand why Adriane loved this car. It was sexy and powerful without feeling too masculine. He moved the car around the palace and toward a rear exit. A guard waved us through the gate and we were off.
“Why don’t we leave through the back gate all the time?”
“If we give them a little of what they want, we can keep a little for ourselves.” He glanced over at me. “When you leave through the main gate for official royal tasks, it keeps them from looking everywhere else.”
“Seems a bit lazy that they didn’t have someone watching the back exit.” I reached up and grabbed the handle above the door as he turned onto an expressway.
“They have people watching, but they can’t see the door we left from.”
“In other words, we really did look like Adriane leaving.”
“Exactly.” He shifted gears and the car rumbled.
“Do you use this trick often?” I was trying to not be bothered by the fact that we were in one of his ex-girlfriend’s cars. I was trying really hard.
“Only when I need to, and I think you really needed a break.”
“Thank you.”
“Anytime.” He smiled at me. “Are you ready for your first real lesson?”
“Just don’t teach me to say something horrible and embarrassing, okay?”
“Never!” He smirked. “Well, not for this event.”
“Great.” I shook my head. He rattled off a song that sounded much like the alphabet song Americans learned in grade school. I tried to follow his lead but tripped up on some of the sounds.
“Do you know any French? That would help. Our languages are closely related.”
“I took a couple of classes in high school.” I frowned. I tried again, this time keeping in mind the French I had learned years ago. It went a little smoother.
“Much better.” He sang it again and then waited for me to follow suit. After the third time I was fighting the giggles. The prince of Lilaria was teaching me the alphabet. “What’s so funny?”
“Just this. You. Teaching me the alphabet.”
“You have to start somewhere.”
“True. Okay. How about some numbers and then key phrases? Like ‘where is the bathroom.’” Just in case I needed to puke before the ceremony.
“I’m the teacher here,” he protested. “And I think we should try some numbers and then key phrases.”
“By all means, teach on.”
We made the drive, him correcting my pronunciation and me laughing at his frustration. The drive came to an end all too soon.
Chapter Twenty-Two
An American-style Night on the Town?
—Paris Observateur
It didn’t take long to get to the little bookshop. Apparently Alex had found out from Chadwick which one I was talking about. He got out of the car and opened the door for me, which I was starting to get used to. A bell chimed when we entered the store and I took a deep breath, enjoying the smell of all the books. I might love my e-reader, but I’d never pass up the chance to browse real books.
The woman behind the counter greeted us in Lilarian before doing a double take. She dipped a quick curtsy and I tried to not be disappointed that even after our sneaky exit, I was still Duchess Rousseau.
“Your Highness. Duchess Rousseau.” She gave us a small smile. “Can I help you with something?”
“Samantha wanted to find some gifts for friends back home.”
“I saw your store while I was out earlier today and wanted to come back.” I looked around the open area we were standing in. There were rooms and hallways that appeared to go farther back into the building. “I’ve always had a difficult time turning away from a bookstore.”
“We’re happy to have you.” She motioned toward the bookshelves. “We have a large selection of books, new and used. Many are in English. There are rooms toward the back with older books. We also have an assortment of the more standard souvenirs, including some pottery my sister makes.”
“Thank you.” I smiled at her and headed for the books. I ran my hands over the spines. She had a lot of the most recent best sellers. I stopped on a copy that had a Signed sticker and pulled it off the shelf. It was the UK version of Fall Guy by Liz Reinhardt. I tucked it under my arm and kept looking. Jess would love this one. We’d read the American version months ago. I browsed the shelves a little more and found an interesting book titled Inhale, Exhale by Sarah Ross. I grabbed that one for myself. It was set in the States and looked like it would be pretty steamy.
I left that room and wandered down the little hall and peeked into some of the doorways. A room with old, leather-bound books drew me in like a moth to flame. I took a deep breath, enjoying the musty smell of the old pages. Alex followed me into the room and drifted down one of the aisles to the side. I stopped to stare at some of the names on the spines. I didn’t recognize all the authors, but I hesitated when I hit the A section. I scanned the books carefully, looking for one name in particular.
When my eyes landed on Austen I gulped and carefully pulled the volume off the shelf. Gently I opened the book and checked the publication date. Eighteen thirty-three. It wasn’t a first edition, but that was okay. There wasn’t a price tag, which was intimidating, but I couldn’t walk away from the book.
“What is it?” Alex looked over my shoulder.
“Pride and Prejudice.”
“What year?” He looked over my shoulder at the title page. “First edition?”
“No.” I closed the cover carefully. “But my mother always wanted an old copy of Pride and Prejudice. It was her favorite book.”
“We could keep looking. Maybe the owner has one, or knows of someone that does.”
“I need to ask how much this is—there isn’t a price tag.” I turned the book over and then checked over the binding. “I only checked out of habit. I’ve never seen one this old. Mom would have gone gaga.”
“Then get it.” Alex moved so he was leaning against the bookshelf.
“It’s probably very expensive.” I bit my lip.
“Get it anyway.” Alex shook his head. “You should do something nice for yourself.”
“Buying an ice cream cone or new shoes would be doing something nice for myself. This book probably costs more than some people spend on groceries for a year.”
“If you don’t buy that book, I will.” He stood up straight and held out his hand.
“What? I don’t need you to buy it for me.” I pulled the book against my chest.
“Who said I was going to give it to you?” He smiled and took a step toward me. “Maybe I have secret love for Fitzwilliam Darcy. We do share a name. I also need to get a gift for someone who would love it.”
“If I can’t have it, no one can.” I narrowed my eyes in mock threat.
“Is that so?”
“You’ll have to pry it from my cold, dead fingers.” I backed into the bookshelf behind me.
“Maybe I just need to distract you long enough to steal it.” He put a hand on the shelf by my head.
“And how do you plan on doing that?” I licked my lips.
“I have a few ideas.” He moved his other hand, caging me in, and leaned down.
I clutched the books to my chest and my heart beat against them like a drum. Alex brought his mouth close to mine but stopped a centimeter away. I inhaled his scent and fought my urge to close the distance. Slowly he moved his mouth to my cheek, close enough that I could feel his breath wash across my skin. His journey continued down my jaw and to my neck. My head tilted of its own accord, letting him have better access. One of his hands moved from near my head to just beside my waist, the sleeve of his jacket brushing against my arm.
As he moved from my right side to the left, I tilted my head again, my body alive with anticipation. I wanted him to kiss me. Needed his kiss, and I was near my breaking point—no more waiting. His other hand slid down from the shelf and closed on my waist while he took a step closer, pressing his body against mine. He brought his head back up and looked into my eyes.
“I want to kiss you, Samantha.” He took a deep breath and moved a little closer. “But I’m not going to kiss you again until you ask me to.”
“What?” I jerked my head back at the same time he pulled the book from my arms. “Hey!”
I made a grab for the book but he held it above his head. Embarrassment and anger flared through my system. He had gotten me all worked up just to steal my book? The book I wanted so badly?
“You jerk!” I grabbed at his arm and tried to pull it down, but he was too strong.
“You can tempt me all you want, crawl all over me, but I meant what I said. I won’t kiss you again until you ask me to.” His eyes sparkled with his own frustration. “I’ve made it clear what I want. You need to decide.”
I stopped and looked at him. “You were right. This is difficult.”
“And I plan on doing my very best to get what I want.”
“C’mon. Let me get the book.” I changed the subject. The truth was, what I wanted was quickly outweighing my concerns.
“Nah uh. I got it fair and square. I was looking for a gift for a friend.”
“Fair and square? You stole it out of my hands.”
“I did, didn’t I?” He smiled with pride.
“Fine.” I still had my other two books, so I hadn’t lost everything. I marched out of the back room and to the counter to pay for my selections.
The shop owner asked how I was enjoying Lilaria and if I’d read any of Reinhardt’s or Ross’s books before. We chatted about the author and then I moved so Alex could buy his book. When she announced the total, my eyes almost popped out of my head.
“Thank you. I have a friend who will really enjoy this.” Alex calmly handed over a credit card and smiled when she handed him his bag.
“My pleasure, Your Highness. I hope you both enjoy the rest of your night.” She dipped a quick curtsy as we left.
“Where to now?” Alex opened my door.
“I don’t know. I didn’t even think we’d be able to come here without being followed.” I set my package in my lap while he took his seat. “What is there to do for fun around here?”
“There’s the movies.”
“Too many people.” I shook my head.
“Then I guess the clubs are out.” He raised an eyebrow.
“Definitely.” I frowned. “What about a museum?”
“Too late. Most of them are closed by now.” He narrowed his eyes. “We could go to the zoo.”
“No, thank you.” The thought of running into Jeremy made me cringe.
“That’s right, you’ve already been. There was a very nice picture of you and Jeremy in the paper saying you’re going to work together.”
“What? I didn’t see that and—wait a minute. Are you jealous?” I twisted in my seat to look at Alex. It was sad but the thought brought a little bubble of excitement in my chest. “Nice segue there with the whole zoo option.”
“Should I be jealous?” He turned away from me and started the car. “You have made it very clear that you want someone normal, to be out of the spotlight. And Jeremy would love nothing more than to have a royal girlfriend.”
“Hey! First of all, I don’t want anything to do with Jeremy.” I didn’t mention that he’d made passes at me. “Second of all, we’re in your ex’s car, which is a really weird place to be having this conversation. And thirdly, I don’t want someone normal, I want to be normal. To be just me. Not America’s Duchess. Just Sam.”
“You’re not just anything.” His voice rose a little and he snapped his mouth shut for a minute. He pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward the city. “You’re not just anything. Even ‘just Sam’ is something special.”
I looked at him as my heart slammed in my chest. I wanted to say something, anything, but my mouth was frozen. Fear ran through my body and my mind wrestled with my heart. I wanted Alex. I was scared of what that would mean, where it would lead.
I opened my mouth and shut it. I opened my mouth again and closed it. Neither of us said anything else, just rode in silence. I had no idea where we were going, but I didn’t ask. Alex eventually pulled into a small restaurant that wasn’t too busy.
“Let’s grab some dinner.” He got out of the car and walked around to my side. I climbed out and followed him inside. Everything was in Lilarian: the sign, the menu, the words on what I thought were ketchup packets.
The man behind the counter said something friendly to Alex and then to me. We had covered basic greetings in the car, so I tried to say, “Nice to meet you.” The man chuckled and his smile grew.
“Nice to meet you, too,” he responded in English.
Alex looked at me and shook his head. “We might need to hire a professional. You just said, ‘Nice to leave you.’”
“I’m sorry.” I grimaced.
“They’re very close words.” The man motioned toward the back of the place. “Have a seat. I’ll bring you some drinks.”