Page 53 of The Prince Who Loved Me

But now he wasn’t sure if Brandi would welcome seeing him. Especially after her coffee date with Nick. The really great guy. Sebastien could still taste her warmth on his lips, smell her on his skin. How could he focus on anything other than how she fit so nicely against him, her form snug against him.

Damn, she said she’d worried about his attitude changing. She’d been right.

He’d have to prove her wrong.

Which meant he had to find her.

After a quick check of the library and parlor, he found her on the back patio, lounging on the love seat with a softball in her hands. She rolled it between her palms, then let it slide up to her elbow and back down. Her purse lay on the brick at her feet andshe wore the same clothes she’d gone out in.

She sat up when he opened the door, offering him a wan smile that put him on edge. “Hey there, Charming.”

“Hey.”

Her eyes darted away from his, but at least she wasn’t running. He sat on one of the brown and tan wicker chairs, leaning back and extending his legs in front in a show of relaxation. He was anything but.

She rubbed at her finger with her thumb while rotating the softball with her other hand. He waited a bit, to see if she had anything on her mind before he told her his story. “So I got some interesting news today,” he said.

“You discovered you’re a supertaster and now you have a permanent job working for a barbeque sauce company?” A hint of a smile crept over her face.

He opened his mouth, closed it again. “Uh, no.”

“Your palace chef quit and wants to move here, taking over kitchen responsibilities from Aunt Eulalee to get experience with the local cuisine?”

“Not quite.”

“Well, something has you all excited, and since you make fun of our food here, I thought it had to be something like that.” She gave him a slow perusal, then gave a slow nod. “Yeah, look at you. You seem all relaxed, but your foot it swaying and your fingers are tapping against the arm of the chair.”

Huh. She was right. So much for putting on a cool front. He pulled his feet in and rested his elbows on his knees. “I was offered a show.”

She sat up straight, the ball rolling onto the brick patio. “An art show?”

He was unable to keep the answering grin off his face.

She stood, and he did, too.

“That’s fantastic!” She threw herself into his arms andsqueezed, filling his senses with her oak scent and a hint of coffee. “You’ve been dreaming about this for so long.”

She pulled back, hands on his shoulders, and kissed him.

It was a friend’s kiss, the quick type they shared before, but she didn’t step away after. Her eyes darted to his mouth and she moistened her own, her tongue peeking out to wet her lips. Sebastien didn’t dare move, every muscle stock still. After being in this situation twice and being rejected, he waited to see what she would do.

Her eyes searched his, the brown and green full of passion that made the flecks of gold shine and made his mind blank. She must have liked what she saw, because her lips pressed against his, light, sweet, tentatively exploring. He forced himself still instead of devouring her like he wanted to. This was her show. He wasn’t going to scare her off. But when her hands curled around the back of neck and buried in his hair, all bets were off.

Especially when her tongue slipped between his lips.

He opened his mouth on a groan, letting her taste and touch and tangle with his. He ran his hands down her back and she pressed against him, clinging to him like she was drowning, like he was.

Too soon she stepped back, her breath leaving her body in short puffs.

Her silence was killing him. “Brandi.”

“Yeah.” She looked at him and smiled. A full-blown, gorgeous smile that he hadn’t seen before. One meant only for him.

He reached for her again, but she caught his hands. Her fingers were roughened from the work she did, her nails trimmed short. And they felt amazing in his.

“Your sketches are phenomenal. I know my grandmother treasured the one you made for her.”

“And this is your unbiased opinion, of course.”