Page 72 of The Prince Who Loved Me

“Yeah. I was just…” Brandi started to wave toward Sebastien’s room but folded her arms over her chest instead.

“I was just, too,” Sebastien said in all his shirtless glory. What a time for Wendy to happen upon them.

“The couple in Southern Belle needed more towels.” Wendy’s lips twitched, fighting a losing battle with her smile.

“Then you should probably go bring them,” Sebastien said. “Good, prompt customer service sets Fountenoy Hall apart from other inns in the area. I know that’s why I stay here.”

“Not to mention having that personal touch.” Wendy nodded, then shook her head. “Fiddlesticks. I did not mean to say that. And I didn’t see this. Any of this. I’m bringing these towels and that’s all that happened.”

She swept past them, but two seconds later, she nearly knocked Brandi over with a fierce hug, reaching her arm out to encompass Sebastien, too. “About freakin’ time.”

Wendy rapped on the door to Southern Belle, and Sebastien tugged Brandi’s hand to gently guide her back into his room. “I would never knowingly hurt you,mon ange. Please. Talk to me.”

Crystalline tears formed in her eyes. “This dress.” She gestured in its direction. “Why did you buy it for me?”

“You were having a hard time finding something you like. I thought you’d like this. If you don’t, I can return it.”

“It’s expensive.”

“Yes.” He hadn’t looked at the price tag, but even he knew high fashion when he saw it.

“Thanks for saving me from picking out my own clothes. That might have been embarrassing. Imaging if my attire for a cultural event was skintight and barely there.”

The idea never crossed his mind. “What are you talking about?”

“You’re not the first man who’s tried to dress me.” She grabbed the box. “Don’t worry, Sebastien. I’ll wear it as your arm candy. The thousand-dollar couture dress that everyone will know I can’t afford.” She flung open the door and carefully closed it behind her.

“The green with the gold will bring out the uniqueness of your eyes and set a frame for your hair,” he said to the empty room. “The cut will draw attention to you as a whole, not in parts.”

A dull thump sounded at his door, like someone had pushed it. Light from the hall shone through only halfway underneath. He moved closer, hoping it was Brandi casting those shadows in the hallway. “I saw the dress and knew the material would be soft. With your brown and green eyes already flecked with gold, you’d look enchanting. Never once did I think you would embarrass me. I didn’t look at the price tag, and I don’t follow fashion. You could wear a burlap sack and I’d be just as honored that you chose me.”

He slid down against the wall so he was seated next to the door. “I even got a tie in the same shade of green so I could also act as a backdrop to you.”

And so patrons would see why his sketches had involved her.

“You did?” Her voice was dulled by the door between them.

The sound of her voice gave him an adrenaline boost. “Over the years, I’ve imagined buying you anything to make you happy. Bracelets and yachts and a new catcher’s mitt. But now you’re mine, and I’d buy you the world. Starting with a dress.”

The light on the floor moved, and he scrambled to stand and let her in. He willed himself still, letting her make the firstmove.

Tears had brought a shine to her cheeks, but none were falling now. Still, the fact he had brought her any amount of pain shredded him.

Her eyes cast him an uncertain look, then glanced away. She visibly steeled herself, then held his gaze. She must have liked what she saw, since she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and lay her head on his chest.

They stood there like that, Sebastien stroking her hair and thanking his lucky stars that this was his reality.

“This is new for me.” Brandi’s soft voice broke the silence. “I’m not used to the idea of someone being with me for me. So I might get weird and it will be hard to trust, but I promise I’m trying. I really am.”

“I know you are,mon ange.”

“The dress is beautiful.”

“Screw the dress. Forget it. We can throw the dress away and go hunting for that burlap sack.”

She laughed. “I’ve spent my life searching for this pure contentment, never realizing it had been in front of me for ten years. Why did we wait so long to do this?”

Sebastien inhaled in the scent of her hair. “Mon ange, I was always ready for you.”