Free Prince's Proposal (The Exiled Royals 1) by Ivy Iverson Page A

to go on the Tilt-a-Whirl after scarfing down a truly appalling amount of sugary and cheesy goodness. After all, she had a plan to see through.
    Once she slouched off the ride with her head spinning wildly, she’d realized that she didn’t have the heart to complete her plan. Some things were better in theory than in actual practice, also far less gross or cruel. But certain events were already in motion and Mother Nature couldn’t be staved off any longer.
    As Ray was leading her toward a bench, she opened wide and vomited all over him.
    Which was the reason she was now slowly sipping water and trying to feel human again, and why Ray was wearing the first shirt he was able to buy. His white t-shirt was at the bottom of a trashcan. It was a shame. That other tee had been practically made for him. The way the cloth hugged his muscles made her thirsty in so many ways. 
    Still, she felt awful. He’d been nothing but kind to her, and was even now rubbing wide, gentle circles on her back. She hadn’t felt this loved and protected in…wait, had she ever felt this protected?
    She thought back to her mother’s constant nights out as she trolled the bars for the next man to bring home; of the always-empty house she’d grown up in. Once, she’d thought she’d had that kind of love with her first love in high school – her only love, damn it, but she had been wrong. Falling again wasn’t a luxury she’d allow herself.
    “I’m so sorry you’re sick,” he said, his tone gentle as if she were a scared colt or rabbit.
    Maybe she was.
    Melissa felt as if she were on a razor’s edge and it was hard to resist the urge to run. Maybe he was wise to keep approaching her with caution.
    “I never should have indulged so much,” she admitted, her voice flat.
    She no longer had the energy to keep up the charade. Frankly, she no longer even wanted to drive him off. After her vomit fountain, it would be a perfectly reasonable thing to do, and what any sane man would do. Hell, she’d run too if their situations were reversed.
    And yet…she wanted to be loved and had forgotten how amazing letting someone actually care for her could be.
    Haven’t I been independent long enough?
    Ray grinned and kissed her temple; Mel leaned into the embrace and relaxed into the feel of him. His scent, a distinct mix of his aftershave and the spearmint gum he loved to chew, flooded her nostrils. He even smelled divine. “You’re going to be okay. We all make mistakes.”
    She blushed. “Like marrying someone you barely know in Vegas?”
    Blue eyes, as blue as the open sky, focused on her. “I’m an exiled prince, Melissa. I’ve lost so many things, wasted so much time on one-night stands. No matter how everything ends up with us, this will never be a mistake.”
    “Then what is this? What are we?” she croaked out, forcing herself to continue gazing back into those intense blue eyes.
    “We’re what I like to think of as a happy accident, if you’d let us be. You’re something I never knew I wanted until I found you.”
    She sighed and drained her bottle, tossing it into the black metal barrel next to her. She stood and started to head toward the exit and their waiting cars. God, maybe he could drive her today and she’d get a cab out tomorrow. Her head was spinning so badly with the vertigo that she wasn’t sure she could really walk, let alone drive.
    A strong hand was on her shoulder and she desperately wanted to know what those fingers would feel like grasping at other places.
    Ray shook his head and stroked her long, brown hair back from her face. “Can you take one more ride with me? Would you mind?”
    “Maybe we shouldn’t.”
    “Oh, believe me. This one’s different.”

Chapter Eighteen
     
    She’s radiant .
    It was funny; his first thought at meeting her was that she was beautiful, but that was such an insignificant word for all that Melissa was. Right now, her eyes were wide and she was smiling at the carnival lights