Free Once Upon a Romance 01 - Before the Midnight Bells by Jessica Woodard Page A

wildfire they had ignited in her chest. She had to bring them closer, had to fall into them, and then maybe she could breathe again.
    Max felt the gentle tug around his neck. When he had opened his eyes to find her face so near his own, he had reacted without thinking, reaching out to capture her hand and draw her in. Now, with her soft but insistent pull on the tape, he realized that she had done the same. Neither of them was thinking, but in this moment he hardly cared. He leaned down, ready to take the kiss she was obviously willing to give, and the bells of the city began to ring.
    Ella heard the bells chime, and the merest glimmer of a thought penetrated her brain. Oh yes, the bells tolled the hour, and the hour meant…
    The hour meant she had work to do.
    It was like a dash of cold water in the face. She had no time for stolen kisses in her back room. Quickly she backed away from Max. Sir Max. Lord Max. She didn’t know his precise title, but she knew that a man of his station would hardly be looking for anything legitimate from a seamstress. And she didn’t want anything from him, legitimate or otherwise! It didn’t matter that she enjoyed his company, and it didn’t matter that looking at him in his small clothes made her insides feel like jelly. What mattered was that dressing him could help her business, and her business was not only her dream, it was the way she was going to help her family.
    Max stood there looking both heated and confused, a nd Ella found the juxtaposition amusing . Just that quickly she saw the humor of the situation once again, and so it was with a laugh in her voice that she asked him, as she headed through the curtain :
    “ So, shall we discuss specifics?”
    Max was bewildered. A moment ago he had been about to kiss this woman, and now she was clearly running away, while at the same time laughing at him. It took him a second to realize that she had even asked him anything.
    “ What?”
    “ You know; materials, tailoring preferences, budget… that sort of thing. ”
    “ You want to discuss budget?”
    “ It is a practical consideration.” Her voice floated back to him from the front of the shop.
    Max took stock of himself. Engaged to the princess, standing here in his small clothes, and desperately wishing that Ella would return and give him the kiss he had sought.
    There was nothing practical about this at all.

CHAPTER NINE
    Max could hear Ella’s laughter from the front of the shop as he hastily threw his clothes back on. If they were keeping score, and he was fairly sure they were, then she had won this round. He tried to tie his cravat properly three times, and on the fourth attempt gave it up for lost. How could a man properly tie a cravat when his hands were shaking with thwarted lust? It simply couldn’t be expected. He did manage to fasten his shoes properly, and then he tumbled into the front of the shop, nearly tripping over his own feet. Thankfully for his dignity, Ella was back at her stool, bowed over her work, and missed his less-than-graceful entrance. In fact, she seemed determined to ignore him completely, which, in light of what had almost just occurred, simply couldn’t be borne, so he sauntered casually over to her.
    “ Well, what do you think?”
    Her eyes flew to his face. Suddenly he realized that she might have been ignoring him so fiercely because she was hoping he wouldn’t notice the blush that was painting her entire face pink. Somehow that blush made him feel better. She had more self composure than any young lady was due, and she’d just denied him a kiss for no reason that he could determine, but her rosy cheeks kept her from completely having the upper hand.
    “ About what?”
    Max chuckled, he couldn’t help it. Given her nervous air she had clearly misunderstood his question.
    “ Ah… materials, tailoring, budget? That sort of thing?”
    “ Oh, your costume!”
    Her face was, if possible, even redder than before. Her thoughts had been