Free The Prince's Bride (Modern Fairytales) by Diane Alberts Page A

pajamas, and what the queen had done.
    Why did she want to know so badly?
    “Give me a minute,” he said politely. It didn’t escape her notice that he stood at attention out of instinct, as if he didn’t know any other way to react to a knock. Setting his glass down, he walked to the door and opened it, nodding at the person outside. “Bring it in front of the fire, please, Samuel.”
    While she’d never admit it to him, she was in awe of the overdone opulence of the room. It had plush, tan carpet, light blue walls, softer than silk sheets and pillows, a marble fireplace, and its own bathroom…and, as already mentioned, a bar.
    It was huge.
    Gorgeous. Rich. Perfect.
    After they were alone again, a small portable table rested between their two chairs, complete with a white linen tablecloth, roses, a bottle of Shiraz, two wine glasses, coffee, and chocolate mousse cake. He uncovered a plate, stealing a quick glance at her. It was roast beef, roasted vegetables, and brown gravy. Her favorite meal.
    He hadn’t forgotten.
    Licking her lips, she hesitated. “Coincidence?”
    “No.” He lowered his head and straightened his coat sleeves. Underneath, he wore a buttoned-up white dress shirt, which she’d bet her whole bank account was free of even a single rebellious wrinkle. “Truth be told, I had cook prepare it every night in case you came to supper. That’s part of the reason I insisted you join me tonight. If I had to eat one more plate of room temperature roast beef…”
    A laugh escaped her. She couldn’t help it. He quickly lifted his head, as if the sound of her laugh had jarred him. She cut herself off immediately, because he was looking at her as if he’d seen a ghost. “What?”
    “Nothing.” He swallowed hard. “It’s just…your laugh. It’s haunted me all these years, and hearing it now…it’s as beautiful as I remembered. Maybe more so. Just like you are. You’re stunning, Alicia. Absolutely stunning.”
    “Oh. Uh…thanks.” She sat still, unsure of why his soft words affected her so deeply, so fully, but unable to deny that they did. Her heart warmed, and her cheeks flushed, and she couldn’t look away from him. “I don’t know if yours is the same or not. You haven’t really laughed yet. Not a real one. When’s the last time you did?”
    He frowned. “I don’t know. It’s not exactly something I keep track of.”
    “Of course you don’t.” Because that wasn’t what was important to him. His own happiness—why should that matter to him? She had a feeling he was always far too concerned with everyone else to worry about himself. And for some reason, that bugged her.
    It shouldn’t, but it did. She shouldn’t care. Dammit. In many ways, she felt kind of sorry for him. He’d given up any semblance of a normal life in order to serve his country. There was something to be said about that, no matter how mad she was at him.
    Weird that he didn’t know about the airport. She’d bet he remembered every bad thing he’d done in the last ten years. “When’s the last time you let someone down?”
    “Three days ago,” he said quickly. “When I brought you here against your will.”
    Well, crap. That was a good answer. “You could fix it. You could set me free.”
    He tightened his grip on his scotch and tossed it back without a sign of hesitation. “No. What’s done is done. I can’t let you go till we see this thing through. It’s in the books now. Recorded in history. Unfortunately, and I hope you believe me, there’s no way out of this.”
    She sat forward, her heart squeezing tight. “Wait a second. You’re telling me I’ll be forever remembered in your history for the fact that I had sex with you in a bar and was held in the castle afterward?”
    He cleared his throat awkwardly. “Uh…”
    “I could kill you right now,” she growled.
    “Understandable,” he said slowly, eyeing her as if watching for any sign of her actually attempting to do so. “But