Kat Cantrell - Matched to a Prince

Simple but elegant, perfect for a tomboy who’d rather be doing something athletic than primping.

Elise clasped it around Juliet’s throat. “I give all my makeover clients a necklace. I’m glad you like it.”

When the hired car with dark windows rolled to a stop outside Elise’s house, Juliet was slightly ashamed to realize she’d been haunting the window for nearly fifteen minutes waiting for its appearance. How pathetic.

She swung open Elise’s front door, and the sheer heat in the pointed once-over Finn gave her swept everything else away.

“Hi.”

“Wow,” was all he said in response.

Little pinpricks worked their way across her cheeks in a stupid blush. “Yeah? It’s okay? Elise picked out the dress.”

And what was under it, but odds were slim this date would go well enough to model the silk lingerie.

In answer, he grasped her hand and led her out of the house. “I like what I see so far. Come with me so I can properly evaluate the rest.”

Her arm tingled from his touch against her palm, warming her in places Finn had always affected quite expertly.

Whom was she kidding? Finn was nothing if not talented enough to get her out of the sunny yellow dress and ivory alligator sandals in less than five minutes if he so chose.

She let him hold her hand down the walk. Partially because she wanted to pretend things were somewhat normal. That this was a date with an exciting man who was whirling her off to a night of possibilities.

He tucked her into the backseat of the luxurious town car and settled in next to her, his heavy masculine presence overwhelming in such close confines. She almost jumped out of her skin when he leaned forward, brushing her arm and setting off a throng of iron-winged butterflies in her stomach. But he only pressed the button to raise the dividing panel between the driver and the back, lingering far too long for such a simple task.

The car slid smoothly away from the curb and flowed into traffic.

“Where are you taking me?” she croaked and cleared the awareness and heat from her throat. “Some place trendy and hip?”

“Not on your life. I’m not sharing you with hordes of paparazzi and gawkers.”

Oh. “Are your bodyguards in another car? They’re never far away unless you’re working.”

He squeezed the hand he was still holding. “Worried? I’ll keep you safe.”

Without a doubt. It was what he did. Most people ignored those in distress, but he reveled in protecting people. Always had.

They chatted about inane topics such as Dallas weather, but thankfully, he did not mention football. The only sport he’d ever followed was Formula 1 racing, but he respected her complete boredom with cars looping a track and seldom talked about it.

“We’re here,” Finn pronounced as the car stopped under a tree.

Juliet took in the scene through the window. Beyond the roadway lay a secluded private park, where a single table and chairs had been set out with a perfect view of the sunset. A man in a tall white chef’s hat stood off to the side, chopping with a flashing knife on a temporary work surface.

“Nice,” Juliet acknowledged with a nod and peeked up at Finn from under her lashes. “Out of curiosity, what would you have done if it was raining?”

“We’d get wet. Or we’d ride around and look for a drive-through with decent takeout and eat in the car.”

She smiled at his pragmatism. He’d never let a little thing like a change of plans put a hitch in his stride. “Then I’m glad it’s a clear night.”

His answering grin warmed her neglected parts far past acceptability.

“After the obscene amount of money I paid to rent this park for the night, including an added fifteen percent to buy out the existing reservation, it wouldn’t dare rain.”

No, it wouldn’t. Rain didn’t fall on the head of the privileged. Once, he’d made her feel as if the evils of the world couldn’t reach them, as if he’d always be the one person she could count on. Until he wasn’t.

Finn jumped from the car and helped her rise from the low leather seat. The driver sped away after being told to return in two hours. They were alone.

Juliet started to walk up the path to the center of the park.

Finn tugged on her hand, swinging her around face-to-face. “Maybe we should get something out of the way.”

“What’s that?” The words were half out of her mouth when the sizzle between them and the glint of anticipation in his blue eyes answered that question.

He was going to kiss her.

Involuntarily, her tongue came out to wet suddenly dry lips and his eyes lingered on them before he met her gaze squarely.

“This.”

Juliet froze as Finn’s mouth descended.

A part of her screamed to break his hold, to run before it was too late. Her legs wouldn’t move.

Then his lips claimed hers, taking her mouth powerfully, demanding a response. It was Finn. So familiar and hot and everything she’d been missing for a very long time. She moaned and leaned into it, desperate to taste the divine, to plunge into him.

Euphoria rushed through her veins, deluging her senses with sharp, slick desire. Pushing eager fingers through his short hair, she held his head in place as the kiss exploded with incandescent energy.

Their bodies melded, aligning just right, just as always. Yes. Oh, yes, she’d missed him.

Missed how he never held back, missed his intoxicating presence and missed how his strength enabled hers.

His hand slipped beneath a spaghetti strap at her shoulder and he skimmed silky fingertips down her back. If he kept this up, her lingerie would be making an appearance after all, very shortly.

He pulled away before she’d even begun to sate herself on the thrill of his touch. Breathing heavily, he rested his forehead on hers. “That didn’t quite do what I hoped.”

It had certainly done plenty for her. “What were you hoping for?”

“That it would allow me to eat in peace instead of thinking about whether you still taste the same. Now I’m pretty sure a repeat is all I’ll be thinking about.”

She hid a smile. “If dinner goes well, a repeat might be on the menu.”

His eyelids dropped to a sexy, slumberous half-mast. “I’ll keep that in mind. Shall we eat?”

“If you insist.” He might be able to eat. The flip-flopping in her stomach didn’t bode well for her.

There were still plenty of sparks between them. Not that she’d wondered. But that kiss had at least answered one lingering question—whether they could pick up where they’d left off.

The answer was a resounding yes.

As long as they could sort through the past. The scandal. The utter sense of betrayal he’d left her with.

Suddenly, she didn’t want to think about it. There weren’t any laws that said they had to immediately hash out how abandoned she’d felt.

Finn led her to a chair and helped her sit, then took his own seat. As the chef served a delicious first course of tomatoes drizzled with balsamic vinegar, Finn mentioned the queen’s bout with appendicitis and Juliet murmured appropriate well-wishes. She then shared that her second-youngest sister was expecting a baby and nodded at Finn’s hearty congratulations.

A very pleasant conversation all the way around. Thankfully, at least some of the social graces Elise had tirelessly drilled into Juliet’s head had held.

Except she couldn’t get that kiss out of her mind, and watching him talk wasn’t helping. It had been a very long time since she’d been kissed. Since the scandal.

Finn hadn’t let any grass grow under his feet in the female companionship department, but she’d taken the ostrich approach. If she stuck her head in the sand long enough, all those feminine urges would dry up and go away.