Kat Martin - Royal's Bride

She made a turn, reached a dead end and backtracked, turned the wrong way and started along a path that led nowhere and would propose three alternate routes that also led nowhere. She could be in there for hours.

Royal grinned again. Unless he showed her the way out.

Taking his woolen cloak off the hook by the door, he headed downstairs.

The day was sunny, but there was a crisp, late-January chill in the air, and the grass, brown from the winter frost, was spongy and damp. He stopped at the entrance to the maze, mentally went over where he had last seen Lily and started inside. A couple of turns and he could hear her, mumbling something that sounded oddly like a curse. She started forward, her slender feet padding along on the spongy grass.

“Miss Moran!” he called out. “Lily, where are you?”

“I’m over here!” she called back, relief in her voice, which was coming from a long passage two turns to the left.

“Stay where you are,” he instructed. “I’ll come and get you.”

He knew the maze by heart. He and his brothers had played there since they were boys. He made a couple of turns, took a little-used shortcut and walked quietly up behind her. She jumped when he settled his hands on her shoulders.

Her hand came up to her heart as she whirled to face him. “Good grief, I didn’t hear you a’tall.”

“The element of surprise. It comes in handy at times.”

She smiled. “So you came here to rescue me?”

“Just like a knight in shining armor.”

“How did you know I was in here?”

“I saw you from my bedroom window.”

She gazed down the path in front of her. “I wanted to see the fountain.” Her bottom lip turned down in a pout that was rare for her and quite charming. “I thought I could find it.”

“Actually, I usually warn our guests not to enter the maze unless they have plenty of time. It’s very large and extremely complex. My great-grandfather got an almost demonic thrill out of getting someone lost inside.”

She looked up at him with those lovely sea-green eyes and his chest tightened.

“Since you found me, I guess you know how to get out.”

“My brothers and I played in here all of the time.”

She flicked a glance toward the center of the maze and he read her disappointment. “I guess we should go back.”

He knew he should take her back straightaway. Instead, he said, “I thought you wanted to see the fountain.”

Her pretty eyes brightened. “Oh, I do!”

Royal held out his hand. “Come on, then, and I’ll show you.”

Lily hesitated only a moment then clasped the hand he offered. A lightning bolt seemed to arc between them and for an instant he couldn’t make himself move. Lily must have felt it, too, for her gaze jerked to his face and warm color washed into her cheeks.

She tried to pull her hand away, but his great-grandfather’s blood ran through his veins and some demon inside him wouldn’t let go.

“Come on,” he urged, his voice a little gruff. Tugging her forward, he led her deeper into the maze. Lily had no choice but to fall in beside him, and for a time they strolled quietly along the narrow paths.

As the minutes ticked past, she began to relax and they strolled along as if they were a couple, instead of two people fighting a forbidden attraction. It would be unseemly if they were discovered, but at the moment, Royal couldn’t make himself care.

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