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“Maybe.” He opened the door for her. “But then again, maybe not.”
An hour later, he took a deep breath, juggled the two glasses of red wine in his hands, and slid into the box that he and Belle had to themselves. He’d gotten help from her people in procuring the private box, so they could have some alone time. To give him a chance to take a huge leap of faith…
And hopefully not regret it in the morning.
“Hey, I’m back.”
She lowered her binoculars and glanced over her shoulder at him. ?
?I see that.”
“Whatcha watching?” he asked, settling into his seat next to her. He offered her a glass of wine, and she took it, her fingers touching his. “Anything good?”
“I saw a bunch of stagehands doing the final touches.” She leaned in and handed him the eyepiece. “Oh and see there, over to the left, next to the stage? The redhead in green?”
He held the metal object to his eyes. “Yeah.”
“She kissed some other bloke when her companion left.”
“Seriously?” he eyed the woman. She looked prim and proper and straight-laced. Not the type to kiss and hide it. As he watched, her companion came back in, kissed her, and sat down beside her, looking all too happy to be there. “I don’t understand why people do that. If you’re not happy, just leave. Cheating ruins families. Destroys lives. That’s something I would never do to anyone.” He gripped the binoculars tight. “Ever.”
“Me, either,” she said, softly.
He could feel her eyes on him, but he kept watching the pair. The woman kissed him and smiled into his eyes, putting on quite the act. He set the binoculars down. If he kept watching the couple, he might do something stupid like march down there and tell the man what kind of woman he was with—right in front of her.
If he was seriously considering latching himself to her, maybe he needed to let her get to know the real him. “My dad…he cheated on my mother, like I told you the other day. He left us when I was a kid. She was from a normal family, but he came from money. Once he left, he didn’t send her a penny. Told her to go back to struggling on a teacher’s salary. I haven’t seen him since. I told your parents he was dead, but I honestly have no idea if he is or not. I’m assuming he is, since I never hear from him anymore.”
“I’m so sorry.” She rubbed his back, her mouth pressed tight. “People can be such idiots when it comes to sex. Do anything, no matter what the costs, to have an exploding orgasm.”
His lips twitched. “Explosive.”
“Whatever. You know what I mean.” Her hand paused. “Not that I have much room to talk, I guess. Look at us. I destroyed my nation’s chances at a union that would have been good for it, all so I could have some fun with you.”
He stiffened. He knew she didn’t think he was sticking around, but, man, that hurt. She regretted them. Regretted touching him. He didn’t regret a damn thing. That might make him a bad person, but he didn’t. “It wasn’t your fault.”
If anything, he was the one to blame. He’d known better than to touch her. Had known that she was a princess, with certain expectations as far as her behavior went. Had known she needed to marry a prince, and couldn’t afford to mess around with a guy like him. But he’d done it anyway.
“Yeah, it is.” She sipped her wine, then turned to him, her knee touching his thigh. “And it’s not your fault, so you better not be thinking that in your head.”
He grinned, but it was forced. “Guilty as charged.”
“It’s not your fault.”
He shrugged. “It’s not yours, either.”
“But it is.” She collapsed back against the seat, her eyes on the stage. “I knew exactly what would happen if we were caught, but I guess I didn’t care. I just…didn’t want to stop long enough to really think it through. All I cared about was us.”
She fell silent.
Gordon had no clue what to say… But he had to say something.
“Why don’t you want to marry me, Belle?” he asked.
She glanced at him quickly, her cup pressed to her lips. Slowly, she lowered it without taking a sip. “Why do you want to marry me?”
“You make me happy,” he said. “I’d almost forgotten what happy felt like.”
She smiled at him, her green eyes sparkling. “You make me happy, too. Very happy. You make me laugh, and have fun, and forget all about what I need to be.”