Page 11

S era stepped out of the tavern, with Alex following closely behind.

Was the man worried she might be accosted?

He practically loomed over her! Sera’s cheeks tingled from the heat, though she wasn’t sure if it came from the shrub or Alex’s chest nearly brushing her back.

Either way, her head was buzzing, influenced by either the alcohol or his protectiveness.

Or both. It was flattering beyond measure.

She didn’t want to leave him just yet.

She wanted to stay by his side a bit longer.

“That was quite the adventure,” Alex said, finally stepping up beside her, but now leaving her back a bit chilly. His tone was light, yet there was a smile in his voice that made her pulse skip.

This man…

Just who was he? Why did she feel like she’d rather not know? She needed to jot down a few lines on how effectively mysterious he was! If women could master this as a skill, the only spinsters that would exist would be women like her sister—who didn’t want to marry. Ever.

“No need to thank me.” She smiled at him. “After all, you were the one who fell and ended up all dusty.”

He waved her comment aside. “It’s nothing.”

Nothing? It was just a little push and a fall.

It wasn’t much, but it could have been! Sera stopped abruptly, forcing him to halt as well.

She glanced at Alex, and for a moment, she simply looked at him.

He was so tall, and his features were exceptional.

Striking. Even a bit rumpled, he looked entirely out of place in this modest little street.

Yet here he was, letting her lead him wherever she pleased. Keeping her safe.

He’d been this way since she met him on the beach.

It made her want to lead him to an even humbler place.

Sera didn’t think. She merely grabbed his hand, her fingers curling around his and tugged him into a smaller side alley. An abandoned cart leaned against the wall, its wood splintered and its wheels crooked.

Perfect.

“What are you doing now?” he asked softly, uncertainty evident, but allowing her to lead.

She turned to face him. Her heart pounded as she took a step closer, the air between them charged with something she didn’t want to name. Not yet. Not now. “Don’t ask questions. But you should be very concerned.”

“Then…” He suddenly chuckled. “What if I’m not?”

“Nothing.” She stepped up to him, her front nearly brushing against his. She reached up to adjust his hat. “You just stand there.”

“And?” His voice dropped. “I’m standing here, still.”

Still.

Everything inside her came to a halt at that one small word.

Still.

Frozen.

Sera kept the thought of the prince—her fiancé—at the very edge of her mind, as if ignoring it might make it less real.

Whenever her guard slipped and the reality of him crept in, it froze her.

She couldn’t return to the life she once had, not now.

But moving forward felt impossible, too.

There was only this in-between space, this endless pause where nothing belonged to her—not her choices, not her future.

Even the idea of their “royal destiny,” as her parents had called it, made her teeth clench.

What destiny? What future? Royal nonsense was more like it.

A suffocating, glittering trap dressed up as something worth having.

And the worst part was that it wasn’t just fear holding her in place—it was him.

Always him. Always this looming presence she hadn’t asked for but couldn’t seem to escape.

She didn’t want to marry the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen prince. She couldn’t even pronounce his name!

“Sera?”

She looked up at Alex. “Promise me.” She inhaled deeply and exhaled softly. “Promise me you won’t change from the person you are right now. Promise me.”

“Ehm…” She gave a hysterical laugh. “Please don’t.”

“So many words.” His gaze dropped to her lips. “Why did you drag me here?”

She placed her hands on his chest, her fingers twitching at the steady beat of his heart beneath her palms.

“To say goodbye.”

His head lowered slightly. “Must we…”

Sera nodded, tilting her head up to meet his eyes. “Unfortunately, as it stands, if I don’t go home, my mother will send out the cavalry. So, let’s part here.”

And then she kissed him.

It wasn’t any sort of hesitant kiss. Nor was it a shy one, despite her limited experience. It was bold, unrestrained, and completely Sera. She poured all her confusion, her frustration, and her reckless dreams into it, hoping to find some clarity in the chaos. If that were even possible.

Perhaps not.

But she could savor this kiss.

His lips were perfect against hers, and for a heartbeat, he didn’t move. Neither did she. Then, as if the ocean roared, he kissed her back.

Yes.

His hand cupped her face, and she felt herself pressed against him, the solid strength of his body sending all sorts of alarming sparks through her. This wasn’t new this time, but it felt stronger. More alive. More intoxicating.

He slowly pulled away, resting his forehead against hers, his hands still framing her face. “Sera,” he murmured, his voice rough, “what are you doing to me?”

“I could ask the same of you.”

He groaned. “You’re impossible.”

“And yet here you are, following me into an alley,” she teased. “Pray tell, why is that?”

“You know why.”

Sera’s smile faltered, his words stealing the breath from her lungs. She did know. She’d felt it since they met. In every glance, every word, every stolen moment between them. But knowing didn’t make it any less terrifying.

“This can’t be real,” she said softly, more to herself than to him. “It’s too… complicated.” And thrilling all at the same time, even with the shadow of her engagement looming over her.

He brushed his thumb over her cheek. “That doesn’t make this any less real.”

“Also, not less complicated. However, for once in my life, I want to stop thinking about what I should do and think about what I want to do.”

“And what is that?”

She grinned at him.

Without another word, she pulled him down into another kiss. This one more urgent than before. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her up against him, as though a storm had erupted inside him.

*

Alex didn’t know what had possessed him.

His back pressed against the rough stone wall, but he didn’t care.

His attention was consumed entirely by the woman in his arms. She was close, so close.

Her scent—like cherry blossoms and sea breeze—clouding every single judgment that cautioned him against going further.

He couldn’t think when she was this close.

This wasn’t just passion. It was a storm of emotions he’d worked hard to control, to perfect over the years. He’d built the right number of walls, set rules for himself as a prince—and yet, here he was, breaking every one of them with her.

What’s one more?

His hand slid to the curve of her waist, pulling her closer until there was no space left between them.

The heat of her body seeped into his, making him itch to burrow himself in her completely.

He’d never had this impulse before in all the years of his life.

And it wasn’t just pure attraction. He could tell.

He could feel it. It was more, something he didn’t want to name because naming it would make it dangerous.

He broke the kiss, gasping for air, for control, for anything that would make sense of his pounding heart. “Sera.” A mutter. A plea.

She smiled. “Alex.”

He opened his mouth to speak, but words failed him.

What could he say? That this was madness?

That he had an engagement, a duty, a life planned out that didn’t include her—couldn’t include her?

No, he couldn’t do that. Instead, he kissed her again, harder this time, as if he could lose himself in her and forget everything else.

Her hands slid up to his neck, her fingers tangling in his hair.

It was utterly unladylike and completely intoxicating.

But then, everything she did was unladylike and intoxicating and he couldn’t get enough of her.

He’d never imagined a woman could be so bold, so free in her actions.

And he never thought he’d crave it as much as he did.

She tilted her head, giving him better access, and his lips moved from hers to her jaw, then lower, tracing a line down her neck.

His lips found the soft skin at the curve of her neck, and he kissed it, gently at first, then with more insistence.

He sucked lightly, unable to stop himself. He wanted, no, needed to taste her.

Her breath hitched, and he felt her fingers tighten in his hair. That small sound brought forth a dark, possessive part of him that he never imagined existed.

“This…” she said, barely more than a gasp.

Some distant, rational part of his mind screamed at him to stop. This wasn’t fair to her. It wasn’t fair to anyone. But the rest of him—the part that was hopelessly lost to her—didn’t care. He didn’t want to stop. Not now. Not ever.

But he had to.

Alex pulled back; there was a faint mark on her neck. He stared at it, his chest tightening with a mix of pride and guilt. What the devil was he doing?

Sera’s fingers brushed the spot, her lips curving into a small, breathless smile. “Are you hungry? Should we have bought a meal in the tavern?”

“Sera, I—”

She placed a finger on his lips, silencing him. “Don’t ruin it,” she said softly.

Alex sighed. How could one woman defeat him so effortlessly every time?

She stepped back, putting some distance between them, and he instantly felt the loss. She adjusted her dress, smoothing it down, and then looked up at him with a playful glint in her eyes. “Be honest. My mother won’t be able to tell we kissed, right?”

Alex blinked at her. What? “I cannot believe you just asked me that.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. It just feels wrong in so many ways.”

She laughed. “Let’s part ways here. I’m afraid if I stay away any longer, I’ll court death by a reticule.”

“Wait,” Alex said as she began to leave. “When will I see you again?”

She grinned at him. “Are we not leaving it up to fate once more?”

“I don’t want to leave it up to that fickle thing.”

She laughed. “When do you want to see me again? And let’s not do it in public again. Too many eyes and ears.”

He hesitated. He shouldn’t. He knew he shouldn’t. But the thought of not seeing her again because he left it up to fate was unthinkable. Almost unbearable. “The beach. Tomorrow. At dawn.”

“Very well.” She turned to leave, but not before glancing back over her shoulder.

“I shall meet you on the beach at dawn.” And then she was gone, leaving him behind with brisk steps.

Alex stood there for a long moment, staring off into space.

He touched his lips, still alive from the kiss, and let out a deep breath.

What in the world was he doing? He had an engagement, a duty to his family, a life that had been planned for as long as he could remember. Yet, no matter how often he repeated this thought, these practiced lines, he still couldn’t shake her off.

Sera had entered his world like a whirlwind, throwing everything into chaos. She made him experience feelings he hadn’t thought possible—feelings he hadn’t wanted to face. How was he supposed to carry on with a marriage he never asked for after feeling such desire for another woman?

This was their second kiss, but it was so much more.

It represented a line crossed, a boundary shattered.

And he had no idea how to put it back together.

Alex dragged a hand across his face and adjusted his coat.

He needed to clear his head. Perhaps a long walk would help, though he doubted it.

Sera was in his thoughts, in his blood, and he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to shake her.

And the truth was, he wasn’t certain he wanted to.