Page 25 of Royally Wed

He waited a beat. Then he inexplicably foundhimself charging across the mattress like it was part of a very plush obstacle course. He hopped off on the other side, cupped the princess’s face in his hands, and kissed her within an inch of her royal life.

She let out a tiny gasp of surprise, but it was almost instantly replaced with a hungry sigh that was sweeter than any song Asher had ever heard. Then her palms were on his chest, and thethought of tossing her onto the bed suddenly didn’t seem like the most outlandish idea he’d ever had.

Until her fingertips crept lower and he realized that if she was exploring his abdominal muscles it meant she was no longer holding the bow.

Simultaneously, they broke apart.

“The bow!” they both said at once, crouching down to grab it and nearly knocking their heads together.

Asher managedto reach it just before Willow snatched itagain.

“Ha!” He waved it in triumph at the corgi.

God, what had happened to him since arriving in London? He was losing his mind.

“That was a close one.” Amelia cleared her throat. Her gaze darted to the suite’s open door.

He’d just kissed her in plain view of anyone walking down the palace hallway.

Yes, but she kissed you right back.

“Thank you,Your Royal Highness,” he said, feeling conspicuously exposed all of a sudden. If mornings in the palace were going to be this chaotic, he should probably start sleeping with a shirt on.

“You can call me Amelia.” She smiled, but the glimmer in her blue-green eyes left him feeling bittersweet. “When no one else is around, I mean.”

“Understood.” He smiled back and pretended he wasn’t disappointedwith the qualifier. Because what was he thinking, anyway?

She’s engaged.

She’sroyal.

She was a breath away from the British throne.

This is crazy.The past couple months had made Asher into something of an expert on the art of self-sabotage, but being attracted to Princess Amelia Grace Amcott was taking things to a whole new level. Kissing her was another matter entirely.

He took a sizeablebackward step.

“Thanks again, Amelia,” he said, placing special emphasison her first name. “I should let you get back to whatever you have going on today. I’m sure you’re busy with wedding plans.”

“Yes, I am. Quite.” Her beautiful face closed like a book. “Give a shout if you need rescuing again, Mr. Reed.”

“Call me Asher.”

There wasn’t any harm in calling each other by their first names,after all. It didn’t mean anything.

But it seemed to put some of the spark back in Amelia’s eyes as she glided out of the room, all the same.