Page 10 of The Accidental Prince (Accidentally in Love #3)

“Not likely.” The Fürst beckoned to her. “Come and stand beside me. You can help.”

It sounded more like an order than a request, and she remained where she was. “I’ve never taken a clock apart before.”

“I could use someone with smaller hands.”

Reaching inside a clock didn’t bother her at all—it was the idea of sitting so close to him. “I might break it.”

“The gears are made of metal. You can’t break them.” He gestured toward the chair beside him with a pair of tweezers.

Just being near this man made her unsettled and afraid. She didn’t know what on earth possessed her to obey, but then again, he was fixing a clock, nothing more. And she was curious.

Serena stood beside him, and the prince ordered, “Take your gloves off.”

“I’ll just watch.”

“Off.” His expression turned provocative and measured. “Unless you’d rather I removed them for you. I’m good at that.”

He reached for the fingertip but she pulled her hand away, unrolling the kid glove from her hand. “You needn’t threaten me.”

“It was an invitation, Princess.” His voice grew deeper, as if he were physically touching her.

Her skin flushed at his words, and she removed the other glove, setting it aside. Inside the clock, she saw gears and a large spiral-shaped coil of metal.

He brought her hand to touch the part. “That’s the mainspring,” he informed her. The prince leaned over her shoulder as he pointed out the other parts of the clock.

He could have been speaking Greek, for all that she remembered of the names.

Instead, she was conscious of his physical form, and the way her body nestled against him, almost in an embrace.

When she breathed, she could smell the male scent of his skin.

It felt strange to be this close to a man, particularly one who believed that they would one day be intimate.

Her hands trembled as he guided her hand to one of the clock parts. “Do you see this gear?” He pointed to a smaller grooved circle. “It slipped out of alignment. I want you to see if you can move it back into place.”

She fumbled with the tiny piece, and the prince was saying something about where it was supposed to go. Instead, she found herself studying his hands and the way his fingers moved over the pieces.

“That’s it,” he praised, when she locked it into position. “Now, if you’ll hold it there, I’ll tighten it.”

She held the gear in place, and his fingers brushed against hers as he made the adjustments. The gentle pressure of his hands both frightened and fascinated her. Never before had any man been so close to her, not without the intent to harm.

After the prince had finished fixing the clock, he didn’t move away. Instead, his hazel eyes regarded her, as if he wanted far more than she could give. This was madness. Just being near him made her breathless, and she didn’t like feeling this way.

“You’re trembling,” he murmured. “What are you afraid of?” He caught her hand in his, and the warmth of his palm against hers did nothing to abate her nerves.

“I’m afraid of you,” she admitted. And the way he made her feel inside.

When she pulled her hand back, he made no move to stop her. His mouth tightened, as if he didn’t like what she’d said. Even if it was the truth.

Karl fitted the remaining pieces back together and wound up the clock. When he tilted it up and swung the pendulum, she heard the rhythmic ticking.

“It works.” She hadn’t truly expected it to. But there was a sense of satisfaction in having fixed something that was broken.

She reached for one of her gloves, but the Fürst took it from her. “Of course it works. I can fix anything.”

She sent him a doubtful look. “Not anything.”

He picked up her fallen glove and stroked the exterior, as if he were caressing her skin.

“With the proper instructions, yes. Anything.” One by one, he fitted her fingers within the glove, and slowly eased it over her palm.

The sensation of her fingers sliding against the soft leather caused an echoing ripple over her body.

She didn’t know why he was intent on touching her, but even the slightest gesture sent her senses on edge.

“I started taking things apart when I was a child,” he told her, reaching for the second glove. “Anything I could find. I wanted to see how everything worked.”

“Why?”

“Because it was more interesting than reading about it. And some would say I’m good with my hands.” The wicked look in his eyes suggested that he was no longer speaking of taking things apart.

Serena couldn’t stop her mind from envisioning his hands moving over her bare skin, awakening her to the pleasures of the marriage bed.

The nearness of him, the way he tantalized her with the barest touches, made her all too aware of how bold he was.

Already she had almost no ability to control her responses. Distance was what she needed.

She pulled her hand from his and went to stand by the fire. “Who taught you to fix mechanical things?”

“The gardener, Herr Pflicht. After I tried to build a steam engine out of a tea kettle.”

A smile tugged at her mouth, despite her efforts to stop it. She could almost envision Karl as a young boy, experimenting with a tea kettle. “Did it work?”

“It sank to the bottom of a rain barrel. Cook was furious.”

Her smile softened. She could imagine the mischief he must have caused.

The prince came over to stand before her. “Did you ever get into trouble as a girl?” he asked.

“I wasn’t allowed to do anything improper.” Her days were spent with lessons or learning how to behave like a princess. Any slight misbehavior had earned her time spent locked up in the library.

She’d consoled herself with books to fill the hours. Her father hadn’t believed her capable of learning anything except embroidery and etiquette, and if he’d known how much she’d adored learning, he’d have found another place to punish her.

In reading, she’d found her escape. She’d read about exotic places around the world, dreaming of a house of her own overlooking the sea. She’d wanted a home where she could be herself, where no one would judge her.

The prince’s gaze centered upon her throat, and before Serena could move away, his hand hovered above the lightly bruised skin. “Why did this happen to you? How could anyone lay a hand upon a royal princess?”

“I’m not as protected as you might believe.” For no one could protect her from the king.

Serena started to move away, but the prince’s hand suddenly reached around to her nape. He stroked the back of her neck, threading his fingers into her hair. She froze in place when his fingers moved over the fragile skin of her throat, his thumb caressing the bruises.

“Don’t,” she whispered, trying to pull away. He returned his hand to the back of her head, leaning in. “Who hurt you?”

Serena’s blood pulsed, her skin prickling with fear. When his forehead touched hers, the heat of his skin entranced her.

His hands moved down to her shoulders, and she sank deeper under his spell. “I want you to stop,” she confessed. “Please. I can’t—I don’t—” She closed her eyes, so terribly confused when she was near him.

“Don’t what?” His mouth rested just above hers, and Serena wondered if he was going to kiss her.

Karl saw the way Serena was fighting against herself. Fear penetrated her expression, and her hands were clenched. She looked as if she wanted to be far away from him, as if she dreaded his touch.

He wanted to ignore propriety and taste the soft lips that lay so close.

Her green eyes held worry, her cheeks flushed with uncertainty.

After seeing the bruised skin of her throat, he understood that he couldn’t push her.

Someone had hurt her badly, though he couldn’t understand why.

It would be reckless to damage what little trust she had in him by forcing a kiss.

Karl released her and returned to the clock on the table. He lifted it and brought it back into the other room. While he distracted himself with mounting it on the wall, he wondered what he was supposed to do now.

He stared at the blurred reflection of his face in the glass clock cover. He’d mistakenly believed that Serena would welcome a marriage, if only to preserve her reputation. But she was running away from someone who had tried to hurt her.

Frustration unfurled inside him, for she would say nothing about it, and he couldn’t understand why. He’d been patient with her, thus far, but it was wearing thin.

Karl turned around and closed the distance between them. “Are you still afraid of me?”

In the silence between them, all that could be heard was the clock ticking. She nodded slowly. But then, she lifted her gaze up to meet his.

Karl reached for a fallen, tangled lock of hair and tucked it behind her nape. “Go and eat your luncheon without me. I’ll join you in a moment.”

She clutched her arms at the casual touch. It infuriated him that she was so mistrustful, as if she believed him to be a monster. When she didn’t move, he couldn’t tell if it was frozen fear or something else.

“I’ll…wait for you.” Her arms crossed over her chest, and he sensed that she was trying to overcome her nerves. The softness of her skin, the shadowed look of her eyes, spoke of a woman who had been hurt. A woman who no longer trusted anyone.

“That wouldn’t be a good idea.”

“Why?” she whispered.

“Because if you stay, I’m going to kiss you.” He wanted to taste her mouth, to coax her into wanting more. To see if she might…desire him.

Her innocent eyes widened, and Serena looked behind her, as if to see whether anyone was watching. But there was no one near, no eyes watching them. With his fingers, Karl traced a path down the back of her neck, feeling the gooseflesh rise beneath his touch.

“And if I don’t want you to?” she whispered.

“Then go into the dining room right now. I won’t stop you.”

Her face paled, and she crossed her arms over her chest, as if to shield herself. Then Serena stopped for a moment, reconsidering it. She slowly lifted her face to his, and her eyes met his gaze with uncertainty.

Karl drew his hands to the back of her head, sliding his fingers into her hair. The moment he touched her, she winced and pulled away. Then, as if she couldn’t bear his presence any more, she fled.

After she’d gone, Karl stared at the face of the clock. What did you expect? That she would want a man like you?

The brittle anger at himself threatened to break free, so he took a few moments to suppress it, along with the physical frustration Serena had conjured. She wanted nothing at all to do with him, and it was doubtful that would change. It was only what he deserved.

When Karl reached the dining room, his footman was standing next to a covered tray of food while Serena stood behind a chair.

“I must apologize, Your Highnesses,” Bernard said, bowing after he set down the tray. “I fear that a cook won’t arrive until tomorrow. I…did the best I could, but I’m not much good in the kitchen.”

“I’m certain that whatever you’ve prepared will be better than anything the Fürst or I could manage.” Serena gave the footman a polite smile, and he pulled out a chair for her before Karl dismissed him.

After Bernard had gone, Serena’s expression changed into wariness. “For an island experiencing a famine, I wonder what he managed to find.”

Karl lifted the covering and revealed two plates containing gray slabs of meat and limp vegetables. Eyeing the princess, he said, “We could starve by the time a real cook arrives.”

“What sort of meat do you suppose it is?” She poked at it with a fork.

“Overcooked.” He attempted to cut it, but the meat wouldn’t give way. “I don’t know if we should eat it.”

“It would hurt his feelings if we didn’t try.” The princess doggedly began sawing at the meat.

He tried some of the vegetables, which were hardly more than mush. At last, he gave up and pushed the plate away. “This is a disaster.”

Serena was trying to chew the unpalatable bit of meat with no success. Karl tossed his napkin upon the table. “Come on. We’ll go somewhere else to find better food.”

“But where, if there’s a famine…?” She cast a glance outside, uncertain of what he meant.

“I have a friend who lives upon an isolated part of the island, one that few people know about. We’ll share a meal with him and I can learn more about what’s been happening here over the past two years.” He stood beside her chair. “Unless you’re too afraid to leave.”

The dare was meant to provoke her, for he needed her to come with him. He didn’t know if the old priest still dwelled among the abbey ruins, but it was possible.

“I don’t know,” Serena said, lowering her gaze. “It doesn’t seem safe.”

“Our alternative is to suffer through two more meals here before we can leave,” Karl said. “If you’re willing to risk it.”