Page 19 of The Accidental Prince (Accidentally in Love #3)

Her gaze softened. “No, but it felt good to do something I wasn’t supposed to do.”

The hint of rebellion in her voice sent a flare of interest through him. He moved to stand beside her. With a hand, he reached out to touch her damp hair. The wet strands slid through his fingers as he saw her expression transform into apprehension.

“Why do you want to marry me?” she whispered. “It would be far easier to find another princess.”

He stared at her, drinking in her soft features. The buttons gaped across her breasts, and he longed to cross the room and unfasten them, one by one. He wanted to peel away the fabric, revealing her bare skin. “I have my reasons.”

Leaning in, he took her mouth in a kiss. Her soft lips were damp, and he tasted the rain upon them. Against her mouth, he ordered, “Kiss me back, Princess.”

“This wasn’t part of our agreement,” she breathed, resting her hands against his chest. He moved his mouth to her temple, feeling her body shudder at his attention.

When he took her earlobe into his mouth, Serena gasped, her hands grasping the back of his head.

She wasn’t fighting his advances, but instead held him to her.

He tasted the skin of her throat, his hands pulling her flush against him.

She aroused him, and he palmed her hips, letting her feel his desire. “If we were married, I’d take you upstairs,“ he murmured. “I’d remove this gown and touch you everywhere.”

She emitted a shaky breath, still holding on to him.

In her eyes, he saw the haze of her own forbidden desires.

“I’d take your breast into my mouth, using my tongue to make you ready.

” His hand moved to the curve beneath her breast, his thumb close to her nipple, but not touching it.

Her face flushed, and against the damp dress, he could see the taut buds.

He claimed her mouth again, kissing her hard until she returned the kiss.

Her mouth moved against him, her hands touching his shoulders as she lost herself in the abandonment.

With his knee, he parted her legs, his mouth hovering against hers.

“You’d feel wet for me here,” he said. “And I’d fill you, moving inside you, until you cried out with release. ”

Serena’s mouth was swollen, her eyes filled with needs she didn’t understand. But when he drew his hands down her bruised arm, she inhaled sharply.

“It still hurts a little,” she admitted, closing her eyes. The physical reminder of her abuse made him stop. Though he wanted her badly, she wasn’t ready for this.

“I’ll show you to your room.” Serena followed him as he led the way up the stairs. Karl brought her into the smallest bedchamber, and she grimaced at the sight of the straw mattress upon the floor.

“Must I sleep upon that?”

“Like an ordinary woman, remember?” Karl moved forward to stoke the fire he’d lit in the hearth earlier. It was still cold within the room, and she shivered.

“Get some sleep.”

Before the door could close behind him, she interrupted, “Fürst Karl?”

“What is it?” He turned back and saw her standing by the fire. In the dim light, her skin glowed, the droplets of water making him want to lean down to taste them.

“Today wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It was rather nice, actually.”

Karl closed the distance between them and pulled her back into his arms. He could feel the quickening of her breath, the soft chills that ran over her skin. “There are two days left.”

“And nights,” she added in a tremulous voice.

“You don’t have to spend them alone,” he murmured. He moved his hands down her spine, drawing her closer.

Against his cheek, he felt Serena’s face grow warm with embarrassment. His body was tight with need, but he wasn’t about to let her go to bed without throwing down his own gauntlet.

He brought his mouth to hers, resting just above it in the hint of a kiss. “Tell me to go away, Princess.”

“What have you done to my son?” Gerlach threw open the door to the Freiherr’s study. He didn’t care about proper etiquette or waiting to be announced. The man had taken Wilhelm from his mother’s house, imprisoning him in the dark. “He’s only nine years old! What could he possibly do to you?”

“You’ve been remiss in your search, Captain Feldmann,” the baron responded. With a signal, a servant stepped closer. Although the man was smaller and Gerlach could easily overpower him, he kept his temper under rein. Wilhelm’s well-being depended on him remaining calm.

“The coach stopped near the coast of Lohenberg,” Gerlach answered. “The Fürst paid passage to the island of Vertraumen. They are still there, so the fisherman said.”

“Now that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” The baron’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Go with your men and bring the princess back to the palace.” The thin smile upon the man’s face made Gerlach long to break the man’s jaw. “I’ll notify the king.”

“I want to see my wife and son,” he demanded. The thought of Marta and Wilhelm enduring imprisonment pushed him closer to the edge of murder.

The Freiherr motioned for a servant to escort him. “Take him below,” he ordered. Then he added, “They won’t be released until you bring back the princess. And you’ll face charges for defying the king’s orders.“

Gerlach shielded his fury and fear for his family.

Though Marta was young and strong, no woman should have to endure what she had on his behalf.

And as for Wilhelm…it infuriated him that the baron held the power to harm a child.

He followed the servant down the winding stairs that led to the prison cells, his heart growing colder with every step.

When he arrived below, the air was frigid.

The prison guard led him to a wooden door with only a small slot that would fit a plate.

After the guard unlocked the door, Gerlach strode inside and saw his wife sitting upon a bench, staring at the wall.

Her blonde hair was greasy, her face pale. When she saw him, she started crying.

He gripped her in an embrace, stroking her hair and murmuring words of comfort. Her tears dampened his shirt, and when he asked his wife if she was all right, she shook her head.

“No. They’ve taken Wilhelm into this place, and I’ve heard him crying at night.” She took his hands in hers, and gripped them hard. “Get him out. I don’t care what you have to do. He can’t live like this.”

The cool fury tightened into a shield of ice over his heart. “I swear I will.” Inwardly he wanted to damn Freiherr Albert to hell. The man cared nothing about right and wrong. He could only view the world through the king’s commands.

“I’ll get both of you out,” Gerlach promised. “I swear it.” And as he held her close, he wondered if he’d pay the price of their freedom with his life.

Serena found it impossible to sleep upon the rough pallet. She guessed it was near midnight, but she’d tossed and turned for hours, thinking of Karl. She’d ordered him to leave, and he had. Without a word or an argument.

It hadn’t brought her the relief she’d expected. Instead, she’d felt dissatisfied and troubled. It had been right to send him away, but her stomach twisted with the unsettled feelings. Perhaps food would satisfy her anxiety.

Her gown was still a bit damp, but considerably drier than it had been, so Serena pulled it over her head and buttoned it up the front.

She didn’t bother with stockings, but slipped her bare feet into her shoes.

Inside the abbey, it was quiet, and she supposed the prince must be asleep in his own room.

She crossed through the hall and toward the spiral stone staircase. Holding on to the wall, she made her way down to the main hall. To her surprise, she found Fürst Karl sitting by the fire, staring into the flames.

“What is it?” he asked, when he saw her coming closer.

“I couldn’t sleep. I was hungry, so I thought I’d see if there was food in the storage cellar.”

“The biscuits were good,” he told her. “I suppose we could cook more, if you’re willing.”

“No.” The idea of preparing another meal didn’t appeal to her at all. “I’ll see what else I can find.”

“What were you hoping for?”

“I won’t know until I see it.”

Karl stood from his chair and brought out a lamp, shadowing her as she moved to the back of the abbey, where another staircase led below ground.

“Will Father Durin mind if we take some of his food?” she asked him.

“No.”

The air grew cooler as she moved down the stairs.

The lamp flared in the darkness, and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust. Then she spied different baskets and wooden containers.

She opened one, then another, finding frozen slabs of meat, dried fruits and vegetables, and finally, a store of nuts.

“Hazelnuts,” she beamed, holding up the small wooden bowl. With a smile, she told him, “At Christmas, I used to drink cups of chocolate while nibbling on these.”

“Then take them.”

“Was there something you enjoyed as a boy?” she asked. “Anything that you loved?”

His eyes grew distant for a moment. “When I was ten years old, we had an assortment of ice creams. Our cook made a raspberry ice cream once,” he admitted.

Serena tried to imagine Karl as a young boy, gorging on raspberry ice cream.

Somehow, the image didn’t fit. He was always so serious, so rigid in his demeanor, she couldn’t envision him as a child.

He returned to the staircase, raising the lamp while she followed with the hazelnuts. She hadn’t found a nutcracker in the storage chamber, and it was raining harder now. There had to be something else they could use.

The interior of the abbey was cold, and several pots rested beneath the leaks in the roof.

Serena moved to sit by the fire, and Karl joined her.

“These aren’t shelled,” she explained. “We’ll have to find a way to crack them.

” Eyeing their surroundings, she wasn’t quite certain what to do. “Do you know what we can use?”

“Wait here.” The Fürst disappeared for a few moments while Serena warmed herself by the fire. She placed a few of the hazelnuts to roast within the coals while she waited. In the dark silence, it felt almost intimate to be sitting here, alone with the prince.

When he returned at last, he held two large stones. She hid her smile. “So, we’re to bash them apart with rocks?”

“Have you a better idea?”

“It wasn’t a criticism,” she said, reaching out for one of the stones. It was larger than her hand and was heavier than she’d expected it to be. She knelt down beside the fire and laid out a handful of nuts. With a resounding whack, she struck the shells repeatedly, until they cracked open.

“I’m not certain I should be near you when you’re attacking them like that,” he ventured. “You look rather dangerous.”

“Not at all,” she corrected. “I find it invigorating.” Gesturing toward him, she suggested, “Why don’t you try it?”

The prince picked up a single hazelnut, and with one crushing blow, he obliterated the nut. Serena stared at him with a raised eyebrow. “Remind me not to make you angry. You’ve pulverized it.”

His mouth twitched. “Perhaps a bit too much force.” He set the stone down. “What if I allow you to crack the shells, and I’ll remove the meat?”

“All right.”

They spent the next half-hour cracking nuts, dividing their spoils between them. Serena nibbled at the hazelnuts and remarked to the prince, “You know, you’re not so bad to be around when you’re not giving orders.”

“Is that a compliment or an insult?” he asked, handing her a nut.

She hadn’t quite meant it that way. “A compliment, I suppose.”

Karl picked up another nut and reached toward her mouth. Serena tried to take it from him, but then realized he intended to feed it to her.

“Aren’t you afraid I might bite?” she murmured, opening her mouth to receive it. When she bit down on the savory nut, his fingers grazed her lips.

He placed another nut in her fingertips, but guided this one to his own mouth. “Are you afraid I’ll bite?”

She shook her head, only to be proven wrong when he took her fingers into the warmth of his mouth, nibbling them gently. She pulled them back, staring at him. Something had shifted, and what had begun as a simple pastime was now becoming more sensual.

“I don’t think you should—”

”—try to seduce you?“ he finished. “Are you still going to pretend that there’s nothing between us?”

Karl pulled her up to stand in front of him. Her shoulders pressed against his chest while his hands spanned her waist. “You asked me to leave you alone, earlier. And yet, here you are.”

He reached to the pins that barely held locks of her hair in place, releasing them. Her hair dropped around her shoulders, and his hands moved the length of it aside. His mouth moved to her ear. “You wanted me to stay, didn’t you?”

She did, heaven help her. “You frighten me.”

“You’re afraid of the way I make you feel,” he murmured, nipping at her jaw. “You know I’ll bring you pleasure when you take me inside of you.“

The words were arousing, making her lean back against him. She didn’t deny that he made her feel things she didn’t understand. And if she didn’t return to her room this very moment, she was going to regret it.

With all of her willpower, she stepped out of his arms and turned to face him. “I don’t doubt that you’ll make another princess happy in your marriage bed. But it won’t be me.”

And as she swept aside, returning to her chamber, she couldn’t forget the shielded look on his face…of a man who didn’t seem to care. Was it a mask? Or was it the truth?