Page 138 of The Thing About My Prince

“Are you fucking kidding me?” He swivels off the sofa to stand, scooping his arms under my backside and lifting me into the air.

With a squeal of surprise, I fling my arms over his shoulders and press my cheek against his. “But we won’t see each other for all that time. So you might come up with a better idea while I’m gone.”

“Not a fucking chance.” He plants a loud smacker of a kiss on my cheek. “I’ll use that time to get everything on this project set up for when you get back. But I will need regular consults with my lead reporter.” He drops my feet onto the floor. “Like, every night, when you get into bed, you have to call me.”

Part of me wonders what the hell I’m doing agreeing to any of this. But the rest of me is buzzing and alive with the exhilaration of stepping into the unknown, into a thrilling, exciting adventure I could never have dreamed of.

I rest my hands on his shoulders. “Every night from bed?”

“Abso-fucking-lutely. And they have to be video calls. I need to see this face.” He pulls me close enough to rest his mouth against my ear. “And maybe some other bits too. I love you, Lexi Lane.”

His words and his breath against my skin make my whole body hum with love and lust and hope.

“I’ve missed you so much.” My voice catches as an unexpected lump rises in my throat. “I love you too.”

And our mouths are together again, in a kiss full of love and belief in a future not just for ourselves, but for the good we can do together.

“Sir.” The flight attendant’s voice comes from the rear of the cabin. “So sorry to interrupt, but the pilot says we need to take off in the next five minutes or we’ll miss the available slot and could be stuck on the tarmac for hours.”

It’s the last thing I want to do, but I wriggle out of Oliver’s arms as we stand.

“Go.” I rise to my toes for one more quick kiss. “I’ll call you tonight.”

Heart pounding, head swirling, I turn toward the door the attendant is opening and, with one final wave back at Oliver’s beaming face, I skip down the steps toward the waiting car.

I didn’t know it was possible to be simultaneously elated and yet also unbelievably sad.

But the three weeks will go fast if I fill the time I have left here with the best storiesThe Sentinelcould have ever wished for from this assignment, while also working on ideas for the new series in my spare time and my nightly calls with Oliver.

The wait to be with him will be hard. But I’m absolutely certain it’ll be worth it.

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

LEXI

“You’ll be moving in with him five minutes from now.” Becca’s lying on my bed, while I sit at my dresser in my underwear, applying makeup.

“No, I won’t. We haven’t even officially dated yet.”

“It’s not often people go on their first real date two months after falling in love and sleeping with each other countless times.”

“I didnotfall in love with him the first time I met him at his apartment to talk about the book.”

“Totally did.”

“Did not.” My voice comes out weird because I’m focusing on applying mascara and my tongue always sticks out when I do that.

Also, while I know now that it was love at first sight, I’m not sure it counts if you don’t realize it at the time.

“You’ve had this weird glow about you ever since you got home that day.”

“I do not glow.”

“Totally do. It’s like you’re a ghost in an old black-and-white movie from when the special effects were shit. You know, like someone gliding around in a long white dress with a white fuzz around them. You’ve had that fuzzy white stuff around you ever since that day.”

“It sounds attractive and romantic.”

I have to admit, I do feel pretty glowy ahead of my first real date with the man I have completely fallen for and, after spending hours on the phone with him over the last three weeks, am more certain than ever I’m meant to be with.