“Personal space!” I growl.
Aurelio puts his hands up in a gesture of innocence, taking a step back. To my surprise, a warm smile creases his face.
“My bad. I’ll be careful to give you space, my lady.”
“Don’t call me that. I’m Alessia. Just Alessia,” I grumble, my skin prickling with irritation.
“Alessia, then.” He glances at the plants sitting on my many bookshelves, then asks, “Would you like me to help you with anything this evening? I’m sure you’ve been busy all day.”
I blink in surprise. His eyes shifted just now, and I could have sworn I’m imagining it, but was that sparkle…intelligence?
I shake my head. No way. He’s an airhead. I watched him act like a fool all evening. He’s probably just trying to be kind.
“No, that’s alright. I’m going to take a bath, then head off to bed. There’s much to do first thing tomorrow morning. Day one of queenhood is full of wonderful formalities and paperwork.”
I dump the rest of my water back in the basin, then head to the spiral staircase, only to stop short on the bottom step.
“Do you need help with something?” Aurelio asks.
There it is again: that flicker of emotional intelligence. I swear he’s reading my mind. He’s only met me just this evening, and yet he’s reading me like an open book. I turn back to look at him, but he has the same kind smile as always, no thoughtfulness behind those eyes.
I must be imagining things. I chose the right one for the job, no doubt.
Shaking my head, I mumble, “I’m alright. I may just call Mina to help me out of this stupid dress.”
When I try to continue up the stairs, Aurelio’s voice halts me in my tracks.
“I can help, you know.”
My grip tightens around the handrails. “We just met this evening, Aurelio. That’s rather inappropriate.”
“It’s just the weaves on the back, right? I can undo them. I won’t undress you.”
I frown, but against my better judgment, I nod. Mina’s probably drunk anyway, judging by the number of empty wine glasses I spotted at her table this evening.
I hear Aurelio’s footsteps behind me, then tense up when I feel him brush my hair aside. His hands are pleasantly warm on my back. He works at the weaves on the back of my dress, effortlessly undoing them, then pauses before the last one.
“Hold the sides of your dress so it doesn’t fall,” he breaths.
My face reddening, I grab the sides of my dress, then Aurelio undoes the last weave. I feel the dress loosen. If he hadn’t told me to grab my dress when he did, I would be completely exposed to him right now.
He saved me from at least a year’s worth of embarrassment, I note, my face burning even hotter.
Incapable of stopping myself, I steal a glance at him. His brown eyes sparkle with a warmth that goes beyond gentlemanliness; there are hints of care in their depths, and maybe a spark of intrigue.
Then those eyes find mine, and my heart jolts in my chest. My breath is stolen away as he searches me with that beautiful gaze, the intrigue growing by the second. I feel as if he’s seeing right through me.
That thought both terrifies and excites me.
And I hate the fact that he’s making me feel things that I swore I’d never let myself feel for a man.
“Thank you. Good night, Aurelio,” I blurt.
I nearly trip over myself running up the stairs. As soon as I close the bathroom door behind me, I let out a sigh of relief.
This loveless marriage thing may be harder than I thought.
Chapter two
