She closed her eyes and my lips tingled to kiss her. I leaned closer but she said, “I still want to believe in happily-ever-after, though.”
I sat straight and patted the back of her hand. “Can you imagine that with me?”
She curled her hand up and asked, “Can you be loyal?”
Our fingers were laced and my heartbeat grew faster as I said, “Absolutely.”
Her lips curled higher but she shook her head. “Where is the proof of that?”
I pivoted closer so our thighs touched, when I said, “I’m loyal to my family and I’ll be loyal to my wife. I’d even put in the contract that we’d always share one bed, with no other partners.”
Her eyes widened. “Really? Why?”
I hadn’t thought I’d offer fidelity, but now that the words had come out of my mouth, my shoulders relaxed. It would be nice to just disappear, with one woman at my side, and not deal with life. So I said, “Because the one thing I give my parents credit for is that they were in love and happy. I’d like my future children to have the same security.”
“You’re old fashioned. I give you that. And I wouldn’t have expected that with your reputation,” she said. Then she pressed her lips to mine.
I closed my eyes and let her kiss wash through me.
Nicole was everything I never wanted, but now I hoped that maybe she’d be the best choice for a wife. Her lips sent sparks through me that gave me one thing I’d not felt in a long time … Hope.
Chapter 5
Nicole
Damn, he knew how to kiss. I mean, he was a prince and probably had a million girls offering themselves to him, like, all the time. But my muscles and spine tingled all the way down my body. No other man ever made me this hot.
Ryder excused himself for a bit and went to talk with his staff.
Here I was, alone with a prince on his private plane. Of course, his staff were in the back, so we weren’t really alone.
But I’d never been on a plane like this before. And though my leather seat was comfortable, my skin was still jumpy.
He’d be back in a minute. I guess it was a good thing to have some time alone, as my heart was racing. I had been considering his offer since last night’s dinner.
I was afraid that if I admitted to myself what I was thinking, my pulse that zapped when he was near might go just haywire.
But part of my life philosophy was always to be honest with myself—especially when desire hit me this hard.
I wanted Ryder, and it wasn’t just about sex. We got each other, and we liked being around each other. Maybe that meant sex would be mind-blowing, electrifying and fun.
He slipped back into the chair beside me with a glass of wine and said “Let’s get you a glass so you might sleep a bit. We’ll be battling jetlag tomorrow.”
I didn’t argue. I took the glass, sipped, and once I finished, I put it to the side and said, “Let’s get this in writing.”
He sipped his own wine, but his gaze narrowed as he asked, “Get what in writing?”
I raised my eyebrows. I guess he couldn’t read minds to know what I’d been thinking. I explained, “My list of demands.”
He scratched his head. “For what?”
My heart thundered. What if I was crazy? I mean, I might be, but until now I hadn’t cared what anyone close to me thought. Yet he could be … mine. My skin buzzed and I ignored the heat in my face when I said, “If I say yes to marrying you.”
He jumped up and ran over to a table and grabbed paper and a pen. He quickly returned to his seat and snapped the pen as he said, “I thought I’d have to convince you by showing you my castle, letting you taste the food, charming you with the views and my people.”
I glanced up and wished my heart wasn’t racing this bad. “I probably should have let you do all that. It sounds nice.”
He handed me the pen so I could write my demands down for him as he asked, “So why the sudden agreement?”
