Proper. That’s what Cora was. She was a proper young lady. The kind of girl who’d only had missionary style sex with the lights off. The kind of girl who didn’t have one-night stands.
Before the night was over, he would strip Cora of not only her dress, but her inhibitions as well.
He placed his hand over hers and led her deeper into the garden, wondering how long she was planning to visit Ismallia.
With all he had to teach her, two nights, let alone one, wouldn’t be enough.
Chapter 2
What the hell was she doing?
Cora wasn’t certain why she’d decided to accompany Mr. Cocky to the garden. Well, except shewascertain, and she didn’t much like her reasons for choosing to hang out with him.
As difficult as it was to admit, she was seriously thinking about spending the night with this handsome stranger. He hadn’t spoken since he’d brought her to the garden, and she didn’t know a thing about him, but every cell in her body was pleading for her to throw caution to the wind and enjoy herself for once.
One-night stands didn’t count if you were out of country, right?
The increasing sound of nighttime bugs carried over the din of the party and the live music within the castle. They were alone in this section of the garden, and her heart fluttered every time she glanced at her companion. She was pretty sure no man had ever looked so sexy in a suit.
“Are you a guest in the palace?” he asked, breaking the silence.
“Yes, I’m staying in the west wing.”
“Ah, that explains why I haven’t seen you around. My quarters are in the east wing.”
“Your quarters?” She pressed her lips together for a moment. Was he about to tell her that he was indeed an Ismallian prince?
“Yes, I live here.” He didn’t offer further explanation, and she paused beside a thick flowering vine that was surrounded by lightning bugs. He turned to face her and she shot him an impatient look, urging him to stop beating around the bush. He was obviously an important person in the castle, and he might as well stop with the vagueness and inform her of his title already.
“Must I really ask the question?”
“What question?” His expression was a poor feign of innocence.
Beneath his contrived surprise at her question, he still looked like the same mildly infuriating self-assured man who’d approached her on the balcony. But damn, she couldn’t stop herself from wondering more about him or from picturing what he would look like with his suit stripped off.
She rolled her eyes and released a dramatic huff. “Are you a prince? You don’t look like a servant, and I can’t imagine another reason you would live in the castle.”
He leaned down until his eyes were level with hers, his face so close, the heat of his breath wafted across her skin. “If I told you I was a prince, would that increase my chances of…”
“Probably not,” she said, cutting him off. “However, you are obviously someone of importance in this country. I’d like to know.”
“Very well. I’m the oldest bastard son of King Brenul. Perhaps you’ve heard of me. The tabloids used to call me the ‘bastard prince,’ but these days I’m usually referred to as ‘Royal Advisor Akeen.’ ”
Cora’s pulse thundered in her ears. She blinked at him as all the headlines she’d seen on this week’s tabloids at the newsstand came rushing back. Akeen had been wearing sunglasses in all the photos she’d seen, otherwise she would have recognized him. Her tongue felt thick in her mouth.
“I’ll admit I’ve seen some of the tabloids, but I didn’t actually read any of the articles.” Oh, but she certainly remembered the specific headlines that pertained to her present companion.
Trusted Royal Advisor Akeen Thwarts Assassination Attempt
Sex Crazed Royal Advisor Akeen Proposes Marriage—She Says No
Royal Advisor Akeen Is Most Eligible Bastard Prince
Waitress Tells All About Passionate Night With Royal Advisor Akeen
Jealous Prince Masoom Accuses Royal Advisor Akeen Of Mafia Ties
The corner of Akeen’s mouth curled, and his eyes darkened as he reached for her, tucking an errant curl behind her ear. She shivered at his touch and longed to step closer to inhale his delicious masculine scent. He wasn’t the sort of man to whom she was usually attracted. She was used to dating well-mannered, respectable men who looked like they wanted to get married soon, have 2.1 children, and move to the suburbs and buy a minivan.
