Liam’s right about one thing: he’s hot, and it bugs me more than I’d like to admit. He’s got the perfect skin, high cheekbones, soft, pillowy lips, and the most gorgeous eyes I’ve ever seen. His hand burns through my dress when he takes my waist. The warmth glows all the way to my toes, and he closes his eye in a wink that sends another pleasant shiver down my spine. Then he reaches in his pocket for his phone with a devious grin. He scrolls through his music list and jabs the screen with his thumb. A rich R&B voice blasts from the speakers. Is that… “Diamonds” by Rihanna?
The prince takes my hand, and we revolve on the spot like a couple of kids at prom. The wall of spectators blurs as he twirls me in his arms, and I stumble to keep from falling. His lips mouth the lyrics to the music, and it’s all I can do keep myself from exploding with laughter.
“Rihanna? Really?”
“I’m a fan.”
I burst out laughing, glad the speakers drown out our conversation. “Are you even allowed to play American music?”
“I could give a shit about my father’s many prejudices.”
Somehow, I find the fact the Prince of Anglefell is an avid Rihanna fan the most surprising out of everything I’ve learned. I bend my neck into his chest, hopefully hiding my face from the crowd, and he wraps his arm more tightly around my waist.
“We Fell in Love” is the next song on his playlist, and then the rest of the crowd reluctantly moves onto the dance floor to awkwardly dance to Rihanna. It’s the most hysterical thing I’ve ever seen. I give up completely on trying to keep a poker face, and Liam laughs with me. Well, he might be a jerk, but at least he has a sense of humor.
“What happens after this?”
“I’ll tell you what happens after this,” he says in a gritty voice I don’t trust at all. “I take you back to my room to finish what you started.”
The kiss in his room. As soon as I remember the way his lips felt on mine, heat curls through my skin.
“I’ll take that beautiful dress off your body, and then I’ll run my tongue over every curve.”
I shudder, almost closing my eyes at the image of Liam half-dressed, crawling over my nakedness, his wicked tongue making circles over my breast.
No. You’re not fucking the Prince of Anglefell.
I stamp down on the desire and press my mouth into a firm line. “I’m not sleeping with you.”
“Actually, you are. We’re getting married and everything, remember?”
“That doesn’t mean we have to fuck!”
“Language, Daisy. We’re in company.”
I glance at the couples nearby. “Shit, sorry.”
He rolls his eyes. “You can’t keep this cute act up for much longer, love. It’s obvious you want me.”
“The only thing that’s obvious is your inflated head.”
A gentle finger under my chin lifts my head slightly, forcing me right in the line of Liam’s gaze. Mere centimeters separate our lips, and all I can think about is how they taste. I could pull back. I should pull back, but I’m rendered immobile by his blazing touch.
Then he moves an inch forward to claim my lips. Passion roars inside me like a wild animal desperately beating against the bars of a cage. I kiss him back as gasps lift in the crowd around us. They’re the only reason I’m not crushing my mouth against his, reaching down to grab the cock I briefly felt not long ago.
We break apart, breathless, and his face seems to mirror what I feel.
“Once we’re married, I will claim my rights to your pussy. And you’ll love it.”
I twist in my sheets as though the constant turning will somehow dislodge Prince Liam from my frustrated brain. It’s getting harder and harder to remind myself why, exactly, I can’t sleep with him. What harm would one night do?
He left me alone after that kiss, either forgetting his promise to run his tongue over my curves or tactfully choosing to lure me into a false sense of security before returning to the attack.
My heart stings every time I think about how great it felt to kiss him. He’s not Ben, he could never be Ben—
You’re saving yourself for a dead man.
The vicious thought slams into my head.
No, he’s not. I—I never thought of him as—
He’s dead, the voice says, sounding like Liam. Dead as a fucking doornail. Are you going to stay celibate the