and you look like a superstar. It needs to be documented.”
I covered my face with my hand. I had no illusions what I looked like after my pukefest on the yacht. “My makeup is ruined,” I protested.
He stepped closer. “Nonsense,” he said. “It just needs a little love.” He licked his thumb before he rubbed away any mascara that had gone astray.
The gesture sent a chill through my body.
“Come on,” he urged. “Show the world how sexy you are.”
My tummy clenched. The universe was playing a colossal joke on me. “Where were you nine weeks ago?” I asked softly.
His gaze was direct. “Waiting for you.”
I gasped. I couldn’t help it. He was royalty. Like, literally a charming prince. He used my sincere reaction to snap photo after photo. He finally pocketed his phone with a smile. He stepped forward. “I’m going to pick one and send it to you,” he said. “I want you to post it. Duke’s orders,” he added, pulling rank. He touched my hair. “Let the haters eat their hearts out.”
He ran his hand from my curls over my shoulder and down my arm, his fingertips leaving goosebumps in their wake. He held up my hand and kissed it. I wanted to scream, “What do you want from me?” But I also didn’t want the dream to end.
I mean, this all had to be a dream, right? There was no way I was standing here on this terrace with Prince Auggie Whatever-Whatever, his warm mouth against my skin. He lowered my hand and looked me deep in my eyes. “Get some rest. We head to Philadelphia tomorrow.”
“So early?” I found myself asking.
“I told you. I like to get into town early. And I’d like you to be there with me when I do.”
I felt all squishy inside. Too squishy. “Okay,” I agreed. “We really should start working on the book, after all.”
He smiled that crooked grin of his. “You’re the boss,” he murmured.
What could I say to that?
He stepped closer and I thought for one moment he might kiss me again. As God as my witness, I just knew if he did, I would just jump his arms and let him carry me off to his cave. Fortunately, or unfortunately, he simply kissed my cheek. “See you in Philly,” he said into my ear, his hot breath lighting my skin on fire, leaving me to burn there on this terrace as he departed.
After New York, I didn’t know what Philly had in store.
Honestly? I couldn’t wait.
Chapter Sixteen
True to his word, Auggie sent me a photo he had taken of me. I was leaning against the railing, the city behind me, a look of true wonder on my face. Even I had to admit I looked lovely, smeared makeup and all. Is this how he saw me? Is this who I was? I felt like I was looking into the face of someone I’d never met before.
I posted it to my timeline before I lost my nerve, with the caption, “On top of the world.” Within a few minutes he liked it. Then, he commented.
“I can’t wait to see where you’ll fly.”
After that royal seal of approval, the likes rang up like a winning slot machine. Everybody loved the photo, loved his comment, commented all sorts of supportive (and some non-supportive) comments.
My favorites were the ones that tried to sound supportive but were really ways to dig at my self-confidence. It was like being told I’d be so pretty if I lost weight or questioning if I worried how tattooed skin would look when I got older. All it amounted to was being told I’d be much more acceptable if I wasn’t me.
It was so silly and predictable that all I could do was laugh.
By morning it was trending, along with some candid photos PING had taken from the night before. They had us dancing on the deck of his boat and running the gauntlet to get into my hotel, with a play-by-play how long he stayed. Everyone had an opinion on what had happened from the time we got to the hotel and when he left, and every single one of them was wrong. But if they felt the smeared makeup was from a sexy tussle, nobody was going to pry into my true personal business. I let them think what they were going to think, every bit as much as Auggie.
I practically had to drag Fern out of bed. She had gotten in at daybreak, after