The Prince's Devious Proposal - Holly Rayner Page 0,28

What could be any better?”

“Did you have any idea, when you bought those plane tickets, that this was how the trip would end?”

“No,” he said. “How could I have?”

“When did you think of it? Proposing to me, I mean?”

“Not until the night before I did it,” he said. “I was up all night, if you want to know the truth.”

“Trying to talk yourself into it?”

“No, trying to talk myself out of it. The moment I had the idea, it felt so right that it was all I could do to keep myself from knocking on your bedroom door and proposing right then and there. I spent all night trying to persuade myself that I was being too impulsive, that it wasn’t a good idea. But in the end, I couldn’t deny that feeling.”

She closed her eyes, allowing herself to feel the reassuring presence of his body against hers. “That’s how it was for me,” she said. “When you asked me, I did my best to talk myself out of saying yes.”

“I thought that might be what was happening,” he said.

“But I couldn’t do it,” she said. “The idea of being with you…it was too good. I couldn’t convince myself that it wasn’t what I wanted.”

The music faded, but Petr held her close for a few beats longer before letting her go. Naomi felt as if she could stay in his arms forever.

“Did you enjoy yourself today?” he asked. “Has everything lived up to your expectations?”

“I didn’t really have time to form any expectations,” she said. “It all happened so fast.”

“But you must have had some ideas in mind about your wedding,” he persisted. “Things you’d thought about over the years.”

“Well, yes,” she said.

“And?”

“This wasn’t the wedding day I imagined,” she said as he let her go. “But it was far better than I could have dreamed. I wouldn’t change a single thing about it.”

“I’m so glad,” he said. “All I want is to make you happy.”

“What happens now?” she asked. “I suppose we’ll have to go home and pack.”

“Pack?”

“For our flight back home,” she said.

“Oh.” He hesitated. “I canceled those tickets, actually.”

“You what?” she cried. “I told you that I needed to get back to work!”

“I know,” he said. “But just hear me out, please. You deserve a proper honeymoon, and you never would have allowed yourself the luxury of taking one. As your husband, I have a responsibility to make that happen for you.”

“But my job—”

“You can use your vacation time,” he said. “Tell your boss that you’ve gotten married. He won’t be able to deny you time away for that.”

“If he does—”

“If he does, then we’ll sue him,” Petr said easily. “He’s not allowed to treat his employees in the way you describe. And if he does fire you, Naomi…we have enough money. You don’t have to work there. You can take some time, find a job that you like. You don’t have to work at all, if that’s what you prefer. You have choices now. You’re no longer beholden to that man.”

It was so easy to allow herself to be talked into something she wanted so badly. “I suppose you’re right,” she found herself saying. “I can take one more week off.”

“Good!” he said. “I hoped you’d see it that way. There’s so much left to see in Europe. Your first trip here can’t be over already.”

She had to admit, he had a point. And the idea of traveling around the continent in the kind of luxury Petr had introduced her to was intoxicating.

He led her back out to the car. “We’ll head home for now,” he said. “Tomorrow, we’ll decide what we want to do next, where we want to go. There’s a lot to see, a lot that I can’t wait to show you.”

“That sounds great,” Naomi said, slipping her hand into his.

The car ferried them back to Petr’s family’s estate. They got out. Petr thanked the driver. Then, before Naomi could resist, he swept her up in his arms and carried her over the threshold and into the house.

“What are you doing?” she asked, feigning indignation.

He smiled tenderly down at her. “There’s one more wedding night tradition that we haven’t taken part in yet,” he said.

Naomi’s breathing accelerated with anticipation as she realized what he meant.

Chapter 10

It was strange, but it hadn’t occurred to Naomi until the moment arrived that this was yet another experience she hadn’t shared with Petr before they were married.

But she had never worried about their chemistry, their compatibility. From