Prince Charming - Sean Ashcroft Page 0,1

just a little closer to Kit while we made the walk home to share body heat. It meant sitting closer on the couch. It meant I was cold in bed and wishing I had someone to curl up next to and get hot chocolate and go ice skating with.

And then when the sun set and we were both freezing, we’d walk to the subway station with our hands in each other's coat pockets and stop for warm donuts on the way home and lick powdered sugar off each other’s lips when we finally got inside while we waited for the heating to come on so we could tear each other’s clothes off.

... that fantasy definitely hadn’t been quite that specific last time I’d thought about it. Christmas songs were rotting my brain, and it was only the twelfth of December.

“See, that’s the look he gets when he thinks about his hot British roommate,” Robin said, startling me. “He zones right out. Sometimes there’s drool.”

“There is not,” I said. “If I’m drooling, I’m thinking about food.”

“Dick is one of the major food groups,” Marlee said.

Robin grinned and offered her hand for a high five, the two of them laughing between themselves.

I was glad they were getting along, but I wouldn’t have minded if it wasn’t at my expense.

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up,” I said, cuddling my coffee protectively. “Just don’t... don’t tease Kit about this, okay? He gets embarrassed.”

“You’re a regular knight in shining armour Moreno, you know that?” Robin smirked at me.

I’d never admitted to having a crush on Kit, not even once, but she knew. She’d always known, from the first time she saw us together.

Which had to mean Kit knew, right? Or was so uninterested that he hadn’t noticed.

“Shouldn’t you be finishing up Marlee's orient... eering?” I asked.

“Orientation?” Robin asked.

“That,” I agreed. “Make with the orienting. I’ve got stuff to do. Big, important stuff.”

Robin snorted, but twirled away from her desk and stood with a stretch.

“He’s not gonna be around forever, you know. You could do worse than encouraging him to butter your crumpet.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Do what to my what?”

“That’s what they call it in England.” Robin shrugged. “C’mon Marlee. You need to see where we hide the snacks.”

2

Kit

One interminable meeting somehow spilled directly into another, and by the time I had a moment to myself it was nearly noon, I’d consumed two cups of instant coffee for lack of a better alternative, and I was beginning to generally feel sorry for myself.

The temptation to nip down to the IT department on some invented errand warred with the thought that Andy would know if I was just making up excuses to see him. I wasn’t sure I could hold up to an interrogation right now, good-natured as it might be.

My mobile chose that moment to vibrate on my desk, tumbling off the edge and forcing me to catch it, heart pounding at the near-disaster.

“Hello?” A familiar voice called through the speaker.

Damn. I’d accidentally answered it when I’d caught it.

“Hello, Mother,” I said, holding the phone up to my ear, instantly exhausted.

“Darling,” she said, which meant she wanted something. I was only ever Darling when there was something I could do for her. “So lovely to hear your voice. I hope I haven’t caught you too early?”

A glance at the clock set to London time I kept on my desk reminded me that it was nearly five o’clock back home.

“You’ve caught me just as I was going for lunch, actually,” I said, standing.

If I went down to the IT department while Mother was still on the phone, then my excuse for being there would be that I was trying to get rid of her and wondering if Andy wanted to escape outside for lunch.

Inadvertently—and uncharacteristically—she’d given me exactly what I wanted.

“Oh, well, I won’t take long, then. I wanted to tell you in plenty of time that we’re doing Christmas in the country this year.”

That was a surprise.

“How nice,” I said, unsure why she was calling specifically to tell me this.

“Isn’t it? I’ve just finished arranging for all the trees to be delivered and I have an appointment tomorrow to handle the menus for days we’ll have guests. So exciting.”

“Very,” I agreed, hitting the elevator button. “I’m glad you’re planning to have a good time.”

And apparently getting along with Father for once, I didn’t add.

“It’s going to be the most magical Christmas,” Mother explained as I stepped into the elevator. “Quite a few of our friends will