and tucked some of my hair behind my ear.
“Why do you do that?” I wanted to hear that he needed to touch me as much as I wanted to touch him. He did something to me that I had never felt before.
He rubbed some of my hair between his fingers. “You know why.”
I stood there, enjoying his nearness. I felt like I was trying to soak him up to get me through the craziness of the rest of the week. “You’re the least normal person I know and yet you’re the only person that makes me feel grounded.”
He took a deep breath. “I don’t understand why you’re so intent on fighting this.”
I’m scared. I wanted to tell him, but I couldn’t make my mouth utter the words. How silly would that sound? He’d think I was a child.
He slid his hand over my cheek and I looked up at him with wide eyes. Leaning down he leaned close so that his breath tickled my mouth. “Ask me to kiss you.”
“I can’t.” I wanted him to. I wanted him to kiss me badly. I wanted to not worry and to get lost in the moment. To get lost in him.
“You want me to. I can see it in your eyes.” The rumble of his voice dropped even lower.
His lips were so close to mine I could barely think. I wanted to say something, anything. My heart was screaming for me to beg him to kiss me. And yet my throat was frozen. After a moment he pulled back enough to look at me.
“Tell me when you’re ready, Samantha.”
Disappointment flooded my body. My heart was more than ready, it was my brain that was holding me back.
There was a knock on the door and Chadwick stuck his head in the room. “Ma’am, it’s time.”
“I have to go.” I turned away and walked to the door.
“Samantha?” I stopped and looked over my shoulder. “The ball’s in your court.”
I nodded my head and hoped my face didn’t show my regret.
Chapter Twenty-One
The New Duchess of Rousseau to Host Nature Show
—Lilarian Prophet
“I’m not wearing that much makeup.” I grabbed a washcloth and rubbed at my cheeks. I looked at Chadwick in the mirror and hissed under my breath. “I look like a prostitute.”
He barked a laugh. “You do not.”
I glared at him in the mirror as I rubbed off an inch of foundation.
“Okay. A very classy one.”
“Damn it. I smeared the eyeliner!” I rubbed at my face harder. “Now I look like a crying prostitute.”
“Stop that! You’re taking off skin.” Chadwick grabbed the towel out of my hand. “Look at me.”
I turned toward him and sat very still while he carefully wiped around my eyes. He picked up something that I couldn’t see. “Close your eyes.”
I sat there patiently while he reapplied the eyeliner. He tsked under his breath while he worked. “The makeup artist I hired had a family emergency.”
“Where did you find her replacement? A brothel?”
“It’s not that bad.”
I peeked one eye open. “Yes it is.”
“Okay. It was pretty bad.” He spun me toward the mirror. “But I fixed it.”
“Why didn’t you just do it in the first place?” I checked my reflection out, feeling much better about the way I looked.
“Bah.” He helped me out of the chair. “Now hurry. We need to pick a diadem for the photos.” He led me into the room where we were doing the shoot. There was a bland-looking background set up in one corner with lights focused directly on it. Off to the side was a table with a large wooden box. Chadwick went straight to the chest, produced a large key, and unlocked the lid. He opened it and stepped back so I could see what was inside.
“These belong to my family?” I ran my fingers gently over the jewel-encrusted tiaras.
“These belong to you.”
There were three in the box, each as beautiful as the next. One had large, clear emeralds set between diamonds. The next one was large and flashy—it would make Cathy proud. The last one was small and had been worked to look like vines. It was simple but breathtaking. It was intricate, but not over-the-top, and I knew it was the one I wanted immediately.
“Do you know anything about them?” I lifted the tiara out of the box and watched as the light played along the jewels.
“I had a feeling that would be the one you chose.” Chadwick took it from my hands and nodded toward the chair. I sat down and