Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 66387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
“We’ll choose this together,” he says and then kisses my wrist, then the inside of my elbow. Finally, he pulls me to him and covers my mouth with his.
Prince Sebastian is a hell of a kisser.
***
I didn’t sleep last night.
I mean, I guess it’s not unusual to lose sleep after a handsome prince proposes. Especially when it’s laid out as a business deal.
All night, I bounced between excitement and feeling as if I’d lost my ever-loving mind.
I agreed to marry a freaking prince.
I barely know him.
I don’t love him.
At least I’m attracted to him. If he hadn’t backed away last night and promised to see me today, I would have stripped naked and begged him to fuck me, right then and there, romance novel-style.
Thank God I didn’t do that. I at least have a little dignity left.
I spent the rest of my night on the computer, pouring over articles on the royal family, learning names and protocols. It occurred to me around two in the morning that I’d have to meet the King and Queen of England. How should I address them? What’s the etiquette?
I had no idea.
So, I read articles and even a short book on how to behave around royals.
It was fascinating.
When it comes time to meet them, I hope I don’t forget everything I just read and behave like a complete idiot.
Now, I’m sitting on the deck, eating a grilled cheese sandwich with Doritos—not the breakfast of champions, I know, but don’t judge me. I’ve had an overwhelming two days—when I hear a car pull in.
“I’m back here!” I call out when I hear the door slam shut. Sebastian walks around and up the steps to the deck, smiling. “Good morning.”
“And the same to you.”
I stand and lower myself into a deep curtsy.
“Your Royal Highness.”
I stand to find Sebastian staring at me, blinking slowly. “Where did you learn that?”
“Google.” I sit back in the chair and pop a Dorito into my mouth. “I was up all night studying.”
“Studying what?”
“Royal etiquette.”
He sits across from me and snags a handful of chips. “These are my favorite.”
“Mine, too.”
“You didn’t have to study all of that stuff. You could have just asked me.”
“No. I had stupid questions. Better to use Google.”
“Well, I hate to tell you this, and I love that you put in the work, but that curtsy was all wrong.”
I stare at him and then frown. “I practiced for an hour.”
“You would have been better off sleeping.” He brushes the cheese powder from his fingers and stands. “It’s really very simple.”
His voice is high now, as if he’s a woman, and it makes me giggle.
“You don’t have to bend yourself in half like they do in the Disney movies. It’s a simple little motion like this.”
He pops one foot behind the other, and barely moves his body as he lowers his head.
“That looks way easier.” I stand with him and mimic his movements.
“Perfect. You’ve mastered it.” We retake our seats and dig into the chips. “The rest of it? You’ll learn as we go. It takes years to learn everything. We’re taught from the time we’re in nappies how to behave. You can’t expect to know everything within a few hours.”
“I’m totally intimidated,” I admit. Before I know what’s happening, Sebastian pulls me out of my seat and into his lap.
“You’ll be brilliant. You have manners, you know how to behave in public. That’s really all you need to know to start.”
“Somehow, I think you’re dumbing it all down for me.”
His grin flashes before he kisses me soundly and puts me back on my feet.
“We have an appointment, darling.”
“Where?”
“Cunningham Falls Goldsmiths,” he says. “You need a ring on your gorgeous finger. If I’d truly been thinking before I left London, I would have grabbed one from the vault, but it didn’t occur to me. We can choose something different at the palace later, but I want to put something on your finger right away.”
“I don’t need anything from the palace.”
“Oh, trust me. There will be all kinds of speculation about your ring. Who made it, whose stones are in it. It’s a thing.”
“Whose stones are in your mom’s ring?”
“Queen Victoria’s,” he says absently as he rolls the top on the bag of chips and helps me clear the table, carrying everything inside. “People love tradition, and wearing old jewels is one the people love to see on their royals.”
“This is a lot.”
He stops and looks at me, all humor gone from his face. “We’re just starting, Nina. If you can’t or won’t do this, I need to know now.”
“I can and will,” I reply immediately. “There’s just so much more to consider than I realized.”
“You’ll be amazing,” he assures me and takes my hand, leading me to his rental car. He drives me the short distance to downtown and parks in front of a tiny jewelry shop.