honey, don’t pick up the bug,” Jackson said patiently.
“Bug?” Casey repeated, horrified.
Still holding Mara, Garrett came up beside Alex and said softly, “I promise, after the ghost ride, I’ll ride herd on my family and you can do what you want to do.”
The funny thing was, he didn’t know it, but she was already doing what she had always wanted to do.
She wanted to be accepted. To spend a day with nothing more to worry about than enjoying herself. And mostly, she wanted to meet people and have them like her because she was Alex Wells.
Not because she was Her Royal Highness Princess Alexis Morgan Wells of Cadria.
Two
She was driving Garrett just a little crazy.
And not only because she was beautiful and funny and smart. But because he’d never seen a woman let go and really enjoy herself so much. Most of the women who came and went from his life were more interested in how their hair looked. Or in being sophisticated enough that a ride on spinning teacups would never have entered their heads.
But Alex was different. She had the girls eating out of her hand, and, without even trying, she was reaching Garrett in ways that he never would have expected. He couldn’t take his eyes off her.
That wide smile was inviting, sexy—and familiar, somehow.
He knew he’d seen her before somewhere, but damned if he could remember where. And that bothered him, too. Because a woman like Alex wasn’t easily forgotten.
At lunch, she had bitten into a burger with a sigh of pleasure so rich that all he could think of was cool sheets and hot sex. She sat astride a carousel horse and he imagined her straddling him. She licked at an ice cream cone and he—
Garrett shook his head and mentally pulled back fast from that particular image. As it was, he was having a hard time walking. A few more thoughts like that one and he’d be paralyzed.
Alex loved everything about Disneyland. He saw it in her eyes because she didn’t hide a thing. Another way she was different from the women he knew. They were all about artful lies, strategic moves and studied flirtation.
Alex was just…herself.
“You’ll like this, Alex,” said Mia, who had appointed herself Alex’s personal tour guide. “The pirate ships shoot cannons and there’s a fire and singing, too. And it’s dark inside.”
“Okay, kiddo,” Jackson told his daughter, interrupting her flood of information, “how about we give Alex a little rest?” He grinned at her and Garrett as he steered his family into the front row of the boat.
Garrett took the hint gratefully and pulled Alexis into the last row. A bit of separation for the duration of the ride would give them a little time to themselves.
“She’s wonderful,” Alex murmured. “So bright. So talkative.”
“Oh, she is that,” Garrett said with a laugh. “Mia has an opinion on everything and doesn’t hesitate to share it. Her kindergarten teacher calls her ‘precocious.’ I call her a busybody.”
She laughed again and Garrett found himself smiling in response. There was no cautious titter. No careful chuckle. When Alex laughed, she threw her soul into it and everything about her lit up. Oh, he was getting in way too deep. This was ridiculous. Not only did he not even know her last name, but he hadn’t been able to pin down what country she was from, either.
Not for lack of trying, though.
The sense of familiarity he had for her was irritating as hell. There was something there. Something just out of reach, that would tell him how he knew her. Who she was. And yet, he couldn’t quite grab hold of it.
The ride jolted into motion and Alex leaned forward, eager to see everything. He liked that about her, too. Her curiosity. Her appreciation for whatever was happening. It wasn’t something enough people did, living in the moment. For most, it was all about “tomorrow.” What they would do when they had the time or the money or the energy.
He’d seen it all too often. People who had everything in the world and didn’t seem to notice because they were always looking forward to the next thing.
“Wonderful,” she whispered. Their boat rocked lazily on its tracks, water slapping at its hull. She looked behind them at the people awaiting the next boat then shifted her gaze to his.
Overhead, a night sky was filled with stars and animatronic fireflies blinked on and off. A sultry, hot breeze wafted past them. Even in the darkness, he saw delight shining in her eyes and the curve of her mouth was something he just didn’t want to resist any longer.
Leaning forward, he caught her by the back of the neck and pulled her toward him. Then he slanted his mouth over hers for a taste of the mouth that had been driving him nuts for hours.
She was worth the wait.
After a second’s surprise, she recovered and kissed him back. Her mouth moved against his with a soft, languid touch that stirred fires back into life and made him wish they were all alone in the dark—rather than surrounded by singing pirates and chattering tourists.
She sighed and leaned into him and that fired him up so fast, it took his breath away. But who needed breathing anyway? She lifted one hand to his cheek and when she pulled back, breaking the kiss, her fingertips stroked his jaw. She drew a breath and let it go again with a smile. Leaning into him, she whispered, “That was lovely.”
He took her hand in his and kissed the center of her palm. “It was way better than lovely.”
A kid squealed, a pirate’s gun erupted too close to the boat and Alex jolted in surprise. Then she laughed with delight and eased back against him, pillowing her head on his shoulder. He pulled her in more closely to him and, instead of watching the ride, indulged himself by watching her reactions to their surroundings instead.
Her eyes never stopped shifting. Her smile never faltered. She took it all in, as if she were soaking up experiences like a sponge. And in that moment, Garrett was pitifully glad Jackson had talked him into going to Disneyland.
“I’m having such a nice day,” she whispered in a voice pitched low enough that Garrett almost missed it.
“Nice? That’s it?”
She tipped her head back and smiled up at him. “Very nice.”
“Oh, well then, that’s better.” He snorted and shook his head. Nothing a man liked better than hearing the woman he was fantasizing about telling him she was having a “nice” time.
“Oh, look! The dog has the jail cell keys!” She was off again, losing herself in the moment and Garrett was charmed. The pirates were singing, water lapped at the sides of their boat and up ahead of them he could hear Mia singing along. He smiled to himself and realized that astonishing as it was, he, too, was having a very nice day.
After the ride, they walked into twilight. Sunset stained the sky with the last shreds of color before night crept in. The girls were
