that story, too, and a few called, “One more!”
But Dami only laughed and shook his head and wished them all a richly blessed Thanksgiving. The children went to find their parents and Dami took her hand again and pulled her to her feet.
“That was wonderful,” she told him. “Did you make up those stories yourself?”
A so-Gallic shrug. “I’m not that clever. They are Montedoran folk tales, two of many. A century and a half ago a Montedoran named Giles deRay gathered them into a couple of volumes, Folk Tales of Montedoro. We all know the stories. It’s something of a tradition over the holidays for the princes of Montedoro to pass out gifts they’ve bought at the bazaar and tell the children a few of the old tales.”
“What a beautiful tradition.”
He was watching her, a half smile curving those killer lips of his. “You find everything beautiful. I think, Luce, that you are the happiest person I have ever known.”
His words warmed her. “I prefer happiness. It’s so much more fun than the alternative.”
“You sound like Lili, my brother Alex’s wife—Liliana, Crown Princess of Alagonia.”
“Oh, yes. I’ve heard of her. And Alagonia is an island country off the coast of Spain, correct?”
“Yes. We—my brothers and sisters and I—grew up with Lili. My mother and Lili’s mother, Queen Evelyn, were great friends. Lili was always the nicest person in the room. Of course, she ended up with Alex, who was not nice at all. The good news is that he’s much better now since he’s made a life with Lili.”
“Are they happy, your brother and Princess Lili?”
“They are, yes. Ecstatically so.”
“I’m glad. And you’ve got me thinking. Can a person be both happy and sophisticated?”
He did the loveliest thing right then. He touched her, just the lightest caress of a touch as he traced his finger down her jaw to her chin and tipped her face up fully to him. “What? You’re afraid you’ll have to choose?”
Her tummy felt all fluttery and her pulse beat faster. Oh, he was very, very good at pretending they were dating. “I don’t want to choose—but if I had to, I would choose happiness.”
He moved a fraction closer, his finger still touching her chin. “It’s good to know you have your priorities in order.”
“Dami?”
“Yes?”
“Are you going to kiss me?” Somehow she had let her eyes drift to half-mast.
“Would you like that?” he whispered, his smooth, low voice playing a lovely tune all along her nerve endings.
She couldn’t stifle the soft, eager sound that came from her throat. “Oh, that would be fabulous. Yes.”
“Are you sure? The paparazzi are watching. A kiss would definitely make the tabloids.”
She couldn’t hold back a giggle. “Oh, come on.” She opened her eyes a little and saw that he was smiling down at her, a tender sort of smile that made her tummy more fluttery than ever. “It’s too late to back out now.”
“Luce, you are so innocent—and yet so delightfully bold.”
“Bold. Good. I like that a lot. As a matter of fact, I...”
There was more she’d meant to say. But at that moment, the ability to form words deserted her.
His warm, soft, wonderful mouth settled, gentle as a breath, on hers.
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