Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 95609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 478(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 478(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
I feel like a cage door is starting to swing closed, and if I don’t get out, something terrible will happen. “Come on, Luca. You have to honor my wishes. You have to let me go. I have a job to do.”
“From what I can tell no one treats the production assistants well.” He seems to be mulling the problem over in his head, and I don’t think I’ll like what he comes up with. “You’ll have more fun this way.” His expression turns serious. “I can’t make you say yes to me in the final ceremony, but I can make it difficult for you to not give us a chance. How about we make a deal. One chance to get out of my web. If you can honestly say you’re not interested in me after I do one thing, I’ll cut you tomorrow.”
Oh, I can say some words. I’m not interested. I can absolutely say those words. I don’t have to mean them. “Do your worst, Your Majesty.”
He shakes his head. “Luca. The rest of them can call me Reg or Your Majesty. I’m Luca to you. Reg is a king. Luca is just a man.”
He reaches out and takes my hand. Without thinking about it, I respond by rising gracefully. Well, rising. I nearly dump the bag of food all over my bed.
“What are you doing?” I have to tilt my head back because he’s so tall and so very close. His body brushes against mine, and there’s that insane chemistry I wish I had with someone who didn’t have a whole country depending on him.
“Showing you how it can be,” he whispers before he leans over and his lips find mine.
I want to stand there, to be utterly unmoved. It’s a kiss. I’ve been kissed before. It’s lips on lips, with maybe a little tongue somewhere in there. When you think about it, it’s kind of gross. Except I feel sparks. They shoot along my skin in the sweetest way as his hands find the back of my neck and he cradles my face. Warmth shoots through me, and I swear I can feel my uterus contract when his tongue drags over my bottom lip.
I have no idea how long we stand there, his mouth on mine, my hands wrapping around his body so I can get as close to him as possible. The world seems endless in that moment, and I want to do nothing more than stay here with him.
He pulls away, and there’s a light in his eyes as he looks down at me. “And that is why I won’t let you go.” He steps away and moves toward the slightly open hidden door. “I don’t suppose you want me to stay with you tonight. Like I said, I don’t need some process to tell me what I already know. But we will have to pretend for the cameras.”
Pretend like we’re falling in love. The problem is I wouldn’t be pretending. “Cut me tomorrow. Please, Luca.”
A forlorn look crosses his face. “That I can’t do, Schatz. In this I will be selfish. One thing I will be selfish about.”
“I thought you were a nice guy.”
“I’m a king. I can’t afford to be nice.”
“What did that mean? That thing you called me?”
“Schatz? It’s German,” he explains. “We speak English and German in Ralavia. It means treasure. Good night, Anika. I will see you in the morning.”
He disappears behind the wall, and I’m alone.
God, he’s going to break my heart.
Chapter Ten
Group Date #1
I’m feeling more like fighting this morning as I sit with the others chosen for the first group date. I don’t want to admit that there was a piece of me that was surprised—and disappointed—that Luca hadn’t chosen me for the one-on-one date. Instead, I was selected to go with five other women to Central Park to play touch football.
The other four get to go to a special exhibit at MOMA.
Guess which one I would prefer.
“So your clothes haven’t shown up yet?” Ashley F sits down beside me.
We’re sitting on the vast green of the North Meadow. Production has blocked off most of the space which I could have told them will piss off so many locals since this is one of the places in Central Park where you don’t need a permit to play a spontaneous game of football or soccer.
There is nothing spontaneous about what’s happening on this field now.
“What do you mean? I got two suitcases delivered early this morning.” I’d been told Ivy and Harper had run by my place to pack everything I would need. They’d been thorough. I’m pretty sure every piece of clothing I own is in those cases. They kind of exploded when I’d opened them up.
I wish they’d hung around so I could talk to them. I wish it had been one of them delivering all my makeup and hair supplies instead of Patrick, who’d rolled his eyes and questioned my choice of suitcase.