by Vivian Wood
“Pippa and I are going to take a turn around the room by ourselves, Momse. I'm sure you have a lot of people to talk to. Don't let us get in the way of that.” He grabs my elbow, pulling me close.
Her eyes narrow. “Surely you can allow me this one night to celebrate you both.”
He smiles lightly. “You got your hour on the arm of the new Prince and Princess. You've declared a wedding date. I think you've done enough.”
Momse's eyes open quite wide. “I don't appreciate how you're talking to me right now, Lars.”
He removes her hand from his arm, shaking off her grip. “Ja, I'm not Stellan. I'm not interested in politics or in whatever weird power play you're trying to pull right now. So Pippa and I are going to go over there and talk to our friends. And when we are tired, we're gonna leave. So…” He shrugs. “There you go.”
With that, he takes my arm and pulls me away toward Stellan and Margot. I glance at him, my eyes wide. “What was that?”
He rolls his eyes. “Momse has some idea that we are going to dance to her feet now that we are supposedly engaged. It's better for both of us if we just don't let her boss us around, not even a little. Because if she is given an inch, she'll take a mile. Trust me on this.”
He rakes his gaze over me, smiling a little sadly. I don't know what exactly he is talking about, but I lift my hand to touch his cheek, the gesture intimate enough to let him know that I hear what he's saying.
He slows down, turning to face me. Then he truly totally surprises me by sliding one hand around my waist and cupping my jaw with the other. He bends me back a little and kisses me so deeply and firmly that I forget everything else in the world.
For just a few seconds, it's just Lars and I. Just two bodies, all alone in the universe. His taste is on my lips, his scent in my nose, his hot hands on my sensitive skin…
I almost forget that we are not actually in a relationship, that we are not the real Prince and Princess. When he breaks away, I look up into his handsome face, my heart beating fast, my breath all but gone. Lars looks at me, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Should we go talk to our friends, then?"
At this moment, he is irresistible to me. I nod slowly, grinning at him still.
Lars takes me by the hand and pulls me along toward Stellan and Margot. Stellan looks like a much more uptight version of Lars, all dark and tall and buttoned up and brooding. Margot still looks like a little pixie, although she has only recently stopped bleaching her hair. Instead, I see that she has had her hair professionally dyed, and it falls around her shoulders and face just so. She looks at me with genuine delight, raising her arms to embrace me.
I let go of Lars's hand, hurrying into Margot's embrace. I hug her hard, inhaling her cotton candy sent. “I have missed you so much. Where have you been?”
She pulls back, looking at me. “Where have I have been? Where have you been? I've been right here, trying to get the king to relax a little during the holiday.”
Stellan frowns at us both. “Someone has to do the work around here. Keep the lights on, that sort of thing."
Lars beckons to Stellan, drawing him away. I have no idea what Lars is telling his brother, but I am glad for a little alone time with my bestie.
“What are you drinking?” I ask Margot.
She sighs, hooking her arm in mine. She lifts her cup, showing me the contents. “It's some blend of ciders or something. I asked for something hot and something nonalcoholic and this is all that they could come up with other than coffee.” She wrinkles her nose. “One of the less amazing things about being… in the condition I am in.”
I smirk. “Are you two still not telling people?”
“No, we decided to wait another month. Well, I decided. Luckily my husband is willing to bend on the issue at hand."
“Well, you let me know the second you can go shopping for baby necessities without causing a national crisis. Because I will be there with all the bells and whistles that I can carry.”
She smiles up at me. “I'm really very glad that we are friends, Pippa. I mean, looking back five years, would you have imagined that we would be standing right here, with these men as our partners?"
A flash of guilt runs through me. I look away, frowning at an imagined site on the other side of the ballroom. “Is that Annika?"
I feel bad for lying, especially to her. But I am completely certain that she wouldn't be able to conceal the truth from Stellan, and Stellan would come down hard on Lars. So I have to lie to her, for everyone's sake.
Her brow wrinkles as she searches the crowd. “I thought Annika and Erik were on some tropical vacation or something. I think you might've seen someone else.”
I nod. “It's entirely possible.”
Margot sighs. “I think I have to pee again. Will you excuse me?”
I look around as she slips away through the crowd, sucking in a deep breath. To my left, I can see Lars’s grandmother talking to a group of people and sizing me up. I definitely don't want to be trapped talking to her, especially not after what Lars said to her earlier. So I take a sharp right turn, almost plowing into a gorgeous, very thin blonde in a hot pink, skintight dress.
“Oh! I'm so sorry,” I apologize.
She laughs daintily, as if I have just told a funny joke. When she answers, her accent is clearly German or Austrian. “Oh, excuse me. I am so clumsy sometimes.” She sticks out a hand. “I am Gretchen.”
I grip her palm, shaking my head at the same time as I shake her hand. “It was all my doing. I'm Pippa, by the way.”
She arches a brow. “Oh, I know who you are. I think everybody in this room knows who you are. It's nice to meet you, Pippa.”
I blush. “Yes, I keep forgetting that I am engaged to the second most famous man here. It's all pretty new still.”
“What's new?” Lars asks, coming up from behind me. His hands land on my waist and he pulls me a little closer to him, kissing the top of my head. I blush again, feeling like that gesture is something intimate and private, usually just kept between the two of us.
I look up at him, shooting him in a look. “Our engagement. I was just telling Gretchen here that I keep forgetting why everyone knows who I am already even though I don't know them.”
He squeezes me a little. “Ja, it's true. She is still pretty starstruck by being engaged to me.”
Without thinking about it, I actually glare at him and hit him on the shoulder. Gretchen titters at us.
“Look at the two of you. Aren't you just made for each other?”
Gretchen beams at both of us. I slide my glance over to Lars, expecting… Well, I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting.
Perhaps he would be looking at her in a certain way that indicated interest. Or laughing at what she just said even though it wasn't really a joke. Or if my own experiences being true of his style, he might even touch her wrist or slide his arm around her waist.
But instead, I look at him and find him staring directly at the dark and space between my breasts. He isn't even remotely listening to Gretchen. He isn't staring at her, even though she is tall and blonde and extremely thin and gorgeous. Not to mention she is wearing a dress that would shame the devil.
Lars doesn’t even seem to notice her. He looks up at me, cocking a grin, and my cheeks flame scarlet. I can't do anything but give him a secretive smile. His intention is just so all-encompassing that I sink into his eyes for a long moment, forgetting that Gretchen even exists.
I bite my lower lip. He pulls me in closer, smirking a little. His fingers tighten on my waist.
I know that he is not actually mine. And I know that just because he's paying attention to me right now doesn't mean he will be in the future. But it feels so good to be looked at in this way, by this man, at this moment.
“Well, I can see you two are busy… If you will excuse me, I have to find the ladies room…” Gretchen says, smiling and wandering off.
I look up at Lars, wrinkling my nose. “Was th
at rude? It felt rude.”
He shrugs a shoulder. “I couldn't care less. If I had to make a list of all the people who I was rude to in a day, I would never do anything else.”
I quirk my lips. “As long as you're not rude to me, I suppose I don't have anything to say about that.”
He draws me close, raising my chin with his finger. The press of his lips against mine is brief and not nearly deep enough for my liking. But we are in a ballroom full of people and we should probably be on our best behavior.
Lars sighs. “I have to catch Stellan again before we leave,” he says. He frowns a little. “I think I actually know something that will help him in negotiations with the minister of Belgium. Do you mind if I just…?”
I smile. “Of course not. I'm actually going to step outside for a minute and just get some cool air. You wouldn't believe how hot this dress is.”
Lars looks me up and down, a grin spreading across his face. “Oh, I believe it. You know where it's gonna look even better than it looks on you right now?”
I pull away from him, rolling my eyes and smiling. “If you say on your floor, I am going to revolt. And you should take that seriously, Prince Lars.”
I waggle my finger at him, heading away toward the big balcony doors that open up into the night. A few people cast questioning glances at me as I pull open the door and let myself out into the chilly night. I shiver even as I sigh with relief. Hopefully no one is able to tell that I am as hot as I am. Under the full skirts of this dress, I'm wearing a lacy slip and a thong and both are plastered to my skin. I walk a few feet away from the doors toward the balcony, glancing down.
“Hello, Sylvie.”
I freeze at the sound of Mrs. Olson's voice. Turning my head, I find her looking in the shadows, talked away behind a stone pillar. My heartbeat races as I glance behind me nervously. "What are you doing here?"
Mrs. Olson emerges from the shadows, showing off her slim figure in a bright red ball down. She gives me a cold little smile. “Visiting you, of course. I see that you took my advice and accepted Lars's proposal. Clever girl.”
I gather my skirts, fisting the fabric. “You can't be here. You just… I don't even know who you are, but you need to leave. You are bothering me.”
Mrs. Olson gives a bark of laughter. “Bothering you? You should be thanking me. My organization made you and Lars happen.”
I pause. Part of me wants to scream at her, tell her that there is no me and Lars. But the other, smarter part makes me fold my arms across my chest. “What is it that you want? I'm very close to calling a security guard, so I would make it quick if I were you.”
She smirks at me. “Oh really? I don't think you're going to do any such thing, Sylvie. Not if you want to keep that precious sister of yours a secret, anyway.”
I shake my head, turning to go inside. “This is crazy. You're crazy.”
“All I'm asking is for a few questions to be answered. Surely that is worth your secret being kept, no? Because otherwise, I will go straight to Queen Margot and tell her who you really are.”
I slow. “I don't know what you think I can do for you. I don't know anything. Lars is not the head of state or anything. He's just…”
"Just the brother of the king. And that's fine. I just have a couple of questions. Specifically, I would like to know what Lars is position in the Royal Air Force is and whether or not he has much contact with Col. Ahmad.”
I cock a hip and cross my arms, turning to glare at her. “I don't know the answer to that. How would I even go about finding out the answer to that question?”
Her smile is staid. “I also want to know if the younger Løve brothers have girlfriends or boyfriends. Is there anyone on the horizon for either of them?"
I scrunch up my face, disbelieving. “What? I don't know.”
“Well, I would make it your business to find out. When you do, you can dial my number in the prepaid phone I gave you. I won't answer, but you can give the message to whoever picks up the phone.” She smiles again. “That's all I really require at the moment.”
I shake my head. You're insane. “Just… Don't contact me again. I don't care what you threaten me with. It can't be worse than thinking I am plotting against the country of Denmark.”
“Oh, Sylvie. Do me a favor before you go telling anybody about these little meetings of ours. I would check my phone first.” She whirls on her heel, heading back into the shadows. I shiver against the cool breeze that picks up, turning toward the balcony doors again.
I slip inside and immediately start searching the room for Lars. The need to be near him, to be protected by him, is intense right now. Or maybe it's the other way around and I feel like I'm protecting him? Either way, I have to find him.
After looking around for him for a few minutes, I finally find him talking to Stellan just outside the ballroom doors. When he looks up and sees me heading his way, his eyebrow rises. “What's going on?” he asks.
I smile at Stellan, putting my hand on Lars's arm. “Do you mind if I just borrow him for a second?”
"Be my guest," Stellan says, waving his arm.
Looking both ways up and down the hall, I lick my lips and pull Lars toward the first room that seems unoccupied.
21
Pippa
I flush, looking over my shoulder as Lars hustles me out of the room. He’s right; his grandmother is glaring at me now.
I turn around and hurry after Lars. I glimpse Stellan talking very intently with two of the palace staff just outside the doors. Lars quickly heads the other way, trying not to draw attention as he opens another door.
He hurries me inside what looks like an ill used study. Light pours in the window, spilling across several large pieces of furniture that have been draped with protective white cloth.
Lars looks around, one brow raised. “I don’t think I’ve ever even been in this room before.”
I walk over to a cloth-draped desk, lifting the corner to peek at the massive oak shape below. “We are honestly just lucky that you chose this room and not a mop closet.”
“You are right about that,” he agrees. He looks around the room and then shrugs. Taking a seat on the cloth-covered couch, he coughs a little from the dust released.
I wrinkle my nose and plop down beside him. A plume of dust rises, landing in a fine sheet over both of us.
Lars shakes his head at that, sipping his champagne. “Now you’ve done it. We are both ruined. If we go back to the dinner, we’ll both look like we rolled around in a pile of ashes.”
I scrunch my face up. “Maybe that’s what I was going for.”
He flashes me a smirk. Slipping a finger under his necktie, he loosens it. “Might as well get comfortable, then. Once everybody has had a few glasses of wine, they are less likely to notice a pair of sewer rats in their number.”
I laugh at that. Lars grins; he’s always trying to make me laugh and only sometimes succeeding.
“Okay. Well, I’m taking off my heels. They are absolutely killing my feet.”
I stand up and take my shoes off, letting them fall on the ground. When I sit back down, I realize that I am close enough to Lars that our knees knock together. Instantly I start to get up again, thinking to give him some space.
But Lars grabs my wrist. “Where are you going now?”
Heat sizzles along my skin. I look up at him, blushing.
“Nowhere, really.”
He leans closer to me, giving me a delicate sniff. “You smell good. I mean, you always smell good. You smell of roses right now, though.”
I give an awkward titter. “And what do you smell like?” I sniff his chest. “You smell like pine trees and…” I give another sniff. “What is that called? Like right after it rains?”
He throws me another smirk. “Petrichor.”
I nod, leaning back. “Of course you know the name for that smell.”
He grins. “Well, Ja. It is a natural phenomenon.”
I pull a face, sipping my wine
. “Sure.”
He seems amused. “I see you’re back on the champagne then. I could swear you avowed never to drink again after New Year’s Eve.”
I squint down at my glass, shrugging. “Well, I definitely thought that I was going to die on New Year’s day. Which, by the way, you conveniently disappeared for.”
He smiles. “I thought I would just do us both a favor and get dressed. And then I had time to think about how I should work out…”
“You didn’t just want to avoid me, then?”
He shoots me an innocent look. “No. Why would I?”
I blow out a breath. “Because… we made out the night before?”
He rolls his eyes. “I make out with a lot of girls, Pippa. It’s perfectly natural.”
I tilt my head at him. “Is it?”
He arches a brow. “For two people who are as close as we are and as attractive as we are to kiss? I would say so, yes.”
My cheeks redden. I bite my lip, playfully eyeing him. “You think I’m attractive?”
He scoffs. “Oh, please. It goes both ways. Don’t think I don’t notice you staring when I take my shirt off.”
I squint at him. “Do not.”
He sets his glass aside, leveling me with a look. “Look. It was just a kiss. I can kiss you right now. It doesn’t mean anything.”
Before I know it, he’s grabbing me around the waist. My heartbeat skyrockets. I try to bring my hands up to block him, but he captures both of them and brings his lips down on mine.
He tugs at my waist, pulling me into the kiss. I soften against him, under the heat of his lips pressed firmly against mine.
My cheeks feel hot as I let my eyelids slide closed.
22
Pippa
Lars leans down, cupping one breast and pulling the nipple to his mouth. I immediately groan at the sensation of his hot, wet mouth on my flesh. He rolls it around with his tongue, then bites it very carefully, almost like he’s testing me.
