He laughed in disbelief and moved off her. "I guess it won’t be, will it? At least I know you aren’t married. Is that what you’re running from? A wedding?"
"I’m not running," she ground out, getting up. She fished her boots out of the bottom of the tiny tent and crawled outside, refusing to look at him when he joined her. A fresh, fruity smell teased her nose, and she looked up, eyeing the cluster of blue fruits that hung just out of reach.
Rabbit reached up and pulled down a cluster. "Here. You worked up an appetite."
With a dark look for his teasing, she accepted the bunch and took a bite. Blueberry flavored juice spurted out, dripping down her chest and tickling the slope of one breast.
Rabbit grinned. "Allow me." He ducked his head and slowly licked the droplet from the creamy slope. She gasped, freezing with surprise as heat streaked through her belly. She’d thought they were done with this.
Mischievously, her lover took the fruit from her hand and squeezed it, watching with satisfaction as the liquid disappeared into the valley of her shirt. He backed her against a tree and nipped her ear. "Guess I’d better clean you up." His lips swallowed her protest, then worked their wicked way down her chin. Without asking permission, he opened her top.
Ali panicked and grabbed his face, but he took her frantic fingers into his mouth and made slow love to them, making her forget what she’d been trying to do. When his clever mouth finally released them, his eyes were smoky with promise. Leisurely, like a pasha inspecting his newest dancing girl, he opened her vest, inhaling deeply. With a lion’s hum of anticipation, he lowered his head and lazily feasted.
A choked cry burst from her lips as tongue made contact with her skin, licking here, flicking there. Tender, dominant, he made her want him to do it, made her grasp his shoulders as her world spun at his command. Then his hot, wet mouth closed over her nipple….
Ali cried out and her body arched as pleasure burst in hot, pulsing waves through her whole body. It had to be climax. Was there anything else in the world that felt so indescribably electric, so wonderfully erotic?
As suddenly as he’d started, Rabbit stopped. As cheerfully as if he’d just won the lottery, he straightened up, playfully flicking one pink nipple. "Day’s wasting, hot stuff."
Staring at him as if he’d lost his mind, Ali watched him dismantle the tent, unable to move even to fasten her top. That was it? He was going to stop right there? Was he insane? When he made no move rejoin her or even look her way, she fastened her shirt. Giving the discarded fruit on the ground a swift kick, she stomped off to use the facilities, such as they were.
Rabbit smiled in amusement and kept his thoughts to himself. His runaway princess didn’t like to be teased, and no wonder. Anyone that volcanic needed to either remain on ice or have regular eruptions. All that pressure couldn’t be good for a woman.
He couldn’t blame her for running off before the wedding. Anyone that cloistered was bound to need an adventure, to break loose before settling down.
That’s what he was here for--to give the royal miss her escapade and act as bodyguard until he could get her to the capital and safely wed to his Highness. They’d had a good time, she’d seen a bit of the world, and he was confident he could get her to the chapel in good order. The kissing hadn’t been planned, but he didn’t regret it, or anything that had followed. She’d be a married lady soon--a few indiscretions now would soon be glossed over. Unwilling to reveal his smirk, he kept his face averted as he put on his shades and her weight settled on behind him.
He could get used to this.
They hadn’t gone a mile when the Mad Hatter and Bud joined them, each riding a bike. Hatter grinned and called, "Have a good night’s sleep?" He leered playfully at Ali, who ignored him.
Rabbit just laughed and gunned the throttle. Let them concentrate on keeping up--it would keep them from razzing him about his love life.
Their next stop was Flower Gardens, at ritzy dressmaker specializing in hideously expensive gowns. The shop girls greeted Ali with great excitement, eager to serve. Ali herself seemed confused by the trio, who fluttered around in dresses of soft yellow, pale blue, and pink, for all the world like talking flowers. The proprietress herself was more regal in shades of rose, with an upper crustiness that never failed to amuse Rabbit.
"We are delighted to see you, your highness," she told Ali. "Allow me to show you your wedding dress." Before Ally could speak, she whipped aside a curtain, revealing a mannequin in a gorgeous wedding frock. Ali’s mouth opened, but no sound came out.
Rabbit couldn’t blame her. The gown was white, but draped in a stole of sparkling, rainbow hued gauze. The underskirt was embroidered with a rainbow of flowers, and a matching band of embroidered ribbon trimmed the bottom. The tulip sleeves were plain, except for a tiny ribbon rose on each side.
"I can’t wait to see you try it on," one girl gushed. "Come on! We’ll get you bathed and in your undergarments, then you can test the fit."
Ali looked wildly at Rabbit as the girl tugged on her hand. "Wait! You’ve got the wrong girl. I just hitched along for the ride. Ask Rabbit--he’ll tell you."
The girls just giggled and kept tugging.
Rabbit smiled and winked.
Something wasn’t right. Ally wasn’t sure what was going on, but the girls had her stripped before she could work up a good protest, and next she knew she was bathed and climbing into stockings, a corset, and a truly tiny pair of white panties. She had no choice--her clothes had disappeared, and it was either wear the princess dress or strut out in front of Rabbit half-dressed. Recent intimacies aside, she just wasn’t ready for that, so she put on the dress. It fit as if it had been made for her, yet another suspicious coincidence in a string of iffy circumstances. Even the embroidered satin shoes they gave her fit.
Rabbit’s eyes glowed when he saw her. Slowly, he clapped. "Well done, Madam Rose. His highness is definitely giving you a bonus for this one."
Madam Rose managed to preen and look humble at the same time. "Thank you, your--er, Rabbit."
"Can I have my clothes back now?" Ali asked tightly, convinced by now that she was in the middle of a very bad dream. She wasn’t a fool--she saw where this was going, and it was more than time to throw on the brakes.
Rose and Rabbit cast her a glance, one disbelieving, one amused, but neither produced her clothes.
Hatter poked his head in the door. "Hey," he drawled, looking her up and down. One hard look from Rabbit wiped the leer from his face. "Uh, the carriage awaits. Bud’s ready to go."
The carriage turned out to be a white car straight out of League of Dangerous Men. Bud, attired in a Hawaiian print suit and chaffer hat, held the door open. Ali took one look at it and balked. "Uh, no. Actually, I have a pressing engagement elsewhere, so I’m going to have to skip your little get together…."
Rabbit flashed his killer grin and wrapped his hand around her waist, steering her toward the car. "You don’t like my transportation? I’m hurt, baby. Really hurt."
Her stupid little slippers couldn’t get any traction, and it wasn’t for lack of trying. With Rabbit sweeping her on and the ditsy flower girls waving them off, Ali soon found herself deposited on the white leather seat. "Should’ve kicked him," she muttered, sweeping her skirt out of the way so he wouldn’t sit on it.
"I wouldn’t," Rabbit advised as his henchman shut the door. His eyes swept over her again with pride and pleasure. "I’m almost sorry you’re wearing that dress--it’ll show if I muss you up."
She glared at him. "You’re taking me to marry some dumb prince, aren’t you? Admit it! You tricked me. You’ve planned this the whole time!"
He leaned back, half turned on the seat, his arm stretched along the back. "I made you run away? I don’t remember that part."
Had it been physically possible in a seated position, she would have stamped her foot. "You kissed me!"
"You liked it."
"But you planned to marry me off to someone else!"
&nb
sp; He looked at her carefully. "Did you hit your head somewhere along the way?"
She looked out the window and grit her teeth. Fine. So he was the kind who would take what he could get. It didn’t matter to him who she was or what she wanted, just as long as he could get a little free entertainment. In the advent she actually set eyes on this mysterious prince, she planned to give him an earful. Maybe he’d chop Rabbit’s head off for her.
"Are you pouting?"
"I’m brooding."
"It looks like pouting from here."
She said something very rude, not bothering to look at him. When she could no longer stand his silence, she risked a glance at him, then wished she’d kept her mouth shut. His cool, aristocratic expression made her shiver.
"You’re in sore need of some discipline, sweetheart. Maybe I can remind you of a few things." Before she could panic and pound on the black glass privacy screen, he reached over and scooped her up, depositing her rear firmly on his lap. Grasping her chin in one businesslike hand, he bent his head and demanded a kiss with such finesse that she gasped. Leisurely, his tongue swept inside and mastered her with such sweet savagery that she moaned.
"Firebrand," he whispered against her wet lips, deepening the kiss.
She jerked away, gasping, "You’re giving me to someone else who will want to do this." The knowledge burned.
"Nobody else can do this," he said confidently, taking her mouth again with such mastery that she cried out as hot pleasure lit white sparks behind her eyes. When he let her breathe this time, she was no longer able to argue.
The rest of the ride was spent in silence. She kept her head on his chest and didn’t try to convince him to let her go--if he was cold enough to love her and leave her, he surely didn’t care if another man shared her. She cared, in more ways than one, and she wasn’t going to stand by and let them get away with breaking her heart.
Sucker, she told herself angrily, still too weak to sit up. It must be true that where a woman’s body led, her heart would follow. Too bad she didn’t have Rabbit’s immunity. Maybe he’d feel a pang when she was forced to the alter, but she doubted he’d charge to her rescue. It would be depressing if she weren’t so angry about it.
Talk about a chocolate chip cookie dough moment.
A couple of miles later, they were pulling up to an impressive white castle, surrounded by a maze of tall hedges. Guards opened the white, wrought iron gates, saluting as they drove past. Ali had finally slid off Rabbit’s lap, too embarrassed to be seen clinging like a vine. Not that she wanted to impress their blasted prince, but being caught on his employee’s lap would be the last straw.
A man in white livery bowed to her as he helped her from the car. "If you’ll come with me, your highness? I’ll show you to a room where you can freshen up."
Refusing to look at Rabbit--the snaky traitor--she obediently followed the servant. Then, when his attention was caught by an argument between two gardeners, she darted off into the hedge maze.
Ali knew she had only moments before she was caught, so she ran for all she was worth, dodging plant sculptures and darting randomly into alleys, lifting her full skirts so she wouldn’t trip. Everyone here was crazy, and she had the feeling that explaining who she was and where she came from wouldn’t help. Either they’d tune her out and go on about her wedding, or they’d lock her up, and she did NOT want to find out what madhouses were like in this place.
Doubts nagged at her while she ran. They had a wedding dress and shoes in exactly her size. Rabbit had come along just after she’d stepped through the mirror. He kissed like a dream … and he had fetched her for another man.
Dreamlike, she ran and ran, yet never got anywhere. Was the maze that big, or was she going in circles? Suddenly she saw a gap up ahead and ran for it, bursting out in front of a crowd of people before she knew what had happened. Panting, she looked around wildly … and saw Rabbit, dressed all in white, seated on a throne atop a wide dais.
He smiled his Cheshire cat smile. "Welcome, princess."
Ali no longer cared if they thought she was crazy. This madness had gone far enough. "I’m not a princess! I work in a coffee shop, for Pete’s sake! This is just a dream."
Hatter bowed to Rabbit. He was dressed in priest’s robes, and his earring winked in the sunlight. "Shall we begin the ceremony, your Majesty?"
"Aren’t you listening? I won’t marry him!" Ali shouted, stepping closer. So he was the prince, was he? Or rather the king? No wonder he hadn’t cared that she was getting married. Maybe he did care after all.
She shook her head sharply to clear the dancing cherubs. Who cared? He was cute, but even she drew the line at making it with figments of her imagination, and she was now firmly convinced she was dreaming. Seeing Bud in Hawaiian print tights and a doublet cinched it.
Rabbit shook his head in mock sorrow, a glint of amusement in his eye. "She won’t have me, she says."
A chorus of boos issued from the assembled company. Madam Rose and her flower girl trio were there, as well as the well-rounded Glenda.
"Off to his bed!" Madam Rose shouted, and the rest of the company took up the chant.
Rabbit’s brows rose in amusement, and he raised a hand for silence. "Shouldn’t she at least get a trial?"
"A trial?" Ali demanded, ignoring what that wicked glint in his eye was doing to her blood pressure.
Hatter presented himself before the throne as the first witness. "I saw her drinking beer and eating brownies with him," he said. "They were on the way to the wedding. She wasn’t protesting then."
"She snuggled right up," Bud added to an indignant surge of muttering, most of it directed at the bride’s fickle nature.
"What kind of brownies were they?" someone called, sniggering. "Maybe you were seeing things." The man was immediately shushed.
"She was in our inn, flashing her money. Poor thing didn’t know a penny from a pound. He saved her from being robbed. I say the girl needs a keeper," Glenda added.
"And what were you flashing?" the unseen heckler called. There was a loud "umph!", then silence.
"They spent the night together," Bud added. "I say his Majesty has a duty to marry her." That interested the crowd. The buzz of speculation increased.
Desperate to end this mockery of a trial, haunted by heat in Rabbit’s eyes--how dare he look at her like that? He couldn’t possibly be right for her, no matter what he did to her pulse--Ali called out, "Nothing happened!"
Rabbit’s brows rose. "Nothing?"
Wickedness sparkled in his eyes, and she suddenly wondered if he’d seduced her on purpose, just for this moment. Heat rose in her cheeks, but she countered stubbornly, "Nothing critical." She couldn’t quite meet his gaze.
The crowd had heard all it needed to hear. "Off to his bed! Off to his bed!" They began to close in on her.
The ground started to wobble like tomato aspic. Ali had the strange feeling of being in a bubble. The crowd blurred, as if their image was seen through a curved sheen. Ali looked up--and saw Rabbit looking back, his gaze so intent that it was all she saw.
In that half place between dreams and waking, Ali saw him. The first kiss of morning’s light curled around him like a silvery mist, softening his face, muting his expression. He saw her on the bed and smiled softly. She rolled toward him as the matress dipped, a strange sense of sadness and anticipation shrouding her heart.
"It was only a dream," she said softly, sadly.
He cupped her face. "It was a promise. Some things are meant to be, but you wouldn’t receive me if I hadn’t softened your heart."
"How can you be real?"
His lips slowly touched hers. "This is real. At this moment, we share a dream." The kiss grew, slowly, surely, his passion igniting hers. Languid pleasure hummed in her veins, warmed her heart. He slowly sank down, pressing into her, then through her, until he melted away like a ghost….
Ali sat up, breathing hard. Dawn’s light spilled through the window, filtering through the linge
ring storm clouds. A glance out the window confirmed the street was wet, the cars dewed with the remnants of rain. Her grandmother’s mirror was as it always was, an unremarkable glass, soon to go to auction.
She flopped back on the bed. A dream. Thank God. As soon as the thought came to her, she frowned. In other circumstances….
Sighing with regret, she turned her head … and saw the queen of hearts lying on the other pillow.
The next five days passed uneventfully, days full of serving customers java and nights spent in her cheap efficiency apartment. Some of the details of her dream faded, but she didn’t forget Rabbit. She missed him. Had he left her the card, like a rose left by a lover’s hand after a gentle goodbye kiss? She’d left it by her bedside for the last few mornings, but today she carried it in her back pocket.
Twice she’d woken from dreams of a shadowy lover, though she never remembered his face when she opened her eyes. It had to be Rabbit, though. Who else could leave her trembling and sated at the same time? If this kept up she might have to seek professional help. It was a sad statement of her love life that she could only get it on with a figment of her imagination.
The bell over the door tolled. Someone had braved the downpour and ducked in for a hot drink. She looked up--and spilled the straws she was adding to the dispenser. It was him.
His hair was no longer white, but dark, and he had the same vivid green eyes and killer smile. She knew those lips, remembered what they could do.
He glanced at her frozen hands, at the mess of straws on the counter. "Need a hand?"
Common sense hit in a wave of mortification. Of course it wasn’t him. She’d dreamed of someone like him, that was all. Uncanny, but a fact, and if she didn’t watch it, he’d think she was a nut. "Uh, yeah. Yes. Um, I’ll be right with you."
He took his time looking at her face, then that slow grin dawned. "No hurry."
Breathing deeply to calm her leaping pulse, she scrambled for an explanation for her bizarre behavior. "I’m sorry I stared. It’s just that I thought I’d seen you before."
Through the Looking Glass Page 2
