The Anti-Cinderella

by Tawdra Kandle

  Plus, I hadn’t wanted to tell Shelby about Nicky. Not yet. For now, whatever was between us—whether that was rekindled friendship, a meaningless flirtation or something more—was just ours. I didn’t have to explain it to anyone. I didn’t have to handle questions that I didn’t know how to answer yet. I liked it this way.

  “Okay.” Shelby shrugged. “You know where I am if you need to talk to me. I’ll see you tonight, won’t I? You’re not going to run off with your secret lover?”

  “Oh, please.” I snorted. “He’s not a secret lover. He’s not a lover at all. We’re just—”

  “Old friends.” Shelby nodded. “Right. Well, I’m off to supervise the bio lab. I hope you have more fun than I do—whatever it is you’re planning to do tonight.”

  “Bio lab is a hoot.” I tried to subtly shift the subject away from my date. “We always had a good time.”

  “Yes, but we were not idiot undergrads. I’m fairly certain the ones in this class are seriously trying to develop some kind of biological weapon. They’re devious, and they’re also stupid. But in an evil way. They’re like baby evil geniuses who don’t have basic survival skills. I think they’re seeing how far they can go before they push me over the edge.”

  I laughed. “No one said that being a TA was all fun and games, right? Woman up, babe. Go tell those bio babies to toe the line.”

  “Right. Sure.” Shelby sounded hopeless. “And you enjoy your date.” She pointed a finger at me. “Tomorrow . . . we’re having a chick night, with wine and chips and Katherine Heigl movies. And you, my friend, are going to spill about this man you’ve been seeing.”

  “I haven’t been seeing him.” I began to argue with her and then saw the glint in her eyes. “Okay, fine. Chick night. Wine, chips, and spilled beans. It’s a date.”

  She winked at me. “Later, K. Have fun tonight. Hang a sock on the door if I need to turn my head in the morning, so your fella can do the walk of shame in peace.”

  “Not going to happen!” I yelled, but she was already out the door and jumping into the car.

  Once she was gone, I went back to chanting the mantras I’d been saying all day.

  This is not a real date. It can’t go anywhere. Nicky is a prince. You are you. He’s a friend. You can have fun. But he lives in England, and you do not. Keep it light and don’t expect anything to come out of this. Live in the moment.

  “Live in the moment,” I muttered. That’s what I was going to do. I was acting silly with all this nervousness. Nicky was just—Nicky. He wasn’t as hot as what I’d built up in my mind. He was just a guy, and the fact that he’d given me my first kiss was why I had this crazy sentimental attachment to him.

  A car turned into my driveway, kicking up gravel, and my heart went into overdrive. I jumped to my feet, smoothing the skirt of my dress over my legs, and snatched my small black purse from the coffee table. And then I froze, because I had no clue what to do next. Nicky had texted me earlier, asking for my address and promising to pick me up at six-thirty. But what did that mean, exactly? Was I supposed to wait for him to knock and meet him at the door, or should I go out now, so that he didn’t have to leave the car? We lived far enough back from the main road that no one was going to spot him, and our nearest neighbor was too far away to see our house. But maybe he wouldn’t want to chance being seen.

  Before I could make up my mind, he was at the door. From where I stood, I could just barely make out his profile, the way he shifted from foot to foot as he waited for me. He was wearing a dress shirt—the sleeves rolled up above his wrists and the collar open—with khakis and a pair of brown loafers. His throat worked as he swallowed, and I wondered if it was possible that Nicky was nervous, too.

  The chance that he might be gave me the strength to walk to the door and open it. Nicky’s eyes met mine, flaring with surprised admiration as he took in my dress and heels.

  “Wow.” A slow grin spread over his lips. “Look at you. I didn’t expect . . .” His voice trailed off.

  “Didn’t expect what? You didn’t think I’d actually put on real clothes to go out to dinner with you?” I tilted my head.

  “No, I didn’t expect your legs to be so damn perfect.” He leaned back a little and made it obvious that he was checking me out more closely. “I remember them from before. That summer, I was always afraid someone would catch me staring at your legs when you were wearing shorts. Or a bathing suit. Or maybe I was afraid you wouldn’t notice me doing it.”

  “I didn’t. Not really.” Gripping the door knob, I hung on to it as I glanced up at Nicky through my eyelashes. “I hoped, and I dreamed, but I never managed to convince myself that it was real. And then later, when you were gone, I figured I’d been imagining everything.”

  “You didn’t.” He reached down to skim the back of his fingers over my cheek. “Ten years ago, Ky, you were cute, and you made me want to kiss you. But now, you’re breathtaking. I still want to kiss you. But I’m not sure I want to stop there.”

  My head spun a little, wondering if he was going to suggest skipping dinner and going right to dessert—which could happen here in my bedroom. I also wondered if I’d have the courage to say no when most of me wanted to feel him, to touch him . . . to taste him.

  Before I could wander too far down that trail of thought, Nicky stretched out his hand, offering it to me.

  “C’mon, Ky. We better go now, before I give in to my baser instincts and try to convince you to stay in.”

  I slid my fingers between his, pausing only long enough to shut the door behind me and lock it. As we walked toward his rental car, Nicky tightened his grip and leaned down to brush a kiss over the top of my head.

  “I didn’t say it well when you opened the door, Kyra, but you look amazing tonight. So beautiful. And full confession . . . part of me did wonder if I’d find you in your jeans and garden boots.”

  I rolled my eyes, stepping back as he opened the passenger door for me. “I know how to behave, Nicky, and I know how to wear the right clothes. Just because I like sneakers more than stilettos doesn’t mean I can’t figure out which ones to wear when.”

  “Never thought you couldn’t, sweetheart.” One of Nicky’s eyebrows waggled at me. “But I wasn’t sure you’d deem me worthy of the trouble it would take to lose the jeans for one night.”

  “If anyone could make me lose my pants, it would be you, Nicky Windsor.” The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them, but the expression on his face made my own mortification totally worth it.

  “I’m not going to forget that, Ky.”

  I was certain my cheeks were blazing red. “Let’s try our best. Sometimes my mouth engages before my mind can stop it. Shelby says my filter is for crap.”

  Nicky crossed his arms on the top of the open car door and grinned down at me. “I call that refreshing.” He winked at me before he closed the door and rounded the car to take the wheel.

  “Refreshing, huh?” I slid him a glance as he pulled the seatbelt around to fasten it and turned the key in the ignition.

  “Absolutely. I live my life surrounded by people who say whatever they think I want to hear. There are very few whom I can trust to tell me the truth. I like that you’re someone who says what you’re thinking.” He turned in his seat to look over his shoulder, backing up to pull out of my driveway. “Can you tell me where we’re going?”

  For the next few minutes, I concentrated on giving Nicky directions, pointing out turns. Our roads were generally pretty quiet around here; the biggest cause of traffic jams in this part of Maine was a moose who wouldn’t move off the road. Consequently, when I realized that a small black car was mimicking our turns and lane changes, I didn’t think I was being paranoid.

  “Nicky, that Ford is tailing us.”

  He glanced in the rearview window. “Mmmmm. And doing a good job of it, too.” One corner of his mouth tipped up. “It’s my policeman, Ky. I talked security into letting us drive alone to the restaurant, but I can’t escape
them altogether.” His hands tightened on the wheel just slightly. “It’s part of the package that comes with spending time with me. Sorry.”

  “Don’t apologize.” I reached over the console and touched the back of his hand. “I’m just relieved it’s not some evil villain who’s after you—and me by extension.”

  Nicky chuckled. “No evil villains. Just a vigilant group of men and women who stick with me whether I like it or not.”

  “Do you ever try to ditch your guards?”

  He shrugged. “Not anymore. I did when I was younger. And then . . . Grayson died. Suddenly, it wasn’t fun and games anymore, you know? One of Alexandra’s policeman was killed trying to protect my sister and her fiancé, and it hit me very hard that these people—they risk their lives every day on the off-chance that some maniac will try to make his name by offing a member of the British royal family. Just because I, personally, have never been in a situation where I was threatened doesn’t mean that the sacrifice is any less real. That’s why I try to respect their work now. I don’t play games. At times, I request a little privacy, and if it seems reasonable, they do their best to accommodate me.”

  “Hmmm.” I glanced backward at the car that was still following us at a safe distance. “And tonight, it was reasonable?”

  “Sure.” He nodded. “I hate to break it to you, Ky, but Maine is pretty remote. I haven’t publicized my visit here, and no one’s that interested, anyway. That’s why they agreed.”

  “What about at the restaurant?” I had booked us a table for two. I had a mental image of Nicky’s policeman squeezing between us as we tried to eat.

  “He’ll be at another table. When you sent me the name of where we’re eating, I sent it to my security. They booked a table for him.”

  “Oh, okay.” I managed a smile. “That works.”

  “Ky, I know being with me—dating me—it’s not the kind of thing most people are used to. There are a lot of complicating factors. It’s messy and maddening—and probably, I’m not at all worth the fuss.”

  “That’s not what I was thinking at all.” I shook my head. “I just—I wanted to know. I want to do the right thing. I don’t want to embarrass you or get you in trouble.”

  “You couldn’t embarrass me, Kyra, and you won’t get me into trouble. I can manage that just fine on my own.” He shot me a wry glance, and I had to laugh.

  “You’ll want to slow down and make a right here, into the parking lot. That’s the restaurant, the building up on stilts there.”

  Nicky parked the car, and I noted that the black Ford compact pulled in several spaces away. When I snuck over my shoulder as we walked toward the entrance, I saw a stocky man trailing us at a respectful distance.

  “Before long, you almost forget he’s there.” Nicky took my hand in his and squeezed it. “It sounds horribly rude, but eventually, security fades into the background. You just get on with life, you know?”

  “I guess.” I couldn’t imagine a time when I’d forget there was someone shadowing my every move.

  “When it’s just the two of us—my policeman and me, I mean—we talk. I don’t ignore him. But when I’m with someone else, I try to do just that.”

  We approached the podium, and I stepped forward. “Hi. We have reservations. It’s under Kyra Duncan.”

  “Sure. Just a sec.” The hostess skimmed down a computer screen until she found my name. When she glanced up at us, her professional smile firmly in place, her eyes widened just slightly, and I knew she’d recognized Nicky. For the space of a few moments, I could tell that she was teetering between maintaining her poise and giving into uncontrolled gushing.

  “Could we possibly have an outside table, near the edge of the deck?” Nicky smiled and pointed to the far side of the expansive wooden platform. “If that’s all right with you, Ky.”

  “Sure. It’s a nice evening.” I nodded and lifted my sweater. “Plus, I’m covered if it gets chilly once the sun’s set.”

  I didn’t know whether it was her own fortitude or the fact that Nicky and I were acting normal, but the hostess managed to keep herself in check. She picked up two menus and began threading her way between tables. My eyes met Nicky’s as we followed her.

  “Sometimes, it’s helpful when I give people a little space to recover,” he murmured. “My sister calls it reasonable deniability—they can convince themselves that I’m not really who they think.”

  Our table was perfect, and the hostess stepped away once she’d handed over the menus and promised that our server would stop by shortly.

  We were both silent for a few seconds, perusing the appetizer offerings. Nicky leaned forward and spoke in a quiet voice.

  “Tom is sitting behind you, about four tables back. I just wanted you to know, in case I look over your shoulder from time to time. I’m not staring at another woman.” One eyebrow shot up, and his eyes were mischievous.

  “Good to know.” I inhaled deeply and played with the corner of my napkin. “Not that I could blame you if you were. Looking, I mean. At another woman.”

  He lost the playful expression and frowned. “What do you mean?”

  I lifted one shoulder. “I might do okay dressing up now and then, Nicky, but I’m not the kind of woman people would associate with you. And even though I don’t read all of the magazine articles about you or follow social media about your love life, I’m not totally ignorant. I know for a fact that I’m not remotely your type.” I kept my eyes focused on the small candle flickering between us, unable to look up at his face. I was afraid I’d see confirmation there.

  “Kyra.” When I still didn’t lift my gaze, Nicky reached across the table and touched my cheek. “Ky. Look at me. What you just said—that’s utter nonsense. First of all, half the stories about me in the media are flat-out wrong, completely made up. I haven’t even met some of the women whom I’m reported as dating seriously. Others I’ve only seen socially or professionally. You can’t believe what you read. And it’s not exactly fair to judge me on those lies.”

  “I know.” I tried to take a deep breath again, but my chest was tight. “I’m not in the least bit insecure, Nicky. Like you said to me the other night—I am who I am. I like me. I’m smart, and I’m capable and I’m strong.” I let myself meet his eyes. “But the thing is, I like you, too. So even the strong, confident part of me wants to be someone you’ll find attractive. I’m not the kind of woman who changes for a man, even for a man who turns her inside out when he smiles. But I couldn’t take being with someone who didn’t understand who I am.”

  “I think I understand who you are.” He ran his fingers down my jaw and neck, making me shiver. “At least, I’m beginning to. I think you’re still my friend from before. That’s the heart of Kyra. That’s at your core. The other layers . . . I’m willing to unwrap them, slowly. Like a seed coming to life, becoming a plant. I want to spend time with you and figure that out, and I want you to know who I am, too. Just give us the time and space, will you? I know it won’t be easy. I know I’m leaving tomorrow to fly back home, and long-distance relationships are a pain in the ass. I get that. But let’s try.” He took my hand, folding my fingers into his palm. “Please.”

  My eyes drifted shut, and I sighed. “I don’t think I’m capable of telling you no.”

  Nicky’s soft chuckle held just a hint of triumph. “That’s an excellent place to begin.”

  “I have to compliment you on your choice of restaurant. My meal was delicious.” Nicky leaned back in his chair, grinning at me.

  “Gav outdid himself, didn’t he?” I lifted my napkin and touched it to my chin. “He’ll probably come out to say hello. He does it for everyone, so don’t worry that he’ll make a fuss over you.”

  “Thanks for keeping me humble, Ky.” He craned his neck back, staring up at the black velvet sky. “Look at all those stars. It’s amazing how many you can see out here.”

  “The lack of light pollution makes all the difference,” I agreed. “And I’m glad you wan
ted to sit outside, although it is getting kind of cold now, even with my sweater.”

  “Are you shivering?” He stood up a little and dragged his chair around the table until it butted against mine. “Come here. I’ll keep you warm.” He slid one arm around my shoulders and tugged me against his body.

  “Or I could wait for the coffee we just ordered.” I looked around for the server. “That would help.”

  “Are you saying you’d rather drink coffee than allow me to help you stave off the cold?” Nicky shook his head. “I’m insulted. Insulted and hurt.”

  Giving in, I laughed and snuggled closer to him. He really did radiate an enormous amount of body heat. “Nah, on second thought, I think you’re better than coffee.”

  “Of course, I am.” He paused a beat. “Although, now that I think of it, coffee and I have a lot in common. We’re both strong, hot and . . . and we have the potential to keep you up all night.”

  My pulse began to stutter, but ignoring it, I cocked my head teasingly. “Oh, really? Hmm. Then I might have to rethink this. Maybe you’re not good for me. You know, even though it tastes so good, sometimes when I drink coffee, it makes my heart race.”

  Nicky drew me closer, until there wasn’t a breath of space between our bodies. With two fingers, he cupped my chin as he murmured, “I bet I can make your heart race, too. And I taste even better than coffee.” He lowered his face until his lips hovered just above me. “But I promise, I’m very, very good for you.”

  Before I could answer or protest, he was kissing me, his mouth firm and demanding on mine. My eyes closed, and without hesitation, I opened my lips and stroked my tongue against his.

  In that moment, everything else in the world vanished. There wasn’t distance or time or space. I was at once the same fourteen-year-old girl dazzled by her first kiss on a Florida beach, and I was me, in the present, in the arms of the same man who was once again weaving his spell over me. I was every age I would ever be, but it didn’t matter, because I never wanted to leave him. I never wanted him to stop kissing me, touching me . . . I was drunk with the need surging to life inside of my body.