And it was an eighty-degree night.
“Are you cold? Would you like my jacket?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
She pulled the jacket closed around her as I draped it over her shoulders. “Now, where were we?” I asked.
“You were about to explain what that load of bureaucratic buzzwords and jargon meant.”
“Of course,” I said, mulling over how much of the truth I should give her. I gazed at her features, reading her like I’d read so many people so many times before. There was no deceit in her, nothing untrustworthy. Not a single thing about this beautiful woman set off any red flags. “Why is Switzerland so wealthy?” I asked.
“Because of the interest they make off all their banks? Oh, and chocolate, they have really good chocolate.”
“You’re right on both counts, though the latter one to a lesser extent. Everyone knows that the Swiss have the best banks for funneling money that you don’t want your government to know about, right?”
Charlotte nodded.
“Well, Trisea is where you go when you don’t want anyone to know where your money is. Given enough time, a Swiss account is eventually traceable. Banking in Trisea is untraceable.”
Her brow furrowed. “So, your country is rich because they take dirty money from people doing bad things?”
“Dirty? No. We have strict guidelines about where and from whom we’ll do business with. Trisea is also one hundred percent transparent to her people about it as well. Trust me, we don’t let anyone whose background check doesn’t come back spotless bank with us.”
Unconvinced, Charlotte pressed on. “I just don’t see how you could ever be sure the money your kingdom thrives on isn’t coming from a terrible source.”
“The real bad guys, the ones who sell people into slavery or who run guns, or operate drug cartels, they don’t use banks, Charlotte. And if they do, they use the Swiss ones, because we don’t let them in.”
She nodded. “Do you tell everyone you meet for the first time how your kingdom makes its money?”
I paused a long moment, wondering again how honest I should be. And again, her exquisite features showed no signs of deceit. “No. In fact, I’ve learned very few people are trustworthy. Very few are even honest with themselves.”
Charlotte nodded again, lips falling slightly apart as if she were about to say something. She didn’t. She stood there, holding my gaze with those brilliant topaz eyes as a warm glow spread across the freckles on her nose to her cheeks. She turned away, clearing her throat. “So, Serene said you’re a fount of knowledge about opening a charity.”
I didn’t want her to change the subject. Every time she held my gaze like that, my whole world stopped. My pulse raced, pumping so hard, I thought she’d certainly see it pounding in my neck. I wanted to stay like that, relishing the connection, basking in it. I didn’t want her to keep breaking it.
I wanted to ask her what she was afraid of, why every time we shared a moment, she retreated from it.
But I respected her signals and didn’t press the matter.
“I don’t know about a fount of knowledge, but I’ve certainly had experience with all manner of charities.”
“I’d like to start one,” she said.
I nodded. “Well, first you’ll need to speak to your legal team about—”
“No, no, I’ve done all that before. I started a charity to fund clean water programs in Africa, but it very soon turned into a charity with only my name on it. I had no say in the running of it whatsoever. I don’t want to make that mistake again. So, no lawyers drafting documents that tie my hands and end up taking the hard work away. I want to do this on my own.”
Chapter Seven
Charlotte
Holy shit his jacket smelled good. Swimming in his masculine, earthy scent, I had to fight to put two words together.
“I see. Running a charity is an entirely different matter than simply starting one. If you want to do the work, and I mean really get your hands dirty in paperwork and funding and tax exemption, then you need experience. I’d suggest shadowing the director of a charity for a few weeks and see if it’s something you truly want to do.”
That made sense. “Do you have any other recommendations?”
“Only that you should choose a charity that’s similar to the kind you’d like to start.”
I nodded, and for a moment, lost myself in his gorgeous midnight-blue eyes again. I kept doing that. He made it so easy to melt into his gaze.
A quick, hard knock on the glass door between the veranda and the ballroom snapped me out of it. A huge man stood in the doorway, barrel-chested and imposing with a scar over his left eyebrow. “Your Highness, the event is nearing its end. It might be prudent to make another appearance in the crowd.”
Ash nodded. “Of course, Nathaniel, thank you. Charlotte,” he said introducing me, “my head of security, Nathaniel, who along with a host of other duties, likes making sure I show enough face at events. Nathaniel, this is Charlotte. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more of her. Put her on the all access-list.”
“Of course, Prince Ash. Ma’am.”
I nodded to the bodyguard, head spinning at what the prince had said. He wanted to see more of me?
Ash offered me his elbow again, and I took it, leaning into him, soaking up every bit of him before I had to end it.
I’d have this night. I’d bask in his attention and silky voice and that exotic accent for one night. That was all I could allow.
As we reentered the party, Ash asked me to dance. Well, he didn’t quite ask. He leaned in and whispered, “Dance with me,” in my ear.
I nodded. What harm could come of a single dance?
He led me to the middle of the room, and just like in every cheesy movie, the upbeat dance track turned to a slow love song. Ash held out his hand and pulled me into him, leading me across the dance floor with ease.
I’d had every kind of dance training under the sun. Most were quick and dirty basics focused on making actors seem like they knew what they were doing on camera, but in my modeling days, I’d taken a few waltz and ballet classes to help the constant criticism that I didn’t know how to move. I didn’t truly learn how to waltz, and the only thing I took away from ballet was stiff muscles, but it didn’t matter. Ash led in such a way that I knew exactly what to do. I didn’t worry about stepping on his toes or moving in the wrong direction. I simply lost myself in the moment, in the music, in him as we floated across the floor.
“You’re a natural,” he breathed into my hair.
“I’m not. You’re an exceptional lead.”
He pulled me closer as the song melted into the next, and we kept dancing. He moved us across the whole floor like it was second nature, and as we passed by the few others out there with us, I noticed how many eyes in the crowd were on us. I tensed up, realizing we’d drawn so much attention and stumbled.
“Relax,” Ash said, gripping my waist to keep me steady. “They’re watching because you’re absolutely stunning.”
My heart thudded in my chest. As much as I knew my peers would rather die than sell secrets to a tabloid lest the same happen to them, the fear that it could happen still made me squeamish.
“What’s wrong?” Ash asked.
“I—I just don’t like to be watched,” I said.
He gave me a sideways smile. “You’re an actress.”
“Yes, but—can we just get out of here? Please?”
“Absolutely.” He nodded to his bodyguard across the room, and we made a dash for the door.
I didn’t have my phone or my bag or anything, and I didn’t care. I just wanted to get out of there. Serene would notice and grab them for me.
As his bodyguard waited to get in the front seat, Ash opened the door to a dark sedan with what I presumed to be Trisean flags on the hood, and we sped away uptown. I leaned against the prince’s shoulder, breathing slowly and letting my pulse settle.
“Are you alright, Charlot
te?”
I took a deep, trembling breath. “I will be.”
Ash nodded. “Where would you like to go, my lady?”
I smiled and gave the driver an address. Ash smiled back. “Where are you taking me?” he asked.
“You’ll see.” I leaned back and let myself revel in the excitement again.
I knew I couldn’t let it go on. Maybe in a few months, maybe, but I knew if we were to get caught, the paparazzi would blow it out of proportion. We’d be engaged in a week, according to them at least, and I’d be painted as the girl who falls too fast and the serial relationship killer yet again.
I didn’t want that. But I would enjoy a single night. One innocent, chaste night couldn’t hurt.
When we arrived at my building, I nodded to the doorman and led Ash to the elevator. I pressed the button for roof access and watched as each the indicator scrolled through the floors.
The doors opened to my private oasis in the middle of the city. I had a garden with lilies and moonflowers that made the whole roof smell like paradise. Fairy lights hung around the iron guardrail, giving the roof a cozy, warm glow. “This is my private rooftop deck. It’s my favorite place in the world.”
Ash smiled, taking in all the flowers and shrubs.
I glanced at the dark night sky. “They only thing that could make this spot better would be if I could see the stars,” I said.
Chapter Eight
Ash
I wrapped my arms around her waist from behind as she gazed at her star-less New York sky. “There’s a turret in my castle devoted to star gazing,” I whispered in her ear, trying not to moan when her ass pressed into me. “You can see every star and trace every constellation from my mountaintop castle.
She turned around, slowly meeting my gaze. “You have a castle?”
I nodded. “Of course. Don’t all princes have castles?”
“Well, I suppose. But I guess I thought of you as a politician. I didn’t quite put the castle and crown part together.”
I closed my eyes at her words. They pleased me more than I could ever express. When I opened them, Charlotte’s eyes were dilated, gaze fixed on my mouth.
I got the message. I leaned down slowly and traced her jaw with my thumb. But just before our lips met, Charlotte pulled away.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, hiding behind her hands.
“What’s to be sorry for?” I asked. “If you’re not ready, I’m willing to wait. Charlotte, you’re the most amazing woman I’ve met in—well, if I’m being honest—you’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. I’ve grown so tired of women wanting me because of what they think I can do for them, wanting me simply because I’m a prince. You, however, seem to be fighting your feelings for me with everything you have, and I find that incredibly intriguing.”
She dropped her hands, embarrassment clear on her blushing face. “How did you know?”
“That you were fighting your feelings? It’s my job to read people, and I can read you like a book. It’s another reason I’m so drawn to you. You seem to have no hidden agenda. You’re an upfront person, and I find it quite refreshing.”
She nodded, sinking into one of the wrought iron chairs. I sat next to her.
“Ash, if the tabloids find out we’re seeing each other, they’ll make a mess of it. I can’t—I don’t want to do that again.”
“My team has a way with the paparazzi. Have you noticed any tonight? Any following us from the gala?”
Charlotte shook her head.
“That’s right. Because Nathaniel and my other guards made sure they followed everyone but us.”
She sighed. Something else still bothered her.
“What is it, Charlotte? What else can I fix?”
She smiled a sad, bittersweet smile that tugged at my soul. “Me? Can you fix me? They call me the ‘serial relationship killer.’ They say I can’t keep a man because I fall too hard and too fast. They say it because it sells their stories, but it’s true. I do fall too fast, and it gets me hurt every time. I’m tired of getting hurt. I’m tired of making the same mistake over and over.”
I pulled her into a hug and held her tight. “You’re not broken, Charlotte, and you don’t need fixing. Life is all about figuring out what you want, and I’ve found the easiest way to do that is by experiencing what you don’t want first. So, you’ve made some mistakes. Believe me, so have I. I’ll tell you what. We’ll go as slow or as fast as you want. All right? You can set the pace.”
She nodded against my chest. “Okay,” she said.
“Tonight was wonderful, my lady. I expected a drab party with drab people, but I found a siren who calls to my very being.” I took her hand and kissed it lightly. “I bid you a good evening, Charlotte.”
“When can I see you again?” she asked.
“Whenever you like,” I said and entered the waiting elevator.
No part of me wanted to leave her on that rooftop. Every cell in my body screamed to go back and kiss her, take her like she’s never been taken before. But I wouldn’t do that. I would only move as fast as she was willing to go.
When the doors closed, I tried to shake off the tension, the desire coursing through my veins. She clung to me like mist in the air, like shadows in the dark. Charlotte had unknowingly found her way into my jaded heart.
Instead of pining like a schoolboy, fantasizing about her nude and beneath me, saying my name and pulling me close, I redirected my energy to something more productive.
“Have we heard anything from the men sent to follow Creightly?” I asked Nathaniel when I arrived at the sedan.
“Yes, Your Highness. The man told the truth. He did board a flight to Switzerland, and he hasn’t booked a return flight as of yet.”
That was interesting. What would a man who just opened a new museum need to do in Switzerland? I could think of one thing. Did he think I wouldn’t find out?
“Have our contacts in the Swiss banks notify us if he appears.”
“Of course, Prince Ash.”
Chapter Nine
Charlotte
I stayed on my rooftop deck for at least an hour, remembering and relishing Ash’s touch, his voice, his promise.
You get to set the pace.
A perfect solution but a double-edged sword. I barely had the resolve to step away from his kiss, and that was only after a few hours with him.
I was definitely going to fuck this up.
I took a very cold shower and slept on and off for a few hours, dreaming of Ash’s face, his silky voice whispering sinfully dirty things in my ear. At six a.m., I got up, took another ice-cold shower, and headed to Serene’s house.
I couldn’t wait any longer.
“It’s a little early, isn’t it?” Serene said, rubbing her face as she opened the door to the new Brownstone her and Jeffery shared. “Oh, Charlotte, come in!” She pulled me into the house, morning grogginess replaced with sheer excitement. “Tell me everything.”
I laughed. “I will. Did you happen to grab my—”
“Of course,” she said, pointing to the table in the foyer with my phone and the clutch I’d left at the gala. “Come on. Let’s get some coffee in me, and you can tell me everything.”
We chatted over bagels and smoked salmon and the strongest coffee I’d ever had. I told her everything—how enthralled we were by each other, how knowledgeable he was about charities and international finance, how I told him I needed to go slow because I didn’t want to screw it up—everything.
“Right, but did you guys, you know? Charlotte, I saw you two on the dance floor. You were like something out of a movie. You two moved as one so easily. It was quite the sight. Tell me it was that amazing in bed.”
“I’m afraid I can’t tell you any such thing.”
“What? Why? You’ve never had a problem kissing and telling before.”
“We had a chaste evening. He kissed my hand. Twice. That was all.”
“Well, that’s no fun. When are you seeing him
again?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I’m here. I needed my phone, and I assume you have his number.”
She nodded and sent me the prince’s number. I wasted no time texting him.
When can I see you again? It’s Charlotte, by the way.
Good morning, my lady. Anytime you like.
Taken by the Prince Page 3
