How to Catch a Prince

by Leanne Banks

  Rubbing her sleepiness from her eyes, she glanced at the alarm clock and felt a little shock. Eight o’clock. She would be late for the workday at the center for handicapped children.

  She rushed out of bed and took a quick shower, brushed her teeth, dressed, put her hair in a ponytail and grabbed a granola bar as she headed for the door. Something about the den nagged at her and she turned around. The cards were neatly stacked on the table and all signs of pizza, beer and gelato were out of sight. Curious, she returned to the kitchen to find a clean empty sink and dishes drying on the rack.

  Her heart softened. He’d cleaned up before he left. How sweet was that? How was she supposed to resist him now?

  Catching sight of the kitchen clock kicked her back into gear. She needed to get moving to get to the project center. She found a parking space for her car on a side street then rushed inside the building, which was full of activity. She saw Terri and her husband, Bob, pulling the frame from a doorway. Terri glanced up. “We’re in the destruction phase. Tear it down before you rebuild.”

  Sophie smiled. She was all too familiar with demolition. She’d been on several projects where it had been necessary to get rid of faulty construction before starting new. “You always did enjoy that part of a project.”

  “How often can you tear up something and get praised for it?” Terri asked.

  “So true,” Sophie said and glanced around the room. “Have you seen—” She broke off when she spotted Max wearing her favorite style. Low-slung jeans and a T-shirt stretched tight across his wide shoulders, he had also tied a handkerchief around his head as a sweatband. Total male and total physical. He looked at her and her stomach dipped.

  His lips lifted in a slow grin and he waved at her.

  Her heart fluttering all over itself, Sophie told herself to calm down. It’s just Max. She took a deep breath and walked toward him.

  “How are you, sleepyhead?” he asked with a sexy smile.

  She felt her cheeks heat with self-consciousness. “Sorry I fell asleep on you. I was obviously much more tired than I’d thought.”

  “No problem. You’ve got a cute little snore,” he said.

  Horrified, she stared at him. “Oh, tell me that’s not true. I do not snore.”

  “Don’t worry about it. It’s not like you sounded like a truck driver.”

  She cringed with embarrassment. “Well.” She cleared her throat. “I’m here. What can I do to help?”

  “We’ve got most of the demolition tasks covered in here. Do you mind doing some work outside? It’ll be mostly pulling weeds. Did you bring gloves?”

  She shook her head.

  “I’ve got some extra. Thanks for coming. You don’t have to stay all day,” he said.

  “I think I’m caught up on my rest,” she said.

  Sophie enjoyed working outside. The sun was shining, the temperature was perfect and a slight breeze kept her from getting too warm. After she pulled weeds, she progressed to loading broken granite into a wheelbarrow and toting it to the truck that would haul it away.

  “Oh, my goodness, I can’t believe this. He’s made a slave of you,” Princess Bridget’s voice called from behind Sophie. She shot Sophie a look of unadulterated horror. “What are you doing?”

  Sophie smiled. “Helping?”

  Bridget sputtered. “Not this way. You shouldn’t be doing hard labor like this,” she said.

  As usual, Bridget was dressed like a peacock. Head-to-toe green today with a green hat and green heels.

  “Lovely to see you, your highness. It’s not bad. I’ve enjoyed being outside, getting some physical activity. It’s a nice break from being cooped up in the office trailer.”

  “I suppose being outside would be nice, but this is going too far,” she insisted.

  “I really don’t mind,” Sophie said. “What brings you here? I’m sure you didn’t pop by just to scold me for pulling weeds.”

  “No, of course not,” Bridget said. “I wanted to tell my half brother, the slave driver, that I’ve made arrangements for the charity event. We’re going to have a night of gambling, with the proceeds going to fund the center for handicapped children. Doesn’t that sound like fun? You could go with David,” she suggested. “And, of course you’ll need a new dress.”

  “Whoa,” Sophie said. “One thing at a time. I was surprised we were able to get started on this before the charity event.”

  “I was, too,” Bridget said. “But my brother-in-law Nic found this building and was able to lease it for a song. Max said an anonymous donor had put up an initial investment. I must say the community will gladly support this once it gets started. The people of Chantaine are very compassionate and generous.”

  “They have a pretty good example from the Devereauxes,” Sophie said.

  Bridget smiled. “That was a lovely thing to say. Speaking of your being so lovely, Pippa is wishing for some girl time. Perhaps we can lunch soon?”

  “I don’t know. Things have been very busy at the work site. Max has to make as much progress as possible when all the machinery is working and the materials are available.”

  “I suppose,” Bridget said. “Perhaps next Saturday. You’ll be off then, won’t you?”

  “Unless I’m working here.”

  “Not if I have anything to say about it,” she said indignantly. “Hauling broken concrete. Of all things,” she said. “Is Maxwell inside? Would you like to join me while I tell him the charity plans?”

  Sophie lifted her gloved hands and wiggled her fingers. “Oh, I’ll let you take it from here,” she said.

  “Very well,” Bridget said. “But we’re on for lunch next Saturday. Ciao,” she said as she walked into the building.

  “Ouch,” Sophie whispered, hoping Bridget wasn’t going to fuss at Max too much. After all, he was doing something good for her country. Sophie hauled a few more loads of broken concrete and called it good. Her back was tired and she was ready for a shower. She decided not to sign off with Max. It was too dangerous to be alone with him.

  Sophie grabbed a salad from a café just before it closed and headed to her apartment. Shoving the salad into the fridge, she stripped off her clothes and headed straight for the shower. The hot spray fell over her and she willed it to wash thoughts of Max from her mind.

  After her shower, she pulled on comfy jammies and sank into her couch to watch some mindless television. She flipped through several channels and settled on a BBC contemporary comedy. She needed the subtitles to get all the jokes, but who had to know? Laughing at the British humor, she heard a knock at her door.

  Sophie rose from the sofa to look through her peephole. Max was still dressed in his manly man clothes and bandana headband. She briefly considered not opening the door, but he banged on it again.

  Sophie opened the door. “Hello?”

  “How the hell could you leave me with Bridget? She tore a strip off of me because I let you do physical labor?”

  “I tried to tell her I enjoyed being outside,” she said.

  “She didn’t believe it.”

  “Is that why you’re here?” she asked.

  “Not really,” he said and walked through the door. “I know you have leftover pizza in your fridge. I put it there.”

  “What if I already ate it?” she asked as she headed for her teeny galley kitchen.

  He glanced over his shoulder, pinning her with his gaze. “Did you?”

  She paused. “No,” she confessed.

  “Like I said,” he muttered and within seconds, he brought the cold pizza with him as he paced the den. “Can’t believe that woman,” he said. “She told me I was a slave driver. A slave driver,” he said in disbelief. “Not one of my employees would say that about me.”

  “Well,” Sophie said.

  He shot
her a hard look. “Well?”

  “Well, you do expect a lot of your employees,” she said. “Especially during crunch time.”

  “But I’m no slave driver,” he demanded.

  She chewed her lip.

  Max swallowed a cold bite of pizza and swore. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “It’s all relative,” she said. “Everyone understands the need for overtime. If they don’t die from it,” she said in a lower voice.

  He swore again.

  “You’re intense,” Sophie said, rising from the sofa. “Not everyone can deal with that. But you do give them freedom to leave if it’s too much for them.”

  “Why don’t I feel better?” he asked, inhaling the last of his pizza slice.

  “Bridget is the female you,” she said.

  His face fell and he nearly choked. “Bridget is me?”

  “The female you,” she corrected. “She’s a high achiever in her own way. She pushes people to do what she wants them to do. She may be the Devereaux most like you.”

  He stared at her for a long moment. “I can’t remember when I’ve been more insulted.”

  Sophie laughed under her breath. “It’s the curse of the high achiever,” she teased.

  He groaned and shook his head. “Or not,” he said and returned the rest of the pizza to her fridge. He disappeared for a moment then returned with a determined, seductive look in his gaze.

  Her stomach took a crazy dip.

  “I need a shower,” he said, pulling off his makeshift headband. “Wanna join me?”

  Her heart stopped in her throat. “I—uh, already took a shower,” she managed.

  “So?” he said.

  A thousand questions filled her mind. A thousand doubts rolled through her. “Uh, the towels are under the sink.”

  “Okay,” he said and pulled off his shirt and left it on the floor. His jeans followed. She shouldn’t have looked, but she saw when his boxers hit the floor. Max had a great...body.

  Sophie paced the den. She’d just been issued the sexiest invitation of her life. She’d wanted Max for as long as she could remember. What if she accepted? What if she turned him down? Would she regret it forever?

  Her heart felt as if it was lodged in her throat. Oh, please, she thought. Help me make the right decision. In her next breath, she knew. There was no choice. There was only Max.

  Stripping off her clothes, she made her way to the bathroom. The steam from the shower permeated the small room. Taking her heart in her hand, she pulled back the shower curtain and stepped into the tub.

  Max looked down at her for a long, breath-taking moment then pulled her against him and took her mouth. A cacophony of sensations raced through her. Warm water, hard muscles, soft sensual lips.

  His hands skimmed over her shoulders then down her waist to her hips. He drew her against him, brushing his mouth from side to side against hers. Sophie’s heart was beating so fast she could hardly breathe. He squeezed her buttocks and slid his thigh between hers. He lifted one of his hands to one of her breasts. Dipping his mouth to her shoulder, he licked at her wet skin. His hand slid between her legs and he found all her secret sensitive places. She clung to him as he took turns with each of her nipples, drawing them into his mouth.

  She was so turned on she could hardly breathe.

  Max lifted his head. “I want you too much,” he muttered against her mouth.

  With the warm shower raining down on them, he pushed her against the wall of the shower and took her, and Sophie knew she would never be the same.

  Chapter Nine

  Somehow, they ended up in her bed. He pulled her against him.

  Sophie was caught between total happiness and terror.

  “You okay?” Max asked.

  “Sure,” she managed, but her heart hadn’t stopped racing. She hoped she didn’t go into cardiac arrest.

  “You don’t sound okay,” he said, pulling back to look at her.

  “I’m fine. I just don’t take a shower with—someone like you every night,” she said.

  He met her gaze and his mouth lifted in a half smile. “That’s good to know.”

  She laughed, half out of hysteria, half from relief and buried her head against his chest. “You are not an easy man, Max,” she said.

  “Hey, I was pretty easy for you. Took my clothes off and invited you into your shower. How much easier could I get?”

  Try issuing that invitation two years ago, she thought. She took a deep breath. “So is this a one-night stand? I’d like to be prepared,” she said.

  He slid his thigh between her legs and lowered his mouth. “Not if I have anything to do with it.”

  * * *

  So they become lovers. Secret lovers. Max didn’t appear to want to let anyone know that they were involved and frankly neither did she. What if it ended in one week? Or two? She couldn’t help feeling on edge. She didn’t want to have to make explanations. Maybe Max didn’t either.

  Just as soon as her doubts overwhelmed her, on Wednesday he visited her at her apartment and they shared an evening where they played a card game, built a free-form LEGO creation and then he made love to her.

  She made it through the week and was relieved when Friday arrived. No more pretending and trying to fake it in front of Terri and the others in the office.

  She took a shower and put on her yoga pants and a tank, suspecting that she might hear a knock on her door any moment. Just as she considered dialing for delivery, a knock sounded on the door. Her heart lifted and she couldn’t help smiling.

  She opened the door. “Hello?”

  “Hello, darlin’,” he said, setting the pizza package and beer on her sofa table. He picked her up and swung her around. “I brought pizza and beer.”

  She swallowed a laugh. “And what if I wanted champagne and gourmet food?” she asked.

  “Then I would get it for you,” he said solemnly. “Tomorrow. Because I want to keep you busy in bed tonight.”

  Her laugh burst through her restraint. “If you say so,” she said. “I’m having lunch with Princess Bridget and Pippa tomorrow. They insisted and they’ve been so kind to me I feel I must accept.”

  He lifted a dark eyebrow as he let her slide down his body. “Bridget is a pushy girl. Be careful.”

  “She has a good heart,” she said.

  “She introduced you to that David guy,” he said with a frown.

  “He was very nice,” she countered.

  Max scowled. “I did not like him.”

  “He kinda made you realize you wanted me,” she said.

  “True,” Max said. “But you still need to be careful about her. She may try to match you up with someone else.”

  She shrugged. “Unless I’m taken.”

  He met her gaze and lowered his eyes. “I do my best to take you every chance I get.”

  She couldn’t resist laughing at his possessive gaze and growl. “I want to do something interesting tomorrow night,” she said.

  “We do something interesting every night we’re together.”

  “I want you to surprise me.”

  He looked at her for a moment. “Okay, but no protests.”

  She realized she shouldn’t have put out such a general request. “Uh—”

  “No protests,” he said.

  She closed her eyes, saying a little prayer. “Okay, no protests.”

  “Good,” he said. “Pizza and beer and you in bed. Perfect Friday night.”

  She couldn’t deny it was a perfect night. Just Max and her together the whole night. Laughter, kisses and lovemaking. He was gone before she awakened the next morning and she felt a little guilty that she wasn’t helping with the charity project, but she fell back asleep for a while.

&
nbsp; Sophie dragged herself out of bed, took a shower and put on a shirtdress she’d bought a couple years ago. Thank goodness her mother had encouraged her to make a few timeless clothing purchases. Stepping into a pair of low pumps, she worked fruitlessly with her hair and applied mascara and lip gloss.

  Staring in the mirror, Sophie decided this was as good as she was going to get today. Better than most days. Soon enough, it was time for her to meet the princesses at an exclusive café. Battling Bridget’s insistence that Sophie should accept a ride from the palace, Sophie drove herself and parked two blocks away.

  She walked inside the café and gave her name to the hostess.

  “I will take you to your table,” she said and led her to a private room in the back of the building.

  Moments later, she was served a glass of water and a cup of hot tea just before Bridget and Pippa arrived with the baby in an infant seat.

  “Sorry we’re late,” Pippa said. “Amelie wanted to nurse at the last moment, but she should be good for a while.”

  Sophie glanced into the infant carrier at the sleeping baby. She looked completely relaxed. “What a sweetie.”

  “Most of the time,” Pippa said with a smile. “I’m so glad to be out and about lunching with you and Bridget.”

  “Of course you are,” Bridget said, pulling her hat from her head. “Heavens, what a morning. The cattle tried to trample the boys. The chickens were screaming at dawn. I just want to sleep in one morning each week. Is that too much to ask?” She waved to the waitress. “A glass of pinot grigio, please. For all of us.”

  “I’ll sip,” Pippa said.

  “I don’t usually drink before evening,” Sophie said and saw Bridget’s lifted eyebrow. “But I can make an exception.”

  Bridget’s mouth lifted in a smile. “What a week it’s been. You’ll be happy to hear that the invitations for the charity gambling event have been sent and I’ve already received a ton of replies from those who want to attend. Good news.”