The Princess Problem

by Diane Darcy

  “Did she complain?”

  “No. But then she wouldn’t, would she? But still, I think you need to make it up to her. I think you’d better take her out to dinner tonight so the two of you can learn to get along. You need to clear the air.”

  Jonas hid a smile. “Isn’t dinner a little much?” He pretended reluctance to tease his mother. “Can’t I simply apologize? Do I really need to take her out?”

  His mother smiled. She knew when he was acting, as well. “She’s nice, isn’t she?”

  His lips quirked up on one side. “Not to me.”

  “Well, regardless, it was out of line to kiss her and you know it.”

  “She really didn’t say anything about the kiss?”

  “Not a word.”

  Well he’d certainly thought about it all day. Maybe she had, too. “You’re right, Mom. I may have crossed a line today.”

  Her blue eyes narrowed suspiciously.

  “I’m not sure she’ll even say yes, but I’ll ask her out to dinner.”

  With a smile, his mother reached forward and patted his hand. “As your father always said, nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

  “I remember.”

  She stood and headed for the door. “Wait until everyone leaves. There’s no need to put her on the spot twice in one day.” She turned back and gave him a smile. “But I’m sure she’ll say yes.”

  Unable to sit still, he stood, shoved his hands into his pockets, and walked to the window. He hoped so. He really did.

  Chapter Seven

  It had been a long but exhilarating day. Alicia just wanted to go home, get something to eat, and crash. As soon as she finished straightening everything so it was ready for tomorrow, that was exactly what she planned to do.

  Other than the employees who worked at the store, she was the last one there for the night. After she’d changed, Willa had taken the dress to the dry cleaners so it would be ready in the morning, leaving Alicia to finish straightening up. She heard footsteps approaching, and a quick glance told her it was Jonas and her pulse sped up without her permission.

  He stopped a few feet away. “Hi.”

  “Hi,” she said, a little breathlessly. She admitted to herself she was happy to see him, and that maybe she’d dawdled a bit, hoping he’d appear. She shot him a quick glance as the growing silence between them became awkward.

  He cleared his throat. “So, I was wondering if I could talk you into going out to dinner with me tonight?”

  Her throat tightened. “Dinner?”

  “Yes. But first I want to apologize for my earlier behavior.”

  Remembering how angry she’d been, she hunched a shoulder as she shuffled some photos into a pile and put them in an envelope. “For tearing apart my ideas this morning? Or for kissing me?”

  “For tearing apart your ideas.”

  She finally looked at him. “What about the kissing?”

  He shrugged. “I’m not really sorry for that. But did you want an apology, anyway?”

  Alicia’s mouth parted, but she couldn’t help it. She laughed. When he grinned down at her, she realized that, against her better judgment, she was really starting to like the guy. It probably didn’t hurt that he was gorgeous and that she felt addled and dazzled whenever he was around.

  Maybe sitting across from him and having a normal conversation was just what she needed to keep the butterflies in her stomach under control. She wasn’t the kind of girl who bickered and quarreled with others. She usually didn’t like to fight, and it sort of worried her that she enjoyed fighting with Jonas so much. So, yes, maybe dinner, where they could practice acting like two civilized adults, was exactly what they needed.

  She lifted one shoulder. ‘Sure, why not? Dinner sounds nice.” She set the envelopes in a neat pile on the makeshift desk. “Do you want me to follow you to the restaurant in my car?”

  She raised her gaze to find his locked upon her mouth and realized she was having trouble getting enough air.

  He sucked in a breath. “Let’s take my car. Then we can ride over together, and I’ll drop you back here after.”

  She fumbled for her purse. “All right. Let’s go.”

  * * *

  Once outside, they walked slowly to the parking lot.

  “This way.” Jonas led her to his BMW, unlocked it, and held the door.

  “Wow.” She bent over and slid inside. “What a gentlemanly thing to do. I’m going to have to give you a point.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Jonas chuckled. “I’m back on the point system? What happens when I get enough points?”

  Alicia gave him a half-smile and glanced up at him through her lashes as she settled into the seat. “Something good, I’m sure.”

  “Hmm.” He grinned down, one hand on top of the car, the other on the door, boxing her in. “You know, I think you’re onto something here. I actually work really well with a reward system in place.” One of his brows arched. “So if I’m really good tonight, do I get, say, a kiss when I drop you off at your car?”

  Alicia’s skin prickled under his slow perusal, the sensation spreading until her whole body tingled. “You didn’t apologize for the last one yet.”

  “If I do apologize, then do I earn a point and a kiss?”

  She should just shut him down, tell him no, but instead she was trying to hold back a smile. She wanted another kiss, too, preferably without an audience this time. Just to see if it was really as good as she remembered or if she’d built it up in her mind. She lifted a shoulder. “For one measly point? I’ll have to think about that.”

  His lips curved. “Hold that thought.” He shut the door, rounded the car, and slid inside. “Okay.” He buckled his seat belt and started the car. “Thinking is good. But just for clarification, exactly how many points would I need to earn? I mean, I have one now for opening the door, right?”

  “Yes.” She crossed her legs and sighed. “But I’m taking away that point for the earlier kiss.”

  He glanced at her legs, took a deep breath, and pulled out of the parking lot onto the main road. “That’s a little harsh, but okay. So I’m starting at zero?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  “No, that’s okay. I just don’t want to find out later there are minus points I didn’t know about.”

  “Well, I certainly could add some minus points for other things, but for the sake of making this easier, we’ll start with zero.”

  His lips quirked. “That’s very generous of you.”

  She grinned. “I thought so, too.”

  “Okay. So how many points would it take for a kiss?”

  “Let’s say…five? But I reserve the right to minus points for pretty much anything, so…” she shrugged.

  He glanced at her. “So be on my best behavior?”

  She straightened in her seat and tried to look nonchalant. “Only if you think the reward will be worth it.”

  He looked at her lips for a long moment, before turning back to watch the road. “Oh, it’s worth it all right. I intend to stun you with my best behavior.”

  She shivered. His words, the way he kept glancing at her, looking at her lips, had heat rising in her cheeks. No doubt she was an idiot or a glutton for punishment. Hadn’t she decided to go to dinner with him so they could learn to act like normal people around each other? She hadn’t planned to flirt with him, but couldn’t seem to help herself. She didn’t doubt for a moment she was playing with fire. He was simply too attractive. One kiss in a day from Jonas was enough of a danger to any girl’s heart, and the way hers raced let her know she definitely wasn’t immune.

  The question now was, would she award him the five points? Or would she chicken out by the time he dropped her at her car? Even she didn’t know.

  * * *

  “What sounds good for dinner?” Jonas asked. “Mexican? Italian? Burgers? Salad?”

  “Italian sounds good.”

  “Good choice. Matteo’s is just down the road.” A few minutes later Jonas pulled in
to the parking lot, switched off the car, and turned toward her. “Don’t move a muscle.” He jumped out, rounded the car, and opened her door. He took her hand and helped her out of the car, one warm hand clasping hers, the other cupping her elbow, his actions making her feel treasured and leaving her breathless.

  As he ushered her inside, his hand, big and warm, settled on her lower back and goosebumps ran up her neck, then down her arms. She shivered, glad for the lightweight jacket she wore. They were immediately seated and the hostess lit the candle on the checkered tablecloth and handed them their menus before leaving.

  After they’d both studied the menu and ordered, Jonas eyed her across the table, his expression slightly predatory. “This is romantic.”

  She raised a brow. “How would you know? You’re not a romantic.”

  “I never said that.”

  “You said you didn’t believe in happily ever afters, remember? Anyway, you don’t like fairytales.”

  “I like fairytales just fine.”

  “Oh really? Then admit that The Princess and the Pea is a brilliant idea for a mattress advertising campaign.”

  “It’s growing on me.”

  Her lips curled into a grin. “You just earned yourself a point.”

  Jonas straightened in his chair. “It’s really, really growing on me.”

  Alicia laughed and he smiled at her, looking pleased. He was so unbelievably good-looking it almost hurt to look at him. His eyes were a hypnotic blue, his features flawless. Dark stubble covered his wide jaw, and his thick dark hair was slightly tousled. Gorgeous. But it was the way he was looking at her that made her light-headed. Her gaze dropped to the flickering candle, but she could still feel his fixed stare, and it made her giddy. She took a breath. “Your mother tells me you’re thirty?”

  “My mother tells me you’re twenty-six, and that you grew up in Spokane. Tell me more about yourself.”

  She lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “I did. My family is still there. I went to Eastern Washington University right after high school and lived at home for a while. Then my mom wanted me to spread my wings a bit and I went to the University of California in San Diego. It was a fantastic experience. I still keep in touch with all my college roommates. After that I went to film school for two years. What about you? Have you always live here?”

  He nodded. “I grew up here, but I went back east for college. Then to Berkley to get my MBA before coming back to take over the running of the mattress factory so my dad could retire. Not that he ever actually did, but that was the plan.”

  “It must have been nice to always know what you were going to do when you grew up.”

  “I have to say it was.”

  “Any serious girlfriends along the way?” She felt her cheeks warm, because with that question, she gave up any pretense that this wasn’t a date and that she wasn’t interested in him.

  “A few.”

  “And? Why didn’t you marry one of them?”

  He shrugged. “Let’s just say we didn’t suit.”

  “Hmm. Your reticence speaks well of you. I’m giving you a point for gentlemanly behavior.”

  He looked at her lips, and his own parted. “That’s two points?”

  She flushed. “Actually, it’s three. One for helping me out of the car and opening the door to the restaurant.”

  He grinned at her. “I’ll open all the doors on the way back, too.”

  “Really?” She batted her lashes at him, tipping all the way over into flirt mode and not even caring. “Now you’re going above and beyond.”

  They were smiling at each other when the waitress brought their food. After she left, Jonas said, “My turn. Any serious boyfriends?”

  “Sure.” She picked up her fork. “I had a high school sweetheart, then dated a guy pretty seriously in college. They’re both married to others now.”

  “Was that a good thing or a bad thing?”

  She cut into a piece of lasagna, but didn’t eat it. “At the time I was devastated.”

  “I have to say I’m glad you’re not married.”

  Alicia glanced up, but didn’t know what to say. She was glad, too. She focused on her meal and, fortunately, Jonas turned the discussion to casual topics. As dinner progressed, she knew she was going to kiss him when he dropped her back off at her car and kept glancing at his full, kissable lips, remembering how they’d felt against her own.

  He finally set his fork down. “Are you ready to go back to the store?”

  She looked down at her half-eaten meal, then back at him. “Yes.”

  He lifted a hand in the air. “Waitress?”

  The waitress came over, agreed to get the check, and was back in a couple of minutes. She rang up, and boxed their meals, and Jonas tried to help Alicia with her jacket but the flimsy garment tangled and her arms got trapped. She laughed as they both struggled and her arms finally slid into place. She smiled up at him. “Point.”

  “That’s four.” His voice rumbled in her ear.

  She tilted her face toward his. “So it is.”

  He hustled her out and, true to his word, opened the restaurant and car doors before carefully tucking her inside. He looked at her expectantly for a long moment.

  She took a shuddering breath and slowly turned her head to look up at him. “Point.”

  His lips curved in a slow smile. “That’s five.”

  She nodded. “I know.”

  He shut the door, hurried around to the driver’s side, slid inside, and took off for her car.

  Breathless, she stared out the windshield. He seemed to be in a hurry, and as far as she was concerned, they couldn’t get there quickly enough.

  * * *

  As Jonas anticipated his kiss with Alicia, he was glad they didn’t have far to drive. That was a big plus as far as he was concerned; it gave Alicia less time to change her mind. Tension seared the air between them and he considered several conversational tidbits but discarded them all. His hands clenched and unclenched on the steering wheel. If he said the wrong thing, she might end up subtracting a point, and he didn’t want to risk it.

  Lights flashed behind him and Jonas looked in his rear-view mirror to see a police car on his tail. He glanced at the speedometer and his mouth parted on a groan. He was going eleven miles over the speed limit. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d gotten pulled over for speeding. He lifted his foot off the accelerator. “Alicia, I blame you for this.”

  She glanced at him in surprise. “For what?” As he pulled the car to the side of the road, she looked over her shoulder and laughed. “How is this my fault?”

  “You know good and well how it’s your fault,” he said darkly.

  She giggled as he lowered the window.

  A young female police officer approached, her dark hair pulled back into a bun, her stance wary. She bent slightly to look in the car. “License and registration please, sir.”

  He fished out his wallet, retrieved his license, then leaned over Alicia to get his registration out of the glove box. He gave her a narrow-eyed glare. “All your fault,” he whispered, and when she giggled again, he smiled at her, then handed everything to the officer.

  “Do you know why I pulled you over?”

  Jonas looked at the officer. “I guess I was speeding. I didn’t realize until I saw your lights.”

  “Why were you speeding, sir?”

  “My girlfriend promised me a kiss when I dropped her off at her car.”

  Alicia gasped. “I can’t believe you just said that.” She hissed the words at him.

  Jonas’s lips curled, the smile coming easily.

  The officer stared at him for a long moment. “Have you had anything to drink, sir?”

  “No. Nothing.”

  “Hmm.” She flashed a light into the car, at Alicia, then into the backseat. “Wait here. I’ll be back in a moment.”

  As soon as she left, Alicia hit him in the shoulder. “I really can’t believe you said that.”

  �
��She’s an officer of the law. Did you want me to lie?” His brows lowered. “You’re not going to minus a point are you?” He felt slightly panicked. “Seriously, I only said it to make you laugh.”

  She crossed her arms. “I should,” she said, but looked at his mouth.

  He smiled. “But you won’t?”

  She shook her head slowly. “No.”

  He couldn’t help it. He leaned toward her. “How about a small preview? Just to tide us over?”

  Alicia glanced over her shoulder. “She could see us.”

  “They can’t put you in jail for kissing. They don’t even give you a ticket.”

  “How do you know?”

  He leaned down and when she tilted her face, he took a deep breath, satisfaction filling him.

  “Okay, folks. That’s enough of that.”

  Alicia put a hand to her chest and leaned back into her seat.

  The officer passed Jonas a ticket. “Slow down, Romeo. People get hurt and killed every day from speeding.”

  “I will, officer. I promise.”

  With a last look and a nod, the officer headed back to her car.

  Jonas looked at Alicia. “Some things are best savored, anyway.”

  Chapter Eight

  Jonas continued on and, though he didn’t speed anymore, they got there fast. He pulled to a stop beside her car.

  “We’re here,” he said unnecessarily, switching off the ignition, hopping out, and hurrying to open her door.

  He felt like a teenager again.

  What was it about this girl? She drove him crazy on more levels than he cared to think about. He opened the passenger door and took her hand as she slipped out. Just the feel of her soft skin had him wanting to pull her close. He shut the car door and felt his heart beating hard in his chest. He tried not to stare at her mouth. “Do you have your keys?”

  She dug in her purse and extracted them. “Here they are.” When she glanced up, she looked shy, her eyes avoiding his.

  She wasn’t thinking about backing out, was she? Changing her mind? She could still minus a point or two for the hungry way he was looking at her or something. His gaze dropped to her mouth. He’d been looking at those lips all night long, remembering their softness against his. If she knew what he was thinking right now, no doubt she’d minus all his points.