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“Perhaps this ball can dispel the memory of the last,” he adds.
“Are you telling me you don't want to meet me in a hallway closet?” I ask, and immediately realized how flirty that sounds. Me and Alex in a hallway closet. My belly goes all kinds of crazy.
“If we did I can guarantee it wouldn't go the way it did the last time,” he replies, his voice gravelly and deep, sending a thrill through me.
I would go anywhere with this man, hallway closets included.
“That's good to know. I'll keep it in mind when I'm planning an escape tonight.”
His eyes flash, his lips pulled into a tempting smile. How can I feel so much for this man, want him so much, have such depth of emotion and never have actually kissed him? Sure, I had a fat crush on Eric for way too long and nothing ever happened there, but with Alex it's different. It's not just a crush. Far from it. I feel things for him I've never felt for anyone before.
It's not what I ever expected, but it's nothing short of wonderful.
King Frederic boulders over to us. “This race is for married couples only and as such, I have spoken with the official. Anyone who is not married has been disqualified,” he says without preamble.
Wait, what? Isn't this just for fun?
I turn to Alex, expecting him to voice my thoughts, instead all he does is pull his lips together and nod.
“You’re right, Father. I assume that would make you and Mummy the winners?”
King Frederic pushes out his chest. “It would indeed.”
“Congratulations. Well deserved,” he replies.
I knit my brows together in confusion. “Didn't my grandpapa say anyone can enter it this year?”
“Maddie,” Alex warns.
“The Games have been played between our two countries for over 150 years, Princess Madeline. I understand you’re new to all this, but we here in Ledonia and Malveaux have traditions to uphold.”
“I get that, but Grandpapa?—”
He cuts me off. “Your grandfather forgot himself, my dear.”
I glance at Alex, half expecting him to defend me.
Instead, he replies, “King Frederic is right, Maddie. This was all a bit of fun for us, but rules are rules. There’s something special about upholding traditions. Don't you think?”
“Traditions. Sure,” I mutter.
How can Alex be so self-assured in everything he does right up until his dad comes around? It’s like he has a personality change and becomes someone I don’t recognize.
The emcee announces that the games have now come to an official close, and I push it to the back of my mind. People can be weird around their parents. It’s no big deal. And Alex’s dad is the King. That’s got to be doubly weird for him.
So, when Alex walks me back to my rooms and asks if he can escort me to the ball this evening, I say yes without hesitation, and am rewarded with one of his intoxicating smiles that leaves me floating on a cloud for the rest of the afternoon.
Chapter 23
Alexander
I arrive at Maddie’s rooms at the agreed time to take her to the ball, feeling surprisingly nervous. A new feeling for me, particularly where women are concerned. I’m rarely nervous, and never jealous, but I’ve been both of those things around Maddie in the time I’ve known her.
Now that I’m standing here at her door, wearing my Ledonian red jacket over black trousers with a light blue vertical trim, a pair of polished black oxfords on my feet, nerves dart around me like a pinball.
I know Maddie is different, different from all the other women I’ve dated before. And I admit, there have been a few. But none of them compare to Maddie. Not one. I find myself stuck in a whirlwind of feelings for this woman I’ve known for only a fortnight—initially during which I actively disliked her. I may have been acting under Father’s orders, but what I’m feeling is real.
Being around Maddie is like discovering a secret part of myself I never knew existed, a part of me she’s somehow unlocked.
