Page 50 of The Prince Who Loved Me

This kiss was wonderful. Wonderful and warm and other words that started with W. Like wow. And wicked.

And wrong.

“I can’t.” Brandi took a step back and covered her mouth.

Sebastien didn’t say anything, his shoulders raising and lowering as his ragged breath escaped his chest. His eyes were unfocused and glazed with desire. She’d never seen them like that before and it made her belly tremble.

“This.” She waved her hand between them to stop this before she lost her nerve and really ruined everything. “This won’t work. I like Nick.” Her voice lacked conviction and she tried again. “I want to see how things go with him. I think we could have a really great relationship. He’s interested in my ideas and thoughts and really listens to me.”

“So do I,” he said quietly.

“You do,” she acknowledged, her soul ripping into tiny shreds as she tried to save him from a gigantic mistake. “But this is different.”

Different because of who she was. She knew the type of women Sebastien had dated. CEOs of their own companies, socialites that never worked but still lived perfect lives, volunteers whose only goal was to better the world. Art gallery owners. They were from different worlds.

Sebastien took her hands. The contact made her heart race and her skin tingle where he touched her.

He looked at her through the depths of emotion shadowed in his eyes. “Brandi. All I ever wanted was for you to find happiness. And if this guy helps you do that, then I’m happy for you.”

“Are you?”

He kissed the back of one hand, then the other, and released them. “Of course I am. The way I feel is something for me to deal with. It would kill me if this came between us.”

“Okay.” Brandi nodded repeatedly, trying to grasp her raw emotions while her senses still reeled. “Okay. That’s good.Okay. Okay. I have to go now.”

***

Brandi slid her car in a space parallel to Cuppa Joe’s, but kept the ignition on to continue her call with the bank teller through the speaker. She had been dreading this conversation for the past few days, but it was time. She had to know. So far, she wasn’t optimistic. “Can you refresh my memory why I didn’t cash the whole check?”

“Wow, that must have been a hell of a night if you don’t remember all the details of cashing that large a check,” chirped the teller. “It was a good thing you had your driver’s license. We couldn’t tell it was you under the baseball hat and sunglasses.”

“Yeah.” Brandi fumbled through her purse and opened her wallet. The empty slot in the front seemed a metaphor for something, but she wasn’t going to sit there and figure out what. She flipped through the rest of her cards just in case. How could she not have noticed her driver’s license was gone? “Hell of a night.”

“We couldn’t get you the whole amount because the bank didn’t have enough cash on hand. Had you come that Monday instead it would have been fine, but you got there when it was payday. We had to make sure we could cover everyone.”

Crumbs. Brandi had thought Carolann was being somewhat thoughtful by only stealing half the money. Turns out it was bad timing.

“Right. It’s all coming back to me now.” Brandi rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. “I appreciate the information.”

“You just call back if there’s anything else we can help you with. Thanks for being a customer of O’Hara County Bank.”

Brandi pulled the keys out of the ignition and got out ofthe car, taking a minute to straighten her shirt and tuck up the hair that had loosened from her messy bun. She approached the coffee shop, determined to shove her mom and Sebastien out of her mind for her date. Nick was fun. Nick made her laugh.

Nick wasn’t Sebastien.

“Brandi?”

She stopped on the sidewalk to see Paisley jogging to catch up with her, her brown hair swinging with each step. “You have a date, too?” Brandi asked. “Here? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming to Clayton?”

“I forgot this is where you live.” Paisley pulled down the hem of her shirt. “Maybe you know the guy I’m meeting. Goes by the name Rowboat.”

“No one comes to mind, but I’ll scope him out once we get inside.”

“I don’t know why I’m bothering. The only reason I want someone to call my mushpuppy is so I don’t get that look at my brother’s wedding. You know the one.” She arranged her facial features in an expression of sympathy for the single woman.

“And to find the love of your life.”

“Ah!” Paisley held up a finger. “I’ve already found him.”