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He stopped and stared incredulously at the pile of clothes on the bed.
‘You’re not going to say you don’t have anything to wear, are you?’ he said slowly.
‘No. Yes. I don’t know... It depends.’
He frowned. ‘On what? What about the dress you chose in Budapest?’
She bit her lip. ‘I did get a dress. Only now I’m not sure if it’s more of an evening one than party.’
Laszlo winced. ‘Can’t it be both? We are going to an evening party, after all.’ His eyes lit up hopefully. ‘If you’re really worried then maybe we should just stay here?’
Smiling, she shook her head. ‘Nice try! But we’re not bailing. What would your family think?’ She frowned. ‘I don’t know why you don’t want to go anyway.’
Throwing himself down onto the bed, he pushed the dresses to one side and pulled a pillow behind his head. ‘Because I want to stay here,’ he said sulkily. ‘And, as it’s taken you nearly two hours not to get ready, I think the party will probably be ending by the time you’re dressed.’
Laughing, Prudence picked up a scarf from the back of a chair and threw it at him. ‘It’s easy for men!’ she said, reaching round and sweeping her long blonde hair into a loose topknot. ‘They just put on a suit!’ Glancing at him, she felt her smile fade and gave a small cry of exasperation. ‘Only you’re not!’
Winding the scarf around his neck, he looked up at her calmly. ‘Not what?’
‘Wearing a suit!’
Looking down at his jeans and shirt, Laszlo frowned. ‘What’s wrong with this?’
She glowered at him crossly. ‘You’re joking, aren’t you? Laszlo! I thought you said everyone was dressing up?’
He shrugged. ‘They are. And I have dressed up; this is the shirt I bought yesterday. Anyway, it’s my party—I can wear what I like.’ Reaching out, he grabbed her hand and pulled her next to him on the bed. ‘What’s wrong?’ he said gently.
‘I don’t want to let you down in front of your family.’
‘How could you ever let me down? If it hadn’t been for you I might never have gone through with being Pavel’s godfather.’ He pressed her hand to his lips and kissed it tenderly. ‘Besides, you’d look beautiful wearing that rug.’ He glanced at the riotously patterned Afghan carpet on the floor and grimaced.
Stroking his hair off his forehead, she smiled weakly. ‘They won’t be looking at me anyway. You’re the godfather, remember?’ Her eyes grew soft and misty. ‘The very handsome, very serious godfather.’ She hesitated. ‘I’m so proud of you.’
He pressed his thumb against her cheekbone. ‘You’re a good person,’ he said softly, leaning forward so that his warm breath tickled her throat. ‘Good enough to eat.’
His words excited her unbearably, and she could feel heat pooling between her thighs. Cheeks burning, she gritted her teeth, trying to stay calm. ‘You don’t want to spoil your appetite. And I need to get dressed,’ she said lightly.
He sighed. ‘I still don’t really get why you’re so worried, pireni. Although I suppose I’d probably feel the same if I was in your shoes.’
Summoning up a smile, Prudence looked down at her high-heeled black court shoes. ‘If you were in my shoes I think you’d bring the party to a standstill!’
He grinned. ‘Don’t tempt me!’
His eyes met hers and she felt a shiver of desire run over her skin as Laszlo ran his hand slowly up her leg and then abruptly rolled to the other side of the bed.
‘You know what? I don’t care what you wear.’ He groaned. ‘But you have to put some clothes on or I won’t be responsible for what happens.’ He stood up. ‘In fact, just to be on the safe side, I’m going to go back to the castle. If I put a couple of fields and metre-thick stone walls between us I might just be able to keep my hands off you until after the party!’
He paused and pulled her scarf more tightly around his neck.
‘Oh, and I might change into something that’s a bit more “evening and party wear”!’
She giggled and their eyes met.
‘I’ll be back to pick you up later...ish.’ Blowing her a kiss, he grimaced and shook his head. ‘The things we do for love!’
After he’d gone, she spent at least ten minutes mulling over his words. Finally she roused herself. It was just a phrase—a jokey remark that people used all the time. She would be crazy to read anything more into it.
Twenty minutes later she slid a lipstick across her lips and stared critically at her reflection in the dressing table mirror.
