Hand-Me-Down Princess by Carol Moncado Read Free Book Online Page B

accidentally grazed it. When he reached the middle, Malachi decided to keep going, to make it easier for her. The last one gave way and she took a deep breath, much deeper than he’d seen her take before.
    She looked over her shoulder, her eyelashes lowered shyly. “Thank you. I feel like I can breathe again.”
    Malachi took a step back, unsure what the swirling of emotion meant, and cleared his throat. “My pleasure.”
    Jessabelle hurried away from him, grabbing her bag as she went toward the door to the bathroom.
    He inhaled and exhaled slowly before going into the closet to change his own clothes. A pair of loose cotton pants with the Mevendian flag along with a t-shirt that was probably a bit too small given his recent work outs, but no way around that at the moment. When Jessabelle reemerged from the bathroom a moment later, she’d pulled her hair back into a ponytail and changed into a soft gray outfit covered with cupcakes.
    “Feel better?” he asked, keeping a respectable distance.
    “Much. Thank you.”
    “Then shall we get back to our dinner?” He held the seat for her then took his own. Malachi picked up his wine glass and held it out. “To my lovely bride. May today be just the first day of many we spend together, always getting to know each other better, being honest with each other, and, hopefully, learning to love each other.”
    Jessabelle smiled, just a bit, as they clinked their glasses. Dinner passed quickly as they mostly ate without talking. When they finished, Malachi poured both of them a bit more wine and held out his hand. She took it and he led her to a large, comfortable chair, big enough for the two of them. He sat down and tugged on her hand. It only took once for her to sit next to him.
    Because she wanted to or because she felt she had to?
    Malachi didn’t know but he put his arm around her shoulders, silently urging her to lean in toward him. The fire snapped, crackled, and popped in front of them as dusk turned to night outside.
    “So this is our wedding night,” he mused. “Not quite what either of us imagined, I expect.”
    “No.” She took a sip of her wine then stared into the maroon liquid. “Would you like it to be different?”
    How to answer that without coming off as a cad? “Do I wish things were different? Of course. I wish we’d been given the chance to get to know each other even if we didn’t have any possibility of changing the eventual outcome.” He ran a finger up and down her arm as he took a sip from his own glass. “I do think I’d like to kiss you tonight. If that’s okay with you.”
    “Yes.”
    She agreed instantly, but some hesitation colored her voice. “Are you sure?”
    Jessabelle nodded. Malachi set his glass of wine on the side table and reached for her, turning her chin up a bit toward him with one finger. He could see something in her eyes, but he couldn’t tell what it was before they fluttered closed. Her lips parted slightly as he leaned in, covering them with his own.
    The kiss was soft, gentle, barely more than a brush. His every sense heightened as he returned to press his lips more firmly against hers. She responded to him, hesitant at first, then with more enthusiasm. One distracted side of his mind remembered she still held her wine glass, but the rest urged him to wrap his other hand around to the back of her neck to keep her close.
    Malachi wanted to deepen the kiss, to press further, but forced himself to keep it light. When he knew he could do so no longer, he backed away, giving her one soft final kiss. “That was nice,” he whispered, never taking his eyes off her delectably kissable lips.
    She nodded but didn’t speak, blinking rapidly a few times before turning to face the fire again. If only he could find more chances to do that.

 
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 6
     
    Prince Malachi had taken a phone call from his security team, leaving Jessabelle alone. She remained where she’d been sitting, next to his empty