Royal Date by Sariah Wilson Read Free Book Online Page A

sat high on a hill as I could see nothing but snow and twinkling lights from valley floors in every direction.
    “Beautiful,” I sighed.
    Nico looked at me and said, “I was thinking the same thing.”
    My heart beat painfully, but I ignored his implication and instead looked at the full moon that hung high in the sky above us, lighting up the entire garden. I heard running water, and Nico led me down a cobblestone path that was highlighted by little paper lanterns with tea candles burning inside them. We went to a sheltered, padded bench that sat situated on a little island in the middle of a large pond where koi fish swam, darting in and out of crimson-colored water lilies. We sat down and I tried to take it all in. In addition to the fantastic view outside, everything here was lush and green and warm. Bright yellow, white, pink, and purple flowers surrounded us. “What is that scent?”
    “Casablanca lilies. Did you know that every flower in here only blooms at night?”
    “Really?”
    He looked up and reached for a white flower above us. “It’s a moonflower. It actually closes up whenever sunlight touches the petals.”
    “Cool.”
    He reached over, tucking the flower into my hair, just above my ear. I didn’t realize that I was holding my breath until he moved his hand away. He rested his arm across the top of the bench behind me. “My mother has always loved gardens. She created this one not long after . . .” He trailed off, taking a deep breath. “She made it because she wanted us to remember that even beautiful things could grow in darkness.”
    I wondered if that could be true for me as well. Could something beautiful grow here and now despite my darkness? I wanted to believe.
    Nico stood up, removing his suit jacket. He put it on the bench’s arm, and as he sat back down he was undoing the cuffs of his sleeves and rolling them back. He loosened his tie and undid his top button. He let out a sigh of relaxation.
    I wondered briefly what he’d look like in regular clothes. The closest thing to normal I’d seen him in was back at the ski lodge. That memory sparked a question that escaped my mouth before I could stop it. “Why did you come up to me at the lodge?”
    Did everything I say amuse him? “Do you mean besides the fact that you are a beautiful woman?”
    I made a face at him. We both knew that wasn’t true. “Yeah, besides that.”
    “You were reading Shakespeare.” Had he moved closer to me, or was that my imagination? “Every other woman in the lobby was preening and made up with fake hair and fake”—he stopped and looked at me before continuing—“other body parts and there you sat, uncaring if anyone even noticed you. You were fresh, natural, and obviously intelligent, and I wanted to talk to you.”
    “Bet you’d never been shot down before, huh?” I could at least take some pride in that.
    Not my imagination. He was definitely closer. “But you didn’t ‘shoot me down.’ We’re here, aren’t we?”
    Oh frak, he was right. He had me on a date. He took me to dinner. I’d been tricked. I should have been indignant. Outraged, even. Instead, my lips twitched and I forced myself not to smile. Because it was funny to have gone from that to this.
    Now his fingers were playing with the few tendrils that had escaped my bun. I went still and forgot to breathe. “There is something I’ve wondered since the moment I met you.”
    “What?” My voice sounded breathy and weird.
    “What this would be like.”
    He was going to kiss me, and I was going to let him. My heart started trying to pound its way out of my chest.
    I should have stopped him. I should have been afraid. But I wasn’t.
    His kiss was feathery light, barely touching me. His lips were warm, soft, and strong. If I’d realized earlier they’d feel like this against my own, I probably would have spent a lot more time studying them. My eyes drifted shut as my stomach went completely hollow, and a warm thickness