An American Cinderella:A Royal Love Story(38)

So far, his brothers matched what I had in my mind for them. Liam was  the older brother who led the business. He was responsible and intense,  but I sensed a warmth hidden deep within him. His younger brother Freddy  was a trouble maker. Henry's stories about the three of them usually  started with "Freddy had an idea..." followed by some sort of trouble  for the three of them.

I liked them both immediately.

"Can I steal you for a dance later?" Freddy asked.

"Um, sure," I replied. "That would be nice."

He grinned and winked at me. He turned to his brother. "I promise not to steal her heart completely away."

Henry rolled his eyes again. "You wish you had a date as beautiful as I do," he told him.

Freddy just laughed.

"What is Freddy up to this time?" A female voice asked, joining the  conversations. The three boys turned and smiled at an older woman in a  simple blue dress with matching mask. Her hair was silver, but she had  the same kind blue eyes as Henry.

"Mother, I'd like to introduce Aria Ritter," Henry announced. For the first time all night he looked nervous.

"Come here child, let me look at you," Henry's mother said, motioning me  to her. I stood demurely before her, hoping I would pass whatever test  she had to make me worthy of her son.

"It's very nice to meet you," I told her.

She smiled and looked into my eyes. "What do you think of my son?"

The question was abrupt, but an honest one. "He's amazing," I replied  without hesitation. I blushed slightly. "He's kind and intelligent. He  always makes sure that others are taken care of." I glanced over at  Henry and my heart skipped a beat. "I like him very much."

"Hmm." Henry's mother smiled and she looked over at her son. "I think  he's chosen wisely in you." She smiled and reached for my hand. "I'm so  very glad to meet you, Aria."

There was a silence for a moment, the five of us standing there as a group.

"If you will excuse us, I would like to dance with Aria," Henry said,  taking my hand. I gripped him tighter than I meant to, but being in  front of his entire family had me suddenly very nervous. I had come  expecting a party, not a family gathering.

"Of course." Liam nodded his head, Freddy winked, and their mother smiled warmly at me.

"It was very nice to meet you all," I managed to say before Henry pulled me away.

My heart was pounding as he led me to the dance floor. There were only  one or two other couples dancing to the music. He pulled me into his  arms and began to dance.

"I don't actually know how to do anything but the waltz," I whispered,  quickly reaching down and grabbing my skirt so I wouldn't trip as we  danced.

"Then it's a good thing that's what we're dancing," Henry teased. "Just relax and keep your feet moving."

He used his fingertips on my back to guide me while his other hand  steered. It was easy to follow his lead and keep the simple  one-two-three pattern. For a moment, I actually felt like I could  actually be considered a dancer.

"You're doing great," he whispered, spinning me around the room. "And I don't mean just the dancing."

"Your family seems very nice," I replied. "I hope they like me."

"My mother does," he said with a smile. "And she's the one that matters."         

     



 

"I care more that you like me." I looked up into his mask, seeing only his beautiful blue eyes.

He stopped the dance.

"Very much, Aria." He reached out and smoothed a loose strand of hair back behind my ear. "Very much."

My heart and stomach did happy flips that had me grinning from ear to ear. Even though I knew he liked me, I loved hearing it.

He glanced around the room and I could see his two brothers and mother  having a conversation. From the way they kept glancing in our direction,  but pointedly trying not to make eye contact with Henry or me, I  assumed it was about the two of us.

"Come with me," Henry said. "Let's find somewhere a little more private."

I grinned as he grabbed my hand and together we escaped the room full of watching eyes.





Chapter 24





We ran through the halls of the club, giggling and laughing as we went.  My skirt flew behind me as I followed Henry up a flight of stairs.

He checked down the long hallway and, seeing it empty, turned and put  his hand to the side of my neck and pressed me against the wall for a  kiss. My body melted into his, his hands hot on my skin. His face was  smooth with a recent shave. He smelled like clean soap and something  masculine and musky.

I couldn't get enough. I loved the way his hands felt on me. I loved the  way the uniform fit his broad shoulders and trim waist as he kept me  close to him. I loved being pressed into the wall and caught in his  arms.

I couldn't stop kissing him. He was the breath in my lungs and the song in my heart.

He paused, his smile lighting up the dark hallway.

"How did I get so lucky?" he asked, pressing a soft kiss to my jaw. He reached up and carefully took my mask from my face.

"I'm the lucky one," I replied. I took the mask from his face, revealing his bright smile. "Did you see my hot date?"

The door to the hallway opened and party guests stepped out. Henry took a  polite step back, giving the illusion that we were simply standing in  the hallway chatting. Breathless and flushed, but simply standing.

The couple looked at us, their eyes going wide for a moment before  security came into the hallway. Men in black suits escorted the guests  back out.

"Will you come with me? There's a garden on the roof," Henry said, taking my hand.

"Of course." I smiled at him but looked down the hallway. Why didn't  security have us leave the hallway as well? I thought. Maybe they just  didn't see us.

Henry took my hand and led me up to the top of the building. It was  quiet here. Only the faintest whispers of the party downstairs filtered  out. We stepped out a heavy metallic door and out into the moonlit  night.

The garden was still just beginning to grow. Bulb flowers of tulips and  daffodils filled the pots with color, but the summer depth of growth  hadn't yet taken over. The ground was fresh with newly planted  seedlings. The scent of fresh dirt and sunshine still filled the rooftop  even as the moon shone down on us.

I shivered, the night air cold on my bare shoulders with only the sunshine scent but not the heat.

"Here," Henry said, slipping off his dress coat and draping it over me.  The jacket held his warmth like a gentle caress. I tucked my chin into  the jacket as I drew it around me, breathing in the scent of him.

I looked over at him. The moonlight shone off his beautiful golden-red  hair and made his eyes sparkle. Without his coat, he wore a military  style dress shirt and I could see the hint of muscles through it. He was  so damn handsome it made my heart hurt just to look at him.

So, I kissed him. Despite the fact that I had kissed him so many times,  it still made my heart flutter like the first time. How did he make me  feel this way just by being near me?

I sighed with contentment, my hands on his chest, our faces still sharing breaths.

"I love you," he whispered.

I looked up to see his eyes smiling at me in the moonlight. My world spun around him. This beautiful man loved me.

I kissed him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and laughing with pure joy. I kissed him once more and smiled.

"I love you, too." The words felt right. They were easy to say because I  knew they were true. I loved him with my whole heart. I felt more like  myself when I was with him than I did when I was alone.

I kissed him again for the sheer joy of kissing him. He loved me.

We moved to a bench so we could sit. He wrapped his arm around me, his  warm body pressed into mine. I leaned my head against his shoulder and  looked out at the city. The lights glimmered and gleamed in the  darkness. Occasionally I could hear the sounds of the party below us,  but as far as I was concerned, the only people in the entire world in  this moment were on this rooftop.         

     



 

"Can it always be like this?" I asked. "I feel like I'm in a fairy tale."

Henry stiffened slightly. He took my hand and then a deep breath.

"Do you remember the story of why we throw this ball?" he asked.

"It was for the Peasant Queen," I replied. "To sneak her into society."

He nodded, then opened his mouth and shut it.

"What is it?" I asked, shifting on the bench to look at him. He looked  at me surprised. "You obviously have something you want to say. So say  it."

"This was so much easier in my head," he mumbled. He ran a hand through  his hair, before reaching out and touching my cheek. "I love you."

"You already said that," I teased gently.

"I know. I just want you to hear it again before I tell you my connection to the Peasant Queen."

I tipped my head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"Aria, I haven't been entirely truthful with you." He drew in another  deep breath. "I'm not a businessman. Not the way you think." He took  both my hands in his. His eyes were earnest in the moonlight. "I'm not  who you think I am."