Charmed By The Mountain Prince(27)

“I see,” I say, biting my lip. It’s attractive, hearing so many compliments about him.

“You know, in his cabin, he doesn’t have electricity,” I confide, not quite knowing why. “Or hot water.”

Lindy laughs, shaking her head. “Oh that boy. He may be the prince of the people, but no way is that behavior going to fly when you’re someone’s husband.”

“So me asking for those things, you don’t think it’s asking too much?”

“Too much?” Linda shakes her head. “Men need a woman to help even them out, smooth their rough edges, so to speak.”

“Thanks Lindy. I know I’m not exactly a traditional princess, but I appreciate your frankness with me.”

Lindy rings me up and arranges to have the bags delivered to the cabin. Now that I know I’m not being too demanding by requiring my husband to get a refrigerator, I feel reinvigorated by the plan I concocted with Hunter and Violet this morning.

The hardest part about following through with the plan is that I really like Garrick. I want to be close to him again, soon.

And I want to see if our like could grow into something more. Not that I’m expecting that. Wanting to fall in love with the person you’ve been arranged to marry isn’t necessarily the most realistic mindset. But still, it would be amazing.

Smiling, I walk out of the shop and look for the next store on my list. Lucy’s Lederhosen and Lingerie is printed across the awning of the shop across the street.

Perfect.





16





I’m sitting there, having I don’t even know what number beer, when I see Iris poke her head into the bar.

“Is that your princess?” Kurt asks, nodding his head toward the entrance.

Apparently everyone knows who my new bride is. The article in Alpinweiss Times documented the wedding cake incident thoroughly enough to give Iris not only a face for our nation, but also to let everyone know how charming and adorable she is.

I set down my beer, grunt a yes, and walk through the crowded bar toward Iris.

“Hello, Garrick,” she says, smiling and offering me her cheek to kiss. I lean over and brush my lips on her skin—then, unable to restrain myself, I pull her mouth to mine.

She doesn’t pull away; instead, she wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me more deeply. Her breasts are pressed against my chest, and I wrap my arms around her waist.

The customers seem to like our royal PDA, because they start whooping and hollering.

When we pull apart, Iris’s face is flushed with the heat pulsing between us. It’s a relief to know our chemistry wasn’t a one-off, and the meltdown from this morning seems long gone.

I didn’t think it was possible for her to be more attractive, but seeing her walk into the bar in a winter coat and sturdy boots only turns me on more.

“You want a drink?” I ask. I need to let her know I’m not going to make her suffer. She wants electricity? Fine, I’ll give her electricity.

I want this marriage to work.

Besides wanting to work her over, I also want to take care of her, want to be a man she can rely on. So I’ll fix up the cabin to her liking if that’s what she needs.

Iris beams at me, and takes my hand. “I would love a drink, Garrick. I thought you’d never ask.”

I lead her to the bar, where Kurt introduces himself.

“So you’re the woman stuck with this bloke?” Kurt cocks his head in my direction.

“I suppose so,” Iris says, grinning. “But you know, I’ve been doing quite a bit of shopping today and, along the way, plenty of people let me know exactly what they thought about my new husband. Seems that you have quite a reputation, Garrick.”

Iris spins on her barstool to face me. I just shake my head, not sure I want to know what she heard.

I order us both beers. “You hungry?”

“Starved.”

I place an order for bratwurst, schnitzel, and hot pretzels. Kurt places two pilsners in front of us.

“Don’t you want to hear the word on the street?” she tempts me.

“All right, all right. So what did you hear?” I steel myself for the hard truth. If she’s been talking to my mother or any of her friends, I don’t think I want to know the details.

“It was actually all good. It sounds like I married a man most people around here find helpful and generous.” She raises her stein of beer and clinks it against mine. After taking a not so dainty sip, she wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. “Kurt,” she says. “That’s delicious. Do you brew this yourself?”

I take a hard look at Iris, realizing this girl knows how to turn the charm on anyone. My parents loved her because she got me to come to the reception last night, the city loves her because she shoved cake in my face, and I can’t help but think I could love her, considering the way she rode me all night long.