Page 43 of That Prince is Mine
Too busy winning the argument, Emma hadn’t noticed the view outside. When she looked out the window, she remembered exactly why she loved this drive so much. The dark, winding roads took them higher up into the hills, and the city spread out below them like a silky black blanket with a million pinpricks of starlight in them.
“It is, isn’t it?” she whispered.
“Absolutely stunning,” he repeated, his expression soft with wonder.
He slowed the car to a crawl to keep the city lights in sight longer. She bit her bottom lip and dragged her teeth over the tender flesh. God, he was so sweet.
“There’s a lookout point.” She sounded like a Marilyn Monroe impersonator. “Turn into that parking lot.”
Michel parked the car and killed the lights, bringing the sparkling city below into sharp relief. The dimly lit lot was dotted with cars here and there, but it wasn’t crowded being a weeknight. Still gripping the steering wheel, he leaned toward the windshield to get a better look. “I never knew that Los Angeles was so beautiful.”
“It’s an amazing place.” She smiled fondly. “Once you look past the superficial glamour, there is so much beauty to be discovered.”
They sat in companionable silence as they took in the view. He might be onto something about experiencing each other’s firsts together—how it was a good thing. Sharing his first time on Mulholland Drive made the experience feel brand new to her as well. Not only that, this experience was now theirs—a newly forged common ground. The beginnings of somewhere that they could both put down their roots.
Whoa. What was she even thinking? No one was putting their roots down anywhere. But she wanted to kiss him. She wanted to shake him. Why did he have to come into her life right now? Why did he have to make everything so complicated? Why did he have to be so wonderful?
“Sophie’s parked a few spots away,” she said to remind herself that they weren’t alone—to dislodge the contentment cocooning her.
Michel nodded at his bodyguard, and she nodded back, then turned her attention to the view. They weren’t strictly alone, but Sophie was pointedly giving them privacy. Dang it. Emma worried her bottom lip as her pulse quickened with anticipation. Kissing Michel was exciting and frankly addicting, but she had to focus on gathering evidence so she could stop seeing him. An ache burrowed into her chest at the thought.
“Is it hard?” she blurted. “Being from your family.”
“It could be challenging at times, but every family has their issues.” Her question wasn’t well thought out, but Michel seemed to understand her meaning. “I don’t want to claim that my life is more difficult than anyone else’s.”
“I don’t know.” She studied his face in the muted glow of the city lights below. “It seems like you missed out on so many experiences. Simple things that give… regular people moments of joy. But I can see that those experiences wouldn’t be simple for you. I mean, you can’t even leave your hotel room without your bodyguard. It must be suffocating at times.”
“At times,” he murmured, looking out at the view. “But most times, I’m grateful for the opportunities I have. Being in my family means my life is governed by more restrictions than most, but I also have experienced things that I otherwise would never have.”
“Do you ever wish that things were different?” she said in a near whisper. Why was she asking him this? Was she the one who wished that they weren’t so different? “Do you ever wish you had a ‘normal’ life?”
“No, I don’t wish for a different life.” He finally turned to face her, and she met his eyes. “I sometimes envy the freedom others enjoy, but those moments are fleeting. I’m grateful for my life and look forward to doing my part to make a difference in the world.”
“I want to make a difference in the world, too. A culinary instructor probably won’t make as big an impact as an international relations expert”—she waved his protest away—“but I want to do my part to help people find happiness. In my own way.”
“That’s an admirable goal.” The intensity of his gaze made her hold her breath. “And I know you will be amazing at it.”
The sincerity of his words brought tears to her eyes, and all she could do was nod. How could being with someone so different from her feel so easy… so right? Emma sat up with a start. No, not right.
“It’s too dark now, but during the day, you can see the Hollywood Bowl and the Griffith Observatory just up those stairs.” She swept her hand across the view, shaking off her disquiet. “We could’ve checked three things off your list all in one shot.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” He captured her hand from the air and linked their fingers together. “We’ll take our time and enjoy every one of them together.”
“But time is the one thing we don’t have.” Emma wished she could snatch the words back as soon as they left her mouth.
“Maybe it doesn’t have to be that way.” Michel lifted their hands and kissed the backs of hers, soft and lingering. “Emma…”
What could he mean? Her heart pounded against her rib cage like it was trying to burst free and run away into the night. It didn’t matter. She didn’t want to know. Before her conscience could tell her what a liar she was, Emma closed the distance between them and kissed Michel until she couldn’t think about anything at all.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“Have you told her?” Gabriel demanded as he pulled out a chair across from Michel at his usual table at the hotel café.
“Why don’t you order a drink first?” Michel said with exaggerated solicitude. “You might get parched from lecturing me.”
“Cut the bullshit.” Gabriel’s anti-bullshit glare transformed into a charming smile when their server came over to their table. “Hello, Anne. I’ll have a double espresso.”
“You got it,” she said with a cheeky wink.
