Page 55 of That Prince is Mine
Emma raised her eyebrows at Michel, curious to death about the vibes between Sophie and Gabriel. He shrugged and shook his head in a way that said I don’t have the faintest clue. He was no help. How could he not know what was going on between his cousin and his bodyguard? Well, she would go straight to the source.
She caught up with Sophie and linked her arm through hers. “I’ll share my sticky toffee pudding if you share your crème brûlée.”
The other woman offered her a rare smile. “Deal.”
Emma hadn’t forgotten what she and Michel had started in the dining room. But if she couldn’t satisfy that craving tonight, she might as well nose around the intriguing dynamic between Michel’s rakish cousin and his stoic bodyguard. She might even have some choice relationship advice for Sophie. After all, Emma was a relationship expert by proxy.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“You need a better plan, Gabriel,” Michel murmured quietly. “A heart-to-heart with your mother isn’t going to stop her from boarding that plane.”
Even as he spoke to his cousin, he couldn’t help glancing at Emma across the table. Her head was bent close to Sophie’s, her dimple winking in and out as she laughed. His heart seemed to melt and break at the same time. He couldn’t believe how close he’d come to making love to her in the very room where they all sat right now.
He was betraying her trust by keeping his identity a secret from her. He couldn’t betray her further by sleeping with her before telling her who he really was. But was his title what made him who he really was? No. He was his truest self with her—in ways that he could not be with anyone else. He liked who he was with her.
Wasn’t it the whole point to allow her to get to know him without the inevitable complications his title wrought? Didn’t they deserve to see where this led without those obstacles? He wanted to hold on to the simplicity of their budding romance—to hold on to being just Michel Chevalier for as long as possible. But regardless of what he wanted, Emma deserved to know the truth before their relationship went any further. That was what mattered the most.
“I’ll figure it out.” Gabriel didn’t sound particularly confident.
“You’ll figure it out?” Michel scoffed. “You were ready to break down my door half an hour ago.”
“That was before I knew you had more pressing concerns,” his cousin said with a subtle tilt of his head toward Emma. “I apologize for the interruption, by the way.”
“I’d rather be interrupted by you than Aunt Celine,” Michel muttered. “Which brings me back to my point. You need a better plan.”
“What I need is a miracle.” Gabriel dragged a hand through his hair. “Once my mother makes up her mind, no one could dissuade her.”
“We’ll find a miracle worker, then.” Michel lowered his voice. “If she comes to Los Angeles, you and I will be outed in a matter of hours.”
“You underestimate my mother.” His cousin laughed with doomsday humor. “It’ll happen in a matter of minutes.”
Michel felt Emma watching him and met her gaze. She offered him a sweet smile while nodding at something Sophie said. His gaze snagged on the plush curve of her lips, and he remembered how she’d caught fire in his arms. For a wild moment, he contemplated kicking everyone out to resume what they had started. But he nipped that thought before it could take root. He couldn’t make love to her until he told her the truth. Even as he steeled his resolve, his body yearned for her, and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
“Would anyone like some champagne?” He needed to distract himself. “Emma?”
“I’ll take a glass.” Her cheek dimpled again. God, he really liked her dimple. As he gaped at her like a fool, the champagne bottle hung limply from his hand.
“Why don’t I get that?” His cousin took the bottle and opened it with a soft pop. He poured Emma a glass first. “Sophie?”
“No, thank you.” She shook her head. “I’m not off duty yet.”
“Still as dedicated as ever,” Gabriel said, pouring two flutes of champagne and handing one to Michel.
If he didn’t know his cousin inside and out, he wouldn’t have caught the slight edge in his words. Sophie stiffened in her seat. It seemed she knew Gabriel as well as he did.
When Emma rose from her seat after taking a sip of her champagne, he and his cousin shot to their feet with manners ingrained in them.
Her eyes widened in surprise. “I just… um… where’s the bathroom?”
“Let me show you.” With a hand on her back, Michel led her out of the dining room. They walked wordlessly across the living room to the hallway. He stopped just outside of the bathroom and cleared his throat. “Emma, I apologize—”
She opened the door and shoved him inside before launching herself at him, her lips crushed against his. He backed into the wall to stabilize himself and cupped her face to kiss her back as electric heat combusted between them. If a single kiss could make him feel this way, what would it be like to claim all of her? He wanted her—all of her—right now.
He grabbed her arse and hauled her up against him. She moaned and ground her hips against him, making him growl low in his throat. Their teeth clacked as their kiss grew desperate and clumsy. It wasn’t until her trembling hands fumbled with his belt buckle that he came to his senses. He was past the point of caring about Gabriel’s and Sophie’s presence across the suite, but he refused to make love to Emma for the first time in a bloody bathroom. And not before he told her the truth.
Michel gripped her wrists even as he continued kissing her hungrily. But with the last of his willpower, he slowed the kiss down. If he didn’t, he would lose the little bit of sense he had left and bury himself inside her next to the toilet. Fucking hell.
“Emma,” he rasped when she tugged his head back with a whimper. He gave in and kissed her hard once before pulling away again. “Emma, I will never forgive myself if I make love to you for the first time in the damn loo.”
