Page 38 of Christmas at the Castle
The idea of Kat kissing a man—make that a royal—left a sour taste in Gill’s mouth. With the free-flowing champagne at the wedding ball, a kiss could easily turn into something more. Kat could be a seducer, but what if someone took advantage of her instead? This had disaster written all over it.
“Have anyone else in mind?” he asked.
“Not yet.” Sophie looked at Kat. “Any requirements?”
Kat shrugged. “Not really.”
Gill wasn’t buying it. “Come on.”
“It’s been so long since I’ve dated that I wouldn’t know where to start,” she said.
Sophie tsked. “You need to work fewer hours and get out more.”
“I did meet someone who fell for me fast,” Kat said.
Knew it.His confidence that he was correct about Kat soared. “Who?”
“A two-year-old Doberman Pincher named Felix,” she joked. “And because of that, I think I might have some requirements about who I’d like to kiss.”
Of course she did. Gill could imagine what they would be—royal title, wealthy, and a marriageable age.
“What?” Sophie asked.
Kat held up three fingers. “Human male, single, and over the age of eighteen.”
“Several wedding guests fit those criteria,” Sophie said.
Kat seemed to be setting the bar low. Gill wondered why. “Don’t you want to kiss a royal?”
“Any man will do,” Kat answered.
She sounded believable, but why kiss a commoner when royals would be available? He would play along for now. “So you’re not picky when it comes to men?”
“It’s one kiss with a stranger,” Kat replied. “For fun.”
“What part of holiday tradition don’t you understand, Your Serene Highness?” Sophie’s words came out sharply, as if each were punctuated with a period. If she was trying to hide her frustration, she wasn’t doing a good job. “Pickiness is not required, but my advice to Kat would be to stay away from men who would be king. They are far too much trouble.”
Gill wasn’t offended since he had no interest in kissing Kat under the mistletoe or anywhere else, but a woman could do much worse than a future king. “You’re assuming those men would want a mistletoe kiss.”
Sophie stuck out her tongue at him.
“Your brother has a point,” Kat said to his surprise. “Some royals won’t be interested in a commoner like me.”
Gill found himself nodding. “Exactly.”
“However, that didn’t seem to bother certain princes in Great Britain, Denmark, and Spain,” Kat added.
Her smile was half-smirk, half-smile.
Touché.
“You’ve done your research.” The fact she knew what princes had married commoners suggested she was on a hunt for a royal. Sophie should see that, too. “Scouting the field?”
“If you call clicking on a link on my Facebook newsfeed research, then yes, I have.” She looked at Sophie. “I wanted to see the dresses the royal wedding parties were wearing.”
Sophie rubbed her palms together. That was her I’m-excited gesture. “I can’t wait for you to see me in my gown.”
Kat sighed. “I know you’ll be stunning.”
