The sense of familiarity he had for her was irritating as hell. There was something there. Something just out of reach, that would tell him how he knew her. Who she was. And yet, he couldn’t quite grab hold of it.
The ride jolted into motion and Alex leaned forward, eager to see everything. He liked that about her, too. Her curiosity. Her appreciation for whatever was happening. It wasn’t something enough people did, living in the moment. For most, it was all about “tomorrow.” What they would do when they had the time or the money or the energy.
He’d seen it all too often. People who had everything in the world and didn’t seem to notice because they were always looking forward to the next thing.
“Wonderful,” she whispered. Their boat rocked lazily on its tracks, water slapping at its hull. She looked behind them at the people awaiting the next boat then shifted her gaze to his.
Overhead, a night sky was filled with stars and animatronic fireflies blinked on and off. A sultry, hot breeze wafted past them. Even in the darkness, he saw delight shining in her eyes and the curve of her mouth was something he just didn’t want to resist any longer.
Leaning forward, he caught her by the back of the neck and pulled her toward him. Then he slanted his mouth over hers for a taste of the mouth that had been driving him nuts for hours.
She was worth the wait.
After a second’s surprise, she recovered and kissed him back. Her mouth moved against his with a soft, languid touch that stirred fires back into life and made him wish they were all alone in the dark—rather than surrounded by singing pirates and chattering tourists.
She sighed and leaned into him and that fired him up so fast, it took his breath away. But who needed breathing anyway? She lifted one hand to his cheek and when she pulled back, breaking the kiss, her fingertips stroked his jaw. She drew a breath and let it go again with a smile. Leaning into him, she whispered, “That was lovely.”
He took her hand in his and kissed the center of her palm. “It was way better than lovely.”
A kid squealed, a pirate’s gun erupted too close to the boat and Alex jolted in surprise. Then she laughed with delight and eased back against him, pillowing her head on his shoulder. He pulled her in more closely to him and, instead of watching the ride, indulged himself by watching her reactions to their surroundings instead.
Her eyes never stopped shifting. Her smile never faltered. She took it all in, as if she were soaking up experiences like a sponge. And in that moment, Garrett was pitifully glad Jackson had talked him into going to Disneyland.
“I’m having such a nice day,” she whispered in a voice pitched low enough that Garrett almost missed it.
“Nice? That’s it?”
She tipped her head back and smiled up at him. “Very nice.”
“Oh, well then, that’s better.” He snorted and shook his head. Nothing a man liked better than hearing the woman he was fantasizing about telling him she was having a “nice” time.
“Oh, look! The dog has the jail cell keys!” She was off again, losing herself in the moment and Garrett was charmed. The pirates were singing, water lapped at the sides of their boat and up ahead of them he could hear Mia singing along. He smiled to himself and realized that astonishing as it was, he, too, was having a very nice day.
After the ride, they walked into twilight. Sunset stained the sky with the last shreds of color before night crept in. The girls were worn-out. Molly was dragging, Mara was asleep on Casey’s shoulder and Mia was so far beyond tired, her smile was fixed more in a grimace. But before they could go home, they had to make their traditional last stop.
“You’ll like the castle, Alex,” Mia said through a yawn. “Me and Molly are gonna be princesses someday and we’re gonna have a castle like this one and we’ll have puppies, too…”
“Again with the dog,” Jackson said with a sigh at what was apparently a very familiar topic.
Alex chuckled and slipped her hand into Garrett’s. His fingers closed over hers as he cut a glance her way. In the soft light, her eyes shone with the same excitement he’d seen earlier. She wasn’t tired out by all the kids and the crowds. She was thriving on this.
Her mouth curved slightly and another ping of recognition hit him. Frowning to himself, Garrett tried to pin down where he’d seen her before. He knew he’d never actually met her before today. He wouldn’t have forgotten that. But she was so damned familiar…
The castle shone with a pink tinge and as they approached, lights carefully hidden behind rocks and in the shrubbery blinked on to make it seem even more of a fairy-tale palace.
Garrett shook his head and smiled as Mia cooed in delight. Swans were floating gracefully in the lake. A cool wind rustled the trees and lifted the scent of the neatly trimmed rosebushes into the air.
“Can I have a princess hat?” Mia asked.
“Sure you can, sweetie,” Jackson said, scooping his oldest into his arms for a fast hug.
Garrett watched the byplay and, for the first time, felt a twinge of regret. Not that it would last long, but for the moment, he could admit that the thought of having kids like Mia and her sisters wasn’t an entirely hideous idea. For other people, of course. Not for him.
“Alex, look!” Mia grabbed Alex’s hand and half dragged her up to the stone balustrade overlooking the lake. The two of them stood together, watching the swans, the pink castle in the background and Garrett stopped dead. And stared.
In one blinding instant, he knew why she looked so familiar.
Several years ago, he’d done some work for her father.
Her father, the King of Cadria.
Which meant that Alex the delicious, Alex the sexiest woman he’d ever known, was actually the Crown Princess Alexis.
And he’d kissed her.
Damn.
He scrubbed one hand across the back of his neck, took a deep breath and held it. This changed things. Radically.
“Do you want to live in a castle, Alex?” Mia asked.
Garrett listened for her answer.
Alex ran one hand over Mia’s long black hair and said, “I think a castle might get lonely. They’re awfully big, you know. And drafty, as well.”
Garrett watched her face as she described what he knew was her home. Funny, he’d never imagined that a princess might not like her life. After all, in the grand scheme, being royalty had to be better than a lot of other alternatives.
“But I could have lots of puppies,” Mia said thoughtfully.
“Yes, but you’d never see them because princesses can’t play with puppies. They have more important things to do. They have to say all the right things, do all the right things. There’s not a lot of time for playing.”
Mia frowned at that.
So did Garrett. Was that how she really felt about her life? Was that why she was here, trying to be incognito? To escape her world? And what would she do if she knew he had figured out her real identity? Would she bolt?
Alex smiled and said, “I think you might not like a real castle as much as you do this one.”
Nodding, the little girl murmured, “Maybe I’ll just be a pretend princess.”
“Excellent idea,” Alex told her with another smile. Then she turned her head to look at Garrett and their gazes collided.
He felt the slam of attraction hit him like a fist to the chest. He was in deep trouble here. A princess, for God’s sake? He’d kissed a princess? He took a good long look at her, from her platform heels to the blue jeans