Once Upon a Valentine (23 page)

Ashlynn snorted and rolled her eyes.

“They put a price on her head that had an entire village ready to drag her in, dead or alive. And if she came alive, they seemed ready to happily take care of that,” Raine snarled.

This time, the prince didn’t look annoyed—his frown darkened into visible anger. The goons looked at him, then at one another, and, moving as if pulled by the same puppet strings, swung around and hurried out of the chamber.

“They won’t get far,” the prince assured them. “I have loyal troops right outside, and the rest of my entire royal guard is waiting at the entrance to the thorny path. The only other exit is over the cliff.” He tapped his fingertip on his mouth. “Hmm. I wonder which way they’ll choose to depart?”

Ashlynn found herself rooting for the cliff. Although, from what she’d heard about Prince Philip’s royal guard, their swords might be a good enough reception for the Hunters, too.

Prince Philip walked over and took Ashlynn’s hand, bowing over it. “Please accept my deepest apologies. I heard you were looking for this place, about which I have dreamed since I was a boy. I meant only to follow you, not to ever put you in harm’s way. I suspect those men decided to try to take the map and find the treasure for themselves. You do believe me, don’t you?”

She did. Though, if his guys had slit her throat, that wouldn’t have been much comfort. Still, one didn’t say that to royalty. She curtsied instead, murmuring, “I do, and your apology is gratefully accepted, Your Highness.”

He seemed pleased that she’d finally remembered protocol. Of course, he could hold his breath until the crack of doom and wouldn’t get that same title out of Raine’s mouth.

“Now I should go,” the prince said. “May I be the first to offer you both my congratulations. Miss Scott, you have surely given our world a great gift.” Then he looked at Raine. “And you, it appears, have been given an even greater one.”

With that, he strode toward the door.

“Wait, that’s
it?
” Raine asked.

The prince paused and looked over his shoulder. “Of course.”

“You weren’t after the castle?”

The man shrugged and lifted his mouth in a half smile. “I have plenty of castles. I was trying to find my destiny.” His expression warmed noticeably as he stared into Ashlynn’s eyes. “It wasn’t a total loss, my fair lady. I will remember that kiss we shared until my dying day.”

Another slight bow, and the man departed, leaving Ashlynn and Raine alone in Sleeping Beauty’s bedchamber.

Once he was gone, Ashlynn drew in a deep sigh of relief, thinking about the bizarre turn of events over the last thirty minutes. She hated to even think about what she might have done had the prince turned out to be a more petulant sort. And she was very thankful he had a bunch of soldiers waiting to take care of his henchmen.

Raine appeared deep in thought, too. He was silent for a long moment, as if also absorbing what had just happened. Then, finally, he turned to face her.

His expression confused her. He didn’t look relieved that they didn’t have competition over their incredible find. There was no sign of that sexy smile, that laid-back confidence. Instead, a dark frown creased his handsome face.

She didn’t understand why…until he crossed his arms over his broad chest, stared at her—hard—and asked in a steely voice,
“What kiss?”

SHE’D KISSED SOME RICH, snotty prince? Seriously? He’d been out in the corridor, fighting his way through three mountains of meat to make sure she was okay, and she’d been making out with royalty? And, judging by the look on that prince’s face, doing it pretty damn well?

“Oh, don’t be silly,” she insisted, trying to laugh it off.

Raine wasn’t laughing. “You kissed him.”

“Technically, he kissed me.”

“So you just, what, let him stumble and fall onto your lips?”

“For your information, I shoved him off me and rolled away.”

Oh, this just got better and better. He glowered at her, wondering where the hell this jealousy was coming from, since he’d certainly never experienced it with anyone before. “You were
lying down
and you kissed him?”

“It wasn’t like that…”

“What was it like, then? If I hadn’t been dragged in here by the goon squad, what would have happened?”

She moved closer, until they were toe-to-toe, and poked at him with an index finger. “Dig the wax out of your ears, Earth man!
He
kissed
me.
I was lying there in that bed, picturing
you
coming and kissing me, sweeping me up onto your horse and taking me to live happily ever after in your kingdom. Only, I opened my eyes and realized it was a spoiled prince with a reputation as a man whore instead!”

Raine froze, hearing what she said…what she was really saying. “You…”

“Yes,” she snapped, obviously angry. “I was fantasizing about you. About me. About you
and
me.”

“Together,” he whispered.

She nodded slowly. “Together.”

“Where?”

She inched closer, sliding her leg against his, then reaching up and touching his face. She gently stroked his jaw, which throbbed from one of the lucky punches a Hunter had landed. Then, rising up onto tiptoe, she pressed her lips there, kissing away the hurt. Her voice as soft as her touch, she whispered, “Anywhere you want.”

Raine lifted a hand to her face, brushed his rough thumb against her cheek, amazed that such softness could cover such strength. Amazed by every little thing he knew about this woman. And all the things he had yet to discover.

It would take a long time, he suspected. Perhaps even a lifetime.

“You’re mine now,” he told her, meaning every word. “The prince all but decreed it.”

“Yours?”
She tossed her head and smiled back. “That’s a very Elatyrian attitude for an Earthling. I thought you American men were all sensitive souls, gentle and understanding.”

“My blood’s pure Elatyrian, remember?” he told her. He slid his hands into her thick hair, cupping her head, drawing her close. “Besides, I’m gentle. I’m understanding,” he whispered. “I mean, I didn’t chase that prince down and beat the crap out of him for daring to kiss you.”

“I think you meant to say you have a strong desire to live,” she said, her tone wry.

He chuckled, then moved his mouth toward hers, needing to feel her, possess her, claim her. Now and forever.

She rose to meet his lips and they kissed slowly, with deep tenderness and deeper pleasure. The heat that was always between them rose, but this time, something else came with it. A depth of emotion he’d never felt until he’d met her. It filled him, settling into all the curious hollows of his heart that had led him to explore dangerous places and seek out new experiences. All that wonder, that curiosity, that sense of adventure, was now completely wrapped up in
her.

The kiss slowly ended, but while their lips were still close, still sharing breath, they whispered the truth of it.

“I love you, Raine.”

“And I love you, Ash.”

He loved her, and he would stay by her side in her world and in his. As long as they were together, he didn’t give a damn where he lived. Making her happy would be his quest for the rest of his days. Besides, he could get used to this truth-finding, mystery-solving life. The high of being the one to solve the riddle was every bit as good as how he felt when he was handed a reward for a job well done.

She remained in his arms and they swayed slightly, as if dancing to some old melody still riding on the airwaves of this magical place. But it wasn’t magic or enchantment that put the lightness in his heart and the happiness in his soul. That was entirely due to the woman in his arms.

“So, historian,” he eventually murmured. “You’ve found the prize you’ve been seeking all your life. What are you going to do now?”

She hesitated a moment, then tilted her head back and looked up at him. Offering an impish smile, she replied, “I’m going to Disney World?”

Raine threw his head back and laughed.

“No, seriously,” she said, “I’ve always wanted to and I just didn’t have a chance on this past trip. Promise you’ll take me there. Ooh, and I want to visit Venice—the city with all the canals? And Paris! That tower seems amazing. And I’d so dearly love to see El Dorado.”

He gently stroked the small of her back. “Sorry, sweetheart, that one’s fiction.”

She twined her fingers in his hair and smiled up at him. “Maybe in your world. Maybe in mine. But, who knows, we might find it in a place just waiting to be discovered.”

He nodded, liking that idea. No, loving that idea. Him and Ashlynn exploring all the worlds? Sounded like a perfect life for a man who found things. Especially now that he’d found the most important thing of all.

She rose to kiss him again. But before she could, Raine remembered one more thing he’d found. It had been right before he’d heard the hired thugs in the castle and had gone off to rescue her.

It had been most…intriguing.

“Oh, Ash?” he whispered against her cheek.

“Yes?”

“I think I’ve solved another part of the mystery.”

“Mmm. Really?” As if uninterested in anything but him, she kissed his jaw, slid her soft tongue against the corner of his mouth, tempting him into more. So much more.

Their lips met and he lost himself to her again, knowing he could tell her the rest later.

After all, the treasure chamber had been sitting there for a thousand years.

The mountain of precious stones and piles of gold weren’t going anywhere for the next few hours.

And he had enough treasure to explore right here.

* * * * *

Michelle Rowen

Catch Me

To Brenda Chin…thanks for everything!

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

1

FIND YOUR TRUE LOVE at the Valentine Café.

The bright pink flyers tacked to telephone poles and walls in the neighborhood were definitely attention getters, no doubt about it.

But was it the truth? Or was it only advertising?

Ginger Redman had hoped for truth, but she’d been waiting for her date to show up for almost half an hour and there was no sign of him yet. She peered out of the window toward the dark street, mostly seeing the small but busy café behind her reflected in the glass, as well as a woman wearing a bit too much makeup. One who could really use a brush at the moment to tame her wild mane of red hair.

Who goes on a blind date on Valentine’s Day anyway?
she silently asked.
I mean, how pathetic is that?

She let out a long, shaky breath. Good question. When she’d set it up, she’d just looked at it as nothing more than a Tuesday, not realizing the actual date. But it was a Tuesday with strings attached.

It was ten minutes past eight o’clock. She’d wait until eight-thirty and that was it. If her date hadn’t shown by then, she’d buy—she glanced over at the counter and eyed the delicious-looking baked goods—half a dozen red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. She’d take the holiday-themed candy heart off the top of each one and smash it symbolically before consuming the tiny red cakes one after another. Of course, that would blow her attempt to eat healthy this week, but it would be totally worth it.

Five more minutes passed. She watched couples come and go from the café, holding hands and kissing, much sweeter than the sugary treats lining the shelves. It was starting to make her feel nauseous.