PRINCE CHARMING: A Secret Baby Stepbrother Romance (7 page)

“Hard to do when I can’t see.”

She sighed and told him to put his other hand out so she could grab it. “Ready?”

“Ready,” he said and slowly pulled her up. She started to slip again, and his hand slid down to her sprained elbow. She cursed in pain, and he quickly moved his hand to her side, trying to hoist her to her feet without both of them falling again. He managed to get her to her feet, but his hand slipped again and Olivia froze.

Quincy, eyes still closed, frowned as he gave a little squeeze. “That’s not your arm, is it?”

“Nope,” Olivia said quietly as his hand held her boob. “No, it’s not.”

His hand dropped, and he backed away. “I’m so sorry,” he said, holding up his hands. “It was horrible, I promise. Didn’t like it at all.”

“Well, thanks for that. Nice to know I repulse you.”

“What? No, but you’re going to be my stepsister and I just groped you,” he said quickly. He rubbed the back of his neck and turned around. “Am I headed towards the door?”

“Yes, you are,” she said as she tried to forget what that touch felt like. “Go straight… you’re going to—oh, sorry.” She cringed when he ran into it with his face and cursed. “Are you alright?”

“Fine, just fine,” he said as he held his face. “Be careful, and I would put some clothes on if I were you.”

He closed the doors tightly behind him, and Olivia felt her body sag with relief. She took the towel still draped over her wet hair and put it on the floor to wipe up the water as she finally made it to the nightstand, grabbed her brush, and headed back to the bathroom. Her elbow still hurt, but she could move it well enough, though there was a nice-sized bruise forming on it.

As she brushed her hair, she thought of how easy it would’ve been for him to open his eyes, but he hadn’t. Grabbing her boob had been an accident, but she couldn’t even be upset by it. Instead, her mind took off on fifty different fantasies of what could happen with this crown prince Quincy. It was the first time anyone had touched her like that, even by accident, and her sudden longing for a touch again told her just how much trouble she was in. Slowly, her hand stopped its brushing and reached down to hold her boob as he had. Her other hand slithered down her stomach as an intense heat built between her legs.

His face popped into her head, and she froze. That couldn’t happen, not with him. Her hands stopped, and she forced them away from her intimate parts. She could not do anything with the man who was about to become her stepbrother. It would be worse than a scandal. She was pretty sure she’d get kicked out of the country, and what about her mom?

“Just get a grip,” she whispered to her reflection. “It was an accident. All his little jokes are just that.”

She couldn’t convince even herself. He’d been teasing her since she arrived, dropping hints here and there, and making her wonder what he was trying to pull. Maybe he wanted a scandal so he could disgrace himself and get out of the arranged marriage. It didn’t seem like something he would do, but people did strange things when they were desperate.

Either way, it didn’t matter. She couldn’t do anything with Quincy, and she told herself not to be interested in him. No matter what happened here, he was her stepbrother and she had responsibilities as a future princess to not cause problems for her soon-to-be father and her mom, who had finally found some real happiness in her love life. Olivia would have to do her best to stick to what was expected of her and not spend any more time with Quincy.

Especially if she found herself naked on the damn floor.

Chapter 6

The night of her first official state dinner, Olivia tried not to be nervous. She’d managed to only see Quincy once yesterday evening at dinner, and she’d avoided his gaze as much as possible. When the meal was finished and her mother and Lamont excused themselves, she was right behind them and disappeared to her rooms. The last thing she wanted was for Quincy to have a chance to speak with her alone. It was bad enough that the moment she saw him, her chest tightened and she could feel his hand holding her.

Tonight, she was supposed to be Quincy’s guest of honor, which meant dancing and meeting all the people that made up their small court. She wasn’t nearly ready for this night, and as Allete helped her get ready, she couldn’t stop her damn hands from shaking.

“Miss, are you alright?” Allete asked as she held one of Olivia’s hands. “There is no need to be so nervous. Look how beautiful you are tonight.”

Olivia stared at her reflection. She wore the blue dress she’d found yesterday and spun a bit so the skirt flowed out. It was floor length with a fitted bodice, low neckline, straps that hung across her shoulders in bunched fabric, and just a bit of beading at the waistline. Her hair was done up in curls, pinned here and there, and she saw a small tiara sitting nearby that Allete would put on her once she finished her makeup.

“It’s not that. I’m just worried I’ll mess something up.” It was an honest statement. She didn’t want to lie to the woman, but telling her the whole truth would’ve been more embarrassing than it was worth.

“You won’t mess anything up.”

“How do you know?”

Allete smiled as she reached for the eyeshadow and told Olivia to close her eyes. “Because I have seen enough of them to know what happens. You’ll shake some hands and speak very briefly about yourself if they ask, which they rarely do. Then you’ll dance for a bit and retire at the end of the evening. It’s really a piece of cake.” She finished with the eyes. “Oh, and there is cake by the way. Delicious, too. Make sure you snag a piece.”

Olivia opened her eyes and smiled at Allete in the mirror. “I guess it doesn’t sound that bad.”

“No, and you’ll have Quincy there the whole time to watch out for you.”

That wasn’t what Olivia wanted to hear, but she was going to have to deal with him, no matter what. Her hope was that he would forget the boob-grabbing accident and not bring it up again, but something told her that wouldn’t happen.

“I think you’re worrying for nothing. You will be the hit of the dinner, and you won’t even have to do anything.”

“Thanks, Allete, really.”

A knock sounded at the door, and Quincy called out to see if she was ready. Olivia’s hand went to her chest just at the thought of him being near, but quickly fell when she caught Allete watching curiously.

“I’ll be right out!”

“One more touch, miss,” Allete said and turned to pick up the tiara. It had diamonds and sapphires delicately placed through the band and just a bit of scroll design in the middle. “Very simple, but perfect for you, I think.”

“Do I even want to know how much it cost?”

Allete smiled as she stepped back, and Olivia could tell she was admiring her work. “No, you really don’t. Now, slip into your heels and you’re all set.”

“Heels, right,” she said as she stared at the five-inch tall silver sandals. She glanced back down at her feet, covered by the nearly ten inches of trailing dress, and chewed her lip. “Think anyone will notice if I’m barefoot?”

Allete’s satisfied smile fell. “I will notice. Shoes… now, miss. Do not make me send for your mother.”

Olivia hurried over to the sandals and held up her dress so Allete could slip the sandals on her feet. She wobbled for a minute as she adjusted to the height but managed to stay standing.

“Now you are ready,” Allete said with a nod. She went to the door and swung it open for Quincy.

“Olivia, I’m… Wow,” he said, the last word barely a whisper. Olivia felt his eyes skate across every bit of her body in the blue dress he had picked out, and he cleared his throat. “You look magnificent, Your Highness.” He bowed as he entered and held out his hand for hers. “It’s truly a sight for the guests to see of their future princess.”

She frowned. “Really? I’ve never been this dressed up before. It’s a bit weird.”

Quincy laughed as Allete rolled her eyes. “You look anything but weird. Allete, as always, you do a wonderful job.”

“Thank you, Your Highness,” Allete said as she curtsied.

“I shall escort you to the dinner then,” Quincy said. “My Princess?”

Olivia’s chest tightened at the title. Even though it was her new one and she should get used it, for some reason, hearing him say it meant something entirely different. She wanted to be his princess. Quincy was like no one she had ever met before, and in so few days, she already felt a spark any time he was near.

They walked slowly down the corridor, her struggling to stay upright while he held her hand in the crook of his arm. The second Olivia heard her door close, she pulled him to a stop and hoisted up her skirts.

“What on earth are you doing?”

“Getting rid of a hindrance before I make a fool of myself.” She slipped out of the sandals and bent to pick them up. A serving girl passed by with a small stack of towels, and she quickly set them on top. “Hide these for me and don’t let Allete see.”

The young girl laughed but curtsied and hurried on her way while Olivia readjusted her dress.

Quincy shook with amusement beside her as he watched the serving girl disappear around the corner. “Allete is going to murder you when she finds out.”

“What? I’m not going to tell her, and no one will notice,” she said as she glanced down at her feet hidden by the dress. “Unless, of course, you’re going to rat me out.”

“There are many things I would like to do,” he said as he turned towards her. “But that is not one of them, not with you.” His eyes locked onto hers, and Olivia couldn’t breathe as his hand gently reached down for hers again. He brought it to his lips, kissed the back of it, and tucked it in his arm. “May I take you to the dining hall now? Or are there other garments you’d like to be rid of first?”

Olivia ground her teeth but shook her head. “Who is going to be there?” she asked, hoping to stop any more comments like that.

“Dignitaries from the island mostly, a few foreigners, but no one too exciting. It’s a dinner, not a ball.”

“But Allete said there’d be dancing?”

“A bit, yes, but nothing as spectacular as when we have it in the main ballroom. This will be simple and very easy for you tonight. Just follow my lead and you will do just fine.”

“Are you sure? I mean, this is way out of my league.”

Quincy pulled them to a stop and turned her so she faced him. “My very first state dinner as a prince was frightening, too. There were a ton of people I didn’t know, and they all wanted to talk to me. I shook like a leaf for most of the night.”

“How did you get through it?”

He smirked. “I was eight and ate an entire cake by myself when no one was looking. Put me on a sugar high the rest of the night, and I didn’t care what happened.” He laughed as they continued towards the staircase. “The next day, I had the worst stomachache ever, but it was worth it.”

She shook her head as they descended the stairs and the music from the hall met her ears. “So you’re saying I should just eat cake all night?”

“No, but keep a full wine glass and don’t leave my side.”

Now that she knew, she wouldn’t have a problem doing it. When they reached the bottom of the steps, Olivia took in the sight of the many servants lined up from the main door of the palace and the path they created that went straight into a room she hadn’t seen yet.

“Is that the grand dining room?”

“Yes. It’s more of a greenhouse, but you’ll see it once we get inside. We’ll wait here for my father and your mother.”

Olivia and Quincy stood at the bottom of the stairs so they weren’t in the way, but the people coming in could still see them. She noticed very quickly how well everyone was dressed, and for a moment she was happy she was dolled-up. Minus the heels, of course. The women wore gowns much like hers, shining in the light cast by the crystal chandelier that hung from the entranceway ceiling. The men were dressed a step down from what Quincy wore, but still, a tux was a tux. If this was a dinner, Olivia couldn’t wait to see what a ball would be like.

Behind them, Olivia heard her mother’s laughter and turned to see her being escorted down the steps by King Lamont. “Wow,” she whispered at the sight of her mom. Never in her life had she looked so magnificent. She looked exactly like a queen should, regal and graceful as she made her way down the steps.

Her gown was a lighter shade of blue than Olivia’s, but the skirt was much fuller and the beading was intricately done in floral patterns along the bodice. It was tight fitting and sleeveless. The jewels she wore were diamonds and pearls, finishing off the look and matching the tiara atop her head.

“You look amazing, Mom,” Olivia said once Melinda reached her.

“So do you. See? I knew you could pull off being a princess.”

“You look so like your mother,” Lamont said, and Olivia bowed in a small curtsy, too scared to do a full one and fall over. “Son. I trust you have everything well in hand?”

“Of course, Father, as I always do at these affairs.”

“Good, then I trust the two of you will have a splendid time. Shall we, my dear?”

Lamont and Melinda walked by, the latter squeezing her daughter’s hand in encouragement, then headed to the path made by the servants. Quincy took Olivia’s hand and they followed.