Royal Date (18 page)

I snuggled into my bed, pulling the covers up to my ears. It didn’t matter what Nico had done with any of those other women.

Because I was pretty sure I was the only one getting moonflowers and gelato.

I awoke early the next morning because Serafina was prying one of my eyelids open. “It’s time to get up!”

I growled and turned over, hoping she’d go away. She just came over to the other side and started shaking my arm. “Wake up, Kat.”

Had no one in this family ever heard of sleeping in?

“Why won’t she wake up?”

“She’s not a morning person.” I heard Lemon’s voice and opened one eye to glare at her.

“I’d be a morning person if it didn’t start so early in the day.” In my defense, sometimes I got up early all on my own. Like at the crack of noon.

“Come on, we’re going shopping. There’s a lot going on today.”

It was Christmas Eve. We would have to finish shopping because we were running out of time. Which meant I would have to get out of bed. Which I didn’t want to do.

“Can I come? Can I come?” Serafina was jumping on my bed again.

“Sure,” Lemon said. “We already bought your present. You’ll need to ask your mother first.”

“You got me a present?” she asked in a chipmunk-on-crack voice. “What is it?”

“You’ll have to wait until tomorrow,” Lemon said. “Now go ask permission and get dressed. We have to leave soon.” Serafina tore out of the room, yelling something in Italian down the hallway.

“That goes for you too,” Lemon said. “Up and at ’em.”

I groaned but knew I had no choice. I wondered where Chiara had gone off to, but I was too tired to ask. I did the bare minimum to get ready, making sure I had warm clothes on because I could see the snow falling outside of every window. We were going to have a white Christmas.

By the time I pulled my boots on, Serafina was bundled up in similar attire and waiting on my bed with an excited grin. A woman I didn’t recognize was brushing Serafina’s hair and putting it into a complicated braid. “Mamma said I can go!”

Lemon looked up from her smartphone. “So let’s go.”

I started when I noticed Giacomo standing near the door. I went over to see what he wanted. “Good morning. I understand that you are going shopping.”

I nodded.

“His Highness would like you to use this.” He handed me a black and gold credit card. Lemon came over to peer at the card. It looked like it had an actual diamond in the center. “His Highness does not want you to concern yourself with finances while you are here. There is no limit on that particular card.”

“My daddy has been trying for years to get one of those,” Lemon breathed. HRH Prince Dominic II. I ran my fingers over his raised name.

Wow. But no way. I handed it back to Giacomo. “Tell Nico I said thanks, but we’ve got this covered.”

Giacomo looked utterly befuddled. “I don’t understand.”

“I know. But it’s okay. Nico will get it. See ya later, Giacomo.”

Serafina grabbed for my hand, and the three of us walked down the hallway. I could see Nico at the very end of the hallway, walking with Johann toward us.

I felt the moment he saw me, because his grin sent shimmery sparkles all over my skin. His smile was dangerous—joy, excitement, and a definite invitation to trouble.

We were about to meet in the middle, and I started to walk off to the side so as to not interrupt him. But the next thing I knew, Nico had picked me up and was swinging me around. I instinctively wrapped my arms around his neck. He put me down away from everyone else. He had my heart up in my throat, thumping loudly. His face was just a fraction away from mine, making my stomach do cartwheels. His minty breath mingled with mine, and I leaned in toward him, holding on to him tighter. His glacier-blue eyes were full of mischief.

“My apologies,
bella
. I thought you were someone else. To think that I nearly kissed you.” He was
teasing
me. “I didn’t mean to sweep you off your feet.”

He let me go, and I was surprised that I managed to stay vertical as I wanted to collapse into a heap. “I wasn’t swept,” I completely lied. “You think that’s the first time that’s happened to me today?”

Nico laughed as he kissed my hand (again with the hand kissing!) and told me to enjoy my day, that he would see me soon for our date. At least, I think that’s what he said. My hearing wasn’t functioning all that well. Or my brain.

Everything was focused on that almost kiss.

I snapped back into reality when I heard Serafina announce, “I told you Kat loves Nico.”

“I do not,” I said through gritted teeth. I hated how I responded to him, how I felt so out of control. Like all my promises and boundaries just got tossed out the window. How easily I would give in if he pushed. And how he knew it.

“Cream, circus lions, chocolate mousse, you . . .” Lemon said as we continued down the hallway.

“What?”

“Oh, don’t mind me. I was just listing things that are whipped.”

“I am not whipped! It’s not like his kisses are earth-shattering or something. It’s no big deal.”

Lemon scooted away from me, to the opposite wall.

“What are you doing?”

“I don’t want to be standing next to you when God strikes you down for lying.”

We had breakfast in town (sadly, no bread with chocolate inside) and commenced shopping. I noticed Lorenz and another guard staying a few steps behind us. Lemon utilized them as bag carriers, which they did without complaint.

I bought Giacomo a red and gold silk Italian tie and a matching pocket square. Royal family colors. I thought he would like it.

We had a hard time picking something out for Violetta. I didn’t know hardly anything about her, and had only briefly met her at that one dinner. Serafina was no help. She said Violetta spent most of her time in her room and was very grumpy. Lemon and I settled on some headbands and sparkly hairpins.

The twins were easy—two Xbox gift cards. Lemon wisely decided not to get Salvatore a gift. The way she spoke about him, I could tell, as she would say, the bloom was off the rose. She was already losing interest.

But while we were in the electronics stores, I saw it. The perfect gift for the king. I pointed it out to Lemon, and she agreed. We swore Serafina to secrecy, and she promised not to tell.

Finally finished, we got into the town car to return to the palace. And I didn’t know what I was more excited about—seeing everyone opening their presents tomorrow morning or getting to spend the afternoon with Nico.

Lemon offered to wrap everything, and I agreed. She was the kind of person to match up the seams, place the tape underneath the seam so that it didn’t show, and put on a beautiful, curly ribbon. I was the kind of person who would twist it up in Sunday comics and tape it until it stayed put.

Giacomo and lunch were waiting in my room when I got back, and I scarfed down the sandwich and soup. I asked where I was headed to next, but Giacomo would only tell me to dress warmly and for the outdoors. Then I spent a much longer time getting ready than I should have. I contemplated the makeup question. I kind of wanted to put some on. Maybe some mascara. But then Nico would know it was for him, and I would feel stupid. But on the other hand, as I reminded myself, it was okay to want to feel pretty. So I settled for some sunscreen and lip-gloss.

A knock at the door. I told my heart to calm down. I opened it and Nico stood there dressed much as he had been the day we’d first met. “Oh frak, we’re not going skiing are we?”

His eyes twinkled. “No skiing, I promise.”

I saw Salvatore and Lemon holding hands, standing behind him. “Double date?” I clarified. He nodded.

I was strangely disappointed. We hadn’t really been on an actual date alone yet. We’d managed to squeeze some alone time in along the way, but I had been looking forward to having him to myself today. So I put on a smile and followed along.

We didn’t have a driver today. Nico said he would be driving the black SUV waiting for us. I went to get into the front passenger seat, and he practically pulled a
Dukes of Hazzard
move to get across the front of the car and to my door. He opened it for me. “I could have opened that,” I informed him. “I’m not helpless.”

“I didn’t say you couldn’t. I’m being chivalrous.”

Apparently he never got the memo about chivalry being dead. Was it possible to both like and dislike something at the same time? To like being pampered and spoiled, but worried about the implication that I needed him to take care of me?

Instead of arguing, I climbed into the car. Lemon and Salvatore sat in the back.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“That’s a surprise. But it is one of my favorite places,” Nico said.

During the drive the guys asked us about our classes, Lemon’s sorority, what an American university was like.

“Do you have a football team?” Nico asked.

“We don’t have a football team. We’re not big enough for that. We do have a soccer team, though.”

“That’s a real football team.”

“Not where I’m from.”

“Where you’re from it is not football either. The ball never touches anyone’s feet in American football.”

“Sure it does. At kickoff and the point after touchdown. Football. Your thing is soccer.”

It was like I had stabbed his puppy and insulted his European pride. Fortunately, we had arrived at our destination. Nico pulled the car off the road and into a not cleared parking lot. The snow had abated since that morning, and the sun was bright above us. I jumped out of the car before he tried to open that for me too. He cocked his head to one side and gave me a disappointed look. I shrugged back.

Nico and Salvatore pulled some backpacks out of the trunk of the car, passing them out. “Water and some other hiking supplies,” he told me.

“We’re going hiking? Over there?” Lemon asked in dismay. Lemon’s idea of exercising was lifting her feet while I vacuumed. “Look at that grass. It’s tall enough to go duck hunting with a rake.”

“Do you like hiking?” Nico asked me.

“I love hiking. I used to try to spend as much time outdoors as I could because I didn’t want to be at home.” That made him look sad. “Growing up near the mountains and forests, I don’t know. I just liked exploring.” I tried to sound upbeat.

“Good.” He smiled. “I like it too.”

One more thing we had in common. Light and breezy, I reminded myself. Keep it light and breezy.

Because if we didn’t stop the in common stuff soon, we were going to end up in serious trouble.

We stopped to let Lemon catch her breath. She sat on top of a boulder, not caring about the snow. By this point Salvatore was carrying her backpack. He handed her a water bottle, and she chugged it down.

“Are you all right?” I asked her. “You look pale and sweaty.”

“Southern girls don’t sweat. We glisten.”

“You’re glistening a lot.”

“When I pictured my death, there were never this many rocks and trees involved. I’ve been telling myself for the last twenty minutes that there’s a Louboutin sale at the end, but I’m not buying the lie.”

“Maybe we should go back,” I said to Nico.

“No, y’all go on. Salvatore can take me back to the car and we can wait for y’all there.” Salvatore didn’t look too enthused about the idea until Lemon raised one eyebrow at him suggestively, and then he was all too eager to head back.