PRINCE CHARMING: A Stepbrother Secret Baby Romance(25)

“We can’t do this,” she whispered. “Oh my God… What are we doing?”

In a panic, she shoved him off and scrambled to her feet, yanking her shirt back down in the process. She ran her hands through her hair and shook her head, trying to understand what the hell was going on. How could she be such an idiot?

“Olivia, calm down,” he said. “It’s not that bad.”

“Not that bad? We’re going to be step-siblings. Royal step-siblings! We can’t do this.”

The words sounded half-hearted. She could still feel his lips on hers and his hands running up her sides. Just the thought of it made her have to press her legs together to stop the sudden throbbing there. Why did he have to be such a damned good kisser? The way his tongue had moved with hers like they were meant to be together…

“No,” she snapped at herself and paced down the sand. “No, this isn’t happening.”

“It already happened,” he said and pushed himself to his feet. “Olivia, please calm down. No one knows anything. If you feel that badly about it, we won’t say a word. No one will know.”

She froze as she stared at his face, his swollen lips, and the light in his eyes. Olivia wondered why he wasn’t worried when a horrible thought crept across her mind, one that made her hands tighten into jealous fists. “Am I the first woman you’ve brought here?”

His eye twitched, and he rubbed the back of his head. “Yes, you are. Why would you ask that?”

“You seem extremely calm, that’s why.”

“I have never brought anyone else here, Olivia.”

“And I don’t believe you because—?”

He threw his arms in the air. “I have no idea. Maybe because you are crazy. It was just a kiss, that was all. One extremely incredible kiss that will never happen again.”

Her heart sank, like the wind had been knocked out of her. “Oh, well… If that’s all it was, then I guess there’s no need for me to uh… to uh… worry about it. I’ll find my way back to my room.”

Heart pounding and nerves on edge to the point that her hands shook, Olivia trudged up the sand and to the open corridor. Quincy called after her, but she’d heard enough. Whether or not he told the truth, they still shouldn’t have done that. It was too much, and there was no way anything would ever happen between them. Could happen between them. Tears stung her eyes, but she didn’t let them fall until she was in her room with the door closed and locked. Allete wasn’t there, thankfully, and she was able to slide to the floor and let it all out. This wasn’t supposed to happen.

How could she fall for a man who was going to be her stepbrother?

All his dropped hints and innuendos… he knew now they meant nothing. He probably did that to every girl and took them to his special place to have his way with them. He and Gigi would be perfect for each other. She’d never been this stupid before, so why had she let her guard down around him and let herself be taken for a ride? She would have to put a stop to it and only deal with him when it was absolutely necessary. When the summer ended and the wedding was over, she’d go back to Nebraska and forget Quincy.

Too bad the feeling of his lips tasting hers lingered, along with the touch of his fingers so close to where he could steal her heart away.

***

Quincy downed the rest of the wine, alone on the blanket, and tried to understand what had happened. One minute, they’d been talking, and he hoped she would give him her honest opinion about the woman who might eventually become her sister-in-law. And the next… the next…

You were lying on top of her, feeling every curve while you tasted her lips.

He cursed, her touch lingering on his body and the sweet taste of her in his mouth. She’d just eaten something sweet… berries, maybe? Or a mango, he couldn’t quite tell. Didn’t matter. He was a fool for acting like that and not realizing he had crossed a dangerous line. The accidental boob grope had been one thing, but kissing her like he wanted her beneath him, in his bed, wet and ready for him?

Quincy straightened as the truth punched him hard in the gut. He did want her. He wanted every last inch of that damn woman, but he couldn’t have her. Shouldn’t have her. She was correct that it was wrong. As royals, they couldn’t afford this type of scandal.

So don’t get caught.

If only it was that easy for them to not get caught, but from the look on Olivia’s face as she stormed away, a one-night fling with him was not what she had in mind. He liked her, too, but had all his flirting made her fall for him? She hadn’t flirted back much when he did tease her, but then again, he hadn’t spent as much time with her the last few days. She’d been busy with her mom preparing for the wedding.

Quincy finally got to his feet, tucked the blanket away in the bin, and buried it beneath the boulder. Suddenly, his hideaway was not as quiet and comforting as before. Olivia might think he brought other women there, but it wasn’t true. She was the only woman he’d ever brought there. He had never felt comfortable bringing anyone else to this place where he ran when he needed peace. After his mom died, while the kingdom mourned together, he mourned here amongst the rocks and the waves.

Bringing Olivia to his hideaway had been a last-minute decision, and he never expected to wind up kissing her like that.

The walk back to his room with the folders tucked under his arm again wasn’t as fun as the walk down to the secluded bay. The folders weighed more than they should, each holding a choice he realized, deep down, he wasn’t going to be able to make easily because one person could never be in that stack. Though they only shared one kiss, one kiss had been enough.