Player's Princess (A Royal Sports Romance)(50)

The bus stops, and we dismount again, among a small crowd of people. It's a long, brisk walk to the mall, and it's even bigger than I thought it was. The walls are as high as the castle's, and the doors are like gates. I take Jason's hand as we walk inside, and he holds mine firmly.

The ceiling lofts high overhead, and the hallway is broad enough for twenty people to walk abreast.

"Don't stare," Jason laughs.

"How can I not?"

"Are you really impressed by this?"

"Yes! Look at the fountain!"

I slip his hand and run forward. I stop at the edge. Water rises in spouts high overhead, and falls back into the basin.

"There's no fish," I sigh, slightly disappointed.

"What? Fish?"

"No fish in the water. It should have fish. I like fish."

"You like fish." He smirks. "Okay, good to know."

"Why are there coins?"

He shrugs. "People throw them in and make wishes."

I dig in my pocket and find a few stray coins, and clasp them in my hands. "Wish first?"

"Yeah."

Jason looks at me strangely. I press the coins against my palms and think. What would I wish for?

My throat tightens.

I almost wish I wasn't a princess. No, that would be foolish. I wish I could stay with Jason forever. No, this is our first date. I shouldn't let myself fall for him. I must keep my head, no matter what my heart, and other things, want me to do.

No.

I wish for Jason to be happy, I tell myself, and throw in a coin. I wish for Dee to be happy. I wish for Jason's roommates to be happy. I throw in one coin for each of them, and then one coin with no wish at all. Perhaps it will help the others along, give them more power.

Jason takes my arm.

"Come on. Let's go look at stuff we can't afford."

There are so many stores, so many things. When I stop to stare into a toy store, Jason stops with me. Then he tugs my arm and guides me inside.

"I was just looking."

"Hey, everybody loves this stuff. Who cares how old you are?"

The store sells building blocks. All sorts of things can be made of them. Castles and pirate ships and other stranger things, things from movies and from outer space. Some are displayed in glass cases, and I stare at them in wonder, awed by their complexity.

Jason picks up a box from the shelf, a construction set that assembles into a castle, and pulls me along to the checkout counter. He reaches for his wallet, and I grasp his wrist.

"No," I chide him.

I open my purse and hand over my credit card. When Jason sees it, his eyes widen a little.

"You have one of those black cards? I didn't know they were real."

When I take it back, I turn it in my fingers, studying it. "Mother gave it to me for emergencies."

"Emergencies," Jason says. "This is an emergency."

The clerk puts the package in a bag, and Jason takes it.

"I should carry it," I say.

"No way. Come on, let's look around some more."

There is so much here. Every few feet is a new store. I stop at one of the clothing boutiques and stare in through the window, heavy with longing.

"Go in," Jason urges.

"I don't know…."

"What's wrong?"

"I have never chosen my own clothes before. I have always worn what was given to me."

"This place is a little high-end, but I don't think it matters. Come on, let's look around."

Jason leads me inside. I feel overwhelmed at first. So many choices. When I finally begged Mother to let me wear jeans, she had to approve them first and I was given a supply. The ones in here are cut so low they barely cover anything, and the legs are so skinny they must be as tight as leggings.

"I'll wait while you try them on."

I look at him. "I can try them on?"

He sighs. "Yes, Princess. Come on, the dressing room is over here. Grab some things."

I fold some clothes over my arm as we walk toward these dressing rooms, choosing almost at random. I see one top in particular that brings a smile to my face, and snatch it while Jason is distracted.

Once we arrive, he sits on a bench outside.

"Go in there and change, and then come out and show me."

I lock myself inside and slip out of my clothes. I pull on a pair of jeans so tight they look like they are painted on, and the t-shirt I saw that I liked.

Then I walk out to see Jason's reaction. He looks up, and his mouth falls open slightly before he closes it. I stand before him in skintight black jeans that barely cover my nether regions, and a shirt that comes down too short, exposing my belly button.

The chest reads, in bright, shiny letters, YOU CAN'T AFFORD ME.

I grin. "How do I look?"

"Just let me keep looking for a minute."

I stick my tongue out in defiance and almost bounce back into the dressing room, then put on another outfit. I cycle through them.

The last is a halter top that leaves my neck and shoulders exposed and covers my back with only thin strings tying it to my body.

"I don't think I can wear this in public," I mumble.

Jason just stares at me.

"Holy shit," he says.