Chapter 6
CHAPTER 6
Pilar
Everyone loved him. I knew that, obviously, but being out with Ben really made me realize that I was merely one of his many admirers. It was something I should’ve been used to. It was similar to whenever I went somewhere with Aramis or Elias. Everyone flocked to them—women, men, kids. I was always kind of just there for… I wasn’t even sure anymore. At least Ben made me feel like I was with him. At his side, not just an accessory he walked around with. He checked in with me, smiled at me from across the room. He winked at me. All things that made me feel as if I couldn’t breathe. It was one thing to see him from across the way at one of my mother’s Sunday dinners. It was completely different having him here, doing these things purposely. Ben had made it clear that he wanted me. It was crazy, but there was no denying it. He hadn’t said it outright, but I knew it just the same. Only I wasn’t sure what would happen or how to take things to the next level. Or if he’d even be interested in that. It wasn’t like he was the first man to make me feel like he wanted me, but most of them ran for the hills before anything could happen. Most of them were terrified of my family and the scrutiny that came with being seen with a princess.
Everything I knew about Ben told me he was very careful about how he was perceived. Bad boy, fun and easygoing, charming, sexy, those were all adjectives he was familiar and comfortable with. There was a reason for that. Mine were shy, pliant, kind, funny, smart. We all had a role to play, and mine was to make sure people were comfortable.
I’d just finished saying goodbye to someone when Ben walked over to me and put his hand on the small of my back.
“You have a real gift.” He started to usher me out of the room and into the hall that led back to the entrance. “If you weren’t a princess, you could be an actress.”
“Wouldn’t that be a dream?” I laughed, turning my head to look at him. As I did, I caught a glimpse of our reflection in the mirror beside us. We stopped walking and stood there. He dropped his hand from my back. “That’s what I pretend I am when I’m in front of the cameras. An old Hollywood actress. Like Grace Kelly.”
“Much more beautiful than Grace Kelly.” He grabbed my hand and lifted it to his lips, kissing the back of my knuckles. Time seemed to slow a bit. I felt myself blush.
“Nobody is more beautiful than Grace Kelly.”
He looked at me through the mirror, my hand still in his. He turned me so my back was against his chest and lowered his head, speaking into my ear.
“You are.” His eyes were on mine, shades of green and brown muddled together to create the perfect hazel. “The most beautiful.”
“You don’t have to humor me,” I whispered, my chest expanding.
He wasn’t even touching me, not really, just holding my hand. Yet it felt like I was completely bare to him.
“I’m not humoring you, Princess. I think about you often. Naked. In my bed. In the shower. Beneath me. On top of me.” He lowered his voice, still looking into my eyes, though they were blurring and I could barely keep them open. “But I’ve been told to stay away. To keep my hands to myself. And I should.”
That made me turn swiftly, my steps faltering as I looked up at him. “You shouldn’t. Please don’t.”
“You don’t know what you’re asking.” His voice was hoarse, as if my plea were the ultimate test of his resolve.
“I never ask for anything.” I pressed myself closer, my breasts against his chest. “But I’m asking for this.”
He brought his face nearer and pressed his lips against mine. In that moment, when everything and everyone around us disappeared, I truly knew what it felt like to be free.