The Untamed Prince’s Careless Mate

Chapter 2

He furrowed his brows thoughtfully. Those legs deserved something better, presuming that the other one was hidden beneath that monstrosity of a skirt and that it was as lovely as the one that was on display. They insisted on wearing heels. Sharp and high stilettos, worn with the intention of drawing attention to the voluptuous curve of her calf. Ankle straps. Ribbons are seductive to the point where they can tease a man until he removes them and moves on to other pleasures.

Logan gave a little shake of the head. He was willing to wager all of the gems stored in the secure vault in the basement that the owner of this shoe would be appalled by the extravagant nature of footwear intended to entice a man.

As he watched her leg swing and her foot arch seductively, he felt a flutter of something that was dangerously similar to anticipation feather its way up his neck. This time, the slight wiggle of her toes felt gloriously abandoned, as if the drab garments masked a secret sybarite within her.

For the first time in what felt like weeks, Logan's disposition began to improve.

'Isabella, I presume?'

Emily was startled out of her daydream by the quiet and soothing tone of the voice. She cautiously turned down the level just enough to be able to see over it.

She stopped moving as she took in the sight of the man looking up at her, and her eyes widened in response.

He’d stepped out of a fantasy.

He couldn’t be genuine. No flesh and blood man looked like that. So mouth-wateringly amazing.

Numb with horror, she shook her head in automatic denial. He could have been Prince Morgan, standing there in his magnificent hussar’s attire, her discarded shoe in one enormous, competent palm. A bigger, harsher Prince Morgan than she remembered from her childhood reading. His dark eyebrows sliced over a tanned face that wasn’t so much gorgeous as captivating, charismatic, potently sexy.

Like Prince Morgan’s far more seasoned and infinitely more terrifying elder brother.

Eyes, black and sparkling, fascinated her. They were…aware.

Meeting his unblinking scrutiny she got the strange feeling that for the first time ever a man saw and genuinely noticed her. Not her reputation, not her misfit status but the genuine flesh and blood Emily Arthur, the impetuous woman she’d fought so hard to stifle.

She felt vulnerable, yet thrilled.

A languid smile lifted one corner of his mouth and a deep groove furrowed his cheek.

Stunned, she felt a squiggle of response deep in her abdomen. Under her flesh, little rivers of fire writhed and trembled. Her lungs forced her breath out in a gush that sounded like a whoosh of.

The thump that came from the book that she had just closed made her jump. Instantaneously, the other books that she was holding in her lap began to slide, and she reached for them. But they were bulky, and she dared not risk dropping the priceless herbal remedy that she was holding in her hands.

She watched with dread as a book she was holding slipped through her fingers and fell to the ground. It was a steady fall, and as it went it turned over. She struggled to get it despite the fact that she knew it was too late to save the volume, barely managing to preserve her shaky perch.

"Stay perfectly still!" She was halted in the middle of her lunge by the authority in his voice.

He took a stride forward, put out his hand, and the book fell into his grip as if it had always been there.

Emily, who was feeling faint from her release, closed her eyes. She'd never have forgiven herself if it had been damaged.

How was he able to accomplish that? The book was not available in paperback format. It was a tonne in weight. In spite of this, he managed to catch it with one hand after it had fallen a distance of twelve feet. He made it look easy.

Emily abruptly opened her eyes and saw him turn to place the book on the desk. She frowned slightly. The indigo fabric of his tunic clung to his broad shoulders and sculpted arms like a second skin.

This imposing stature was not achieved by tailoring padding into the garments.

She took a deep breath before dropping her attention down the long, powerful thighs that were concealed in the dark pants. The red line that ran down the side of the garment attracted attention to the powerful limbs that were displayed.

No pretend soldier. His shoulders were set squarely back, and the strength that he channelled into each perfectly executed movement indicated that he was the real deal.

Suddenly, he looked around as if he could feel her looking at him. She shook as she became acutely conscious of the fact that he was a man as a result of his penetrating glance.

She spent her days at work around males, but she'd never encountered one who was so blatantly macho before. It was almost as if waves of testosterone were emanating from him. It caused her heart to beat faster.

"Now, to bring you down in a safe manner." Was it the hint of a smile that I saw in his eyes?

'I'm OK.' She clung to the books like they were her only hope. "I'll put these back and," the speaker said.

‘No.’ She was stopped in her tracks by the single syllable. "I'll take them," she said.

"I assure you that I'm not typically this clumsy," the speaker said. She sat up straighter, irritated with herself for her foolish decision to examine the books there rather than at the desk where they belonged. In her everyday life, she was very systematic, rational, and cautious. It was not an acceptable justification that her excitement had caused her to act carelessly.

"Despite this, it's not worth the risk," the speaker said. He approached the base of the ladder and turned his head upward, his expression illegible. "Let me relieve you of some of your weight first," she said.

Emily scratched the inside of her lower lip. She had no grounds for blaming him. She'd almost damaged a remarkable volume. Who among the knowledgeable population would take such chances? The things that she'd done were beyond redemption.

'I'm sorry, Her remarks were cut off as the ladder began to move beneath her, swaying rhythmically as he deftly closed the gap between them.

As his progress halted, Emily experienced a painful increase in his self-awareness. Warm breath fluttered over her bare ankle and trembled against her calf, and to her dismay, she was unable to suppress a delectable little shudder that she couldn't stop.

A short while later, a shadowy head materialised in the V formed by her spread-out knees. As she looked into his eyes, she felt a sharp, searing pain travel through her abdominal region.

This man was gorgeous even from a few metres away. When they were in close proximity, she was able to see the twinkle that was hiding in his midnight-blue eyes and the sensuous curve that was in his full lower lip. As a result, he took her breath away. His easygoing humour was at odds with the fine lines that had formed around his mouth and eyes. These lines spoke of experience and a grim endurance. However, this just served to highlight the appealing qualities of the man.

Her heart was beating at a quick tempo that sent adrenaline pulsing through her body and prevented her from thinking in a logical manner.

"Please allow me." Huge hands stretched out and plucked the book off of her lap, barely ruffling the fabric of her skirt in the process. Despite this, his heat tore through her clothing, and all of a sudden she felt lightheaded. She held the medicinal plant close to her chest.

After that, he vanished, having ascended and descended the rungs of the ladder with an ease that suggested he possessed exceptional fitness and dexterity.

In an effort to regain her calm, Emily took a slow, deep breath in through her restricted lungs. She had never before been sidetracked by the attractiveness of a man. The fact that she had never seen anybody so lovely was something that she disregarded as being unimportant.

She gave a slight nod in response. He's simply a man,

"This one, too," she said. Once more, he had appeared. She had been so preoccupied with her own thoughts that she had failed to see his quick rise. He made a grab for the book that was held by her.

"Don't worry about it. I am able to carry it. She didn't want to let go of the barrier between them even though they were now close enough for her to smell the hints of spice, forest, and male in his scent. She held on to it like a talisman, refusing to let go.

He drewled out the sentence in his smooth, flawless English, saying, "We don't want to risk another accident." 'Do we, Isabella?'

'I'm not.' She brought herself to a standstill. Amusement could be seen in his eyes despite the mock-serious face he was trying to convey.

Anger welled. Her gut began to knot up as she became more self-conscious. Even Ethan had a chuckle at her expense. For the entirety of her life, she had been an outcast, a subject of rumours and a source of mirth. She had become skilled at acting as though she did not notice, yet it continued to sting.

But she was to blame for this. She couldn't contain her excitement and couldn't bear to just wait quietly, so she got herself into this preposterous situation. Now, nobody would ever take what she says seriously. Right when it was most important for her to win over people's confidence and trust.

Had she, all by herself, ruined any chance she had of being successful?

She loosened her grip on her tight fingers and lowered the volume into his waiting palms as she summoned what little dignity she had left.

She had put on thin gloves to safeguard the books, but calloused fingers managed to slip through the gloves and touch hers. She felt a jolt of electricity travel up her arm and across both of her breasts. She quickly removed her hands from the table.

Emily's feelings were still too raw to be comforted, so she bit the inside of her cheek and turned away from his knowing gaze.

He did not move at all. She perceived his gaze, which was as palpable as a lingering touch, travelling from her forehead to her neck and then back up again. Her breaths were slow and shallow.

She lied to herself and said that she was used to being different from her classmates and a curiosity. She refused to acknowledge the sharp pain that was piercing her chest.

She let out a sigh as soon as she heard him clatter back down the ladder, and she let out her breath as she did so.

It's time to get off the high horse and face the consequences. She pulled out the leg that had been tucked beneath her. Her skin began to crawl, a sign that she had been sitting for a longer period of time than she had realised. She wriggled her body carefully while lowering the bunched hem of her skirt back down to its original position. She stood up, firmly grasping the ladder, and prepared to turn.

Her inability to move was due to his apparition in front of her.

"I need space to turn around," the person said. Her voice included inconsistencies that gave her away.

He could have gone lower, but instead he climbed higher, his hands grabbing the rungs of the ladder as he did so that his broad shoulders and strong arms could encircle her.

Even though he didn't touch her, Emily had the feeling that she was being encircled by his embrace. This caused a fluttering sensation in her chest. She was completely overwhelmed by the imposing aura of his presence. It gave her a feeling of being diminished, vulnerable, and on edge.

Her breath puffed in sharply.

His head was now at the level of his chest at this point. She made an effort to create some distance between them by leaning back towards the shelves.

‘Whoa. Easy now.' As if he were trying to calm an agitated animal with his deep voice, he dropped it to a more calming sound.

"I can climb down by myself," she said. Her words came out more cutting than she had intended, reflecting her shame at the onslaught of unexplained responses that were being directed toward her.

'Of course you can.' His lips pursed in thought, which drew her attention to him. As she stared, heat flooded across her face, neck, and cheeks. This exquisite mouth would give the impression of femininity if it were on a face with less harsh features. However, when he wore them, they took on the appearance of being seductive and dangerously alluring.