The Alpha and His Cursed Princess

Chapter 27

Amelia looked up, catching a glimpse of something harsh and grim in his eyes. Chilled, she masked a shiver by turning away so she could pretend to examine the orchid again.

“I am sorry,” he said evenly.

“Why are you sorry?” Amelia managed a smile. “I know that tabloids once called me at the ice Princess but surely you don't believe them? I have never been kissed before this is my first kiss that's why I did  not know how to respond to you.”

His brows were raised, he was surprised by her revelation and he told her. “ I am sorry because I stupidly arranged flights without thinking that we might want to prolong our stay here.”

She blushed and the color heated her skin. Now or never, she thought wondering if he could hear her heart beating so heavily in her chest.

Because she wanted to know what making love to Archie was like infinitely more than she wanted to obey the rules and regulations that her mother and her governors had pulled inside her. For the first time in her life, she realized how potent desire could be.

“Thank you,” she said and answered his unspoken proposition by lifting the flower to her lip still tender from his kisses. Its petals were warm and smooth and she inhaled their sweetly provocative perfume.

Hastily she said. “ I don't think that I have ever seen an orchid exactly this shade of red before and as it seems perfectly happy growing in a pot. I would like to buy one for myself when I get back home. it should enjoy living on my balcony and it would be a charming reminder of my visit here.”

“If you want a true reminder of Denmark, a native plan might be more appropriate. you can buy seed packets of seed that are acceptable to most countries now.”

How could he switch the topic so abruptly, from the passionately demanding kisses of a few minutes ago to this pleasant controversial courtesy?

With ease clearly, emotion and sensation were still churning through her but Archie was once more fully in control.

“I will look out for them,” saying that she turned to go but remembered something and turned around. “what time do you plan to leave this morning?”

He paused  as though remembering something, “ There has been a change of plan, if you are happy with it. My friend had called and lives not far from here. And as today they are launching the new product and have a house warming party with lunch and reception they have invited me and I mentioned you were here with me so they extended the invitation to you.”

"That's very kind of them.” she said, uncertain whether she should go or not and she was not looking out to socialize in Denmark.

His Bros lifted. “ How is it that in your conversation I so often hear but coming?" The  ironic question brought a smile on her face. “ I would love to meet them and the launching of a new product  is a very special occasion.”

A voice trailed away. how could she explain that she did not want to appear to his friends as his latest conquest arm candy for a successful man but before she could go any further he said, “ Danish people are notoriously informal and I can promise you the invitation is genuine. my friend suggested we come for lunch and look around their Newhouse and you would find it very interesting because they had hired architects from around the world." and when she hesitated anew, he added. “She recognized your name and has in some of your travel blogs and is fascinated.”

Somehow that appeased her uncertainty” I would love to go,” she said quietly.

He glanced at his watch, “ And we better start moving breakfast will be in about ten minutes come down we will have a breakfast and then leave.”

“Alright I'll be there.” she promised and headed back into her bedroom.

Once inside her room she stood still in the middle of the room and took several deep breaths trying to clear the air of confusion and frustrated desire from her brain. The perfume of the orchid drifted up, softly seductive and she said beneath her breath. “that's enough of that, I really need to clear my head right now or I will go mad.”

She filled a glass with water and put the flower in it and for a few minutes, she examined the beautiful vision that it created right in front of her. It looked so beautiful that  it reminded her of Archie's seductive lips.

Stop it, she commanded her wayward mind. so she enjoyed his kisses and touches very much and judging by the initial reaction he had enjoyed her response too.

And then he had shut down again now she was so confused and was thinking where would they go from there?

She stared at the mirror absentmindedly trying to apply a mild  makeup but without any focus on what she was doing. and suddenly observed that the room looked a little bit feminine and a sudden thought hit her head that he must have brought another woman and they must have used this room once. She had been the unwilling witness to a scene between her friend and her fiancé and her lover would tell her impatiently " it means nothing my dear you are and you will always be the only woman I love any others are mere entertainment” and soon he left her.

Amelia's experience had taught her that  that man's words cannot be trusted and many men and women did not need to love or even like someone to want them. 

She knew she wasn't that sort of a person she had promised herself that she would wait for someone special someone who would make her feel things she had never felt before someone she could respect and almost a year ago that someone became concrete when she had met Archie. She understood that her wildfire physical response to him had made that decision rather than anything she knew of his character. in danger of letting passion override everything else, she needed to be absolutely sure of her feelings and to do that she would have to learn more about him respond to him intellectually and emotionally as well as with his consuming hunger. Only then could she take the next step.

In the meantime, she better work out what she would wear to the lunch and reception.