He was wearing her down, not by acting like a prince but by revealing to her his softer side. He had seen her several times after his visit to the farm, either in passing or deliberately. Her choice words for him grew less, and she had even become civil. Jason didn’t need to search any longer. He wanted her to be the one he married, but he still had a lot of fighting to contest. She was content on her farm, and what he offered was everything but. Life with him meant dressing up at all times, being proper, choosing words well—all things Elena struggled with.

Still, he couldn’t get her off his mind. He had seen something in her, something different that had stirred his curiosity, and he wanted to know more. She didn’t go to the tree anymore, so he took it for himself. As soon as it got dark, he followed the all too familiar path and was once again disheartened she wasn’t there. He wanted to see her—he looked forward to it.

He sighed as he sat on the stump under the tree, watching as the night grew darker, and listened to the sounds of the creatures stirring nearby. It was peaceful, and he didn’t appreciate the night as much from his balcony at the castle. There, in the village, it was serene and practically blissful. He was getting lost in the moment when he heard a sound to his left. He turned and almost fell off the stump when he saw her standing only a few feet away.

His heart soared but his face remained calm. “I was wondering when you would show.”

“I thought you might be here,” she replied calmly as she moved forward. He noticed she wasn’t wearing the blue or gray overalls she always wore. She had on a plain white dress that fell to her knees, and her hair was combed back into a ponytail.

It wasn’t the usual low-cut, cleavage-revealing, long-slit, open-back kind of sexy he had grown to appreciate over the years. This was a different kind, and it appealed to him in the same magnitude as did the others, if not more so. What he saw that night was a gem, hidden so far beneath rags it had to take a master excavator to dig beneath the overlay to uncover the mysterious treasure. And from what he saw, he had barely scratched the surface.

He sucked in his breath and patted the stump beside him. He thought she would rather sit on the ground, as predicted by her usual defiance. She surprised him when she did as he asked.

“What is wrong with you tonight?” he asked out of shock.

She turned and shyly batted her lashes. “What do you mean?”

“The dress. Sitting next to me. The dress,” he repeated, provoking a laugh from her.

“I figured the dirty overalls and filth might be a turn on for you, so I came like this, hoping I might turn you off,” she replied timidly. She looked over and smiled wryly at him. “Did it work?”

“Not on your life. You merely opened a different can of worms.” He laughed.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, painfully aware of the other person next to them. Jason couldn’t think about much more than that. He decided to make a bold move, and he reached out and took her hand resting on her leg. She jumped, and her eyes told him she was afraid. She slid it quickly back to its former position and locked both hands together.

“I don’t bite.” She was quiet. “Elena, what’s wrong? You know, I’m used to the feisty woman with the sharp comebacks. I’m not sure I know who this woman is.”

“I don’t want to leave my farm,” she announced and faced him. She took his hand. “Please, don’t make me leave my family here.”

“What are you talking about?” He was puzzled by her outburst, and he squeezed her hand as she held onto him.

The motion sent shock waves running along the length of his spine, and he felt like a young boy sneaking out to be with his first girlfriend and anticipating their first kiss. He felt her shiver, and he held her hand even tighter.

“I thought maybe if I came out here, dressed like this, I could convince you to change your mind about me—and don’t tell me I’m seeing things. You always do that, like I’m an idiot. I know you like me. You do things for me that you don’t do for anyone else. And I am grateful, but…I can’t marry you, Jason.”

“Hmm,” he grunted, and turned away from her. He stared out into the night, seeing nothing and feeling everything he would rather not feel. “Can’t, or won’t? It may not be a choice.”

She yanked her hand back. “Why would you do that?” Her eyes were glossy as the tears started to form.

“I’m not doing anything, Elena. This is being done to me too.”

“But you can choose someone who wants to go with you. I don’t,” she cried and turned away so he wouldn’t see the tears as they fell.

“But what would be the point?” he asked her.

“So, because you are forced to do something, you are going to force me? That’s not nice.”

“Well, I’m sorry it’s not nice,” he said almost angrily. “But it has to be done.”

“No!” she said, stumbling to a standing position. “I won’t let you do this.” She ran off.

He didn’t chase her because her action didn’t change anything. He had to choose a woman to marry, and he chose her. It was as simple as that, and he needed her to understand it was the best decision for everyone. At that point, it wasn’t about love but more out of a sense of obligation. Maybe she didn’t understand that, but he would convince her of it in the morning, when this evening wasn’t so fresh in her mind.

But Elena proved even colder over the next couple of days. She refused to speak with him, she avoided him every chance she got, and when he called to her in the streets, she pretended not to hear him.

“Don’t mind her,” Charlotte said as she clung to him and batted her lashes. “Poor thing. She hardly has any clothes.” Other women hanging around laughed at her comment and added some of their own.

“That’s not a nice thing to say,” Emma, the shy one, replied, backing away when they gave her nasty looks. “You know why she wears those clothes. She only started doing it after her brother died.”

Jason’s ears pricked. “Her brother died?”

“Yes,” Emma responded. “He went to war and never came back. She’s been different since. But she is still nice. She just stays by herself a lot.”

“What would you know? You probably don’t even know how to please a man. Have you ever had a man, Emma?” they teased.

“Leave the girl alone,” Julianne interceded. “What’s wrong with not sleeping with every man in town?”

They looked at each other and burst out laughing. “You wouldn’t know either. You have slept with every man in town.”

Julianna grinned because she wasn’t offended. “And I bet I could get the prince too. What do you say, Prince Jason? Let a real woman show you how it’s done,” she said, narrowing her eyes at him and pushing her breasts up. “My girls say hi.”

“Ew,” someone responded in disgust.

“No thanks,” Jason told her. “But nice rack.”

“Thank you,” she cooed. “Hit me up anytime.” She winked and left the other hopeless women still vying for his attention. At least she knew her limits and where her ambitions ended. He was way out of her league.

“So, um, Prince Jason,” Charlotte ventured to say again, “what do you say about dinner?”

She tried to touch him on the chest, but he caught her arm and laid it back to her side. “I’m sorry, but that’s not going to happen.”

“What about me?” Emma asked nervously.

“Or my Candace,” the father who had invited him for breakfast on the second day questioned. “She would make a fine wife, Prince Jason. She has all the makings of a princess, and—”

“I’m not marrying Candace,” Jason replied dryly, weary of their questions and constant demands. He was annoyed because the one person he wanted to see, to speak with, had walked away from him, and because of them, he couldn’t go after her. He had made a show of walking away, laughing loudly and faking happy, but he wanted to run to her. He was sad when he’d looked back and seen that she had gone.

“But you came for breakfast,” the father persisted. “I thought that meant—”

“It meant I was hungry,” Jason told him flatly. “Wasn’t it enough that I actually came with you?”

“But I only asked for Candace’s sake,” the man argued, obviously infuriated that his daughter was no longer in the running.

“I’m sorry, all of you,” he replied, turning about so they would know he was talking to all of them. “I’ve made up my mind.”

“What?” came the murmured whispers as they wondered who he had chosen.

“Don’t tell me you chose that mud-slinging Elena!” Charlotte growled.

Jason didn’t answer, and that in and of itself sufficed for one.

“You must be joking!” Candace’s father said. “My Candace is far better than that tom-boy.”

Jason remained silent, but the anger was slowly snowballing inside him. He locked his hands behind him and glowered at the gentle crowd slowly turning monstrous before him.

“And my Charlotte,” a woman interjected.

Emma started crying, and her sobs came out in intermittent bursts as she covered her face and ran away.

“Now look what you did!” her mother scolded Jason. “We should have never agreed to this.”

“You make it seem as if I hadn’t chosen anyone,” Jason reminded them.

“You might as well have not chosen anyone,” the father blared. “I would have felt better with any one of these other girls, but Elena? That’s your choice?”

“I didn’t say she was my choice,” Jason replied as he tried to downplay his decision.

“Who else could it be? You said it wasn’t anyone here, and the only others not present are Elena and those who aren’t the marrying age.”

“You take us for fools,” they jested and quarreled among themselves even more.

“Do you forget who you’re talking to?” Jason blurted when he’d had enough of their bickering. “I can have any one of you thrown in jail for talking to me like you have been. You should be lucky—”

“No, you better pray you’re lucky, or you might not have long in that castle. At least Wyatt has more sense,” the father dared to say as he backed slowly away.

The gathering slowly dispersed, each person with a long face, cursing the prince under their breaths and hating Elena a little more.

Jason remained in the same spot until they had gone, pondering his next course of action. He couldn’t understand their bitter assault on Elena. He saw what they saw—her odd clothes, her antisocial tendencies—but that wasn’t enough to hate her with the passion they exhibited. Besides, from what Emma had said, she had good reasons, noble reasons, for her behavior, and he admired her even more. She was simply a loner, and for some strange reason, that appealed to him. He was used to show girls, arrogant and condescending princesses, and snobbish girls who would love to go to bed with him. In fact, he had bedded some of them and left one or two heartbroken. He was barely twenty-four and didn’t have to worry about settling down, he’d thought. He barely had time to bask in the memories of Paris before he was burdened with the responsibility of saving the crown, which meant settling down. He grappled with the idea still, as lovely as Elena seemed.

He walked back to the cottage without company for the first time since he had been to the village. People looked on, all eyes reflecting disappointment. He didn’t care. In another month or so, he wouldn’t need to see them every God-awful day. He slammed the door shut and cursed the walls of the cottage, venting to a source that couldn’t talk back. But deep down, he knew the other villagers weren’t his source of distress. That lay fully at the feet of Elena.

She was hard to exorcise. He had called Ellie to bring him food, not wanting to depend on the villagers, but even the usually delicious morsels tasted bland to him. His mouth went around in circles, but he tasted nothing. He slapped the napkin down onto the table and went to the shower. He would have loved a hot bath—anything to soak away his troubles. He was left with the eco-warm water in a tiny space, and he slapped the shower curtain away so hard a few of the rods broke. He stood outside the shower, looking at the curtain as it flapped where it tore. He had to get out of there. And he needed to see her before he got crazier. He knew, in a fit like this, he would never fall asleep.

He dressed quickly in jeans, a tank, and loafers and hurried outside like the house was on fire. He was in a half-run as he made his way to the farm, and he hoped she wouldn’t be indoors. She might not want to come out to him. His wristwatch read half past seven, and the day was slowly turning into night. Lights already streamed from a few of the windows in some of the houses he passed, but none were on in Elena’s house. He was a nervous wreck the closer he got, and his heart thundered in his chest. He knew he was risking her rejection, but he couldn’t go another moment wondering what could have happened if he had gone.

He was nearing the door when he heard a sound to his right. His right foot was already on the top step when he stopped and glanced across the field. The barn door was open and a light shone inside. He looked from the house to the barn, wondering if her father was out there or if it was her. He pulled back and decided to check the barn first. If it was her father, he could always tell him he was making a house call.

He was pleasantly surprised to see Elena inside. He stood at the door and watched as she walked from stall to stall with her lantern, checking the horses and giving them one last bit of oats or sugar—he couldn’t tell which from that distance. He cleared his throat and she jumped, the lantern almost falling from her hand.

“For heaven’s sake, Jason…sheesh!” she cried as she leaned against the stall to steady herself. “What are you doing here? I thought I told you not to come.”

He moved closer, like he didn’t understand her words. “I had to come. I wanted to see you.”

She gulped, and he smiled when he witnessed it. She turned around and hurried to the back of the barn, where she placed the lantern down. “You should go. This isn’t a good idea.”

By the time she turned around again he was right in front of her. He touched her hand and she trembled, discomfort marked on her features. “Why didn’t you tell me about your brother?”

She squinted her eyes and looked oddly at him. “What about my brother?”

“That he…died. That you wear his clothes…to stay close to him…”

He hadn’t finished the statement when tears rolled down her cheeks. “I don’t want to talk about this.” She sniffled and wiped her hand down her face.

“Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it? I’m a good listener.” He smiled, his eyes reflecting kindness in the scantily lit barn.

Elena’s shoulders sagged as if in defeat, and they started shaking. “I don’t…what do I say? He left and he never came back. All we got was a damn flag and ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘he served well.’ That’s what we got!”

He listened, but there was not a damned thing he could do—or say—that would make her feel any better about her situation. On instinct, he pulled her to him and felt her body shake as the tears came quickly and in torrents. Seeing her that vulnerable, so open to him, drew Jason even closer to her as he shared her pain.

“It’s okay,” he whispered against her head. He rubbed her arms and squeezed her against him, and although that was not his original intention, he couldn’t help but notice the softness of her breasts through the thick, oversized shirt she wore. He smoothed her hair and pulled his head back a little as he kissed her on the forehead.

She pulled back as if to run. He would have let her go under the circumstances. But it was not a frightened Elena he saw before him. She was a woman who was hurt and who craved affection, and he felt commissioned to attend to her needs. His eyes remained open as her slightly parted lips hypnotized him, and he leaned in and brushed against them with his own. She didn’t move, didn’t reject him, which served to extend the invitation.

The blood rushed to his head as he kissed her harder, and he was pleasantly surprised when she clung to him and kissed him back. His breathing came out in gasps as he circled her waist with his hands. She cupped his face and kissed him longingly, receiving the tongue he thrust gently into her mouth. She was soft against him, and his hands moved to cup her ass under the baggy pants. But he wanted to feel more. He slipped his hand inside, feeling the smoothness of her skin and wanting more than anything to taste her, to feel his cock as it was swallowed by her tight pussy.

She moaned against his face as he dipped his head and kissed her throat. She clung to the hair at the back of his head and let hers fall back. Jason grabbed her ass and lifted her, and she instinctively locked her legs around him. She dug into his arms as their lips met again, and their moans filled the barn. He felt his cock pulsating against her thigh, and he yearned to sink it inside her.

His lips were still on hers as he moved about and looked for a place to rest. He saw a pile of fresh hay in the corner, and he took three steps and deposited her there. Her eyes were glazed, like she had been drugged, and she bit her lower lip as she lay back against the prickly bed. In fluid motions, he removed his clothing before he slid hers gently to the ground. His breath caught in his throat when he saw the swell of her breasts. She was nervous, he could tell, and as he slid his hands under the cups to free her breasts, he could hardly believe he was on the brink of making love to Elena – the woman who had set him on fire the moment he met her.

Her body shook when his tongue played around her nipples, and he watched as they hardened in anticipation. She writhed on the hay, and her hips shuffled gently from side to side as her knees moved up and down repeatedly. He covered her nipples and suckled her deliciousness, and his dick grew harder as it waited for its prize.

He sucked one breast as he squeezed another, rotating every few seconds, not able to get enough of her. Dazed, he gazed at her and caught her lips again as his hand ventured lower and played with her erect clitoris. He moaned against her mouth as he felt her heat and wetness. He wanted to taste her, and he blazed a trail from her lips to her navel with his tongue. The closer he got, the shallower her breathing became, until he found her wet haven and caught her erection with his tongue. Her knee shot up again, and he pried them apart as he ran his tongue over and beside her clit. She trembled and clung to his head, and her body was halfway into a sitting motion before she fell back on the hay in defeat.

Jason’s tongue found her entrance, and it darted in and out of her before his mouth returned to sucking on her clit. He fingerfucked her while he sucked, and her body arched as waves of ecstasy flooded her. His cock was about to explode, and unable to contain himself any longer, he rose, grabbed it with his right hand, and guided it slowly into her. His moans could no longer be stifled as he felt her inner walls closing in on him. She whimpered and locked her legs against him as his movement increased. He squeezed her breast and gazed into her face, cognizant of the way her body trembled against his. He had fucked many women before, but none like Elena. He was enveloped with bliss, not wanting to leave her body, and it frightened him. Her lips trembled against his as he found them, swollen from repeated kissing. She clung to his sides, and he felt her fingers as they pinched his skin and dug into his body, adding to the pleasure. She panted as he fucked her harder and harder, wanting to take all of her.

She seemed reserved, and he easily understood why. Fuck, he should have some reservation of his own. But his body wasn’t responding to his swirling thoughts. They were captivated by this woman who, by all indications, should be a passing memory. She was not in his class, did not have the experience he had, and surely would not have the power to win him over.

But his desire for her grew to insurmountable heights, and he clung to her as his cock sank deeper and deeper into her, feeling every measure of her and loving it even more. Even as he fucked, he wanted more. He had quickly developed a mad obsession with her, and he was more reluctant than ever to let her go.

The heat from their bodies molded together, and Jason kissed her lips, her face, and her breasts, acutely aware of the tension building inside him he wanted to delay. Her body was limp as he kissed the length of it, and as he passed his tongue over her wet pussy, the urge returned. He sank into her again and fucked her, holding her legs apart as he sank into her repeatedly. His thighs slapped against her ass, the sound of sex masked by the occasional whinnying of the horses.

He felt his body tense as the sensations traveled along the length of his body. “Fuck, not yet! Not yet!” he cried.

She dug into his thighs, her legs uncomfortably locked to him, and his hands dropped beside her arms as he felt his cum rushing to the surface. He buried his head against her neck and moaned as he climaxed, shaking now to match her already vibrating body.

He collapsed next to her, sweat dripping from their bodies, and watched as a shivering and frightened Elena clutched her clothes tightly against her chest.