Chapter Nine
Charlotte
I stayed on my rooftop deck for at least an hour, remembering and relishing Ash’s touch, his voice, his promise.
You get to set the pace.
A perfect solution but a double-edged sword. I barely had the resolve to step away from his kiss, and that was only after a few hours with him.
I was definitely going to fuck this up.
I took a very cold shower and slept on and off for a few hours, dreaming of Ash’s face, his silky voice whispering sinfully dirty things in my ear. At six a.m., I got up, took another ice-cold shower, and headed to Serene’s house.
I couldn’t wait any longer.
“It’s a little early, isn’t it?” Serene said, rubbing her face as she opened the door to the new Brownstone her and Jeffery shared. “Oh, Charlotte, come in!” She pulled me into the house, morning grogginess replaced with sheer excitement. “Tell me everything.”
I laughed. “I will. Did you happen to grab my—”
“Of course,” she said, pointing to the table in the foyer with my phone and the clutch I’d left at the gala. “Come on. Let’s get some coffee in me, and you can tell me everything.”
We chatted over bagels and smoked salmon and the strongest coffee I’d ever had. I told her everything—how enthralled we were by each other, how knowledgeable he was about charities and international finance, how I told him I needed to go slow because I didn’t want to screw it up—everything.
“Right, but did you guys, you know? Charlotte, I saw you two on the dance floor. You were like something out of a movie. You two moved as one so easily. It was quite the sight. Tell me it was that amazing in bed.”
“I’m afraid I can’t tell you any such thing.”
“What? Why? You’ve never had a problem kissing and telling before.”
“We had a chaste evening. He kissed my hand. Twice. That was all.”
“Well, that’s no fun. When are you seeing him again?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I’m here. I needed my phone, and I assume you have his number.”
She nodded and sent me the prince’s number. I wasted no time texting him.
When can I see you again? It’s Charlotte, by the way.
Good morning, my lady. Anytime you like.
Now?
Haha, I would love to meet you now, but it is a bit early for my liking. How about this evening? Say, 8pm?
Eight o’clock? I didn’t think I could wait that long. My fingers hovered over my phone, desperate to type something cute to encourage an earlier time. Instead, I took a breath and decided to give this a real shot by not rushing it.
8 it is
Wonderful. I’ll pick you up. Wear something comfortable.
“Well?” Serene asked expectantly when I set the phone down.
“We’re meeting tonight at eight.”
“Oooooooh! How exciting! That means he’s extending his stay in the States for you.”
My stomach flipped. “Really?”
“Yes. Last night at the Met, he told me he planned to leave early Sunday morning.”
He stayed for me? My heart fluttered in my chest, and a silly smile tugged at my lips. He stayed for me. “Jesus, Serene, I’m so excited, but so scared I’m gonna fuck this up.”
“Relax, sweetie. You two are perfect for each other. Enjoy the ride.”
I nodded.
“I must admit, I’m a little jealous,” Serene said.
“Really? What on earth for?”
“Well, you’re about to enter the beginning of your honeymoon phase where hormones are peaked constantly, and all you can do is walk around in a haze of lust and wonder when you get to see him again. Jeffery and I are just coming out of it. As much as I wished that crazy cocoon of desire and pheromones had leveled off sooner with us, now that it has, I find myself missing it every now and then. So, I say, enjoy the rush, sweetie. You’re in for a wild ride.”
Serene and I talked for another hour or so before I headed back to my penthouse. The hours refused to pass quickly. The seconds ticked by like minutes, the minutes like hours before I finally decided to distract myself with a Netflix binge.
Half a season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer later and I was ready and waiting for Ash to pick me up. At exactly eight o’clock, my buzzer rang, and two minutes later, I was in his arms, hugging him like I hadn’t seen him in years.
He stroked my hair as I pressed myself into him. “I missed you, too,” he said softly.
“So, where are we going?” I asked as we settled into the back of his sedan.
“I thought we’d start with a walk in Central Park,” he said as he pulled me closer.
I shivered at his touch, his silky voice, at just being near him. “I love the idea, but that’s a little too public for me. The paparazzi—”
Ash smiled at me, a wide, knowing smile that did silly things to my pulse. “Yes, I thought that might be an issue. I’ve already informed my security detail. They’ve taken care of everything.”
I grinned and nestled into him. “Perfect.”
When we arrived, the prince offered me his arm, and we strolled along the main path. We talked about what kind of charity I’d want to shadow, what kind of charities need the most funding, and what he liked so much about the arts-centered charities.
“Art has a bit of the arcane left in it. There’s still a bit of magic in this world, and I think you can see it best in works of great art.”
“How do you mean?” I asked, tucking myself into the crook of his arm. I couldn’t get close enough to this man.
“Well, have you ever heard a song and been instantly transported to another time in your life.”
“Sure. Swan Lake makes me think of ballet class, All That Jazz reminds me of that awful stint I did off-Broadway...”
Ash stopped and faced me, taking both my hands. “That’s not what I mean, Charlotte. I’m not talking about songs reminding you of the past. I’m speaking of the ability art has to make you feel like you are truly there again, if even for a moment.”
I nodded, relishing the way his hands completely enveloped mine, the way his gaze focused so intently on me. “I think I know what you mean. There’s a song that takes me right back to my childhood—summers playing outside all day and falling asleep to the sound of crickets outside my window.”
He smiled at me. “Exactly. Art can transport you, it can heal you, it can make you feel the whole spectrum of human emotions. And I think that’s magnificent.”
A shudder ran through me as he drew circles with his thumb on the top of my hand. Fuck, I was in trouble. “I agree. But I’d rather spend my time and money helping people. I’d rather fund a program that provides materials to women in Africa to make feminine hygiene products so little girls can go to school even after they start menstruating. Or build housing for low-income families or dig wells in rural areas without clean water.”
Ash sighed. “You’re far nobler than I am, Charlotte.”