My reaction when Jeremy had asked Sophie out to dinner had admittedly been overblown. I was a complete and utter arse. But I couldn’t help it.

Jeremy was a good mate, the best actually, and he would treat Sophie with the upmost respect, like a queen even. But the thought of him laying his hands on her, kissing her, had sent a nasty jealous streak shooting down my spine. I couldn’t help the reaction. I had all but claimed Sophie as my own.

I walked into the tight entryway and half-turned to watch Sophie enter behind me before the door swung shut and we were encased in darkness momentarily. I hid a sneaky grin as she moved closer to me, her breasts grazing my back in the small space, giving me a devil of a time. My attention wavered. What would that same motion feel like if we were both stark naked?

“Um is this one of those black out dining options?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “Because I thought you at least got to see the menu first.”

I laughed as we waited, glad she was with me. “No, it takes a minute or two for them to open the other door.”

I hadn’t lied about the significance of the evenings Frederick and I had shared. And the thought of going to the restaurant we frequented often, alone, hadn’t appealed to me. The pain was still too raw, too fresh to face something like that. And if anyone could make it go away, it was the cheeky woman next to me.

The door finally opened, shedding soft light into the small space we had been sandwiched in and I stepped into the hallway, motioning for Sophie to follow me. It had been years ago that I’d first found the place, a private dining club that wasn’t nearly as expensive as some of the others around London and thankfully not as ritzy. Which helped keep it under the radar. I could come and eat in relative peace, without reporters following me in or being pestered by other diners. Though during my visits I had seen my fair share of movie stars and occasional model.

The hallway opened to a large long room, walls made of thick unfinished stone, with small alcoves carved into the lengths. It always reminded me of an old-fashioned wine cellar. Each one of the alcoves held a small private space where diners could enjoy their meal without being overlooked directly and without any interruptions. There was even a curtain to pull over the opening if there was a need to really hide from everyone.

“Where are we?” she asked as I walked us to my booth, the one that my membership held just for me whenever I wanted.

“It doesn’t have a name,” I said as I explained about the semi-secret dining club. I held back the heavy velvet curtain and motioned for her to slide in. “I did say I’d take you to dinner. See, not a slippery pole in sight, so let your guard down for just a little while. Trust me?”

She gave me a look, her eyebrows twitching, but slid into her seat along the booth. I hooked the curtain on the nail, a signal that someone was occupying the booth before taking up my own seat across from her. The booth curved around the table and normally I sat in the middle of it so I could see out, but tonight I stayed put near the edge not wanting to make Sophie uncomfortable. I had done that enough already with my damn proclamations.

“This is all so mysterious. Are there places like this all over London?”

“You, betcha. You wouldn’t believe how many secret and private clubs there are tucked away in old buildings with only a single nondescript door as an entranceway.”

A waiter dressed in a pair of dark trousers and a black shirt came by and dropped off my usual pitcher of ale on the table and a few plates filled with appetisers; a cheese board and some charcuterie.

Once he was gone, I was about to tuck in when I noticed Sophie eyeing me suspiciously. “Did you set this up before hand?” she asked.

I shook my head. “It’s part of the ambience of the place. You come in, you sit down, and they have your lists of preferences already to go. No ordering, no trying to make up your mind. No stress. They do that, the chef combines your choices depending on what he’s got and what’s fresh. Wait, you’re not allergic to anything are you?”

“Nope, I was just wondering, is all.”

She still looked as if she mistrusted me but started picking at the cheese, popping small bite-sized pieces into her mouth. I poured us both mugs of ale and was about to take a sip when Sophie stopped me.

She had her own mug in her hand, bringing it close to mine. “To Frederick, loved but never forgotten.”

I nodded and rose my mug, a lump suddenly making itself known in my throat. “To Frederick.” I took a long gulp of the frosty liquid, attempting to wash down all the emotions I had about the night.

“So,” Sophie started after taking a sip of her own ale. “Tell me how you got started with the cliff diving thing. Whatever possessed you to do it?”

I settled back. “Don’t you know I’ve always been the daredevil of the family, jumping off literally anything I could find? I did this charity parachute jump once—”

“Jumping out of planes?” she said as her eyes widened.

“Yup. And it all started from there. You have to do tons of them before you can really start with the base-jumping. And that’s also how I met Jeremy. Then of course after that I couldn’t stop. We egged each other on. It’s all his fault, and he’s proud of that fact. But we’ve jumped in some pretty spectacular places, places you wouldn’t normally see otherwise on a regular tourist trail,” I finished.

“But why?” she asked.

I shrugged. “I don’t know, the thrill of it all maybe? There’s nothing like the rush you feel as you’re hurtling towards the ground at an insane speed. And the only difference between life and death is the cord at your elbow.”

Sophie wrinkled her nose. “I’d much prefer a safe day at a fairground, eating all the candy floss I could to get the same type of rush.”

I laughed, feeling myself relax. “I’ll have to try and see if that has the same effect for me.”

She looked at her drink for a moment. Only a few shuffles of others in the restaurant could be heard as we sat in comfortable silence.

“Can I ask you another question?”

I leaned back, draining my mug in one big gulp. “Sure.”

“If you could get out of being in line for the throne, would you?”

That was a loaded question. “You mean when the time came, abdicate and let Robert taken on the mantle?”

She nodded.

“There was a time I would have said yes without hesitation,” I finally said after a moment. I’d hated the fact that I was a member of the royal family and glad in some respect that it would’ve taken something drastic before the spotlight properly shined upon the second heir. But then that day had come and turned everything upside down.

“And now?” she asked, her eyes on me. “What’s changed?”

I stared back into the depths of her eyes, seeing a different person now than the one I’d judged so harshly on that first day we’d met. What did she want to hear? She had so much hope that I could take on this role, that I could be Rick, perhaps even better. No one had ever had such hope in me before and I didn’t know how to handle it. I was hurtling into the unknown.

“I’m not sure,” I said slowly, thinking of the letter in my jacket pocket. “What do you think?”

She slowly smiled. “You already know what I think.”

“Why does it matter so much to you, Sophie?”

Sophie reached for the pitcher of ale, topping hers off then doing the same to mine before replying. “My mum was a private secretary too. And it’s all I know how to do, other than waitressing at a pub, which is probably what I would be doing if I didn’t have a plan, or this position. Don’t you see? Your actions directly impact my life. It sounds selfish, but it’s not just me that this matters to. There’s a whole country out there that would, in a way, be affected. They’re counting on you. But they also believe in you. We have all these traditions and it sounds mad, I know, but we need them and we need the stability…”

I didn’t like that statement. I didn’t like anyone having to depend on me, which was one of the reasons I’d stayed well away from the politics of the royal family. Even though Frederick was gone, I was still virtually safe from making any executive decisions with my father still alive. I thought I was safe anyway until Sophie's declaration. She depended on me. Bloody hell.

“I’m sorry you have to depend on someone like me,” I forced out, looking at her.

Her eyes widened and she reached across the table, grabbing my hand in hers. I ignored the fact that her touch went straight to my cock, my hands desperate to tear across the table just to touch her more.

“See that’s just the thing,” she said. “I believe I’m a hell of a lot safer in your hands than anyone else’s. I know you aren’t oblivious to this stuff, as much as you’d like to convince yourself of that. You are acutely aware that my livelihood depends on you, whereas others wouldn’t even give it a second thought. That puts you ahead of the game, William. I know you care. And that’s probably what’s scaring the shit out of you, isn’t it?”

Thinking, I turned my palm over and gripped her hand in mine, my thumb rubbing the top of her hand idly. She was so soft, smooth. Irresistible. I could feel the slight tremble in her touch and wondered was she feeling the same? Was she as nervous as I was? Was this sexual tension something that we should explore? And yet with a simple touch she was keeping me grounded, if that was even possible with me. I could try anyone’s patience.

The curtain pulled back and Sophie jumped, tearing her hand out from mine. I felt the disconnect immediately; the need to touch her again was overwhelming. I didn’t understand it nor did I try to. Some things were too damn complicated.

The waiter sat plates of piping hot beef Wellington on the table and another pitcher of ale before disappearing again, dropping the curtain to give us our privacy. I stole a look at Sophie, seeing the dull flush on her face as she looked down at the food, eager to avoid eye contact. I’d embarrassed her but I didn’t care, not this time. I wasn’t going to apologise for touching her hand when I knew it’d felt right.

“Dig in,” I said instead, hoping that she’d relax before the evening was out. I would have to patient, yet there was a real possibility that I would go fucking insane with need if I wasn’t careful.