Kiss of the Goblin Prince
Read Kiss of the Goblin Prince Online
Authors: Shona Husk
Copyright © 2012 by Shona Husk
Cover and internal design © 2012 by Sourcebooks, Inc.
Cover illustration by Don Sipley
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The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
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Contents
An excerpt from
For the Love of a Goblin Warrior
Chapter 1
There were no decorations in the church, no family or friends filling the pews. Amanda paused and glanced at the altar where Eliza’s groom waited with his brother. She took a breath and forced a smile. Eliza wanted this, and even though Amanda thought her sister-in-law was rushing to marry a man she hardly knew, she had to be happy for her. Eliza certainly seemed happy, happier than she’d been for years.
“She’s on her way,” Amanda called to the men as she walked down the aisle with her daughter, Brigit, at her side. The black-and-white bridesmaid dress restricted each step—well, that and the heels. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d gotten dressed up. When she’d gotten married it had been in a registry office. That seemed so long ago now she could’ve been another person. She had been another person back then. Young and carefree. Her life had changed so fast. Widowed three months later. She glanced at Brigit, the only part of her husband she had left.
At least Brigit wasn’t hampered by her dress. She walked very carefully clutching the ring Eliza was going to give Roan as if it was going to jump out of her fist. From her other hand hung the white and black little bag, made especially to match the dress. But it wasn’t for show. Inside was Brigit’s inhaler. She couldn’t go out without it. Anything could set off a fatal asthma attack.
Please
not
today.
Roan turned and nodded. All Eliza had told her about him was he was from Wales and he had money and a brother. Her gaze flicked to the other man in a black suit and lingered for longer than was polite. Dai stood to one side. His long hair was loose but not scruffy. The hair and suit were at odds with how she’d thought he’d look. She’d been told he was a scholar. When she’d been at college none of the professors had looked like him. He was too…too something she didn’t want to label.
Dai turned his head and caught her gaze. His eyes were dark and mesmerizing. Her heart gave a solid thump as if beating for the first time in years. Her smile widened before she could stop her lips from moving, and then a slow, creeping heat colored her cheeks. It had been a long time since she’d had such an instant reaction to anyone. The last man who’d done that had been her husband and he’d been dead seven years. Dai gave her a small nod and a smile that made her feel like she was the one walking down the aisle.
Get
a
grip
. It was a wedding and she was just in a happy, romantic mood because of Eliza. She was living vicariously through her. Being in love was exciting…even if Eliza was rushing to the altar with a man she’d known for only a heartbeat.
Wonder
what
Dai
thinks
of
the
quick
wedding.
She’d have to ask him later. And also take the opportunity to find out a bit more about the King brothers—for Eliza’s sake.
She and Brigit took their places on the other side of the altar with the scowling priest looking on. Brigit opened her hand for the third time to check on the ring.
“You’ll do great,” Amanda tried to reassure her.
Brigit nodded and then looked at the men on the other side. She frowned and whispered, “Why does Roan’s brother have long hair?”
Her little voice echoed in the empty church. Amanda wilted on the inside; there was no way he could’ve missed the comment.
“I don’t know,” Amanda whispered with an awkward smile stuck on her lips.
He didn’t need to cut his hair; it suited him, softened what otherwise might have been a fierce expression, with dark blue eyes someone could drown in.
Dai’s gaze landed on Brigit, his face neutral as he spoke to his brother in another language, Welsh maybe, from the soft lilts. Amanda held her breath, ready to leap to Brigit’s defense, waiting for him to either laugh or scowl at her daughter. He did neither.
“I like it long,” he said in English with an unidentifiable accent.
Amanda sighed. At least he wasn’t a children-shouldn’t-be-heard type of academic.
“If he wouldn’t cut it for my wedding, I don’t think he’ll ever find a reason to.” Roan glanced at the church door as if he thought Eliza had changed her mind.
Amanda knew that wouldn’t happen. Eliza had gushed about Roan. And he was an improvement on ex-fiancé shifty-Steve, now awaiting trial for fraud. But it was still too fast, not even long enough to give the thirty days’ notice to put in the paperwork. This was a wedding in a church that wouldn’t be valid, but neither Roan nor Eliza cared. At least if it didn’t work there’d be no divorce paperwork either.
She shook her head and glanced at the stone floor. It had been so long since she was in love she’d forgotten what it was like. Her gaze landed on Dai again, as if drawn there of its own accord. When she realized she was checking out how nicely the suit fit his body, she looked away and studied the stained glass window before he could notice she was looking, again.
It was one thing to look at a man, and it was very easy to look at Dai and wonder what he looked like beneath his clothes, but it was another thing to act on it. She glanced at Brigit. Unlike Eliza, Amanda couldn’t take risks and leaps of faith.
As she watched her sister-in-law walk down the aisle, Amanda realized she was jealous. Not pea-green, but enough that she knew what she didn’t have, and what she’d lost. Matt should’ve been here watching his sister marry, watching his daughter grow up. Part of her had died with him and the rest had forgotten how to live as she’d poured her attention into Brigit and her battle for survival.
She didn’t hear the words of the vows, only the echo of the words she’d promised years ago. Her finger touched the wedding band Matt had given her. His was at home, barely scratched after only three months of use.
A tiny bell chimed through the church. She gasped as she realized Brigit had dropped the ring and was scrambling to retrieve it as it spun on the stone floor.
Eliza let out a small laugh.
A peal of thunder rolled over the roof. Dai glanced up as if he could see something no one else could. He spoke in Welsh and his brother nodded.
“And so it is. The vows are accepted,” Roan said in English.
Accepted by whom? A trickle of ice traced down her spine, the church suddenly cold. Who were these men?
She turned away when Roan and Eliza kissed, unable to fight the rising disquiet, her gaze caught and lingered on Dai. She couldn’t even remember what it felt like to be kissed by a man. Dai was watching her. The moment they realized it, they both looked aside as if they’d found something else suddenly absorbing.
“It’s like in
Cinderella
.” Brigit was grinning at the idea that her favorite fairy tale could come true.
Amanda stroked her daughter’s hair and hoped that Brigit would be saved the heartache she’d experienced. It was a relief to step outside. The sky was clear, and while the winter sun was bright, it lacked the heat to take away the chill. She shivered as gooseflesh rose on her arms.
“Here.” Dai offered her his jacket, leaving him only a shirt and waistcoat against the cool weather.
She hesitated, not sure she wanted to take anything from him when she knew nothing about him. But that would be churlish and today wasn’t about her.
“Thank you. Are you sure you won’t be cold?”