Chapter 3

He selected a silk striped button-down nightshirt and a pair of boxers from his drawer and then returned to the bed. "Here." He held the clothes out to her.

"What are those for?" she asked. One elegant brow rose.

"You. You woke up clawing at your dress. Looks like it's too tight around your chest and it's restricting your breathing. Unless you have clothes of your own, you're changing into these so we can both get some sleep. Layla said you had some paper due tomorrow."

When she opened her mouth, he could see the protest in her eyes and it amused him. Feisty little thing. And damned if he didn't picture all the things he'd like to do to that little mouth.

"Take the clothes and change in the bathroom. Now." He deepened his voice, and she hopped out of bed, snatching the clothes as she darted into the bathroom. She froze, then slowly looked over her shoulder at him.

"What?"

"My dress­it's the laces in the back. I can't reach them."

A sigh escaped him. "Come here." He crooked a finger and sat farther back on his bed. She sidled up to him, bashfulness in her every movement.

There was something sinful and suggestive about the way she nibbled her bottom lip. He twirled a finger, indicating for her to spin around. She offered her back to him. The silk ribbons on the back of her gown came undone easily enough, but he was surprised to see the second set of laces beneath, which belonged to a corset. It was black with embroidered red roses that set off the color of the loose tangles of her hair. The strands teased the back of his hands as he unlaced the corset. The creamy skin of her lower back made his mouth go dry. The princess was trying to kill him with these temptations.

All too soon the view disappeared as she rushed into the adjoining bathroom to change.

He fell back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. His fingers tapped a rhythm on his stomach as he waited. This was not at all how he'd predicted his night would go. He wasn't complainingnot exactly.

The princess emerged, gown gone. She looked so young, standing there dwarfed in his button-down shirt and a hint of his boxers beneath the hem at her mid-thighs. Her gorgeous hair was wild and long, and it looked like she'd been well loved in bed. He didn't miss the swell of her full breasts against the thin, expensive silk. The top button was low down her chest, exposing a wealth of creamy skin. Damn.

He was about to say something bad, something that his exhausted mind would probably get him slapped for, when his bedroom door burst open and light from the hallway illuminated them both.

"Dude­found a bed." A man wearing the bottom half of a stormtrooper costume stumbled toward Jared's bed. Behind him trailed a girl in a Playboy Bunny outfit.

Jared glanced at Felicity, who'd frozen in shock, her hands pulling the button-up shirt closed against her throat, her cheeks a bright pink in the dim light.

"Oh­hey­" The stormtrooper finally noticed Jared as Jared got to his feet, scowling. "Do you mind if we"

"Get the fucking hell out of my room," Jared growled. "Now." He may have been almost half-dead with fatigue, but he could still throw a punch if he needed to.

"But come on, man, I want to get laid­" the boy whispered too loudly, and the bunny behind him giggled.

"I'll lay you flat on your goddamn ass if you don't get lost." Jared took a menacing step toward the inebriated pair, and they stumbled back into the hall. Jared didn't hesitate. He slammed his bedroom door in the wooden frame and clicked the lock into place before he turned back to face Felicity. Her hand was covering her mouth, and her eyes were wide.

"Sorry about that, princess. I locked the door. No one else will stumble inI promise."

She blinked, dropped her hand, and then her eyes drifted from the door to his face as though debating whether she was safe with him in a locked room.

"Come on. I don't bite." Hard, he silently added, and flashed what he knew was a wolfish grin.

"I could sleep elsewhere," she hedged, playing with the collar of the button-down shirt. "Layla said you'd be gone all weekend."

"It's fine. This thing is a California king. Plenty of room for both of us. It's just one night."

He waited for her to pad on little bare feet to her side of the bed. It dipped slightly as she got in under the covers. She tensed when he crawled beneath the blankets, but after a moment, when he didn't move toward her, she blew out a breath. He rolled away to turn off the lamp by his bedside, then settled back, puffing his pillow again as he lay on his back and closed his eyes. A sweet, subtle scent filled his nose, like vanilla and fresh rain. When the princess shifted, trying to get comfortable, the scent grew stronger. Her scent.

"Thanks for letting me stay. I'm Felicity, by the way."

He could hear the yawn in her voice, and it made him grin.

"Good night, princess," he murmured.

She didn't respond. The soft little sound of her faint breaths did something funny to his chest. It tightened, and he sucked in a deep breath, hoping to ease the tension.

Now was not the time to be having a soft spot for a woman. He had so much to worry about at work, especially with Shana and her father. There wasn't time to seduce a sweet little princess, even if he wanted to. She really was a cute little thing, though.

Not for me. He sighed and let his body crash.