That slow smile curved his beautiful mouth. “A prince does not dither.”
“Call it what you want. Looks like dithering to me.”
“If I was dithering, Sydney—and I’m not admitting that I was—I’m not dithering anymore.”
She cast a pained glance toward the ceiling. “Okay. You lost me there.”
“I’m absolutely certain now that Liliana will never be my bride. In one split second, everything changed for me.”
She didn’t get where this was going. She really didn’t. And she told herself firmly that she didn’t care. What mattered was that it was over between them. It had to be, she saw that now. Over and done before it even really got started. “In one split second,” she parroted with a heavy dose of sarcasm. “So … the realization that you’re definitely not marrying dear Princess Lili hit you like a lightning bolt, huh?”
“No.”
“I’m not following you.”
“It’s quite simple. While everything changed for me in an instant, it took a little longer than that for me to accept that marriage to Lili had become impossible.”
“I have no idea what you’re telling me.”
“That happened after lunch yesterday.”
“What happened?”
“You said goodbye and got into your car and drove away. I stood and watched you leave and tried to consider the concept of never seeing you again. And I couldn’t do that. Right then, marrying Lili became impossible.”
“So there was no lightning bolt, after all.”
“Of course there was a lightning bolt. It struck the moment I saw you, striding into Macy’s, indomitable. Unyielding. Ready to take on the world. At that moment, Liliana was the last thing on my mind. Right then, all I could think of was you.”
Sydney reached for her untouched glass of wine and took an extra-large gulp of it. She set the glass down with care. “Well, I …” Her voice had a definite wobble to it. She drew in a slow, steadying breath. “You’re not marrying the princess. You’re sure about that?”
“Yes. Absolutely certain.”
“You mean that? You really mean that?”
“I do, Sydney. With all my heart.”
“Don’t mess with me, Rule.”
“I promise you, I’m not.”
Her throat felt tight, so tight it ached. She gulped to relax it a little. “Okay,” she said softly, at last. “You’re not marrying the princess, after all.”
“I’m so glad we’re finally clear on that.” His voice was gentle, indulgent. “You’ve hardly touched your food. Is it unsatisfactory?”
“Oh, no. It’s fine. Really. Delicious.” She picked up her fork again.
They ate in silence for a while.
Finally, he spoke. “I like you in that emerald-green satin. Almost as much as I like you in red.”
“Thank you.”
“I still want to take you dancing.”
She sipped her wine again, suddenly as certain as he seemed to be. About the two of them. About … everything. Whatever happened in the end, she wanted this night with him. She wanted it so much. She wanted him. “I have a suggestion.”
“And I am always open to suggestion. Especially if the suggestion is coming from you.”