Tor's arms came around her from behind, his body pressed along her back. His head close to hers, he whispered intimately, "Tell me."
"You shouldn't hold me like this in public." Someone could recognize him and snap a picture and then the cat would be out of the bag in screeching, clawing fury.
Tor made no move to let her go, or step back. "Remember, for these three days, you are my lover."
"Pretend," she stressed. "Pretend lover."
"So, pretend it is okay if I hold you like this."
"Tor." Her voice held warning.
He had to know this little tableau was dangerous.
For all the notice he took of her tone, moving not one iota. "Why the sigh, min skatt?"
"I was just thinking." About how impossible it was going to be to let this man go, but their time together was dwindling by the day.
"About?"
"How much I don't want to let you go back." It was part of the truth, if not all of it.
When he finished his military service, Blythe knew she had to break things off and make it possible for Tor to find his future princess.
Just thinking about that not too far off day made it hard to breathe.
Her prince's strong arms tightened around her. "No thinking about tomorrow today."
That was good advice. If she could take it. "I'll try."
He turned her in his arms and kissed her. Right there, in front of all the other tourists. And Blythe didn't even yell at him. She just took his hand and followed him off the visitor platform.
That night they had dinner in a rooftop garden, the view rivaling the one they'd had earlier.
It was romantic and special. He was urbane and sexy.
Blythe reveled in being the sole focus of Prince Tor of the House of Asgersen's attention.
They talked about his family, about other trips they would like to take together, places she'd always dreamt of seeing…the sort of things real lovers discussed.
They did not mention the next evening when he would be leaving. They did not talk about the end of his military service and what inevitably came with that.
They talked about her vlog, her show and her next trip.
They did not talk about what he would be doing when he returned to his unit.
They touched and smiled and got intimately close across the table to talk, but it was safe.
Tor had made sure their table was secluded, the only people they saw the waitstaff.
After they had eaten a truly scrumptious five-star meal, Tor stood from the table and put his hand out. "Dance with me."
"Where…" she started to ask, but stopped as she realized waitstaff were quickly moving the table and chairs from their private alcove as the volume of the ambient music increased from background to more prominent.
Blythe let Tor pull her into the Viennese waltz hold he'd taught her. The dance lesson he'd given her at Janice and Holger's wedding had been the first of many over the years when dancing at official events was their only excuse for touching each other in public.
She followed Tor's lead seamlessly now, her body moving fluidly to the soft strains of classical music. They'd never club danced together, but she'd come to appreciate just how sensual traditional ballroom dance could be.
She loved the gliding touches, barely there caresses and movement of their bodies in tandem to the music. The full chiffon skirt of Blythe's royal blue, 40s inspired cocktail length dress by an up-and-coming designer swirled around their legs.