The Outcast Prince by Shona Husk

had spent a bit of time bringing some of the things out of the stable, now used for storage. There was a lawnmower in there that looked like it hadn’t been used in fifty years. But there were also trunks of things that were too heavy for her to lift. It was like Gran had packed up but had never bothered to sort out. The good news was that Caspian would have to keep coming around for a while.
    Seeing him was like a break from her real life. A slice of sunshine through stormy clouds. She needed more sunlight in her life.
    Caspian walked up the path to her doorstep. “Hi.”
    “Hi.” His gaze slid over her without pausing on any part, but no doubt noticing the dust smudged all over her clothing. “You started without me?”
    “I’ve been unpacking the stable.” In the corner of her eyes something moved; she glanced over but there was nothing there. Odd, she thought she’d heard something.
    Caspian turned his head and she thought she saw him flinch, but then he turned back to face her. “Let’s go in.”
    A breeze blew a piece of paper down the street and a chill followed. She suppressed a shiver and stepped back. Caspian shut the door after himself and turned the lock. He was security conscious… of course he was; he dealt in antiques and things worth thousands of dollars.
    “Did I see a cab pulling away?” She raised one eyebrow.
    “My car was making an odd humming sound. I didn’t want to risk breaking down.”
    “It does look like a storm is coming.” She glanced at him and smiled. “Good thing you’re staying.” That he’d turned up with his laptop and an overnight bag was enough to confirm he was sleeping over tonight. In which bed was the real question.
    She hadn’t been able to get his kiss out of her head. It had been enough to feed her dreams and make her realize it had been too long between boyfriends. Her body bubbled with expectation, lust coiled in her belly.
    Caspian nodded and placed his bag and laptop satchel by the wrought-iron hat stand. “Or did you want me to put it in a room?”
    “That’s fine for the moment. We can sort out the rest later.” Why was she so nervous?
    “Good idea.” He seemed to relax a little. Maybe this was just as odd for him—which was reassuring. If he’d sauntered in confident of his place, she might have changed her mind.
    “Before you set up, can you help me get to some of the trunks in the stable? It might save us some time if they are just full of linen.”
    “Sure. Then I’ll do the bedrooms?”
    She nodded and tried to ignore the heat creeping over her skin.
    “I didn’t mean it like that.”
    “I know.” She pushed her hair back. “When I invited you to stay I didn’t know if I was inviting you to stay or sleep .”
    “That’s okay; I wasn’t sure which I wanted.”
    More like he knew what he wanted but wasn’t sure if he wanted to go after it. She’d seen the desire in his eyes and felt the heat of his kiss, but she didn’t want to be pushing when he was hesitant.
    “And now?”
    “I still don’t know.” His fingers brushed her cheek. “But not because I don’t want you, because I do, but because it’s spectacularly bad timing and…” His thumb touched her lip.
    For a moment she thought he was going to mention his ex. She held her breath, not wanting to be rebound-girl or cast in the exes shadow.
    “It’s fast.”
    “This is our third date.” Third meeting was probably more appropriate, but she’d had worse dates. Besides, they were talking and doing the other stuff that happened on dates—today was just as awkward as any should-we? type conversation she’d ever had on a date.
    He smiled. “True, although we haven’t had dinner out yet.”
    “Is that one of your rules?”
    “I don’t know anymore.” He paused. “Maybe following the rules isn’t always the best thing to do.” Then he kissed her. Slowly at first as if testing to see if the spark was still there waiting to be fanned.
    It was. Heat filled her