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soothing beat. “I promised to keep this simple, to give you all control in the end. I never go against my word.”
    She smiled. “I’m sure you wouldn’t, but I also know your reputation. And I was on the receiving end of that kiss.”
    “You weren’t just on the receiving end...you were an active participant.”
    Victoria’s breath caught. “That’s a...pretty accurate statement, but we’ve been friends too long for us to let lust cloud our judgment. Sleeping together would not be wise, Stefan.”
    He leaned in close to her ear and whispered, “Who says?”
    Her hand tightened in his as she turned to look him in the eye, their lips barely a breath apart. “I don’t know if we’re getting swept up into this idea of pretending or this physical pull is stemming from seeing each other after such a long time apart, but I can’t risk losing your friendship just because of this sudden attraction.”
    “I don’t know how sudden this is, at least on my end.” He kissed her lips slightly and eased back. “I can’t deny my desire for you, but I do promise not to do anything you don’t want.”
    “I’m going to hold you to that,” she told him. “I know this situation will be hard for you.”
    He laughed at her choice of wording. “You have no idea.”

Three
    S liding a hand down the fitted satin bodice, Victoria stared at her reflection in the floor-to-ceiling mirror. The gown was perfect, and she was so thankful she’d made a handful of wedding dresses in her downtime just to keep on hand for when she decided to branch out and start a bridal line.
    No one had seen any of the finished designs, but she’d told her mother where they were and to ship them all. Victoria had taken a couple apart and pieced them the way she wanted. Her mother had only grumbled and complained a little when she learned Victoria wouldn’t be returning to L.A. before the wedding.
    And that conversation was a whole different issue.
    Of all the times she’d fantasized about her wedding day, both as a child and an adult, she’d never envisioned marrying Stefan under these extremely strange circumstances.
    Yes, she’d pictured a few times how it would be if they’d taken their friendship to another level. She wasn’t too proud to admit that she’d fantasized his kisses a time or two...and that was before he’d taken her into his arms and captured her mouth, showing her exactly what she’d been missing all these years. How could she delete that arousing sensation from her memory? How could she get his taste from her lips?
    And why would she want to erase such pleasure?
    Because he was a playboy, and even though she believed him when he said he’d be faithful, that didn’t stop his previous lovers from calling him.
    So here she stood, confused, intrigued and ready to take a giant life-altering step toward marriage while two of Stefan’s royal assistants adjusted the veil around her hair. Another assistant stood in front, touching up her blush and powder for at least the third time in an hour. Couldn’t have the soon-to-be queen of Galini Isle looking peaked.
    God, she sincerely hoped she didn’t have to do this for every appearance as queen. Thankfully Stefan had assured her she wasn’t required to do too much. Even though she was from an iconic Hollywood family, she didn’t crave the limelight.
    “Ladies, could I have a moment alone with my daughter?”
    Victoria adjusted her gaze in the mirror to her mother, who stood just inside the arched doorway to one of the many suites in the royal palace.
    Obviously comfortable with taking orders, the middle-aged ladies scurried away at Olivia’s request. Once the door was closed, Olivia moved in behind Victoria and smiled.
    “Are you sure this is what you want to do?”
    Stamping down any doubts that rose deep within her, Victoria returned her mother’s questioning smile. “I’m sure, Mom. Stefan needs me, and perhaps at this point in my life, I need him. He’s my best