You’ve never made a mistake like mine.
The Princess peers up at me. “Are you going to give me a movie screen kiss or not?”
Hell yes, I am.
If caution is a yellow flag, I fling it out of sight. I clasp the back of her head, threading my fingers through her hair. I pull her to me roughly until our bodies are flush together fully along their length.
I bend down and don’t wait for her to come to me. I pull her face to mine, delving instantly into her mouth. She opens in surprise as my tongue licks against hers. She’s warm honey and peppermint, yielding and soft.
After a moment, her body molds into mine. Her tongue comes for me, and her pulse flutters beneath my thumb at her throat. She lets out a sound and presses her pelvis against me.
With only a few inches between our heights, she lands where her body instinctively knows where to aim. I respond instantly, stiffening between us.
She pulls her face from mine, her eyes big as she looks up at me. “Is that…”
I want to grab her hips and grind into her. I’m fiercely in need. But I control myself. “It is.”
“What do I do with it?”
Oh, I could tell her.
She goes on. “Should I pretend it isn’t happening? It didn’t when I danced with that random guy. How often does it happen?”
I draw in a ragged breath. Her innocence is shocking, delectable. I want to break it wide open, right here, against a brick wall, pounding her until we both disintegrate into nothing.
Down, boy.
“You don’t have to talk about it. A guy knows it’s happening. It’s natural. Part of the process.”
“Already? Just from kissing? I thought we had to be naked. And ready to do that thing!”
“It can happen anytime.”
Her eyes go even wider. “Like at dinner? Or while driving a car?” She draws in a sharp breath. “Around your grandma?”
Okay, with that thought, I no longer have a problem. I let out a breath. “Probably not around a grandma. It’s a stage in the process. It’s not as obvious in women as men.”
“Is it happening to me?” She glances down at her jeans as if she might produce an erection or some other obvious sign. “Wait. Is that what they call a lady boner?”
I can’t stop myself from laughing. “Sort of. But not literally. You don’t have an outward sign.”
“What is my sign?”
Jesus. “A dampness. It’s called getting wet.”
“I’ve heard that phrase. They mean down there!”
“Yes.”
“It’s not pee, is it?”
In an act of rebellion, sheltered, naive Princess Octavia, aka Vi, sends a message to the leader of the guardsmen protecting her royal tower from down below. But when she arrives to meet fine, respectable Gregor in the rose garden, it’s guard-in-training Finley who is waiting for her instead. And Finley… well, he’s a bit of a royal playboy. And he’s also her childhood best friend, whom she once knew as Dory.
What results is a wonderful story as Vi and Finley rebuild their friendship and she discovers that while Gregor may check off all the boxes on paper, Finley is the guy she can’t stop thinking about. It’s a delicious slow burn as the rekindled friendship turns into something deeper, and Finley realizes that Vi has held his heart since they were little kids. But she is an heir to the throne and he is a mere guardsman — can they really have a HEA?
Even though Octavia is in her early 20s, she’s led such a sheltered life. I loved watching her try to spread her wings because she wanted so much more from life than living in that ivory tower. It was such fun to see Leo and Sunny with Octavia, and some of the Pickles make an appearance. Royal Rebel is quirky and fun, and a refreshing romantic comedy that will put you in a great mood!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Sunny Shelly Reads 