Chapter 6Some inner female sense told Mari, even before he knew it, what Dusty was going to do. She waited in infinite patience for the inevitable, the longed-for moment. His lips were unbelievably soft, a cool, gentle touch that swiftly heated to warm, to melting hot. She did not know how to let him see how wonderful it felt, but instinct took over, parting her lips and molding them to fit the shape of his. She hung on heart’s tiptoes, suspended from the single sweet joining. This was what she had waited for, had sought for every day of her life.
His hands dropped to her shoulders, finally, and he pushed himself away from her. “No,” he said raggedly. “I’m not the Prince. I told you I wasn’t. I had no right to do that.”
She stared at him, not comprehending, not believing what he said, no
