He grinned and began tugging his shirt up and over his head, tossing it into the sand with the same nonchalance with which he’d tossed away his crown earlier. “Well, I was hoping you’d be willing to give me my first swim lesson—you know, so that I don’t almost drown on our next adventure.”
Stella smirked and gestured down at her dress. “And ruin this exquisite gown?”
Teddy licked his lips. “Oh no,Minyha. Take that dress off. If I’m going to get in the sea and flail around embarrassing myself, I’m going to need a little motivation—for courage.”
Stella cocked her head and smirked. “For courage?”
He unbuttoned his pants, letting them hang dangerously low onhis hips. Stella drank in the sight of him. Teddy glowed, his brown skin gilded by the setting sun. His smile was more relaxed than she’d ever seen it and that combined with the lines of his defined abdomen disappearing in a point just below the waistband left her breathless.
“For courage and maybe for a reward when I’m finished,” Teddy said with a wink.
“So certain you’ll earn one?”
He shook his head and let his pants fall, stepping out of them so he stood naked before her. “Certain you’ll make me.”
A laugh bubbled up from Stella’s chest, the sensation rising as if it came directly from the bond.
This was it—the fairy tale she’d been searching for. It didn’t end with a walk down the aisle in a fancy temple; it started with a walk across the beach to the man she could truly be herself with.
Stella unbuttoned her dress, let it slip into the sand, and followed her handsome, naked prince into the sea.
