#Chapter 40: Princess

Ella Time seemed to stop. Alexander wasn’t kissing me, but with his cheek pressed firmly against mine like this, our faces were so close that to everyone else, it must have looked like an intimate kiss. And despite the lack of an actual kiss, being held like this in Alexander’s arms as he dipped me low made me feel like I was floating on clouds. His hand on my waist felt solid and secure. His breath was warm against my skin. His fingers gently dipping into the bare skin of my back felt both delicate and deliciously firm. For a brief, ridiculous moment, I felt like a princess in some fairy tale, swooped off her feet by a handsome prince who was about to carry her away to his castle. If only we were a real couple. If only this wasn’t all just for show. If only this were a real kiss. But it wasn’t real. None of it was real. And I was a fool for letting myself pretend, even for a second, that it might be. Alexander pulled me back up smoothly, still holdi