Charm Read Online Free Page B

didn’t sound like Rose at all. Then her feet thumped up the stairs. That sounded like Rose; she didn’t have an ounce of grace in her clumsy body.
    ‘But isn’t he handsome, Rose? I mean, I knew him of course, when he was a boy and he always had something about him, but well . . .’
    ‘Yes, he’s very handsome. Now, please, please, please help me get this dress off before my ribs break. I told you it was too small.’
    ‘Men like a slim waist, Rose. And, unfortunately, you’re rather too fond of food.’
    Their voices faded and then there was the click of a door closing as the two women disappeared into her step-sister’s room. Cinderella waited until there was only silence and then pushed her door shut. Her blood raced through her veins, the cold and her tiredness sloughed off as she absorbed what she’d heard. Two earls. And the Prince had kissed Rose’s hand.
    She picked up the framed print of the smiling Prince that she kept in her room – the picture Rose had once laughed at her for, even though nearly all the girls in the kingdom had one – and climbed into her bed, pulling the covers up to her chin. She stared at the handsome smiling face. How could he have kissed Rose’s hand? It must have just been politeness. Yes, that was it. He’d kissed all the girls’ hands, isn’t that what they’d said? There was nothing special about Rose.
    She blew the candle out and lay back on her pillow, the picture face down on her chest, and tried to calm down. Yes, she hated that Rose had gone to the castle when she hadn’t, but maybe tonight’s ball going well wasn’t such a bad thing. Maybe if Rose got married off to some horrible old Earl like her mother had been, then surely their family would be respected enough for her to be invited? Just once. Just once. How she wished for it.
    She closed her eyes and let her mind drift into the familiar fantasy.
    She’s standing in the castle and the ballroom is full of men and women dressed in their finery. As her name is announced at the top of the stairs, all eyes turn her way, and although no one knows who she is, they’re dazzled by her style and beauty. She dances with the most handsome men, but all the while her eyes are locked with the Prince’s until eventually he comes to claim her as his own. As they whirl around the room, they only have eyes for each other and she knows that he’ll love her forever and she’ll love him forever and they’ll never stray. The music slows and he pulls her closer, his strong arm tight across her back. She can feel his body heat and every inch of her skin is aching for him to kiss her. Eventually, he does. His lips brush hers, teasing her until she can barely breathe and then his tongue touches hers and stars explode in her head.
    Her fantasy shifted, as it always did, and it was their wedding night. The party was over, although in the streets it would continue for hours, and they had retired to their bedchamber. He was standing close to her, his lust so clear in his hazy eyes, and his hands undid the strings of her shift leaving her naked before him. Her hand slipped into her nightdress and teased her right nipple as if it was his fingers and then mouth. She gasped slightly, lost in the moment, her head filled with experiences she could only imagine. His hand in her hair as he kissed her. Her arms wrapped around his neck as he pushed her to the bed. Feeling him pressing against her as they lost themselves in their passion. Her hand moved further down, sliding between her legs and exploring the wetness there.
    Her hand was his hand, and then, as her own touch moved into a rhythm, he was inside her, moving with her, his mouth on her neck, his own moans coming louder, her arms over her head and pinned down by his hand as he possessed her. They moved like frantic animals, growing rougher with each other as their needs grew more urgent until finally, in her small bed in the merchant’s house, Cinderella’s back arched and the