Cassie slammed the door as she ran into her bedroom. The anger still furrowed her brow and her jaw was set. Richard was impossible. Totally impossible! They had just had a huge fight over the most trivial of things. Of late, they had fought on a daily basis. Breathing in the same airspace seemed to bring on a new battle. Cassie folded her arms and shot a glance at the door. He did not understand her need to stay active. The only thing she had suggested was being the liaison from the palace to mediate the contract disputes with the workers who were building the new factory. Cassie saw nothing wrong with that, but Richard was adamant that she remain out of the middle of the fight, fearing she could get hurt.

"Who’s going to hurt me?" Cassie said out loud, then sighed loudly "And why does he care?"

She could not bear to think that they might actually end up hating one another. Could the fairy tale be over before it had a chance to begin? Cassie ran her hands through her hair and rubbed at her neck hoping to relieve the tension. She looked around the empty bedroom. It was beautiful in every way, but it lacked one thing. . . .Richard.

"Maybe a bath will help," she whispered.

Cassie removed her clothes and pulled on a thin coral satin robe. The bottom of the robe swung out like a waltzing gown. The beaded butterflies on the lapels shimmered in the light. She spun around allowing the fullness to billow outward. There were times when she felt less and less like a princess and more and more like a little girl.

"Something’s missing."

Cassie’s eyes grew bright with an idea. She retrieved some matches from the bedside table. One by one she lit the various candles in the room. She flipped the lights off and was pleased with the peaceful glow in the room. Cassie walked to the bathroom. She looked at the huge tub, then turned on the water. As the water bubbled in the background, Cassie lit the candles in the bathroom and extinguished the lights. She opened a ginger jar beside the sink and threw jasmine scented bath salts into the flow of water, then turned the water off. She lifted the lid off another jar and threw flower petals in the calm water. Taking a clasp from a drawer, Cassie twisted her hair up, leaving her neck bare. She turned on the CD player before she walked back to the bathtub.

"Fit for a princess," she whispered as she looked into the water, untied her robe, threw it over a chair, and climbed in.

Flower petals of blue, purple, fuschia and white floated around her. Cassie smiled as she leaned back against the bathtub, planning to relax and reflect. When she leaned back, she could see the stars twinkling above her through the skylight.

"I wish I may I wish I might. . . . ." she began, then shook her head. "You know what I wish," she ended with a sigh and closed her eyes.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Richard paced in the hall. His emotions were raw. He did not want to leave things the way they were right now between Cassie and he. He adored her with every fiber of his being. If he could let go of the pain from the past, he would admit his true feelings for her. . ..that he could never live without her. He did not know how he had lived without her this long. She was unhappy. Richard could see it in her eyes. He had to fix things now before it was too late. Squaring his shoulders, Richard knocked lightly on the closed door.

When he received no answer, Richard knocked again. After several seconds passed with no answer and no sounds from within. Richard’s brow knitted in concern. He flung the door open. He looked around at the bedroom filled with candles.

"Cassie?" he asked. When he still received no response, he looked around. As far as he could tell, everything was in its place. He walked to the bathroom door and felt his throat constrict as he glimpsed Cassie. The mixture of moonlight, candlelight, music, and……Cassie filled his senses. As he inhaled, the scent of her bath filled his body with pleasure.

He had to go before he could not move. Feeling very awkward, he turned to go.

Cassie’s eyes drifted open slightly. Her heart skipped a beat as she took in the expression on Richard’s face. She was disappointed when she saw him turning around to leave. She had to do something.

"Richard….." she whispered.

Richard stopped in the doorway. He turned slightly, wondering if her voice had simply been a figment of his overactive imagination. His heart pounded when their eyes met.

"Cassie?"

She blinked slightly and held her hand out to him. Richard walked across the short distance on heavy legs. His mouth was dry and his heart raced. He was very careful to keep his eyes on her face, knowing that looking anywhere else would be his undoing. Cassie grasped his hand as he stood beside the tub. She tugged slightly, causing him to lose his balance. As he reached out, he grabbed the opposite side of the tub. Cassie gasped as his face moved toward hers.

With their lips a breath apart, their eyes met. Their problems were swept away as they drank in one another. Moving together, their lips touched then danced away. For a moment, their kisses were gentle, tentative, but that was soon replaced by a passion-filled urgency. They moved closer together trying to get closer and closer. Cassie pulled at the buttons on Richard’s shirt. A few popped off in their haste. When he pulled away, Cassie was disappointed. Richard’s eyes never left hers as he removed his clothes and leaned back down, pulling her mouth against his in another hungry kiss.

Cassie tugged at him, causing Richard to join her in the tub. The water splashed, but neither noticed as their bodies touched sending waves of electricity surging through them. Richard lifted his eyes to Cassie.

"I’m sorry, Cassie. I’m sorry for….."

Cassie placed her fingers of his lips. "No words, Richard. No more words."

"Then perhaps the Princess needs some help with her bath," he said suggestively.

"Is that one of your duties, Your Highness?" Cassie asked as their lips gravitated toward one another again.

"Indeed it is, Princess Cassie," he whispered as he captured her lips with his.

Richard grabbed the sponge and a bar of soap. He took great care in lathering the sponge as Cassie watched in anticipation. She watched as if in slow motion as sponge moved toward her and touched her back. She gasped in sweet agony.

As Cassie arched her back, Richard’s hands shook as he slowly rubbed the sponge in slow circles, taking great care with her bath. Cassie closed her eyes, gasping loudly as his body brushed against hers.

"Your turn," Cassie whispered close to his ear as she pulled the sponge out of his hand.

Richard clenched his fists as she touched the sponge to his heated skin. She moved it slowly across his chest and shoulders, teasing and tantalizing him. Richard grabbed for the sponge and Cassie pulled it away from his reach. A wide grin lit up her face, transforming it. Richard was distracted and leaned toward her wanting to taste her lips…..feel the sweet softness against his own. Cassie leaned away and continued her torment with the sponge.

Richard could stand no more and successfully wrestled the sponge away from her, but not before he flipped her over in the water, slamming his body against hers. Their eyes shot to the other’s, shocked and aroused by the contact. Richard blinked. Before Cassie could react, Richard stood up and reached for a towel. Cassie watched him with a lump in her throat. When he held his hand out to her, she began giggling. Richard knitted his brown in confusion, which caused Cassie to laugh even harder.

"Cassie?" he asked.

"This…..this…..is…..a picture…..that would bring……..this country to its knees!!!" she managed to gasp.

Richard’s shoulders slumped. When Cassie realized that her laughter was ruining the moment, she stood up. She reached out and touched Richard’s shoulder. She held a small purple flower petal out to him on the tip of her finger. Richard studied it for a short time, then looked Cassie.

"I suppose you find that amusing?" he asked with the arch of an eyebrow.

"I find it hilarious, especially when they are all over your body," Cassie confessed with a smile.

"I see. And what, my lady, do you plan to do about that?"

Cassie leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "This."

She whipped the towel from his hands and wrapped it around both of them. They stepped from the water together. They were impatient and the drying process was taking far too much time. Richard had had enough and swept her up into his arms. The huge towel fell to the ground in a heap.

As he carried her across the room toward the bed, their lips met and danced away, teasing and tasting. He gently laid her on the bed. Cassie moved to her knees, crawling across the bed to pull him back to her. Their lips touched and they kissed with wild abandon. Cassie slowly lay back on the bed. Richard never broke contact as he leaned into her, tasting her sweet lips and caressing her skin with his hand. This is what he had dreamed about so many times. This was what he had hoped would happen, but dared not speak the words out loud. As he kissed her neck, he knew what he had to do……what he had to tell her. It was so compelling that it tugged at his heart. He lifted his lips and looked into Cassie half-shut eyes.

"Cassie, there’s something I have to tell you."

Cassie opened her eyes, looking at him in anticipation. Great! Here it is. The moment where he tells you that he’s only doing this out of duty to his country.

Richard opened and closed his mouth several times as he tried to find the perfect words. He shook his head.

"I’ve wanted to tell you this a thousand times. I’ve started to say it, but then didn’t. I’ve been a coward, Cassie, but I can’t hide it anymore. I can’t dance around the truth. Neither of us can be happy that way," Richard told her as he lifted a lock of her hair off her shoulder. "I love you," he confessed, looking into her eyes. "I love you, Cassie, and only you. I’ve known that for quite sometime."

Cassie was surprised. She had never expected to hear those words from his lips. Was this a dream? A fantasy? She reached out, touching her hands to his cheeks. She lightly stroked his jaw with her thumb.

"Richard," she whispered. "I love you. I always have."

Richard absorbed her words. "Always?" he questioned.

Cassie nodded. "Always….from the moment I saw you on that white horse on the beach. I knew from that moment."

Richard leaned forward, capturing her lips with his. They made love slowly savoring each touch, each gentle caress. And they cherished each moment as a moment they would remember for the rest of their lives. They were together now heart, mind, body, and soul.