The ride to our planned destination was a short one, but it was long enough for Sofia to slide up next to me in the driver's seat. Suddenly it became very difficult to concentrate on driving Axle's flying coach. I could feel her breath on the side of my neck as she rested her chin on my shoulder, and it sent shivers down my spine. But there was no way I was gonna ask her to move.

It took us a little longer than I had hoped for us to reach our spot, but we made it there in time. I landed the carriage at the top of a tiny waterfall that fell into a deep cavern below us. I helped Sofia out onto the grass, then hurried to spread a thick, plush picnic blanket on the ground.

"Here you are, my princess," I said, suavely helping Sofia sit on the blanket so she would have the best view. Once she was seated, I ran back to the coach and pulled a picnic basket out of the trunk. The sun was just above the horizon. We still had time.

Opening the basket, I handed Sofia a champagne flute. Once she had taken it, I popped the cork on the bottle and filled her glass, and another for myself. "Cheers," I said, holding out my glass for a toast.

Sofia was examining her glass. "Is this real champagne?" she asked.

"Of course it is," I replied. "The very best champagne."

"I—I've never had real alcohol before."

It was so difficult to remember she was sixteen. "You don't have to drink it."

She looked at me with something in her eyes I couldn't place. "No, I'll try it. One glass can't hurt, right?"

I smiled. "Right. I'll stop you if I think you've had too much."

My princess smiled back at me and clinked my glass. "Cheers." She raised the flute to her lips timidly and took a small sip. The face she made was so cute. "Ugh, you can drink this?" she asked.

I laughed as I downed half of my glass in the first swig. "Believe me, this is mild compared to what I usually drink." I'd been plundering my dad's whiskey cellars since I was fifteen, when Axle showed me how he always got in. Father never said anything about it, although we were both pretty sure that he knew that we drank his whiskey, because the barrels to which we helped ourselves never seemed to run empty.

Sofia made another face. "Ick, I've smelled that stuff you drink. No thank you."

I shrugged. "I mean, champagne is kind of dry, but I thought it would be fitting for our first date. It's a pretty special occasion, you know?" I leaned over and kissed her cheek gently.

My princess blushed and giggled, which sent thrills down my spine. To know I was the one who made her feel like that, who gave her butterflies, to be the person that she got all dressed up to go out with, it was the best feeling in the world.

As I got out the rest of the picnic, Sofia sipped at her champagne and looked around. The place where we sat was covered in lush green grass, but less than thirty feet from our blanket, the ground gave way to a gigantic dropoff into the mouth of the cave. The opening was covered in vines with tiny blue flowers. "This spot is beautiful," she commented.

I grinned. "The best part hasn't even started yet."

Her sapphire eyes glanced over at me. "What's the best part?"

Calmly, I continued to set out our food and silverware. "Just wait."

As we sat there, the sun continued to sink below the horizon, until only a tiny sliver of the orange circle was visible. I reached over and took Sofia's hand, looking toward the mouth of the cavern below us. She looked up at me, then scooted up next to me so she could lean against me. Her body felt so warm against mine.

Finally, the last bit of the sun disappeared below the horizon. I leaned in to whisper in Sofia's ear, "Now's the best part."

While the sky was still bright with the sun's rays, the flowers at the cavern entrance suddenly became alive with movement. The sky vibrated as millions of tiny wings beat the air, and a massive column of midnight-blue butterflies erupted from the cave. Each little blue flower had been a butterfly, waiting for the sun to set so they could leave the cave in the safety of the twilight. They soared into the sky above us, whirling in huge circles in the fading light. Sofia gasped.

"Hugo…" Her beautiful blue eyes were wide with wonder, and they reflected the blue of the butterflies' wings. She leaned further against me, and I wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. I could feel her heart racing as she watched the millions of wings fill the sky.

"Hugo, this is incredible," she breathed. I felt her head turn, and looked down to see her staring up at me.

I grinned down at her. "You like it?"

Her eyes flickered to my mouth again. "I…I love it, Hugo."

That word. Something behind my stomach fluttered, something in my brain gave out, and instinct took hold. I leaned down and kissed my princess, the most beautiful woman in the entire world, my dreams come true. She tasted like champagne and strawberries, and I could feel the tiniest bit of give in her kiss that told me the alcohol was kicking in.

Sofia leaned into me. My arm that was around her shoulders found its way to her waist. God, she was so soft. Giving into my temptations just a tiny bit, I gently pulled her into my lap, being mindful of her broken ribs. She made herself comfortable there, looping her arms around my neck and gently parting her lips against mine.

I felt the heat from her tongue against my bottom lip, and the effect was immediate. Blood rushed to my head so quickly I almost blacked out. Somehow I instinctively opened my own mouth to allow her access. The tongue that slipped into my mouth was tiny and hot, and oddly nimble. Every flick and curl sent electric jolts through my entire body. Her movements were inexperienced but unafraid, and Sofia pushed against my shoulders until I tipped backwards, and she was on top of me again.

There was no mistaking her intentions now as she pressed herself against me. 'Oh my god' was all I could think for several seconds, my body compulsively obeying her every touch, giving her complete control. But when she broke the kiss and raised her head to look at me, her cheeks were a little too flushed, and her smile was a little too bold.

"Sofia?" I reached up to brush an auburn curl out of her face. "I think you're a little tipsy."

She giggled. "I'm positive I'm a little tipsy."

I couldn't believe what I was about to say, but I said it. "Then maybe we should stop. For now."

God, I hated seeing that smile disappear. She was definitely buzzed. "Why?" she asked indignantly.

"Champagne can affect your judgement, Sofia."

My princess laughed and shook her head. "I know exactly what I want, Hugo." She trailed one finger down my chest, making me shiver with sensation.

I caught her hand before she got too close to my belt. "Slow down, princess. This is just our first date." It was painfully difficult to have to stop her when she seemed so eager, but I had no way of knowing how much of that drive was from the alcohol.

"Don't you want to?" she pushed, subtly leaning her chest into me.

If she only knew. "Of course I do. But," I sat up, gently lifting her out of my lap and setting her next to me so I could face her. "I intend to court you properly. You are a princess, after all. But I can promise you," I leaned into her and cupped her cheek in my hand. "I'll make it worth the wait."

Sofia grinned softly, and leaned in to kiss me again. This time, I didn't stop her.

I had intended for us to sit and watch the butterflies together, but this was much, much better.