“I need to speak with the prince.”
In total sincerity, Michael asked, “Do you have an appointment?”
In her rush, she hadn’t thought of that. She didn’t usually have to see Leo during business hours. “No, I don’t. But this won’t take long.”
“I’m sorry. The prince has asked not to be disturbed.”
She wondered what that was all about. Did it have something to do with what had happened between them last night? Or did he normally ask for privacy while he worked?
She wanted to ask but it was none of her business. Instead she said, “Thank you.”
Just as she was about to turn away, Michael said, “I could give him a message.”
She shook her head. This was something that needed to be said in person. “I’ll speak with him later.”
She moved to the doorway and started down the hallway when she heard her name called out. She paused and turned to find Leo standing there.
He rushed to catch up with her. “Did you need to speak to me?”
“I did.”
“What did you need?” His voice and expression were neutral so she wasn’t able to figure out what he was thinking.
She glanced around as people passed through the spacious hallway. Offices lined both sides of the hallway. There was absolutely no privacy. “Not here.”
“Then come to my office.”
In his office, it’d be easier to stick to the matter at hand. She wouldn’t let herself get distracted with how good his lips felt pressed to hers—
She halted her meandering thoughts. This was what she feared would happen when they were together. She needed to make this meeting short and straight to the point.
“Let’s go.” Her stomach shivered with nerves, but that didn’t stop her from leveling her shoulders and following him.
Once they were in his office with the door closed, she turned to him, finding that he was standing closer than she’d been expecting. She swallowed hard. “It’s about last night—”
“I wanted to speak with you about that too.”
“You did?” Her gaze met his.
He nodded. “Yes. But you go first.”
This was it. All those practiced words fled her. And now she was left scrambling for a way to phrase this that would leave them in as good a place as possible.
Drawing upon the calm exterior she used for her wedding planner position, she lifted her chin just a bit. “Last night...it was a mistake.”
“It was...”
Was that a question? Or was he in agreement? She wasn’t able to discern his intent. Her heart raced, pumping her body with nervous energy.
“I shouldn’t have let things get out of control,” she said.
“You think we are better off sticking to our working relationship?”
“You do understand, don’t you?”
He didn’t say anything for a moment as though absorbing what she said. “So you would like to pretend like last night never happened?”
“Yes. Exactly.”
There was some emotion reflected in his eyes, but before she could define it, he blinked and his feelings were locked behind a wall of indifference.
“We will forget it ever happened.”
She held out her hand to him. “Then we have an agreement that our relationship will be nothing but business?”
His thumb stroked the back of her hand, sending tremors of yearning flooding her system. He looked at her with desire in those warm brown eyes.
“Be careful what you ask for,” he said. “You might end up regretting it.”
She was already regretting many things—none of which were spending those precious hours wrapped in his arms or tasting his addictive kisses. She was in trouble. Big trouble.
* * *
The week was getting away from him.
And nothing was going right.
First, the fact that his fling with Bianca was over before it’d really begun bothered him.
Second, his mother was on his case every chance she had, pushing him for the name of his chosen bride. There was little more than a week until his sister said “I do” and his engagement would be announced to the kingdom. His fate would be sealed.
And Leo was not ready. In the beginning, it’d appeared to be an easy enough task. Find a friendly woman whose goals aligned with his. They’d marry, he’d become king and the rest would hopefully fall into place. But somewhere along the way, the gravity of this decision had set in.
Maybe it was seeing how happy his sister was with William. Or maybe it was how happy he was in Bianca’s company. Or perhaps it was that magical night beneath the fireworks. Whatever it was, he couldn’t settle for mere tolerance of his wife. There had to be more...
His mind filled with the image of Bianca smiling and laughing. How it filled him with such warmth. He recalled their many meals together and though they’d started off discussing his sister’s wedding, they’d eventually end up on a far more personal note. Those were the sort of experiences he wanted to share with his wife. Was that asking too much?
But if he didn’t make a decision and soon, his mother would take the matter into her own hands. His hands clenched. This was an utterly impossible situation.
And he’d only compounded the matter by acting upon his growing feelings. How was he supposed to choose a wife when all he could think about was Bianca?
Leo frowned as it was now early Friday morning and he hadn’t seen or spoken to Bianca since their business lunch yesterday. She’d kept her word about their relationship being all business. He didn’t like it. He didn’t like it at all. And that’s why he’d planned something special for them this morning.
Knowing Bianca was an early riser, he went to find her. It took a bit but he finally tracked her down in the library with his mother. It definitely wasn’t the ideal place to meet up with her, but he was determined to see her. His surprise couldn’t wait.
The doors were open and he slowed as he heard his mother’s voice.
“And why are we supposed to take your advice when you dress like—like that.”
Without missing a beat, Bianca spoke up. “Pardon me, ma’am. But this isn’t about my personal tastes. We’re talking about the princess and what she would like for her wedding. And I must say your daughter has exceptional tastes. She must take after you.”
“I, uh, thank you.” There was a slight pause as though Bianca’s compliment had knocked his mother off her game. But the queen was quick and she soon had the conversation back on track. “However, the princess will wear my wedding dress.”
He recognized the stern tone of his mother’s voice. She was in no mood to bend or be persuaded from her decision.
Leo stepped into the room. “There you are.” His gaze settled upon Bianca just as her mouth was opening to argue with his mother. “We have a meeting.”
“We do?”
“Yes.”
“But—”
“Leopold, don’t forget you are to have lunch with Elizabeth.” The queen arched a penciled brow.
“I haven’t forgotten. Plans have changed.” He was tired of his mother’s constant interference. Today, he was going to do what he wanted to do, not what he was expected to do. “Are you ready to go, Bianca?”
Bianca’s confused gaze moved between mother and son. Her mouth opened but nothing came out. That was a first.
A smile pulled at Leo’s lips. “We don’t want to be late.” He turned his attention to his mother. “Please excuse us.”
His mother looked exasperated. She waved them off.
Once out in the hallway, Bianca stepped in front of him. She glared at him. “Why did you interrupt my meeting with your mother?”
“I was doing you a favor.”
“A favor?” Her voice rose with agitation.
He took her hand in his. They moved swiftly down the hallway. It wasn’t until they were out of earshot of his mother that he stopped. Bianca yanked her hand free as she shot him another angry glare.
“I’d appreciate if you would let me do my job,” she said. “And we don’t have any plans.”
“That’s where you would be wrong.”
“No. I’m not.” She reached for her phone and ran her finger over the screen. Then she turned the phone to him. “See, I don’t have you on my calendar.”
“Then your calendar must be wrong.”
“My calendar is never wrong. It’s what keeps my life, my business, on track.”
He wasn’t going to argue the point. He had more important matters in mind. “My car is waiting for us. This way.”
“And if I refuse?”
“You’ll regret it. I promise you’re going to love this.” He could tell by the widening of her eyes that she was hooked.
* * *
Did he have to interrupt her meeting with the queen?
She’d just started to make some headway.
Bianca admitted that she might have pushed the queen hard, but someone had to stand up to her. Otherwise the queen was about to roll right over her daughter. It was Bianca’s job to make sure that didn’t happen.
When she went to speak to Leo, she realized he was already walking away. She rushed to catch up with him. His long legs took lengthy strides and she had to take two steps for every one of his.
“Do you mind telling me where we’re going?”
“Out.” He stopped and opened the door for her.
She stepped out into the cool morning air. The sun was shining in the cyan blue sky. There wasn’t a cloud in sight. It was going to be a beautiful day.
When Bianca lowered her gaze, she noticed a sleek black sports car sitting in the middle of the drive. It wasn’t a new model. This car was a classic but in mint condition. The top was down, revealing its black leather bucket seats. It looked perfect for cruising around and taking in the sights. Not that she had time for sightseeing.
As though Leo had read her thoughts, he moved to the car and opened the passenger side door for her. Just then her phone vibrated in her hand. Her breath hitched as she wondered if it was a message about the DNA results. She glanced at the phone, willing the results to be in—so she’d at last know if she was a true Bartolini...or not.
However, the text message on her phone was from Sylvie. The replacement linens were to be delivered that afternoon. Though it was good news so far as the wedding, she was still left wondering about the DNA results and how they would change her life.
“Bianca? Hey Bianca?”
She glanced up to find Leo waving at her. She pressed her lips into a firm line as she sent off a quick text to her assistant, thanking her for following up on the order.
“Sorry. I have a lot going on right now.”
“Exactly why you need a little break.”
“You aren’t going to let this go, are you?”
“Not until you come with me.”
She climbed into the car. The leather seats were so soft it felt as though they’d been wrapped around her. After Leo climbed in the driver’s seat, he fired up the powerful engine. It purred, but Bianca sensed the purr was deceptive. A little pressure on the accelerator and they roared off, down the driveway.
As he adjusted the rearview mirror, she asked. “Are you allowed to do this?” When he glanced at her with a questioning arc of his brow, she added, “You know, go off on your own. After all, you’re the crown prince.”
A smile lit up his face. Oh, my, was he handsome. Her heart swooned. The traitorous thing.
“It took a lot of negotiating but I’ve been allowed a certain bit of freedom.”
“I bet the queen wasn’t happy about that.”
He laughed. The sound was warm and rich. “It’s not the queen that I had to convince. It was Sir George.”
“Who is Sir George?”
“He’s the head of my security detail. In fact, he’s the head of the royal protection for the palace and the family. But he personally oversees my protection and I’ve been a challenge to him over the years.”
“And he agreed that you could go out driving by yourself?”
“Hardly. Behind us is a dark SUV filled with heavily armed guards. If anyone were to stop this vehicle, they would have an ex-military team to deal with. I can assure you, we are quite safe.”
The low-set car clung to the road as they whipped around the mountainous curves. Bianca’s hand tightened around the door handle. It’d been a long time since she had been in a sports car. She remembered not long after her brother started to drive that he would be given the task of driving her to visit with friends. He drove so fast, as though he were a race car driver, only he’d had a lot less experience at the time than Leo had now.
Still, Enzo had been a good sport. Without him, she wouldn’t have been able to see her friends since they lived so far apart. And her parents were always busy. Her father with the winery and her mother with the horses and the gardening. None of which interested Bianca all that much.
But Enzo made sure she didn’t get forgotten in the rush of everyday life. She smiled at the memory. Maybe the distance between them now was something that could be overcome. Maybe they could be close once more. She didn’t realize until that moment that it was something she wanted, something she wanted as much as—no, more than—she wanted to win the contest.
“What are you thinking about?” Leo’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
“My family. Actually, my brother.”
“And that made you smile?”
“Yes, it did. Riding in this sports car reminded me of him when I was a kid and how he would drive me around so I could see my friends. I’d forgotten about it—about how we’d crank up the music and I would sing at the top of my lungs. He’d laugh and we, well, we just had fun.”
“And you two don’t have fun any longer?”
She glanced down at her hands. “We haven’t in a lot of years. We drifted apart when I was a teen. I was more worried about my hair and my clothes than hanging out with my family.”
“Isn’t that normal for a teenage girl?”
She shrugged. “Maybe. But once the distance was there, we were never able to overcome it.”
“By the smile on your face when you thought of your brother, I don’t think it’ll be hard to repair your relationship.”
“It might be harder than you’re imagining.” And then the story of finding her mother’s diary and the fact that one of the three siblings was not a Bartolini by blood all came spilling out.
She didn’t know why she’d confessed to Leo. She’d been intending to keep the secret until the DNA results proved what she already surmised—she wasn’t a Bartolini. But it felt good to get it out—even if the results were not what she wanted for herself or either of her siblings.
Leo took his gaze off the road for a moment to glance at her. Sympathy reflected in his dark eyes before he focused back on the road. “You shouldn’t assume you are not a Bartolini. It could be any one of you. Or maybe you misunderstood—”
“There was no misunderstanding.” Bianca wrung her hands. “It makes sense that it’s me.” Her voice crackled with emotion. “I never lived up to my parents’ expectations. I always marched to a different drummer. I wasn’t like my brother or sister.”
He reached out and took her hand in his. “It doesn’t mean you aren’t a Bartolini.”
“If only that were the truth,” she muttered under her breath.
Leo gave her hand one last reassuring squeeze. And then the car pulled to a stop.
She glanced around. “Where are we?”
“This is the best view of the palace and the surrounding area. I like to come up here just to get away from all the pressur
es. Though I don’t get time to do that very often these days.”
“I can see why you’d want to come up here. The view is stunning.” She stared out at the land as the sun’s early morning rays highlighted it. She reached for her phone and snapped a photo through the open window.
When she went to open her car door, he said, “Wait. I have an even better view for you.”
“Better than this? Impossible.”
“Trust me.” He started driving again.
They moved further along the tree-lined road. The car climbed a gradual rise and at the top, a rainbow of color came into sight. It hovered there in all its big, bright brilliance. As the car moved closer, more color was revealed, and soon Bianca realized what she was looking at—a hot air balloon.
“Oh, look.” She lightly clapped her hands together in excitement. “I just love hot air balloons. Do you think they’ll fly it while we’re here?”
Leo pulled the car to a stop. “We can ask.”
“Do you know these people?”
He offered only a smile in response. What did that mean? Was he going to use his status as prince to get what he wanted?
As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she felt guilty. In all the time she’d known Leo, he’d never once abused his position as the crown prince. He was better than that.
Leo was a good man. No. He was a great man with a generous, caring heart. When it came time for him to take over the throne, the country of Patazonia would be very lucky.
Her door swung up, startling her from her thoughts. She glanced up to find Leo standing there.
“Are you coming?”
“Of course.” She alighted from the car and walked beside Leo.
She thought they would be moving toward the edge of the mountainside for a view of the area, but Leo was headed for the hot air balloon. Suddenly she started to worry that he was doing this for her.
“Leo, we shouldn’t interrupt them. They look busy.”
“It’ll be okay. I’m sure they won’t mind letting us take an up-close look.”
He took her hand in his. A rush of tingles started in her fingertips and worked their way up her arm. They settled in her chest and had her heart racing.
The Prince and the Wedding Planner Page 13
