"Discretion is a necessary component in my life and I'd never publicly humiliate my family."
Raised with old-fashioned values on a Kansas farm, her parents hadn’t loved one another. Kristin had vivid memories of sitting at the kitchen table when neither of them spoke a word to each other directly, using her as a go-between to pass the butter. They’d stayed together because they’d made a promise to God, and not because they were happy.
Every silent day slowly killed them.
After their deaths, she’d sold the farm and moved to the city, betraying those values. She yearned for a different life, filled with hope, but if she went and married Antonio, for wealth and security rather than working for it, there would be no redemption for her from heaven above.
Now it was time to ask the ultimate question. Each second dragged. She stared into his brown eyes, noting his regal nose and thick, dark hair. To be in his arms might be like tasting heaven itself—she couldn’t let attraction rule her. She folded her hands over her knee to maintain control. Perhaps he meant that she’d go to a doctor for insemination? Anything was possible. "Would these children be created from our union?"
He leaned close and she got a hint of almond and testosterone. "Union is a nice way of talking about sex."
She blinked, her body warming as she imagined them in bed. "Sex is important."
As if he hadn’t expected her to agree, he sat back—breaking the spell. "Yes it is, and yes, it would be included in the contract." He then pointed to the paper in her hand. "Attraction is not love. I want that made clear. This will not be a love match."
Secretary, wife, or go back to her desk job where nothing ever happened. Kristin tucked the strand of her French twist that had fallen out of the clip behind her ear. "How many other women have you offered this to?"
He pulled out another piece of paper from the folder. "I put the ad for a secretary out world-wide. Then I had all-inclusive background checks done on every applicant. You are my first and only choice at the moment."
She was the only? Seriously? She wasn't royal; her parents had been farmers. She had no family. She didn't know anyone important who could help him in society.
Kristin realized that made her perfect for a serial killer to stalk, not a prince to marry. "Why?"
He studied her paperwork. "Because, Kristin, you’re smart, you have no family to tie you down, your only trusted friend is your roommate, Renee. You’re in debt for over $100,000 in student loans, you owe $15,000 for your car and $200,000 for your condo. My offer means you can pay these off in less than three years without racking up more debt and since you’ve worked from the age of eight years old for your father in the stables, you understand a job is a job."
It really did come down to dollars and cents. He’d read her application and her problems in life like a spreadsheet. She adjusted her eyeglasses and focused on him. "So, I could have been anyone?"
He raised two fingers on his right hand as a “no” gesture. "You are also attractive. That was a requirement for me."
Reconstructive surgery in the contract should have given that away her brain shouted, but her heart whispered that she was overly cynical and that the man adored on multiple continents for his charm and good looks thought she was pretty. She was sure she blushed. "Two things."
He leaned forward and put his hands together. "What?"
Her fingers trembled as she picked up the contract from the desk. "I'll need twenty-four hours to decide."
"Fair enough. And two?"
This one was for her silly heart. She had to know, if they were going to share a bed, a life, the truth. If there was nothing, no spark, she couldn’t go through with it. She stood and Antonio stood with her. The contract fell onto her chair, but her hands shook too much to even try to pick it up. She pushed her hair out of her face and then said, "I'll need you to kiss me now. If I don’t feel anything then this will never work."
The guttural sound he made from his throat told her he approved and he wrapped his hands around her waist. Her body felt warm as butter melting on a summer day. Her eyelids fluttered as she waited for his touch. He said, "We're clear that our union is business and not love?"
She opened her eyes and met his. She had always sworn she could take care of herself and wouldn’t marry someone she couldn’t respect enough to talk to everyday. Love wasn’t a factor. "Abundantly."
Closing her eyes again, she felt his lips inches from her mouth. "Then here..."
His kiss set her heart soaring. She held onto his shoulders to stay steady, but her foot lifted off the ground as if she might float away. His lips crushed hers in a soul-searching sweep of passion and she joined him in some place that must be heaven itself. No boy had ever come close to that kiss.
Once his lips left hers, Kristin used the desk behind her to hold herself upright.
If she left, she’d never have another kiss like that. If she stayed, she couldn’t honor her parents’ wishes that she marry someone who shared their manual labor, hard-working values. But they had been so unhappy. If she said yes, she might experience more of whatever had just sparked between her and Prince Antonio—she was sure her parents had never felt anything like that for each other.
Antonio read his watch. "See you tomorrow at 5 PM? Meet me here with your answer." He took his file and walked toward the door they’d come in and opened it for her.
"I’ll be here, Your Highness."
Princes of Avce
Forbidden Crown
Forbidden Prince
Forbidden Royal
Forbidden Duke
Forbidden Earl
Forbidden Monsieur
Forbidden Prince Preview
Renee Brown ordered a pepperoni pizza on her phone app, her attention snagged by the brilliant orange and red hues outside the kitchen window and over the parking lot. Where was Kristin? Her roommate was late, and Renee wanted to hear all about the sexy prince and Kristin’s job interview.
If Kristin landed the secretarial position, Renee would be one step closer to meeting actual royalty. Would the pictures of Marco Aussa, the youngest prince of Avce, turn out to be tricks of the light? There was no possible way a man that handsome existed. And a prince!
Renee taught history for a living—and never had her blood stirred at a photo in a book as it had perusing Marco Aussa online.
With one last look out at the parking lot, still no Kristin, Renee went to the kitchen and gathered lettuce, spinach, cucumbers, and tomatoes. If she met a prince on her summer vacation from work, she'd have the best story to share with her coworkers.
She glanced out the window again and saw her neighbor, Greg, working on his car. He was the kind of guy she could bring home to meet her brother and parents. Good-looking, an accountant with a decent job—better than average pay but nothing flashy—handy around the building, and polite. If he asked her out, she'd have said yes simply because he was everything she’d put on her list. He wasn't the kind her parents would dismiss. However, he never noticed her, so that wasn't going to happen.
The salad needed something else…Renee found some celery behind a tub of cottage cheese and chopped it in thin slices.
The lock to the apartment clicked. Renee looked up from salad making and greeted her best friend in the world, the dark-haired and fabulous Kristin. "Where were you? I already ordered the pizza."
Kristin put her pocketbook on the lamp table by the door and kicked off the black heels she’d borrowed from Renee, then joined her at the counter. "You know I had my job interview with the Royal Prince Antonio Aussa from Avce this afternoon."
Renee studied Kristin, who wouldn’t meet her eye. Had she gotten the job? Renee's pulse zipped to find out if she'd get a shot at seeing the youngest playboy prince in person. She put the salad tongs down. "That was at three. You're late."
Kristin went to the refrigerator and took out the orange juice, pouring a small glass. "I was driving around aimlessly."
Yes, something important must’ve happened—Kristin a
lways had a plan. Renee’s chances of meeting Marco were about as good as winning the Powerball but she wanted to know. She picked up the salad tongs and tossed the vegetables in a blue plastic bowl to mix the ingredients. "Why? Did you get the position?"
Kristin put the juice on the counter and hugged her waist. Oh, no. Renee turned toward her friend. What if she’d been driving because she was upset about not getting the job?
A few weeks ago, when Kristin had first applied, they’d joked about marrying two of the prince brothers. Kristin's white face made Renee's memory seem sad now. "I’m…" sorry.
Finally, Kristin looked up with a dazed expression. "He asked me to marry him."
No way. Was she kidding? Her heart beat faster. Renee dropped the salad tongs on top of the romaine. "Shut the door."
Kristin turned her head toward the front door. "I did."
"Slang. You have got to enter the 21st century." Renee reached out and took her hand. Joking aside, her only big plans this summer were book-related as she prepped to teach her history class and she could do that anywhere. Now she had a reason to buy a plane ticket and go to Europe. "When do you start? Will it be in Europe?"
Kristin seemed confused.
Renee slowly realized that she wasn’t joking. "Seriously? He asked you to marry him?" Crazy.
"Yes." Kristin's gaze lowered. "And I’m tempted to agree."
Renee's heart hammered. "I saw your application for secretary...did he take one look at you and fall in love?"
Kristin shook her head. "Not love. That doesn't happen and never lasts anyhow."
"Well, nothing is ever a sure thing." She’d thought her ex, Tom, had been solid but he’d left her high and dry, something her family never let her forget.
As if reading her mind, Kristin said, "To be fair to your parents, I never liked Tom. He always seemed like he was up to something." "Don’t agree with them on anything." Renee gave Kristin a warning look.
One day a man like Greg would ask Renee to marry him and she'd bring him home. This time, she'd make the smart choice and her family would be excited to see her get married in their country club. But Kristin didn't have any of that responsibility. She was free and now she could marry a prince, for real.
"Your break-up with Tom is another reason why I think love is a sick joke we play on children and teenagers. It’s a lie bigger than Santa Claus."
Her friend might not believe in love, but she deserved a fairy tale.
"That's cynical and untrue—love can last a lifetime." Renee squeezed Kristin’s hands. Her parents claimed to love each other, so at least Renee had a basis for understanding. "So what did you say?"
Kristin stepped back but kept her head down. "I told him that I needed time to think. Part of me was so mesmerized by him that I almost said yes, but my parents warned me all my life that work and security would bring me happiness more than romance. Marrying a prince I just met isn't exactly practical."
Renee laughed. Seriously, work was nice, but it was family that made every day worthwhile. One day she'd have her own, but first she needed to find the right guy. She nudged her best friend. "If a prince with billions of dollars knocked on my door and asked me to marry him, I'd say yes."
"Tell me that’s not why you said yes to Tom."
"Tom was nice. I don’t know what happened." Renee's phone beeped. The text read that the pizza would be there in fifteen minutes.
"So you say I should say yes," Kristin perched on the kitchen stool next to the island and drank her juice. "Just like that?"
"Absolutely." Renee finished with the salad and kept the rest of her comments to herself. In reality, a prince would never be approved by her parents, who had strict ideas for happiness. Not a big deal since she wasn’t the one who’d been asked.
With a sigh Kristin stood, left her phone on the counter in the kitchen and went to the cabinet to get cups and plates. "No. No, you wouldn't. You'd see through the BS, and wonder if there were any cameras taping you."
True. Renee walked out of the kitchen and put the salad bowl in the middle of the dining room table. "Oh, were you bamboozled in some awful prank I'll get to see on TV?"
"No." Kristin followed her out with the plates, centering each on a placemat. "He asked me, for real. I just feel like I was being played, like maybe I'm missing something."
Renee leaned against the table and crossed her arms. "Why does he want to marry you? Did you ask that?"
"Yes." Kristin went to the wine cooler. "He listed off my resume and personal information. It seems like I would benefit from the deal. I should have insisted that a secretary application wasn't a prescription for finding a wife. I feel so foolish now."
"Pour some wine for both of us and we'll talk all about how you should be a princess." Being best friends with royalty who'd interact with the hot playboy prince would give Renee a shot at a dream—these days, Marco figured prominently. "And I can be a princess's best friend." Daydreams like this often made the boring reality of her day-to-day more palatable.
Once Kristin was done pouring, she brought the bottle to the table. "Yeah, I've not been anyone's princess since my father walked out on my mother when I was eight. When he returned home six months later, neither of them was happy. They never really conversed again. You have no idea what it's like to grow up knowing your parents hate each other while they sit right next to you and speak through you."
No, she had no idea. Kristin handed her a glass of wine. Her parents were like those people on TV who live and love living in the suburbs. They hadn't understood when she’d moved to the city, and they'd not know what to do if she brought home a prince.
Renee clicked her glass with her friend and sipped. "Well, that was depressing. So let's lighten up, and you can tell me if he's as hot in real life as he is in your photos."
Kristin took a small drink and sat with her elbow on the table. "Renee, he's hotter. TV and photos...I don't know...make him somehow blander. He's sexy in such a raw powerful way that I was shaken up. I wasn't kidding—I almost said yes to his marriage proposal on the spot."
Antonio was the serious family member that Kristin dug. If Marco's dimples were even hotter in person, she might just offer to throw her clothes off and let him have her. And yes her fantasy was out of control today. "What exactly made you say 'you'd think about it?'"
Kristin swallowed her wine, emptying her glass. "Self-preservation kicked in."
"What are you talking about?"
Kristin lifted her chin. "Despite how attractive he is, I want love to be at least part of why I get married which is utterly stupid as I don’t believe the emotion even exists."
Renee scoffed. "Then marry Greg in our building. He's clearly in love with you, if that's what you want."
"No, I'm not into him at all."
Just then the doorbell rang. She put the glass down. Tonight was Renee's turn to pay. "That's the pizza! Can you get the door while I go find my pocketbook for the tip?"
"It's my turn to pay," Kristin insisted.
Renee stopped. Perhaps she'd bought last night. Kristin raced into the kitchen.
Renee walked to the door, swung it open and stared into deep brown eyes. Wow. This was the prince that made her friend's heart stir. If he’d seriously asked Kristin to marry him, then she needed to say yes. Now. Renee crossed her arms. "Nice to meet you, Your Highness."
"I'm looking for Kristin Wells." He took a small step closer, trying not to be obvious as he peered in.
Renee held the door wider and said, "I'm hoping she says yes."
Antonio Aussa, the older brother of her celebrity crush, raised his eyebrows, but followed her inside.
A moment later, Kristin walked out and stared at Prince Antonio.
"You didn't tell me that the prince was..." Renee began but realized neither one of them were listening.
"What?" Kristin asked and blinked though she never turned away from staring at Antonio.
"...coming." Renee finished and wondered how it would be to me
et this man's younger, sexier brother. If only. For this one summer, she was free and it would be nice to see someone like Marco before she settled into the suburbs and raised children for a man her parents would go golfing with.
Kristin asked, "Your Highness, what are you doing here?"
Why hadn't her best friend dragged her almost fiancé into her bedroom? If their roles were switched, and it was Marco at the door, Renee would have, just for fun.
Her future required settling down to please her parents, if she wanted to be included in their circle, just as surely as her brother would marry a perfectly acceptable country club girl.
Antonio went toward her friend. "Kristin, I hope I'm not intruding."
Right, if her friend didn't want to take him to her room, it was Renee's turn to leave. She eyed her bedroom door. "I'll give you a few minutes and head to my room."
Renee closed the door behind her. What would the prince think of their simple apartment? The same boring cream paint was on all of the walls. She’d framed movie pictures for art but the décor was definitely teacher on a budget. Her phone dinged—the pizza was delayed, according to the app. Trying to give Kristin and the prince privacy in the small apartment, she turned her attention to Greg and sent him a text. He might not notice her, but perhaps one of his friends might be good enough to take home for the holidays or something. 'Greg, saw you at your car engine. Everything okay?'
'Yeah, I'm just changing the oil.' He texted back. 'I saw you and Kristin have a guy over.'
'Kristin has the guy, else I'd not be texting you at the moment.'
'Hope he's good enough for her.'
The zap of jealousy shouldn't exist. This was why she needed to keep her distance from Greg. 'I hope Kristin likes this one. She deserves to be happy. If you need anything, text.'
'Thanks.'
She’d covered plastic bins that she used as a dresser with scarves and now peered into the small mirror on top to fix her hair. Brown eyes stared back, the beginnings of fine lines at the corners.
Renee wasn't getting any younger, as her mother would say. And that voice echoed in her mind. One day she'd find her suburban husband who fixed her car and not think about Greg or anyone else.
Forbidden Duke (Princes of Avce Book 4) Page 14
