My Royal Billionaire Boss: A Peachtree Billionaires Novel

by Cate Remy

  Chapter Seventeen

  Shae spent the next day at the harbor with Donovan, the king and queen, and an entourage of people, including the royal family’s personal photographer, media spokesman, and a host of security. Donovan’s parents were scheduled to appear at a christening of a new cruise ship to promote tourism of Severn. Each member of the royal family addressed the crowd.

  She stood on the pier in her coat, a sweater dress, boots, and one of Resa’s heavy woolen scarves. She was so glad Donovan’s aunt lent it to her. If she lived in Severn, her whole wardrobe would have to change.

  Why am I thinking about life in Severn? She wondered as she watched the town’s population turn out for the event. She was flying home to Atlanta on the weekend. Her cool-weather threads would be up in storage until the next rare cold winter in Georgia.

  “We hope that our project with Kleghorn Hotels will be the start of many new friendships and partnerships with Americans.” Donovan concluded his speech with a congenial and polite handshake to Shae. Cameras flashed and people applauded their prince. Her hands were a little cold, but his were warm as always. She kept her smile until the cameras and people focused on the queen as she got ready to break a champagne bottle over the bow of a cruise ship.

  Donovan moved to stand by her side. He leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Your hand is freezing.” He drew up to his full height.

  She had to lift her chin and stand on tiptoe to respond. “I should’ve asked your aunt to borrow a pair of gloves.”

  He covered her hands with his large one and kept facing forward to watch his mother christen the ship. Shae glanced at the cameras and people with their cell phones. She was pretty sure it looked like they were holding hands. With the ceremony underway and all eyes front and center, she couldn’t do anything about it. As her fingers began to warm, she almost didn’t want to.

  Donovan looked around the harbor before his gaze fell on her again. She lifted an eyebrow. He gave a neutral, innocent look in response.

  “Aww, look at the prince and the American girl,” she heard a person state very loudly from the crowd ten feet away.

  She dropped her hands to her side. Donovan smoothly stuck his in his pocket.

  The ceremony wrapped up and the royal family got into separate vehicles to go to the estate to prepare for the ball. Shae got in a car with Donovan and his security. She wasn’t about to say anything about his previous handholding while they were in front of Murphy and Giles.

  At the estate, Donovan excused himself to go to his office. “I look forward to seeing you tonight, Shae.” He told her when they were inside.

  Shae used the free time to engage in a rare luxurious activity she almost never had a chance to do at home in the States. She took a long nap.

  Three hours later, she woke up to get ready for the ball. She bathed and put on the beautiful bronze silk gown. It came with nude heels that made her almost look like she was wearing no shoes at all, like she was balancing on tiptoe. Shae made use of a curling iron to sweep her hair into a high curly bun. She applied a dab of perfume when the phone on the nightstand rang. Was this another courtesy call?

  “Hello?”

  Jacques’ voice came on the line. “Miss Lawson, His Highness is waiting at the staircase to escort you to the ball.”

  “I’m on my way.” She gave her appearance a final check in the mirror before leaving.

  She walked to the staircase and saw Donovan standing at the foot in a sleek black tux. His wavy, wild hair was tamed with a bit of gel. She put her hand on the banister for support. His face turned up when she started coming down.

  He reached for her hand as she completed the last two steps. “I want to tell you how gorgeous you look, but I’ve said it so much you probably don’t believe me.”

  She bit her lip. “I think you’re being charming again.”

  “It’s called honesty. Even I’m capable of it.”

  Was he capable of not flirting? Was she capable of not thinking about yesterday at the castle? She rested her hand in the crook of his arm.

  They walked to the doors of the estate ballroom. Soft string music wafted from the interior. Shae beheld the men and women in their formal evening attire. They arrived at the ballroom. She looked in and saw people representing different countries. Some wore their nation’s traditional ceremonial dress. Since she worked at the Kleghorn, she saw events like this from a staff person’s perspective. She didn’t think she’d be a guest of one, certainly not in a foreign country and definitely not being escorted on the arm of a prince.

  Donovan caught her looking at him and gave her a telling stare back.

  A flirtatious prince.

  The usher at the door announced them. “Crown Prince Donavon Caldwell and Miss Shae Lawson.”

  Donovan walked inside with her. All eyes turned to them. If she could get through the night without tripping over herself or stumbling over her words, she’d be golden.

  Donovan couldn’t get over how Shae looked tonight. He introduced her to some of the guests, including the friends he made while serving overseas in Severn’s navy. Shae was elegant and poised the way she talked to diplomats. She did the same once his mother and father joined them in the ballroom. When she first came to his country, she expressed how nervous she was to meet his parents. He couldn’t see that now. She looked natural, like she fit right in with his friends and family.

  He went to get a couple glasses of champagne for himself and Shae. His father joined him at the champagne table.

  “Your mother and I are proud of you. Your work in Georgia exceeded expectations.”

  It made Donovan happy to hear his father praise his efforts. Finally, he was on the right track. “I can’t take all the credit. Shae made my ideas practical.”

  “She’s a bright young woman.” His father took a glass of champagne and went to speak to Severn’s Secretary of the Treasury.

  Donovan watched Shae chat with his aunt. She was bright, as his father said. She shined brighter than anyone else in the room. He grabbed the drinks and rejoined her and Aunt Resa in a corner of the room.

  “You didn’t get one for me?” Aunt Resa asked, feigning offense. “I see how it is.” She cast a sage look at him and Shae. She left to chat with her friends.

  Shae turned to him after she left. “What did she mean?”

  “Who knows half the time with Aunt Resa? She’s just teasing us.” He handed her a drink.

  Shae watched people come in from the balcony. A breeze came in and lifted the curly tendrils of her hair. He wanted to do the same. “Windy tonight.”

  “Care for some fresh air?”

  There he goes again. From the look on Donovan’s face, she caught the double meaning of his question. Shae raised her eyebrow at Donovan again, as she did in the harbor earlier that day. “I don’t think going outside on the balcony is a good idea after what happened last time.”

  “I think it’s a great idea.”

  She sipped her champagne, not dignifying his remark with an answer.

  He put his untouched champagne glass on a tray when a server walked by. “Shae, you wanted to leave abruptly when we kissed at the castle. Why?”

  She looked around to see who could be listening. Everyone seemed to be into the music or listening to their companions talk. She got a little closer to Donovan so she could lower her voice. “We shouldn’t have done that.”

  “We both wanted to.”

  “It doesn’t mean we should have.” She tapped the stem of the champagne flute. “It’s wrong. We work together.”

  “The project’s done. We don’t have to pretend we’re not attracted to each other anymore.”

  Shae decided to move closer towards the balcony, where people came in from the cold. The space was empty now. She could talk more candidly to Donovan. “Don’t you see how bad it looks, an employee going out with her boss? Her royal boss? Those trashy tabloids will eat it up.”

  “We’ve done good work,” he persisted. “I
don’t care about the tabloids, Shae. They’re always going to find something to gossip about. If not me, then someone else.”

  She finished her drink and set the glass on a small table. She crossed her arms. “How do I know this isn’t just another fling you want to have?”

  He looked offended. Hurt, even. “I’m not interested in flings. I’m looking for someone to spend my time with regularly, long term.”

  She gave weight to what he was saying. “You want a committed relationship?”

  “Yes. With you.”

  Part of her wanted to believe him and go with it, while the other kept her shield up. “You’re a prince. I’m a grad student. An American one. We have too many differences that are so obvious.”

  “You’re referring to our different nationalities and race.”

  She nodded. “Those reasons are enough for many people to consider us taboo.”

  “The people of my country need a future king. I will give them my best, but they can’t dictate who I let into my life.”

  She didn’t think he was considering it fully. She hadn’t even mentioned the long distance part. “I wouldn’t let you kiss me if I wasn’t attracted to you.”

  “Does that mean you’d give us a chance?”

  Us. She couldn’t believe she was hearing this. She wanted to go with it and see what happened. But common sense had to rule. “Can you let me think about it? I don’t want to make a quick decision.”

  “Fair enough.” He held out his hand. “Can I at least convince you to dance with me once?”

  Shae accepted as the music played.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Shae spent the next two days touring Severn with Donovan. He took her into Trepal to show her his favorite pubs and to a production at an opera house. Wherever they went, people took notice. Shae assumed they were pondering what was going through her own mind. Was she simply enjoying touring parts of Severn with Donovan, or was she dating him?

  She asked him to let her think about it. Time was running out. The day after tomorrow, she’d be on a plane to Atlanta. There was one last event to go to, a horse race called the Autumn Reigns. Then she’d give her answer.

  Donovan put on his coat to leave the estate on the morning of the Autumn Reigns race. Today was the day Shae would give her answer. He hoped it was a yes, that she’d consider dating him.

  They attended the race with his security detail in tow. Donovan sat in his family’s box while the horses raced during the next hour and a half. When it was over and the winner was announced, he moved down from the stands to go and congratulate the jockeys who participated.

  Donovan took a sneak peek at Shae while she thought he was busy waiting to chat with the jockeys. She was so lovely in her camel coat and yellow dress. The warm colors flattered her caramel skin. A breeze came along. She put a hand lightly on top of her beret while she engaged in light conversation with another spectator. The strands of her dark hair lifted and danced across her shoulders.

  Suddenly, the jockeys came out from the stalls and approached. Donovan realized he’d been focusing on Shae the entire time. She turned as well, and the two of them chatted with the jockeys and congratulated the winner.

  About twenty minutes later, Donovan’s security detail designated a path for him and Shae to get to the car. They approached an ice cream stand near the track. He watched Shae form a smile at seeing a child eating a cone with three colorful scoops. “That ice cream looks delicious. Do you mind if I break protocol to buy a scoop?”

  He signaled for security to pause so they could make a stop at the ice cream stand. “I don’t mind, but isn’t it a little cold for ice cream?”

  She shrugged. “What would a day at the races be without it?” She made for the stand without waiting for security to give the okay. Donovan walked after her. He needed to remind her to wait for security, but he could tell her so later once they got in the car.

  “You asked what would a day at the races be without ice cream. I thought you said you’ve never been to a horse race.”

  “I haven’t. I just made it up.” She gave him a smile before ordering a double scoop of dark chocolate and raspberry in a waffle cone.

  He watched as the ice cream attendant put two scoops the size of softballs in a waffle cone. They teetered over the edge as the attendant handed her the cone through the window. “Are you going to share?”

  “I didn’t plan to. I’m kind of territorial when it comes to my dessert.” She tasted the first scoop. A bit of raspberry decorated the tip of her nose in red.

  Donovan reached out and swiped it on the tip of his finger. He tasted the ice cream. “I guess this is all I can hope for.”

  He heard soft laughter and “awws” as pedestrians walked by. They didn’t do a good job of pretending they weren’t watching. Shae looked a little uncomfortable, but pretended not to notice she had an audience.

  “For you, Your Highness.” The attendant handed him a waffle cone with peanut butter cup ice cream. “I remembered you ordered this last year.”

  “Thank you.” Donovan saw that he received a nice tip. “Are you ready to go back to the estate, Shae? We can watch a movie before dinner.”

  “Sure.” She walked with him. Donovan was a little amused. Here they were, two grown adults, walking side by side and eating ice cream like children. He enjoyed this simple pleasure with her. These moments didn’t come by too often, with his increasing business engagements and public appearances. Shae brought a welcome presence into his life with her calm presence and thoughtfulness that he didn’t realize was missing.

  He finished his waffle cone as he and Shae strolled behind security. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of movement. Donovan turned as a man tried to come up to Shae. He got in between them.

  “Just want a picture,” the man said.

  “No pictures, please,” Donovan said, polite yet firm.

  “Just one of your new girl, then.” He heard a voice from behind.

  He whipped around to see another man, about his height, rush at Shae from the other side. It happened too fast. She tried to back away, dropping her waffle cone. The man reached for her arm to get her to stop moving from him. Her foot went out from under her and she went down on the pavement.

  Donovan got to her. “Shae, are you hurt?”

  She looked a little stunned. Her stocking was torn at the side of her knee and the skin was scraped where she fell. The man responsible stuck a camera in her face and snapped away. “Enough.” Donovan knocked the camera out of his hands. He heard it hit the ground and the parts scatter. He reared his arm back and gave the man a rough shove into a beverage cart.

  Giles and Murphy were yelling. He heard them but didn’t understand what they were saying. Giles yanked the man out of the smashed beverage cart and held him restrained. Murphy got in front of the other guy who wisely stayed put.

  “Don’t get mad at us. We’re from Well Bred magazine. His Highness said we could come.”

  Shae looked to Donovan. “Is that true?”

  “They’re breaking the law.” Donovan helped her to her feet. “I scheduled a photo-op. Then I cancelled it when I knew you were coming with me.”

  She shook her head and got out of his grasp. “I can’t do this, Donovan.” She looked down at her dress, splotched with dirt and ice cream, and her scraped knee. “This kind of tabloid stuff always follows you, but you allow it. You like it.”

  She shot past him to go to the cars. Security had no choice but to go after her. She got into one of the other cars and had the driver shut the door on him and the rest of the world.

  Donovan drove to the family estate alone. He took the long route to clear his head, get away from the busy traffic in town, and give Shae some time to decompress. When he arrived, Jacques informed him she was gone. “She packed up her things and left within thirty minutes upon arrival, Your Highness.”

  His pulse raced. Maybe he could catch up to her. “Did she say where she was going, a hotel maybe?�
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  Jacques wrung his hands, uncomfortable. “She wanted to go home. She had one of the drivers take her to town. He said she hailed a cab there to take her to the airport.”

  She was leaving the country. He bungled up and hurt her so badly that the only thing she wanted to do was get away from him. “Inform my family and guests that I won’t make it to dinner this evening. I’ll explain the rest to them later.”

  “Your Highness, Her Royal Majesty the queen is waiting to speak with you. She wants you to join her in the parlor immediately.”

  He knew his father and mother had seen what happened at the races by now. They were alarmed and angered by what happened. He’d talk to them, but at the moment there was no time. “Inform my mother that I left to find Shae.”

  “But what about the dinner guests?”

  “Tell the guests I won’t make it this evening. I’ll explain the rest to all of them later.”

  “You will do no such thing.” His mother’s voice rang from the other side of the hall. She entered through the arch doorway. “Jacques, will you give me a moment to speak with my son alone?”

  The butler inclined his head to the queen and then gave a helpless look to Donovan before leaving.

  Donovan’s mother waited until Jacques left the room and vanished down another hall. “My son, your face is all over the media right this moment. What were you thinking when you pushed that man?”

  “He put his hands on Shae when she refused to take a picture. He made her fall.”

  “I saw those things. Why didn’t you let your security handle it?”

  “They weren’t in close enough range. Besides, what kind of man would I be if I just stood there and let a photographer manhandle Shae while I waited for my guards to do something about it?”

  “You’d be a respectable prince, one who understood the importance of looking proper in the public eye.”

  “You taught me to value people. With all due respect, Mother, I will never put my honor over Shae’s safety.”