by J. S. Scott
“Your table is ready, Miss,” Theo said quietly.
I seized on the opportunity to make my escape. “I have to go. I’m really very hungry. It was nice meeting you, Your Highness.”
Okay, I was pretty sure I was supposed to curtsy or bow my head, but since I wasn’t entirely certain of the protocol, I just shot him a weak smile before I turned back to Theo so he could show me to my table.
Unfortunately, Prince Nic followed in my wake and seated himself in a vacant chair across from me once I’d been shown to my place in the elegant dining room.
An olive-skinned woman stepped quietly up to the table in a pristine dress and white apron and bowed her head before she asked, “Would you like the royal breakfast, Your Highness.”
“Yes. Thank you, Elisa,” Nic answered, shooting a genuine smile in the older woman’s direction.
I looked at him irritably as the female quickly darted back into the kitchen. “She didn’t take my order.”
“She did,” Nic argued. “The royal breakfast will give you the chance to select anything you like.”
The staff of the restaurant proceeded to bring things from the kitchen, and set plates in front of us where they could place our selections. Once our plates were full, the employees discretely disappeared, leaving me with a far bigger breakfast than I’d planned.
“Don’t you think this is a little wasteful,” I asked without rancor. I had, after all, filled my plates.
“Not at all,” Nic answered smoothly. “All left over food is donated. It never goes to waste.”
I had to admire the fact that food wasn’t just tossed in the trash. I dug into my eggs, bacon and bagel smothered in cream cheese. At least the government made sure that they made use of all of the food in the kingdom.
We ate in silence for a few minutes before Nic reached for his coffee and asked, “So why do you want to avoid me? You don’t even know me.”
He leveled me with a curious gaze, and it was probing for answers, too. The Prince made me edgy and uncomfortable. I wasn’t wearing a hint of makeup, and I’d clipped my unruly, red curls behind my head, noticing that a few weren’t staying put as they escaped and sprang out along the side of my face.
“I’m sorry,” I said earnestly as I reached for my coffee. “I shouldn’t have said that. It wasn’t you I was avoiding. It was the prince.”
“I hate to break it to you, Miss Longmont, but I am, in fact, the prince you were trying to avoid,” he answered quietly.
I finished off my bagel, removed the napkin from my lap and placed it on my plate. “What I meant is it isn’t you personally. But I have no desire to be considered as a bride for a man I don’t even know. I don’t like formalities, I hate pretentions, and I’d make a terrible princess. As you already know, things just come out of my mouth in conversation before I really calculate what I want to say. And I can’t attend a fancy party without tripping over my feet at least once if I’m wearing any sort of heel.”
He chewed with a smirk on his face. When he swallowed, he commented, “I know. I find it very refreshing, actually.”
“It wouldn’t be all that refreshing if I were in the middle of a serious royal gathering,” I informed him.
“It might be good for the royal family to add someone new who spoke their mind,” he mused. “And this weeklong party wasn’t my idea. I didn’t exactly want it, either.”
“You didn’t?” I asked with surprise. I’d just assumed he’d been happy to get a chance to see possible future brides.
He shook his head. “Archaic thing, arranged marriages,” he observed. “But I’m nearing my thirtieth birthday, and I have no interest in any of the females I’ve met, so my father decided to surprise me with a weeklong parade of eligible women so I could make my choice. Honestly, if I had my way, I wouldn’t marry at all. Maybe the large gathering worked out for my older brother, but that doesn’t mean it will work for me. Ballasare found the love of his life at a similar arrangement.
I felt a pang of sympathy in my chest. My mother had been prodding me to marry, and to make sure it was an advantageous match. But she couldn’t force me, and I had no plans of falling into line with her ideas. Nic apparently had no choice.
“Do you have to marry?” I asked hesitantly, wondering if the rule of law was the same here as it was in Rubare Collina.
He nodded. “It’s tradition and law for the royal family, and if we don’t wed a suitable woman by our thirtieth birthday, there’s every chance that our Arcano will enforce the law by death.”
“What’s an Arcano?”
Nic explained that there were secret forces on the island whose families had been in charge of making sure the traditions had been enforced for centuries. I was surprised to learn that their sister island, Rubare Collina, was fighting back against that system. All I’d learned when I’d visited there was that the royals had to marry by their thirtieth birthday, too. The Arcano obviously wasn’t public or visitor knowledge, and I was fascinated.
“We haven’t had any uprisings or problems with our Arcano on Rubare Virgina, and we’d like to keep it that way,” Nic finished.
I sighed. “I understand. But it just all seems so backward to me. No tourism? No visitors? I understand wanting privacy, but your people are missing out on an entire world outside this island.”
He inclined his head grimly. “I’ve been advocating for changing the laws for some time. But my father won’t even hear of it. We’ve always been isolated.”
“Have you ever been off the island?” I asked curiously.
He grinned. “Of course. We might not mingle with the rest of the world, but we do a brisk trade. I act as an ambassador and CEO of our companies. I travel as much as possible to keep our trade running smoothly.”
His smile made me shiver with awareness. The feeling slowly slithered down my spine with a sensation so electric it was almost uncomfortable. “I’m sorry. I pre-judged you without meeting you in person. I haven’t had the best of luck with men in my circles. I just assumed you’d be an arrogant jerk.”
“I am arrogant,” he declared. “But I do try not to be…a jerk, which I’m assuming isn’t a complimentary term.”
I laughed because I couldn’t help myself. The prince apparently didn’t do American slang terms, and hearing him question it in his sexy, appealing foreign accent was amusing and somewhat endearing. It was impossible to place his accent. Like Alex, he sounded like a Brit, but other regional influences made his speech unique and intoxicating. “Being a jerk is definitely not good. So I’m glad you’re not one of them,” I finally answered.
I didn’t address the possibility that he might be arrogant. I was pretty sure it came along with being royalty.
“Are you finished, Diana?” he asked politely.
“I’m done. I couldn’t possibly eat another thing right now,” I told him, my stomach protesting a little from the large amount of food I’d just fed it.
He stood up, then extended his hand.
I looked into his eyes. “Do you really have access to The Grand Library?” I inquired hesitantly.
“Of course. And it just so happens that I’m headed in that direction today. Would you like to accompany me?” His grin was mischievous as he waited.
I reached out my hand and he covered it with his larger fingers, gripping it tightly, confidently.
I nodded. “Yes, I think I’d very much like that,” I replied with a hesitant smile.
We left the dining room together, all eyes trained on us as we walked out into the tropical heat of Rubare Virgina.
CHAPTER 3
Nic
I’d been enchanted by the beautiful American woman from the first moment I’d seen her, and it wasn’t wearing off. She grew more and more intriguing, and I was determined to figure out exactly what she wanted so I could give it to her.
She was already
incredibly rich, so she evidently didn’t care about money.
Clearly, she wasn’t impressed by royalty.
I grinned as I joined my father and my brothers for breakfast the next morning at my sire’s main residence. Diana certainly loved her books. We’d spent most of the afternoon yesterday plowing through all of the historical volumes in The Grand Library, and Diana had looked truly captivated by every book she perused.
She was smart, and very versed in European history. What she couldn’t learn in our archives about Rubare Virgina, I’d been able to tell her myself. One of our duties as royals was to be very well educated on the history of our country.
She’d also looked incredibly beautiful as she’d studied different volumes, taking a copious number of notes as she went through each book.
“So have you made your choice then?” My father, King Heinrich, asked as we lingered over coffee after breakfast.
I bit my tongue, my mood more elevated since I’d met Diana. My father had asked me every single day for the last several months if I’d decided who my bride would be. I wasn’t surprised he’d repeated the same question today. I answered carefully, “We’ve been through this before, father. I’ll make a choice, but I’ll handle this in my own way.”
I resented the fact that I was forced to marry, and I hated the farce that he’d pulled together in order to force my hand. Many of the guests that had arrived from other countries had departed for home this morning, after I told Theo that he needed to let them know that I was unavailable. I wasn’t attending any of the events, but I think a few were holding out hope that Robert might show up. Little did they know that my younger brother didn’t show any sign of settling down anytime soon. But his turn to do his duty would come soon enough. I just hoped that he’d fall in love before it did.
“How was I to know you wouldn’t like more women to choose from,” my father grumbled. “It helped Ballasare find his princess.”
I had to stop myself from reminding him that he’d initially objected to having Jessica as Ballasare’s wife, and the union nearly didn’t happen. But I resisted the urge to contradict him. My father would never change. He was a traditionalist. Maybe he’d bent a little by inviting women from different countries instead of insisting that I choose one of our own. But I hadn’t been able to convince him to start allowing Rubare Virgina to experience different cultures by allowing tourism.
King Heinrich would only bend so much before he broke.
“I’ll choose when I’m ready,” I answered vaguely.
“Decide when you find the right woman,” Ballasare insisted.
Jessica looked up from her coffee to smile at her husband adoringly.
I’d watched the interaction between my older brother and his wife. Even after almost two years of marriage, they still acted like they were honeymooning.
And dammit…I wanted that. Jessica stood up to Ballasare when she needed to, and he listened. The mutual respect and love between the two of them was almost palpable.
“I’m not sure I can wait for the right one,” I answered irritably.
“You have time,” Jessica replied. “If I understand the rumors correctly, you may have already found her. Did you find someone, Nic, or is it just a rumor?”
“Diana,” I answered reluctantly. “She’s an American, and she’s not impressed with royalty. I doubt she’d agree to stay here in an isolated country. She’s quite wealthy, and she doesn’t need my money. Doesn’t want my title, either.”
“Then maybe we should be doing what Rubare Collina does and kidnap brides,” my younger brother, Robert, suggested.
“Nobody is kidnapping a woman,” my father told Robert sternly. “We won’t become the heathens that your cousins are, or adopt any of their archaic traditions.”
“They’re happy,” Robert argued.
“We have our own barbaric traditions,” I answered, and then finished off the last of my coffee.
Jessica spoke before anybody could argue with my comment. “Talk to her. Rubare Virgina really isn’t that bad, Nic, especially if you love the man you’re marrying. The women certainly aren’t repressed. And it’s almost unheard of to live in a country that has no homeless population. I don’t think your Diana would have a difficult time adapting. If she’d give it a chance, I think she’d love it like I do.”
I smiled at my well-intentioned sister-in-law. “I barely know her. But I find her… fascinating. She has no desire to capture my attention, and she doesn’t want to be a princess. She only came here for the chance to visit The Grand Library and study some of our history volumes because it has some European history as well.”
“Believe me, it’s better if she doesn’t bow down to you all the time,” Ballasare commented. “Instant obedience is overrated.”
Jessica flushed, and she suddenly became very busy with an invisible stain on her dress.
“I don’t want a woman who blindly follows my every command.” I desired a female who challenged me, made me think.
Diana was like a fresh breeze after the rain. The woman not only had a grip on my cock, but she had me completely delighted because she was unique. I definitely wanted to fuck her, but I wanted everything else from her as well.
“Why ever not?” my father rumbled. “Your mother obeyed my every command, and we never had a fight until the day she died.”
Ballasare and I exchanged knowing glances. We both missed our mother. Robert had been young when she’d died, but I could still remember how kind and loving she’d been. Truth was, she had doted on our father, but there were times that I’d wished she’d stood up to him when we were younger. She hadn’t been miserable, but I can’t say she had much of a life when she’d lived for the kingdom.
“She was a good mother and a good queen,” I agreed noncommittally.
“Maybe all the education I’ve given you boys isn’t good. You get too many strange notions about the way things should be.” My father’s voice was grave.
None of us answered, and I was willing to bet every one of us were squirming in our chair.
Going away to college, and then traveling as an ambassador for my country had opened up my eyes. I saw the world differently because I knew exactly how it functioned. Had I stayed behind in Rubare Virgina like my father always had, I might have never realized how much the citizens of my country were missing by not acquainting themselves with different people, different countries.
For most Rubareans, this was the only place they knew. Few traveled outside the country, although we didn’t prohibit it. But we didn’t promote the idea, either. We did nothing, even as simple as building a public airport, to encourage Rubareans to visit other countries. For the most part, if we didn’t provide facilities, travel would prove too expensive for an average Rubarean.
I pushed my chair back. “Breakfast was good, but I have to go. I’m picking up Diana today. We’re going to explore the coast.”
After yesterday, I was anxious to see her again today. Even if we’d spent most ofour time in the massive library, it had been one of the most entertaining days I’d had in a very long time.
“Show her your palace if you’re going that direction,” Jessica suggested. “I think she’d love it.”
I grinned at her. “Thanks. Maybe I will.”
My home was closer to the water instead of in the middle of the city. Yes, the castle was big, ancient, and probably somewhat pretentious, but I had turned it into a refuge rather than a showplace.
“You need to put a ring on a finger within the next week,” my father bellowed after my quickly retreating figure.
I kept going, pretending not to hear his comment. I already felt the internal pressure of choosing a bride, and I didn’t need him pressuring me.
He was right.
For the good of my country, I had to find a woman I could tolerate marrying. I didn’t want to stir up
the Arcano. My cousins were currently waging war on the ancient guardians of the islands, and the last thing I wanted was to do the same. The members of our Arcano had never stepped over the line like they had in Rubare Collina, and I didn’t want to give them reason to do so now.
I nodded at the staff as I moved through my father’s principal residence, and then raced down the outside stairs, not even noticing the precious gems under my feet. The rare stones were commonplace in our castles, and plentiful in my country.
My car was already in front of my father’s home as I hit the last step, knowing the staff had anticipated my departure. It didn’t surprise me. I’d be disturbed if things didn’t run like clockwork at my father’s residence. Efficiency was something I took for granted since I’d grown up not knowing anything else.
I glanced at the clock as I slid into my luxury SUV.
Nine o’clock.
If I didn’t have any unexpected delays, I’d arrive early at The Colossal Hotel.
I felt elated at the thought of seeing Diana again, but I knew I was going to walk around with my cock hard the entire day. Yesterday had been a full day of living with blue balls. I was attracted to her in ways I couldn’t even begin to understand. I had been since the first time I’d seen her.
Her fiery hair was hard to miss, and those mesmerizing eyes of hers seemed to sparkle with curiosity and intelligence. She had curves that my hands were constantly eager to explore, and there wasn’t a damn thing about her that made my lust any less potent.
“I like her, too,” I said aloud as I pulled away from the main palace.
I realized that I’d never really found a woman I actually respected until I’d met Diana. Sure, I’d slept around. I was male, and my body was insistent on getting sex on a normal basis. But with Diana, I didn’t just want to fuck her. For some unknown reason, I also wanted her to like me. My desire to please her was the reason I was currently on my way to spend the day with her again.
I tried to chase away the voices in my head telling me that I had very little time to choose a bride. Honor and duty were a part of me, and I’d lived by it all my life. For once, I was doing something for myself. And I was going to enjoy my time with a beautiful woman I was beginning to like and respect.
