But Alejandro made her feel safe and, like the people on this island, accepted. He seemed to know her so well—better than her own family. It was easy to open up around him. He’d become a good…friend.
“And much appreciated,” she added for Alejandro’s benefit. “I would have never been able to build my castle without those items. Especially one that…”
“Lasts.” Alejandro raised his glass to her. “Now everyone can live…”
“Happily ever after,” she said with a smile.
“You shouldn’t have been out there so long.” Enrique scowled, seemingly oblivious to how close she’d gotten to his brother. “You’re sunburned.”
Jules touched her face. “Where?”
He studied her as if she were flawed and should be returned to the store for a refund. “Your nose.”
“Fair skin,” she said.
“I didn’t notice it when you were in my office,” Enrique said.
Thank goodness this hadn’t been the result of sailing. That would have been a total disaster. “I must not have put on enough sunscreen this afternoon.”
“The sun is strong here,” Alejandro said. “I should have reminded you.”
Enrique nodded, one of the few times she’d seen him agree with his brother. “Makeup will hide the redness. But if you get sunburned any worse, the wedding pictures will be ruined.”
Jules knew he expected her to make him look good. She’d have to layer zinc oxide on her nose during the race. Not only would that protect her skin from the sun’s harsh rays, but the thick, white lotion would help disguise her face better. “I’ll be more careful when we’re out tomorrow.”
Enrique eyed her suspiciously. “Planning to build more sand castles?
A lot more careful. She swallowed. Another sunburn would be a dead giveaway she wasn’t spending much of the daylight hours asleep in her bed. “No, but I plan to be outside. I was hoping you could join me.”
Alejandro nodded his approval.
Enrique didn’t notice. “I have meetings.”
“You’ve heard about our afternoon, Enrique,” Alejandro said. “Tell us about yours.”
“It was more interesting than playing in the sand.” Enrique described his day in minute detail.
Jules mouthed the word “thanks.” She appreciated Alejandro shifting the focus off her and onto Enrique’s favorite subject—himself.
Courses paired with wines to complement the flavors of the dish came and went. Enrique droned on with Alejandro chiming in with comments spoken and muttered under this breath.
The differences between the two brothers became more distinct. Enrique was so focused on himself and his role as crown prince and future king, nothing else mattered. She wasn’t sure if he cared who sat at the table with him as long as someone was present to hear him speak.
But Alejandro wasn’t perfect, either. His blatant disdain for the responsibilities thrust upon him by his royal birth and his lack of respect for the monarchy made her question his priorities. She wished he wasn’t so intent on turning his back on his duty.
Still she enjoyed his company. No one had ever made her feel so…good, capable, alive. Underneath his casual, sailor exterior, Jules saw a man—a prince—who loved his country with his whole heart, the same as her. But he’d been pushed aside due to the birth order and forced to live in Enrique’s shadow. And for that, he blamed the monarchy and the rules that accompanied it.
Neither brother was Prince Charming, and that was okay. Such a prince was the thing of legends and fairy tales, like the expectation of her being the perfect princess. Being perfect wasn’t possible.
Too bad no one else seemed to realize that.
Jules slumped in her chair, overcome by weariness and emotion. She straightened only to want to relax again. She focused on the food and tried to tune everything else out. It wasn’t hard to do.
As soon as the servers cleared the dessert dishes, Jules wiped her mouth and folded her napkin. “Thank you for the pleasant company, gentlemen. I’m going to retire for the evening.”
Both men rose as she stood.
“Good night, Julianna,” Alejandro said.
“Sleep well,” Enrique said. “I want to see my bride’s pretty blue eyes sparkling tomorrow.”
She moved away from her chair and waited for Enrique to offer to escort her, but his feet remained rooted in place.
Alejandro’s gaze met hers in silent understanding. “Sweet dreams.”
Jules acknowledged him with a smile. She didn’t dare trust her voice. She wanted to have sweet dreams, but she feared the wrong brother would be starring in them. Not only tonight.
But every night for the rest of her life.
Alejandro’s temper flared, but he maintained control.
For Julianna’s sake.
She walked out of the dining room with her head high, but the disappointment in her eyes was unmistakable.
Alejandro remained standing until she disappeared from sight. He turned to Enrique. “Why didn’t you escort Julianna to her room?”
Enrique had already sat. He motioned to the wine steward to refill his empty glass. “She said she was tired.”
Anger burned in Alejandro’s throat. “That’s why you should have walked with her.”
His brother’s gaze sharpened. “Why do you care what I do with Julianna?”
Good question. Alejandro sat. He downed what remained in his wineglass. He wanted to say he felt indifferent about her, but he would be lying. He enjoyed being with her whether on the boat or here at the palace. But, rudeness aside, that didn’t explain why his brother’s treatment of her bothered him so much. “I wouldn’t want her to leave the island.”
That much was true.
“Never fear, little brother.” Enrique snickered. “She can’t leave.”
“Can’t?”
“If Julianna doesn’t marry me, she’ll be forced to marry a nobleman from Aliestle.” His lip curled in disgust. “Any woman with half a brain would want out of that backward country.”
Alejandro hated that she had only those two options. She deserved so much more. “Julianna has more than half a brain. She’s very intelligent.”
“That is why she doesn’t mind how I treat her. She knows she must marry me,” Enrique explained. “She’ll put up with anything I do or say to keep from having to spend the rest of her life stuck in archaic Aliestle where men treat her worse.”
Julianna had admitted as much to Alejandro, but that didn’t excuse Enrique’s behavior. “Her misfortunate situation gives you carte blanche to be ill-mannered and rude to her. How…noble.”
Enrique snorted. “This is rich. Relationship advice from the man who goes through women as if they were selections on a menu.”
“I may have never been involved in a serious relationship for an extended period of time, but I know women. Better, it seems, than you, bro,” Alejandro said. “Julianna isn’t an obedient automaton. She has feelings. Dreams. She deserves—”
“She deserves what I see fit to give her.”
“Enrique…”
“As long as she obeys and provides me with heirs, be assured she’ll have all she needs.”
“She needs to be loved and accepted for who she is,” Alejandro countered. “If you continue treating her poorly and taking advantage of her situation, you’ll alienate her until she can’t take it anymore. Is that what you want?”
Enrique leaned back in their father’s chair. “You’ve come up with all this about her after spending an afternoon playing in the sand?”
“You’ve missed dinners this week,” Alejandro replied. “You can learn a lot about a person over seven course meals.”
Especially Julianna once she let her guard down and opened up.
“Come on, Alejandro,” Enrique cajoled. “You don’t care about Julianna. You want to make sure I marry.”
“With your marriage comes my freedom from royal obligations.”
That was the one thing Alejandro
wanted more than anything. Somehow with his growing concerns over Julianna’s future he’d lost sight of that. How had that happened?
Letting physical attraction and friendship get in the way of what he wanted made no sense. Julianna was hot, but she was also a princess. She might enjoy sailing, but she would never walk away from her title or her duty. Not for anything in the world. She wanted to help her brother, her country and her future children. The fact that she was willing to marry Enrique after his treatment of her spoke volumes about her priorities and was a not-so-subtle reminder…
As soon as the Med Cup finished and she married, Alejandro needed to say goodbye. She belonged with his brother, not him.
The truth stung. A sharp pain sliced into his heart. He reached for his wineglass, but it was empty.
“Treat her better.” If Enrique did that, he would give Julianna what she wanted—more freedom, a throne and children.
Especially children.
I’ve always wanted to be a mother. Children will bring me great happiness and joy. I’ll devote myself to being the best mother I can be. That will make me very happy.
Julianna’s words echoed inside Alejandro’s head. He wanted her to be happy. That wasn’t like him. He’d never considered a woman’s happiness beyond the moment at hand. He hadn’t worried about how she felt after. That didn’t make him much better than Enrique who wasn’t considering Julianna’s happiness at all.
The truth hit Alejandro like a sucker punch.
He didn’t want to have anything in common with his brother.
“Do it for yourself, but for me and the island, too.” And Julianna. “Heirs must be your first priority.”
Enrique’s forehead creased. “You want out of the line of succession that badly?”
“Yes.” Alejandro did. But this wasn’t about him anymore. Julianna needed babies to love. He was finally figuring out why this had become important to him.
Maybe if she were happy, he might be happy, too.
Alejandro tossed and turned all night. Images of Julianna flashed in his mind like photographs in a digital picture frame. Her long legs exposed by her short dress. Her playful smile on the beach. Her parted lips as she steered La Rueca. Her passion-filled eyes as she looked at him.
The last one was pure fantasy.
With a grimace, Alejandro tried to fall asleep for the fourth time. But he couldn’t stop the slide show playing in his brain. He kept thinking about her, about wanting to be with her, about wanting to touch her.
Not only touch her.
Alejandro punched his pillow. Maybe if he was more comfortable…
Nothing helped. The harder he tried not to think about her, the more he did. Some of the thoughts were going to require a cold shower if he wasn’t careful.
He didn’t want to take that chance. He jumped out of bed, dressed for sailing and headed to the boat.
That would keep him…distracted.
La Rueca bobbed in the water. This past week, he’d gotten used to the activity of the crew preparing for a sail or cleaning up afterward. Today, she looked lonely tied to the dock with her running lights off and no crew around.
Better remedy that. Alejandro hopped aboard. The boat rocked with the incoming tides. The wind increased, jostling the lines that secured the boat to the dock. Metal clanked against metal. The waves picked up momentum, hitting the hull with more force.
He glanced at the horizon. Orange and red fingers of sunlight poked their way into the dark sky.
Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky at morning, sailor’s warning.
The nursery rhyme used to predict weather played in his head. A red sky might mean a more challenging sail this morning. That would be a good test for the crew with the race coming up.
Especially Julianna.
He had no doubt she’d rise to the challenge. The more situations she was exposed to, the more experience she could rely upon come race day. He’d have to make sure they came up with a good excuse to explain her absence during the three days of races. Sleeping in late wouldn’t cut it.
An image of Julianna’s twinkling blue eyes, her smiling mouth and her sunburned nose formed in his mind. At least that picture was more innocent than others he’d imagined.
He laughed.
“Care to let me in on the joke?”
Alejandro’s heart lurched. He could recognize Julianna’s melodic voice anywhere.
He whipped around to face the dock. The beam of light from her headlamp blinded him. He shielded his eyes. “You’re here early.”
She removed her headlamp, turned it off and shoved it in her pocket. “Couldn’t sleep.”
Her, too. Alejandro doubted for the same reasons as him.
Lust probably wasn’t in the innocent princess’s vocabulary. Not that anyone would mistake Julianna for anything but a too thin, gawky teen in those baggy clothes.
Anyone, except him.
He saw a beautiful woman who was willing to disguise herself to experience a taste of freedom. She’d grabbed the golden ring with both hands and wasn’t going to let go until she had to. Julianna was…special. He’d never met a woman like her. If only…
Don’t go there. He’d decided what he needed to do once she married. But she was here now.
Alejandro shifted his weight. He needed some distance. “I’m going to get the sails.”
He stepped below deck without waiting for her to respond. He didn’t want to care what she said.
A musty scent filled his nostrils. He’d always found familiarity in the smell, but he would have rather breathed in Julianna’s sweet fragrance. Her usual scent when she wasn’t pretending to be a teenage boy.
He shook his head. She’d gotten under his skin. He needed to get her out of there.
Alejandro felt a presence behind him. He didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. “Julianna.”
“I’ll help you.”
“Thanks.” He faced her. The sails, equipment and slope of the hull didn’t leave a lot of room. With her down here, the space felt more cramped. Or maybe he was more aware of her. “But I’ve got them.”
“We’ll have things ready for the crew faster with two pairs of hands.”
He’d said something similar to her after their first sail together. That seemed like a lifetime ago.
The boat tilted to one side, as if hit by a mischievous wind or a powerful surge.
Julianna widened her stance.
The boat jolted and leaned the opposite way. Jules flew into Alejandro. He caught her, as he had in the foyer that first morning when she’d arrived at the palace.
He stared down at her face. Her body pressed against his. “The princess is in my arms yet again.”
She was nothing like the woman he’d held then. Or maybe she’d taken off the mask and allowed her true self to show. Whichever, he didn’t want to let her go. His arms tightened around her.
Attraction sizzled. A need burned deep within him. He fought against the ache with every ounce of self-control he had.
The race began tomorrow. The royal wedding would occur next week. She would be out of his life…
The same longing he felt filled Julianna’s eyes. Her lips parted.
A sense of urgency drove him. He lowered his mouth to hers, capturing her lips with a kiss.
She gasped, but didn’t back away.
His lips ran over hers, tasting and soaking up her sweetness. He knew he was crossing the line.
What he was doing was wrong on so many levels. But he didn’t care. Maybe he’d care later, but at this moment the kiss consumed him. She consumed him.
Julianna arched toward him, her breasts pressing against his chest, her arms entwining around his chest. She opened her mouth further, deepening the kiss. Her eagerness thrilled him. Blood roared through his veins. He pulled her closer, until he felt the rapid beat of her heart.
His tongue explored her mouth with abandon, burning with her sweet heat. Sensation pulsated wildly through him. P
assion grew. Self-control slipped.
A soft moan escaped her throat. So sexy.
Alejandro wanted more. He wanted all of her. But he’d take whatever she was willing to give him.
He leaned back against the sail bags, pulling her with him. His hands cupped her round bottom. Fabric bunched. Too much clothing was in the way.
Alejandro slid his hand under her jacket and…
Voices sounded above them.
Julianna jerked away so fast she almost fell on her butt. She regained her balance and touched her hand to her mouth. “I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…”
Her red cheeks and ragged breathing made her look so turned-on and sexy, but Alejandro couldn’t pretend he didn’t hear the regret in her voice. He tried to regain control. Not easy with his body on fire and aching for more kisses. More Julianna.
But she was right. They shouldn’t have done this.
“I’m the one who kissed you.” He knew better, but when he was around her he couldn’t think straight. “I apologize.”
She stared down her nose at him. “I kissed you back.”
Always the princess even when passion filled her eyes, a flush stained her neck and cheeks and her lips were swollen. Alejandro bit back a smile. She would be upset if he thought this was funny.
“Alejandro?” Phillipe yelled.
“Ju—J.V. is helping me with the sails.” Alejandro needed to calm down and cool off. Or they would blow her cover. But he couldn’t stop thinking how perfect her lips felt against his. He’d kissed many women, but no kiss had ever felt like this. “Be up in a minute,” he added, not wanting anyone to come down here.
“What now?” she asked.
More kisses. That was what he wanted. But Julianna wasn’t some woman he’d met at a club or on the beach or at a sailing regatta. She was Enrique’s future wife and Alejandro’s ticket out of the royal life he abhorred. Even if his brother was out of the picture, she wasn’t a fling. He wasn’t looking to get serious with anyone.
Alejandro had too much going on with his boat business, properties and plans for the island to get involved in a serious relationship with any woman. Let alone with a princess.
Not-So-Perfect Princess Page 14
