Matched to a Prince
Kat Cantrell
This whole thing was ridiculous.
Finn had been matched with a woman who’d caused his family immeasurable misery and created a scandal that had spawned countless after-effects.
The smartest move would have been to turn around and leave without a backward glance. This was the surest method to end up insane by the end of the night.
He’d only asked Juliet to dance because manners had been bred into him since birth. This was a party. It was only polite.
But now he wasn’t so sure that was the only reason.
Seeing Juliet again had kicked up a push-pull of emotions he’d have sworn were buried. Not the least of which was the intense desire to have her head on a platter. After he had her body in his bed.
* * *
Matched to a Prince is part of the Happily Ever After, Inc. trilogy. Their business is makeovers and matchmaking, but love doesn’t always go according to plan!
Matched
to a Prince
Kat Cantrell
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
KAT CANTRELL read her first Mills & Boon® novel in third grade and has been scribbling in notebooks since she learned to spell. What else would she write but romance? She majored in literature, officially with the intent to teach, but somehow ended up buried in middle management in corporate America, until she became a stay-at-home mom and full-time writer.
Kat, her husband and their two boys live in north Texas. When she’s not writing about characters on the journey to happily-ever-after, she can be found at a soccer game, watching the TV show Friends or listening to ‘80s music.
Kat was the 2011 Harlequin So You Think You Can Write winner and a 2012 RWA Golden Heart finalist for best unpublished series contemporary manuscript.
To Cynthia, because this book was so hard to write and you were there for me every step of the way.
And because TPFKAD had to be in it somewhere.
Contents
Cover (#ufc77fb50-269f-5b0b-9f16-b4ea76f6e3df)
Introduction (#u8acfa2dd-7b65-5268-a20e-c52772463c40)
Title Page (#ud5c026f4-0a53-529d-97b5-400cc1ddb8da)
About the Author (#uef6bd42f-265f-5342-886d-c3b72dfa5ec7)
Dedication (#u77aa08da-d37d-5f17-87b9-57cf441dc505)
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Epilogue
Extract
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
One (#ua99c6a2f-3c53-56a6-a53d-40bd8a451e1a)
When the sun hit the three-quarter mark in the western sky, Finn aimed the helicopter for shore. It was nearing the end of his shift and, as always, he couldn’t resist dipping low enough to let the powerful downdraft ripple the Mediterranean’s deep blue surface.
A heron swooped up and away from the turbulence as fast as its wings could carry it, gliding along the air currents with sheer poetic grace. Finn would never get tired of the view from his cockpit, never grow weary of protecting the shoreline of the small country he called home.
Once he’d touched down on the X marking the spot for his helicopter, Finn cut power to the rotor and vaulted from the cockpit before the Dauphin blades had come to a full stop. His father’s solemn-faced driver stood on the tarmac a short distance away and Finn didn’t need any further clues to recognize a royal summons.
“Come to critique my landing, James?” Finn asked with a grin. Not likely. No one flew helicopters with more precision and grace than he did.
“Prince Alain.” James inclined his head in deference, then delivered his message. “Your father wishes to speak with you. I’m to drive.”
Checking his eye roll over James’s insistence on formality, Finn nodded. “Do I have time to change?”
It wouldn’t be the first time Finn had appeared before the king in his Delamer Coast Guard uniform, but he’d been in it for ten hours and the legs were still damp from a meet-up with the Mediterranean while rescuing a swimmer who’d misjudged the distance to shore.
Every day Finn protected his father’s people while flying over a breathtaking panorama of sparkling sea, distant mountains and the rocky islands just offshore. He loved his job, and spending a few hours encased in wet cloth was a small price to pay.
But that didn’t mean he wanted to pay that price while on the receiving end of a royal lecture.
James motioned to the car. “I think it would be best if you came immediately.”
The summons wasn’t unexpected. It was either about a certain photograph portraying Finn doing Jägermeister shots off a gorgeous blonde’s bare stomach or about the corruption charges recently brought up against a couple of his running buddies.
A blogger had once joked that Finn’s official title should be Prince Alain Phineas of Montagne, House of Scandal. It wasn’t so funny to the king, who had tried to combat the negative press with a royal announcement proclaiming Finn’s upcoming marriage. A desperate ploy to get his son to settle down.
Hadn’t worked so far. Perhaps if his father could actually name a bride, the ploy might get some traction.
Finn paused. Maybe his father had picked someone. He hoped not. The longer he could put off the inevitable, the better.
But his life was never his own and whatever his father wanted, Finn would deal with it, like always.
Only one way to find out if he’d be announcing the name of his bride soon.
Finn allowed James to show him into the backseat of the town car his father used to fetch people and tried to swallow his dread. The Delamer Coast Guard administrative building disappeared behind them and Finn’s homeland unrolled through the windows.
Tourist season had officially started. Bright vendor booths lined the waterfront, selling everything from outrageously priced sunscreen to caricatures quickly drawn by sidewalk artists. Hand-holding couples wandered along the boardwalk and young mothers pushed strollers in the treed park across from the public beach.
There wasn’t a more beautiful place on earth, and Finn thanked God every day for the privilege of not only living here but the opportunity to serve its people. It was his duty, and he did it gladly.
Too soon, the car drove through the majestic wrought iron gates of the palace where Finn had grown up, and then moved out of as soon as his mother would allow it. He’d realized early on he was just in the way. The palace was the home of the king and queen, and eventually would house the crown prince and princess, Alexander and his wife, Portia.
Finn was so far down the line of succession, he couldn’t even see the head. It didn’t bother him. Most days.
A slew of workers scurried about the hundred acres of property surrounding the stately drive. Each employee focused on maintaining the famous four-tiered landscaping that ringed the central fountain bearing a statue of King Etienne the First, who had led Delamer’s secession from France two centuries ago.
Another solemn-faced servant led Finn to the office his father used for nonstate business. That was a relief. There’d be no formality then, and Finn could do without royal addresses and protocol any day.
When Finn entered, the king glanced up from paperwork strewn across his four-hundred-year-old desk, which had been a gift from a former president of the United States. Finn preferred gifts you could drink, especially if they came with a cork.
With a small smile, his father pushed his chair back and stood, gesturing to the brocade couch. “Thanks for coming, son. Apologies for the short notice.”
“No problem. I didn’t have any plans. What’s up?”
Since he didn’t mistake his father’s gesture for a suggestion, Finn perched on the fancy couch at a right angle to the desk.
King Laurent crossed his arms and leaned on the edge of his desk, facing Finn. “We need to move forward with finding you a wife.”
Called it in one.
Finn shifted against the stiff couch cushions, determined to find a comfortable spot. “I said I’d be happy with whomever you picked.”
A lie. He’d tolerate whomever his father picked.
If Finn and his bride ended up friends as his parents had, great. But it was a lot to ask in an arranged marriage. It wasn’t as though Finn could hold out for love, not when it hadn’t worked out the one and only time he’d allowed himself to care about a woman.
Juliet’s face, framed by her silky light brown hair, swam into his mind’s eye and he swallowed. A hundred blondes with a hundred shot glasses couldn’t erase the memory of the woman who’d betrayed him in the most public and humiliating way possible. He knew. He’d tried.
“Be that as it may,” the king said, “an option I hadn’t considered has come to my attention. A matchmaker.”
“A what?”
“An American matchmaker contacted me through my secretary. She asked for a chance to earn our business by doing a trial match. If you don’t like the results, she won’t charge us.”
Finn smelled something fishy, and if there was anything he knew after spending the majority of his day in or near the sea, it was fish. “I’m reasonably certain we can afford her fee regardless. Why would you consider this?”
Was this another ploy to get him under his father’s thumb? Had the king paid this matchmaker to orchestrate a match with a woman loyal to the crown, who could be easily controlled?
“This matchmaker introduced Stafford Walker to his wife. I’ve done enough business with him to know his recommendation is solid. If the woman hadn’t mentioned his name, I wouldn’t have given her idea a moment’s consideration.” His father sighed and rubbed the spot between his eyes wearily. “Son, I want you to be happy. I liked what she had to say about her selection process. You need someone specific, who will negate all the bad press. She promises to match you with the perfect woman to become your princess. It seemed like a fair deal.”
Guilt relaxed Finn’s rigid shoulders. “I’m sorry. You’ve been more than patient with me. I wish...”
He’d been about to say he wished he knew why he courted so much trouble. But the reason wasn’t a mystery. She had eyes the color of fresh grass, glowing skin and a stubborn streak wider than the palace gates.
Perhaps this matchmaker might find someone who could replace Juliet in his heart. It could happen.
“I’ve had this matchmaker, Elise Arundel, thoroughly checked out, but do your own research. If you don’t like the idea, don’t do it. But I’ve had little luck coming up with a potential bride on my own.” The king smiled, looking like his usual cheerful self for the first time since Finn had entered the room. “There’s no shortage of candidates. Just the lack of one who can handle you.”
Finn grinned back. “At least we agree on that.”
Because Finn took after his father. They both had big hearts and even bigger personalities. And the absolute sense of duty that came part and parcel with being royalty. They shared a love for Delamer and a love for the people they served.
His father managed to do it with grace and propriety. Finn, on the other hand, tended to whoop it up, and photographers loved to capture it. Of course, a photo could never depict the broken heart that drove him to search for a method, any method, to erase the pain.
He got all that and didn’t mind the idea of getting married, especially to save himself from a downward media spiral. Finding a woman he could love at the same time was an attractive bonus. Settling down and having babies appealed to him if he could do it with someone who gave him what he desperately wanted—a sheltered place all his own where he could be a man and not a prince, if only for a few hours.
The odds of a matchmaker pulling a name out of thin air who could do that...well, he’d do better betting a thousand on red and letting it ride.
“I’ll talk to Ms. Arundel.” Finn owed it to his father to figure out a way to stop causing him grief, and he owed it to his country to portray the House of Couronne positively in the international press. If it meant marrying the matchmaker’s choice and making the best of it, so be it.
Relief filled the king’s eyes and a double dose of guilt swam through Finn’s stomach. His father loved him and wanted the best for him. Why couldn’t Finn do the right thing as his brother always did? Alexander would be king one day and constantly kept that forefront in his mind. His behavior was above reproach and he never caused their parents a moment’s worry.
Finn, on the other hand, was the spare heir. Unnecessary. The Party Prince.
An advantageous marriage was a chance for Finn to do something right for once, something of value to the crown. He’d hoped to keep putting it off. But clearly his father was having none of that.
“She’d like you to fly to Dallas, Texas, to meet in person,” the king said. “As soon as possible.”
Dallas. He’d never been there. Maybe he could pick up an authentic cowboy hat if nothing else.
Mentally, Finn rearranged his calendar for the weekend. He’d committed to attending a couple of charity fund-raisers and had planned to hit a new club in Saint Tropez Saturday night. Looked as if he’d be skipping all of it.
“I’ve got a shift tomorrow, but I can go the day after.”
His father put a gentle hand on Finn’s shoulder. “I think it’s a good choice.”
Ducking his head, Finn shrugged. “We’ll see. What’s the worst that can happen?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. Scandal followed him like a mongrel dog he’d fed once and couldn’t get rid of. Juliet’s betrayal had been the first scandal but certainly not the last. It had just hurt the most.
And that was the kicker. She’d hurt him so badly because he’d loved her so much, only to find she didn’t feel the same way. If she had loved him, she’d never have participated in a protest against everything he held dear—his father, the military, the very fabric of the governing structure that he’d sworn allegiance to.
The irony. Two things he’d loved about Juliet were her passion and commitment to her family. Without them, she’d be uninteresting and lackluster. Without them, the protest wouldn’t have happened.
It didn’t matter. She’d killed all his feelings for her. Except the anger. That, he still had plenty of.
Grimly, he bid his father goodbye and let James drive him back to his Aventador still parked at the coast guard headquarters. His entire life could be summed up in one phrase—dual-edged sword. No matter which way it was wielded, he’d be cut. He would be a man and a prince until the day he died, and it seemed fated that he could never satisfy both sides simultaneously.
Yet he held on to a slim thread of hope this matchmaker might change things for him.
* * *
Juliet Villere did not understand the American fascination with small talk. It was boring.
The packed ballroom wasn’t her preferred scene anyway, but coupled with a strong desire to avoid one more conversation about the ridiculous game confused Americans called football, the wall had become her friend. It warmed her bare back nicely and provided a great shield from the eyes she’d felt burning into her exposed flesh.
Why hadn’t someone told her that a makeover didn’t magically transform your insides? All the makeup and fancy clothes in the world couldn’t convert Juliet into someone who liked lipstick. Or parties.
But she owed Elise Arundel and her matchmaking-slash-makeover services a huge debt for taking her in when she’d fled Delamer in search of some magic to heal the continual pain of Finn’s betrayal. That was the only reason she’d agreed to attend this glittery event full of Elise’s clients.
Maybe Elise wouldn’t notice if Juliet ducked out the side entrance and walked back to the matchmaker’s house in the Dallas district called Uptown, where Juliet was staying until Elise found her an American husband. It was only a couple of miles, and she’d practiced walking in these horribly uncomfortable heels enough times that her leg muscles were used to the strain.
Then she caught sight of Elise heading in Juliet’s direction, a determined look on her mentor’s face.
Too late.
“Having a good time?” Elise asked, her dark page boy swinging in time to the upbeat song floating above the crowd.
“Fantastic.”
The sarcasm clearly wasn’t lost on Elise, who smiled. “It’s good for you to be in social settings, dressed to kill. I invited you to this mixer so you could practice mingling. Hugging the wall won’t accomplish that.”
The reminder tightened Juliet’s stomach, and she resituated the waistline of the form-fitting green dress her new friend Dannie Reynolds had helped select.
“I have nothing good to say about football.” One thing was clear—the American husband she’d asked Elise to match her with would watch it. Therefore, Juliet would likely become well versed in the fine art of faking interest. “So I’m acquainting myself with the benefits of solitude.”
Elise laughed. “Dance with someone. Then you don’t have to talk.”
Juliet shook her head. She’d never danced with anyone other than Finn, and she didn’t want to break that streak tonight.
Finn.
Pain, sharp and swift, cramped her stomach. Crossing the Atlantic hadn’t dimmed his hold over her one bit.
He’d shredded her soul over a year ago. Shouldn’t she be finished healing by now? She wanted desperately to get to that place where he was just some guy she used to date, one she recalled fondly yet distantly.
But the announcement of his upcoming engagement had cut deeply enough to drive her from Delamer all the way to Dallas, Texas. Thank God she’d stumbled over that EA International ad in the back of a fashion magazine she’d thumbed through at the dentist’s office back home—it had given her a place to go.
“I don’t see the point in dancing with one of these guys.”
As she didn’t see the point in having fake nails or painted lips. But it wasn’t her place to argue with the formula Elise used in her matchmaking service.
“None of them will be my match,” she continued. “And besides, they’ve all got sports on the brain. Does scoring more points feed hungry children? Right any wrongs? No. It’s stupid.”
Juliet started to make a face and remembered she couldn’t do that anymore. Actually, she wasn’t supposed to be so outspoken either. Her American husband would want a refined wife with the ability to mingle with the upper crust. Not a woman who had little use for propriety and fluff. Or the Dallas Cowboys.
How in the world was she going to pretend that much for the rest of her life?
The same way she was going to pretend her heart hadn’t broken when she’d lost the man she’d loved, her sweet little brother and her life in Delamer.
Anything was manageable if it matched her with a husband who could keep her in the States, and save her from having to watch Finn marry someone else.
With a laugh, Elise shook her head. “No, no. Don’t hold back. Tell me how you really feel. How about if I save you from further suspense and tell you I have your match?”
Juliet’s heart stuttered to a stop. This was it. The reason she’d come to America.
What would her future husband be like? Did he enjoy swimming and sailing and could she ask him to take her on trips to the beach? Would he be okay with her family coming to visit occasionally? Did he have a nice smile and laugh a lot?
Most important, would she be able to develop feelings for him that would fill the Finn-shaped hole inside?
Even though Elise guaranteed a love match, replacing Finn was probably too much to hope for.
Contentment would be enough. It had to be.
She swallowed the sudden burn in her throat. “That didn’t take long. I only finished your questions yesterday.”
Shrugging, Elise turned to face the ballroom, her shoulder bumping Juliet’s companionably. “Sometimes when I load the profile, I don’t get a match against someone already in the system and then we have to wait until new clients are entered. Yours came back immediately.”
Juliet wanted to ask for the name. And at the same time, she wanted to dive under the buffet table.
What was she doing here? This man in Elise’s system expected a certain kind of woman, one who could host his parties and mingle with his friends, smiling through boring stories of business mergers and tax breaks. And football. That was so not her.
She wanted to go home.
Then she thought about living in Delamer day in and day out and how often she saw Finn’s helicopter beating through the broad blue sky. Or how she’d stumbled over another photograph of him cutting the ribbon at the new primary school—that picture would never die.
A little girl who would attend the school had sneaked up and wrapped her arms around his thigh just before he cut the ribbon. Finn leaned down to kiss her cheek and presto. Instant immortalization via the hundreds of camera phones and paparazzi lenses in the audience.
The pictorial reminder of the prince’s sweet and charming nature stabbed her in the stomach every time. He was such a good guy, with a sense of honor she’d once loved—until realizing it was a front for his stubborn refusal to see how much he’d hurt her by taking his father’s side. There was no reasoning with Finn, and that trumped all his good qualities.
In Delamer, there were constant reminders of the void her brother Bernard’s death had created.
Any husband was better than that.
“What happens if I don’t like the man your computer picked?” Juliet asked, though surely Elise’s system had captured her exact specifications.
“There are no absolutes. If you don’t like him, we’ll find someone else, though it might take a while. However...” Elise hesitated. “I’d like you to keep an open mind about the possibilities. This man is perfect for you. I’ve never seen two more compatible people. Not even Leo and Dannie were this closely aligned, and look how well that turned out.”
Juliet nodded. Dannie and Leo Reynolds were definitely one of the most in-love couples in the history of time and had never even met each other before they signed on with EA International and got married. If Elise said this man was Juliet’s perfect match, why doubt it?
“I had an ulterior motive for inviting you to the party tonight,” Elise confessed. “Your match will be here too. Soon. I thought it would take some pressure off if you met socially.”
Her match. Already.
Juliet had hoped for some time to learn more about him before being thrown at his feet. She touched her pinned-up hair. At least she’d meet her future husband while looking the absolute best she could, a small victory in her mind.
Deep breath. Bernard would want her to be happy, to move on. The memory of her brother’s smile bolstered her.
A disturbance in the crowd caught Juliet’s attention. People craned their necks to peer over each other, whispering and nodding toward the ballroom entrance.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
Elise uttered a very unladylike word.
“I was hoping for a little more time to explain. It’s your match.” Elise cleared her throat. “He’s early. I think that’s a good quality in a man. I mean, along with all of his other ones. Don’t you think so?”
Her future husband, assuming everything went according to plan, had just walked into the ballroom.
Juliet’s pulse took off, throbbing below her ears. “Sure. But why does it sound like you’re trying to talk me into it? Does he have two heads or something?”
“I did something a little unorthodox to find your match.” Elise bit her lip and put her hand on Juliet’s arm. “Something I hope you’ll appreciate. It was a test. I figured if the computer didn’t match you, I wouldn’t say anything. I’d never tell you and I’d find someone else for you both.”
“What are you talking about? What did you do?”
Elise smiled weakly as the crowd pressed closer to the entrance, blocking their view of whoever had drawn so much interest. “You talked so much about him. I heard what was still in your heart. I couldn’t call myself a matchmaker if I didn’t give you an opportunity to rediscover why you fell in love in the first place.”
The first wave of unease rolled through Juliet’s stomach. “Talked about whom?”
“Prince Alain. Finn.” Elise nodded toward the crush surrounding the entrance. “He’s your match.”
“Oh, my God. Elise!” Juliet wrapped her arms around her waist but couldn’t stop the flood inside of...everything. Hope. Disbelief. The unquenchable anger at his inability to side with her. “You contacted Finn? And didn’t tell me? Oh, my God.”
Finn was here. In the ballroom.
He was her match.
Not a quiet American businessman who watched football and would save her from the heartache Finn had caused.
“Open mind,” Elise reminded her and grasped Juliet’s hand to propel her forward, parting the crowd easily despite being half a head shorter than everyone else. “Come say hello. Give me ten minutes. Let me explain to you both what I did and then you can blast me for my tactics. Or spend a little while reacquainting yourselves. Maybe give it a chance. It’s your choice.”
Greedily, Juliet’s gaze swept the crowd, searching for a familiar face. And found a solid figure in black tie, flanked by a discreet security team, moving toward her.
Finn. Exactly as her heart remembered him.
Tall, gorgeous, self-assured. Every bit a man who could support the weight of a crown despite the probability that he never would. Hard, defined muscles lay under a tuxedo that did little to disguise the beauty of the man’s body. His short, dark hair that had a tendency to curl when he let it grow was the same. As was the winsome smile.
Until he paused in front of Elise and caught sight of Juliet. The smile slipped a touch as his gaze cut between the two women. “Ms. Arundel. It’s nice to see you again.”
Finn extended his hand and took Elise’s, drawing her forward to buss her cheek as if they were old friends. To Juliet, he simply said, “Ms. Villere. What a pleasant surprise. I wasn’t aware you were on this side of the world.”
In spite of the frost in his tone, his voice flipped her stomach, as it always had. More so because it had been so long since she’d heard someone speak with the cadence intrinsic to people from Delamer.
“The surprise is mutual,” she assured him, shocked her throat hadn’t gone the way of her lungs, which seemed to be broken. She couldn’t breathe. The ballroom’s walls contracted, stealing what air remained in the room. “Though I’m reserving judgment on whether it’s pleasant.”
Stupid mouth had gotten away from her again. The laser-sharp eyes of the crowd branded her back and she became aware of exactly how many people were witnessing this public meeting between Prince Alain and a woman they no doubt vaguely recognized. Wouldn’t take long to do an internet search and find videos, pictures and news reports of the scandal. It had garnered a ton of press.
His expression darkened. “Be sure to inform me when you decide. If you’ll excuse me, I have business with Ms. Arundel which is not of your concern.”
Finn was in rare His-Royal-Highness mode. She hated it when he got that way.
“Actually,” Elise corrected with a nervous laugh and held a palm out, “Juliet is your match.”
Two (#ua99c6a2f-3c53-56a6-a53d-40bd8a451e1a)
“What?” Finn zeroed in on Juliet, piercing her with steely blue eyes she remembered all too well. “Is this your idea of a joke? Did you beg Elise to contact me?”
Is that what he thought? Her brother was dead and afterward, Finn had abandoned her when she’d needed him most. Juliet would never forgive him. Why would she extend one small finger to see him again?
“I had nothing to do with this!” Hands on her hips, she waded straight into the rising tension, eyes and ears around them forgotten as the emotions Finn elicited zigzagged through her torso. “I thought you were getting married. What happened to your princess? What are you doing signing on with a matchmaker?”
A muscle ticked in Finn’s forehead. “My father does want me to get married, as soon as I find a bride. That’s what I’m doing here. I was promised the perfect match. Amusing how that worked out.”
Finn wasn’t engaged? There wasn’t even a potential princess on the horizon? She’d left Delamer based on something that wasn’t even true.
“Yeah, hilarious. I was promised the same.”
In tandem, they turned to Elise. She smiled and escorted them both to an unpopulated corner, likely so the coming bloodbath wouldn’t spatter her guests. Finn’s muscled companions followed and melted into the background.
“Do you remember the profile question about love?” Elise tucked her hair behind one ear with a let’s-get-down-to-business swipe. “I asked you both what you’d be willing to give up in order to have it. Juliet, what did you say?”
Arms crossed, Juliet glared at Elise and repeated the answer. “You shouldn’t have to give up anything for love. It should be effortless or else it’s not real love.”
No compromise. Why should she have to completely rearrange her entire belief system to appease one very stubborn man? The right man for her should recognize that she’d tried to upset the status quo only because she’d been forced to.
The right man for her would know he’d been everything to her.
“Finn?” Elise prompted and he sighed.
His gaze softened and he spoke directly to Juliet. “You shouldn’t have to give up anything. Love should be easy and natural, like breathing. No one asks you to give up breathing so your heart can beat.”
He had. He wanted her to forget Bernard had died serving the king’s ego, wearing the same uniform Finn put on every day. She slammed her lids closed and shoved that thought away. It was too much.
“Right. Easy and natural. That part of us wasn’t hard.”
And with the words, the good and amazing and breath-stealing aspects of her relationship with Finn lit up the darkness inside her.
Everything had been effortless between them. If Bernard hadn’t had that accident, she and Finn would probably be married by now and living happily ever after.
“No. Not hard at all.” Finn shook his head, his eyes still on her, searching for something that looked a lot like what she constantly wished for—a way to go back in time.
Which was impossible and the reason she’d fled to the States.
But she’d left Delamer because she thought Finn was marrying someone else. If that wasn’t true, what else might she need to reexamine?
Elise put her hands out, placing them gently on their arms, connecting them. “Do you remember what you each said you were looking for in a relationship?”
“The calm in the storm,” Juliet said, and her ire drained away to be replaced by the tiniest bit of hope.
“A place where I could just be, without all the other pressures of life,” Finn said, his voice a little raspy. “That’s how I answered the question.”
He didn’t move, but he felt closer. As if she could reach out and touch him, which she desperately wanted to do. Curled fingers dug into her thigh. Her heart tripped. This was not a good idea.
“So? We answered a couple of questions the same way. That’s no surprise.”
Finn agreed with a nod. “I would have been surprised if we didn’t respond in a similar vein.”
They’d always been of one mind, two hearts beating as one. When they sailed together, they never even had to talk, working in perfect tandem to reef the main or hull trim. They’d met while sailing with mutual friends, then fallen in love as the two of them skimmed the water again and again in Finn’s boat.
“So,” Elise said brightly, “maybe the better question is whether you can forget about the past and see how you both might have changed. You’re in America. The divide you had in Delamer doesn’t matter here. It’s safe. Take some time on neutral ground to explore whether that effortless love still exists.”
That was totally unnecessary. She’d never fallen out of love with Finn and being here in his presence after a long, cold year apart solidified the fact that she probably never would.
But that didn’t mean they belonged together.
“Are you a relationship counselor or a matchmaker?” Juliet asked Elise without a trace of guile.
“Both. Whatever it takes to help people find happiness.”
Happiness. That hadn’t been on her list when she came to Elise, broken and desperate for a solution to end her pain. But instead of an American husband, she’d been handed an opportunity for a second chance with Finn.
He was the only man on earth who could rightly be called her match. The only man she’d ever wanted to let into her heart. That had always been true and Elise had somehow figured that out.
That was some computer program Elise used. Juliet had hoped for a bit of magic. Perhaps she’d gotten her wish.
“Elise is right,” Finn said quietly. “This is neutral ground, with no room for politics. And it’s a party. Dance with me.”
Juliet nodded and hoped agreeing wasn’t the stupidest thing she’d ever done.
Elise slipped away, not even trying to hide the relief plastered all over her face.
Juliet’s eyelids pricked with tears as something shuddery and optimistic filled her empty soul. She would wallow in her few precious hours with Finn, and maybe it would lead to more. Maybe time and distance had diluted their differences.
Maybe he’d finally understand what his support and strength meant to her. She’d lost so much more than a brother a year ago. She’d also lost the love of her life.
* * *
Finn led Juliet to the dance floor, a minor miracle since his knees had gone numb.
This whole thing was ridiculous. He’d known there was something off about a matchmaker approaching his father, but he never could have predicted Elise’s actual motivation or the result of his trip to Dallas.
What would the king say when he realized what he’d inadvertently done? Finn had been matched with a woman who’d caused his family immeasurable misery and created a scandal that had spawned countless aftereffects.
Yet Finn and Juliet had met again, paired by a supposedly infallible computer program. Everybody he’d talked to raved about EA International’s process. Raved about Elise and how much she truly cared about the people she helped. So yesterday, Finn had walked through Elise’s extensive match profile, answered her questions as honestly as he could and hoped for the best.
Only to have Juliet dropped back into his life with no warning.
The smartest move would have been to turn around and leave without a backward glance. Staying was the surest method to end up insane by the end of the night.
He’d asked Juliet to dance only because manners had been bred into him since birth. This was Elise’s party and they were business associates. It was only polite.
But now he wasn’t so sure that was the only reason.
Seeing Juliet again had kicked up a push-pull of emotions he’d have sworn were buried. Not the least of which was the intense desire to have her head on a platter. After he had her body in his bed.
Fitting Juliet into his arms, they swayed together to the music. It took mere moments to find the rhythm they’d always shared. He stared down into her familiar face, into the green eyes he’d never forgotten, and felt something loosen inside.
It was Juliet, but in capital, sparkling letters with giant exclamation points.
She’d been transformed.
The alterations were external, and he’d liked her exactly the way she’d looked the last time he’d seen her. But what if more than her hair had changed?
Could he really fly back to Delamer without taking a few hours to find out what might be possible that hadn’t been possible before?
Now that he had her in his arms, the anger he’d carried with him for the past year was hard to hang on to.
“You look different,” he blurted out. Smooth. Juliet had never tied up his tongue before. “Amazing. So beautiful. You’re wearing cosmetics.”
She blinked sultry eyes and smiled with lips stained the color of deep sunset. Even her height was different. He glanced down. Sexy heels showcased her delicate feet and straps buckled around her ankles highlighted the shapely curve of her legs. He had the sudden mental image of unbuckling those straps with his teeth.
That was it. Dancing was officially a form of torture.
This was all so surreal. She was still the same girl who’d stabbed him in the back but not the same. Tension coiled in his gut, choking off his air supply.
“Thanks. Elise gave me a few tips on how to be a girl.” Juliet extended a hand to show off long coral-tipped nails. “Don’t expect me to hoist any sails with these babies.”
Finn couldn’t help but grin. If she was going to play it as if everything was cool, he could too. “I’ll do all the hard work. Looking at you is reward enough for my effort.”
Her brows rose as she repositioned her hand at his waist. “Like the new me, do you?”
He could feel those nails through his jacket. How was that possible?
“I liked the old you.” Before she’d skewered his heart on the stake of her stubbornness. “But this you is great too. You’re gorgeous. What prompted all of this?”
Long nails, swept-up hair. A mouthwatering backless dress he easily recognized as high-end. She was double-take worthy and then some.
“It’s part of Elise’s deal. She has a lot of high-powered, influential male clients and they expect a certain refinement in their potential mates. She spends a couple of months enhancing each of us, though admittedly, she spent far more time with me than some of the others. Voila. I am a new creation. Cinderella, at your service.” Juliet glanced at him with a sweeping once-over. “She didn’t tell you how all that worked?”
“Not in those terms. It was more of a general guarantee that the woman she matched me with would be able to handle everything that comes with being a princess.”
Which, in Juliet’s case, had never been a factor. He couldn’t have cared less if she flubbed royal protocol or never picked up mascara. Because he’d loved her, once upon a time.
But that was over with a capital O and in an arranged marriage, he might as well get what he paid for—a demure, non-scandal-inducing woman who could erase the public’s memory of the past year.
“Are you disappointed you got me instead?”
His laugh came out of nowhere. “I honestly don’t know what I am, but disappointed is definitely not it.”
Juliet could have been a great princess. She’d always understood his need to escape from his position occasionally. Finn gave one hundred percent to his job protecting Delamer’s citizens, gladly participated in charity events and didn’t have a moment’s guilt over taking time away from the public eye. A lot of women wouldn’t support that, would insist on being treated to the finer things in life.
Juliet had been perfectly content with a beach date or sailing. Or staying in, his own personal favorite. No, it wasn’t a surprise the computer had matched them.
The surprise lay in how much he still wanted her despite the still-present burn of her betrayal.
“What about you?” he asked. “Has the jury reconvened on whether seeing me again is a pleasant surprise?”
“The jury is busy trying not to trip over your feet while wearing four-inch heels.”
The wry twist of her lips pulled an answering grin out of him.
He relaxed. This was still neutral ground and as long as everyone kept a sense of humor, the night was young.
“Let’s get some champagne. I’m dying to know how you ended up in Dallas in a matchmaker’s computer system.”
As they turned to leave the dance floor, light flashed from the crowd to the left and then again in rapid succession. Photographs. From a professional camera.
Finn sighed. With the time difference, his father’s phone call would come around midnight unless the king’s secretary somehow missed the story, which was unlikely.
Finn would ask Elise to match him with someone new. Later.
Juliet waited until he’d led her to the bar and handed her a flute of bubbly Veuve Clicquot before responding. “It’s your fault I sought out Elise.”
“Mine?” He dinged the rims of their glasses together and took a healthy swallow in a futile attempt to gain some clarity. “I didn’t even know Elise existed until a few days ago.”
“It was the engagement announcement. If you were moving on, I needed to, as well. I couldn’t do that in Delamer, so here I am.” She spread her hands, flashing coral tips that made him imagine what they’d feel like at his waist once he’d shed his jacket and shirt.
The temperature in the ballroom went sky high as internal ripples of need spread. He’d only thought he was uncomfortable before.
“Like I said, there’s no engagement. Not yet. My father and I agreed it was time I thought about settling down and he went on the bride hunt. Here I am, as well.”
It was a sobering reminder. They’d both been trying to move past the scandal and breakup by searching for someone new. Was that what she truly wanted?
The thought of Juliet with another man ripped a hole in his gut. A shock considering how angry he still was about what she’d done.
“As much as I’ve tried to avoid it, I’ve seen the pictorial evidence of why your dad thought you needed to settle down. You’ve become the Party Prince.” She shot him a quizzical glance, her gaze flat and unreadable. “It seems so unlike you. Sure, we had some fun dancing at clubs and stuff, but we usually left after an hour or so. Did I miss the part where you wanted to stay?”
“I never wanted to stay. I was always thinking about getting you alone.”
“Some of the pictures were really hard to take,” she admitted quietly, and he didn’t need her to elaborate.
Heat climbed up his neck and flushed across his ears.
He’d always known she’d probably see all the photographs of him with other women and hear about his exploits, but he’d honestly never considered a scenario where they’d have an actual conversation about them. There wasn’t a lot about the past year that filled him with pride.
“As long as we’re handing out blame, that was your fault.”
To her credit, she simply glanced at him with a blank expression. “How so?”
She had changed. The Juliet of before would have blasted him over such a stupid statement. “Well, not your fault, per se, but I was trying to drown out the memories. Focus on the future. Moving on, like you said.”
“Did it work?”
“Not in the slightest.”
Their gazes crashed and his lips tingled. He wanted to pull her against him and dive in. Kiss her until neither of them could remember anything other than how good they felt together.
She tossed back the last of her champagne as if she hadn’t noticed the heavily charged moment. He wished he could say the same as all the blood rushed from his head, draining southward into a spectacular hard-on.
“What do we do now?” she asked.
“Have dinner with me,” he said hoarsely. “Tomorrow night. For old time’s sake.”
Neither of them thought this match was a good idea. He knew that. But he couldn’t resist stealing a few more forbidden hours with Juliet. No matter what she’d done in the past, he couldn’t walk out of this ballroom and never see her again.
“I should have my head examined. But okay.”
Her acceptance was fortuitously timed. A svelte woman and her friend nearly bowled Juliet over in an enthusiastic attempt to get a photo with him.
It was a common-enough request and he normally didn’t mind. But tonight he wanted to be selfish and spend as much time with Juliet as he could, before his father interfered. Before all the reasons they’d split in the first place surfaced.
She’d always be the woman who burned a Delamer flag at the palace gates. The people of his country had long memories for acts of disloyalty to the crown.
And so did he.
There was no way crossing an ocean could create a different dynamic between two people. Because Juliet would never see he couldn’t go against his father, and never understand that as the second son, Finn had little to offer the crown besides unconditional support.
If she ever did finally get it, all her sins would be forgiven. By everyone, including him.
That would happen when it snowed in Delamer during July.
Until then, he’d indulge in Juliet, ignore the rest and then ask Elise to match him with someone else.
Three (#ua99c6a2f-3c53-56a6-a53d-40bd8a451e1a)
Juliet stared in the mirror and tried to concentrate on applying eye shadow to her lids as Dannie and Elise had shown her. Multiple times. Her scrambled brain couldn’t focus.
Dazed and breathless well described the state Finn had left her in last night, and it hadn’t cleared up in the almost twenty-four hours since. Finn’s clean scent lingered in her nose, evoking painfully crisp memories of being with him, loving him.
And suffering the agony of finally accepting that he cared nothing for her. Cared nothing for her pain at losing the brother she’d helped raise.
All Finn cared about was zipping himself into the uniform of Delamer’s military and wearing it with nationalistic pride.
Madness. Why had she agreed to this date again?
Elise stuck her head in the door of Juliet’s room.
“Almost ready? Oh. You’re not even dressed yet. What are you wearing?”
A flak jacket if she was smart. And if they made one you could wear internally. But she’d come to America in hopes of finding a new direction. She’d stay open to the possibility that time had dulled Finn’s zealous fervor.
One date. One night. What did she have to lose?
Her eyes narrowed. She’d stay open, but that didn’t mean Finn didn’t deserve to suffer for his sins.
“I want to wear something that will show Finn what I’ve endured in your makeover program because of him. The sexier and more painful for him, the better.” Hours and hours of hot rollers, facials and balancing on four-inch heels were about to hit his royal highness where it hurt.
“Yellow dress, then. I brought you something.” Elise held out a velvet jewelry box.
Mystified, Juliet opened the lid to reveal a silver heart charm dangling from a matching chain, and another heart dangled from the first, one clutching the other to keep it from falling. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.”
Simple but elegant, perfect for a tomboy who’d rather be doing something athletic than primping.
Elise clasped it around Juliet’s throat. “I give all my makeover clients a necklace. I’m glad you like it.”
When the hired car with dark windows rolled to a stop outside Elise’s house, Juliet was slightly ashamed to realize she’d been haunting the window for nearly fifteen minutes waiting for its appearance. How pathetic.
She swung open Elise’s front door, and the sheer heat in the pointed once-over Finn gave her swept everything else away.
“Hi.”
“Wow,” was all he said in response.
Little pinpricks worked their way across her cheeks in a stupid blush. “Yeah? It’s okay? Elise picked out the dress.”
And what was under it, but odds were slim this date would go well enough to model the silk lingerie.
In answer, he grasped her hand and led her out of the house. “I like what I see so far. Come with me so I can properly evaluate the rest.”
Her arm tingled from his touch against her palm, warming her in places Finn had always affected quite expertly.
Whom was she kidding? Finn was nothing if not talented enough to get her out of the sunny yellow dress and ivory alligator sandals in less than five minutes if he so chose.
She let him hold her hand down the walk. Partially because she wanted to pretend things were somewhat normal. That this was a date with an exciting man who was whirling her off to a night of possibilities.
He tucked her into the backseat of the luxurious town car and settled in next to her, his heavy masculine presence overwhelming in such close confines. She almost jumped out of her skin when he leaned forward, brushing her arm and setting off a throng of iron-winged butterflies in her stomach. But he only pressed the button to raise the dividing panel between the driver and the back, lingering far too long for such a simple task.
The car slid smoothly away from the curb and flowed into traffic.
“Where are you taking me?” she croaked and cleared the awareness and heat from her throat. “Some place trendy and hip?”
“Not on your life. I’m not sharing you with hordes of paparazzi and gawkers.”
Oh. “Are your bodyguards in another car? They’re never far away unless you’re working.”
He squeezed the hand he was still holding. “Worried? I’ll keep you safe.”
Without a doubt. It was what he did. Most people ignored those in distress, but he reveled in protecting people. Always had.
They chatted about inane topics such as Dallas weather, but thankfully, he did not mention football. The only sport he’d ever followed was Formula 1 racing, but he respected her complete boredom with cars looping a track and seldom talked about it.
“We’re here,” Finn pronounced as the car stopped under a tree.
Juliet took in the scene through the window. Beyond the roadway lay a secluded private park, where a single table and chairs had been set out with a perfect view of the sunset. A man in a tall white chef’s hat stood off to the side, chopping with a flashing knife on a temporary work surface.
“Nice,” Juliet acknowledged with a nod and peeked up at Finn from under her lashes. “Out of curiosity, what would you have done if it was raining?”
“We’d get wet. Or we’d ride around and look for a drive-through with decent takeout and eat in the car.”
She smiled at his pragmatism. He’d never let a little thing like a change of plans put a hitch in his stride. “Then I’m glad it’s a clear night.”
His answering grin warmed her neglected parts far past acceptability.
“After the obscene amount of money I paid to rent this park for the night, including an added fifteen percent to buy out the existing reservation, it wouldn’t dare rain.”
No, it wouldn’t. Rain didn’t fall on the head of the privileged. Once, he’d made her feel as if the evils of the world couldn’t reach them, as if he’d always be the one person she could count on. Until he wasn’t.
Finn jumped from the car and helped her rise from the low leather seat. The driver sped away after being told to return in two hours. They were alone.
Juliet started to walk up the path to the center of the park.
Finn tugged on her hand, swinging her around face-to-face. “Maybe we should get something out of the way.”
“What’s that?” The words were half out of her mouth when the sizzle between them and the glint of anticipation in his blue eyes answered that question.
He was going to kiss her.
Involuntarily, her tongue came out to wet suddenly dry lips and his eyes lingered on them before he met her gaze squarely.
“This.”
Juliet froze as Finn’s mouth descended.
A part of her screamed to break his hold, to run before it was too late. Her legs wouldn’t move.
Then his lips claimed hers, taking her mouth powerfully, demanding a response. It was Finn. So familiar and hot and everything she’d been missing for a very long time. She moaned and leaned into it, desperate to taste the divine, to plunge into him.
Euphoria rushed through her veins, deluging her senses with sharp, slick desire. Pushing eager fingers through his short hair, she held his head in place as the kiss exploded with incandescent energy.
Their bodies melded, aligning just right, just as always. Yes. Oh, yes, she’d missed him.
Missed how he never held back, missed his intoxicating presence and missed how his strength enabled hers.
His hand slipped beneath a spaghetti strap at her shoulder and he skimmed silky fingertips down her back. If he kept this up, her lingerie would be making an appearance after all, very shortly.
He pulled away before she’d even begun to sate herself on the thrill of his touch. Breathing heavily, he rested his forehead on hers. “That didn’t quite do what I hoped.”
It had certainly done plenty for her. “What were you hoping for?”
“That it would allow me to eat in peace instead of thinking about whether you still taste the same. Now I’m pretty sure a repeat is all I’ll be thinking about.”
She hid a smile. “If dinner goes well, a repeat might be on the menu.”
His eyelids dropped to a sexy, slumberous half-mast. “I’ll keep that in mind. Shall we eat?”
“If you insist.” He might be able to eat. The flip-flopping in her stomach didn’t bode well for her.
There were still plenty of sparks between them. Not that she’d wondered. But that kiss had at least answered one lingering question—whether they could pick up where they’d left off.
The answer was a resounding yes.
As long as they could sort through the past. The scandal. The utter sense of betrayal he’d left her with.
Suddenly, she didn’t want to think about it. There weren’t any laws that said they had to immediately hash out how abandoned she’d felt.
Finn led her to a chair and helped her sit, then took his own seat. As the chef served a delicious first course of tomatoes drizzled with balsamic vinegar, Finn mentioned the queen’s bout with appendicitis and Juliet murmured appropriate well-wishes. She then shared that her second-youngest sister was expecting a baby and nodded at Finn’s hearty congratulations.
A very pleasant conversation all the way around. Thankfully, at least some of the social graces Elise had tirelessly drilled into Juliet’s head had held.
Except she couldn’t get that kiss out of her mind, and watching him talk wasn’t helping. It had been a very long time since she’d been kissed. Since the scandal.
Finn hadn’t let any grass grow under his feet in the female companionship department, but she’d taken the ostrich approach. If she stuck her head in the sand long enough, all those feminine urges would dry up and go away.
She’d been pretty successful thus far. Yet in two seconds, he’d done a spectacular job of reminding her sheer will couldn’t stop the flood of longing for the tender affections of one very talented prince.
“Did you quit your job in Delamer?” Finn asked once the chef finished serving the main course of corvina sea bass and asparagus over quinoa.
“I did.”
The short phrase communicated none of the grief she’d experienced over resigning her position teaching English to bright young minds. She loved the children she taught and had hoped to find a way to continue teaching in America.
Then she remembered.
She hadn’t been matched with an American husband. If things worked out with Finn, she could go home, go back to her job, back to the sea. Back into his arms.
Was such a fairy tale actually possible?
With renewed interest, she swept her gaze over the man opposite her. “Are you still flying helicopters?”
“Of course. I’ll do that until the day I die. Or until they ground me. Whichever comes first.”
No shock. He’d always loved flying as much as he did the search and rescue part of his job. The source of contention wasn’t what he did but whom he did it for.
“Hmm,” she said noncommittally and forked up a bite of fish. “I wasn’t going to jump right into this, but I’m on uncertain ground here. Tell me what you hoped to gain from Elise’s match. Are you really looking for a wife?”
Finn set his wineglass down firmly and focused on her, the warmth in his expression all too easy to read. “I can’t keep being the Party Prince. The best I thought I could do was an arranged marriage, like my parents. Means to an end, and I’m okay with that. What about you?”
That focus unleashed a shiver she couldn’t quite control. “I was prepared to marry whomever Elise picked. I couldn’t stay in Delamer. Not with the way things fell apart between us. Marriage was a means to an end for me, as well.”
She’d like to stop there and just enjoy this date. But there were too many unanswered questions for that.
“What is this dinner all about? We aren’t having a first date like we would with the matches we’d envisioned for ourselves. This is something else. We have history we’re avoiding. Important history. History that has to be resolved.”
Finn’s gaze grew keen. “You want to throw down? Go for it.”
“No, I don’t.” She shook her head, though he was certainly the only man who could take whatever she dished out. “We’ve fought enough in our relationship. I want to work things out like adults. Can we?”
With a smile, Finn picked up her hand and rubbed a knuckle with his smooth thumb. “Let’s hold off on history with a capital H. Dinner is about me and you reconnecting. That’s the part of our history I prefer to remember.”
“Okay.”
She’d waited this long. What were a few more hours? The time would be well spent working through what she’d realized she’d done wrong a year ago. Instead of fighting so hard to convince Finn to talk to his father, she should have gone about this a whole different way.
If Finn was truly looking for a wife, what was stopping her from marrying him in order to bring about change from inside the palace gates? Princess Juliet would have far more power to influence the king away from mandatory military service than plain old Juliet Villere.
And then maybe she could finally be rid of the crushing guilt she felt over Bernard’s death.
* * *
Dinner forgotten, Finn nearly swallowed his tongue when Juliet pushed back her chair and waltzed to his side of the table wearing a sultry smile and sporting a very naughty glint in her eye. She extended a hand, which he took silently, and then he stood, allowing her to lead him up the path into a more heavily wooded section of the park.
“Interested in the native fauna and flora?” he asked when the silence stretched on.
“More interested in how well the flora conceals us.” She backed him up against a tree and stepped into his torso deliberately, rubbing her firm breasts against his chest.
Oh, so that’s what she had in mind. Obviously, she remembered how good it had been as well as he did. And apparently she had no problem rekindling that part of their relationship, impending matches to other people notwithstanding. Fantastic.
“That earlier kiss was good. Make this one better,” she commanded.
Instantly, he complied, yanking her into his arms and exploring her back flat-handed. Their mouths met, aligning perfectly, and heat arced between them.
Juliet.
Desire thundered through his body, soaking him with a storm of need. She was in his arms, overpowering his senses as if he’d jumped from his helicopter without a parachute.
Thank God Elise had pulled her devious stunt to put them in each other’s path again, if only for one night. Tomorrow, he and Juliet could both be matched with more suitable mates.
The kiss deepened and Juliet snuggled against him as if she’d never been away. Heat swept along his skin, craving the perfection of Juliet’s beautiful body against it. He groaned and shifted a knee between her legs, and his thigh hit the sweet spot immediately.
That was some dress. The high-heeled and insanely sexy shoes helped too.
He lifted his lips a fraction and murmured, “I’ve missed you. Can we take this someplace more private?”
Her smile curved against his cheek and she nodded.
Grasping her hand, he pulled her in the direction of the newly returned town car, settled her in the backseat and nearly dived in after her.
He’d never been able to resist her, and now he didn’t have to.
Somehow, Finn had been granted a reprieve. The king hadn’t phoned him to demand an explanation for the photographs from last night. Now he had this one chance to recapture a small slice of heaven before submitting to an arranged marriage.
He’d hoped, against all logical reason, that the woman Elise matched him with could heal his broken heart. The odds of that happening with the woman who’d smashed it in the first place were zilch. Especially since he’d never in a million years give it to her again.
So he’d grant EA International another chance. Once he had a new bride by his side, the public would forget about the Party Prince and he could become known for something worthwhile.
The People’s Prince. He liked the sound of that.
In the meantime, he could have Juliet...and all the good things about their relationship. Without getting into the painful past.
“So I take it you thought dinner went well?” he asked with a grin he couldn’t have wiped off his face for anything. “You know, since you agreed to a repeat of the kiss.”
Her hair was a little mussed from his fingers. He itched to pull out all the pins and let those silky locks tumble over him.
“I’m staying open to where the night leads. But it’s been good so far.” She studied him speculatively. “We’re not fighting. We’re connecting, like you said.”
They weren’t fighting because they’d thus far avoided the problem. And he was totally prepared to keep avoiding history with a capital H for as long as possible. “If this driver would step on it, we’d be connecting a whole lot more.”
She laughed. “We have all night. But while we’re on the subject, does connecting mean you’re open to being on my side this time around?”
Apparently she did not subscribe to the same desire for avoidance of the past. “I’ve always been on your side.”
“If that was true, you’d never have taken the stance you did.” Her expression closed in. “You’d have supported me and my family when we tried to talk to your father.”
That was the Juliet he’d last seen in Delamer. His stomach dipped. The connection part of the evening appeared to be over.
“You say that like I had no choice, like I had to agree with you or it equaled lack of support.” But that’s how he’d felt, as well. As if she couldn’t see his side. Instantly, it all came roaring back. All the hurt and anger he’d been living with for a very long year. “You didn’t support me either. And I never asked you to go against everything you believed in.”
She yanked her hand from his. The heat in her expression reminded him she got just as passionate about taking his head off when they clashed.
So much for dinner going well.
“That’s exactly what you wanted me to do.” A lone tear tracked down Juliet’s face and his gut clenched. It hurt to see someone as strong as Juliet crying. “Forget about Bernard and support you every day as you put on the uniform of the Delamer military. Every day, I’d be reminded Bernard died wearing the same uniform and I did nothing to avenge that. Every day, I’d be reminded you chose to stand with the crown instead of with me.”
The car stopped at the private entrance to his hotel. It was positioned discreetly in the secluded rear section of the property, off to the side of the underground parking garage.
Finn didn’t get out. This wasn’t finished, not even close.
“Vengeance well describes it. You humiliated me. That protest garnered the attention of the entire world. Juliet—” Finn pinched the bridge of his nose. They should have recorded this conversation and played it back, saving them the trouble of having it again. “I’m a member of the House of Couronne. You burned the flag of the country my family rules while we were dating. How can you not see what that did to me?”
Not to mention the man she’d vilified was his father. He loved his father, loved his country. She’d wanted him to choose her over honor.
“My family is forever changed because of your father’s policies. Bernard is gone and—” Her voice seized, choking off the rest. After a moment, she stared up at him through watery eyes laced with devastation. “A man who claimed to love me would have understood. He would have done anything to make that right.”
But he wasn’t just a man and never would be. He could no sooner remove the royal blood in his veins than he could fly blindfolded.
The tearing in his chest felt as if it was on repeat, as well. “A woman who claimed to love me would have realized I have an obligation to the crown, whether it’s on my head or not. I don’t get the choice to be someone other than Prince Alain Phineas of Montagne, Duke of Marechal, House of Couronne.”
He belonged to one of the last royal houses of Europe and he owed it to his ancestors to preserve the country they’d left in his care. No matter how antiquated the notion became in an increasingly modern world.
Now he was ready to get out of the car. To be somewhere she wasn’t. That was one thing that hadn’t changed—Juliet causing him to feel a touch insane as he veered between extreme highs and lows very quickly. She followed him to the curb, clearly determined to continue twisting the spike through his heart.
“I never wanted you to be someone else. I loved you.”
Past tense. It didn’t escape his notice.
“You meant everything to me, Finn. But it’s peacetime. The mandatory military service law is ridiculous. Why can’t you see that your royal obligation is to stop being so stubborn and think about people’s lives?”
“For the same reason you can’t see that the military is mine,” he said quietly.
He’d never wear the crown. Flying helicopters was the one thing he could do that Alexander, as the crown prince, couldn’t. Juliet’s refusal to get out from under her righteous indignation prevented her from taking his side.
She was the stubborn one.
Anger coated the back of his throat. Juliet was still the same crusader under the cosmetics and sexy dress. She was still determined to alter the heart of the institution to which he’d sworn loyalty.
Suddenly, it was all too easy to resist her. He didn’t have the slightest interest in rehashing all of this for the rest of the night, regardless of the more tangible rewards. He’d never bowed to anyone before and he wasn’t about to start now.
Arms crossed against her abdomen, Juliet stared dry-eyed at the unoccupied valet booth behind Finn. “I think it’s safe to say the date was not a success.”
“I’ll have the driver take you back to Elise’s house.” Finn tapped on the passenger-side window.
The squeal of tires on cement reverberated through the quiet underground lot. A van sped down the ramp and wedged tight against the rear bumper of Finn’s hired car. Four men with distinctly shaved heads, beefy physiques and dark clothing jumped out, trouble written all over them.
“Juliet, get in the car,” Finn muttered, angling his body to shield her as the men advanced on them.
He never should have given his security guys the night off.
It was the last thing he registered as the world went black.
Four (#ua99c6a2f-3c53-56a6-a53d-40bd8a451e1a)
Grit scraped at Juliet’s eyeballs. She tried to lift a hand to rub them. And couldn’t.
Heavy fog weighed down her brain. Something was wrong. She couldn’t see and her hands weren’t working. Or her arms.
Rapid blinking didn’t improve her eyesight. It was so dark.
She never drank enough alcohol to be this fuzzy about her current whereabouts...and how she’d gotten there...and what had happened prior to.
“Juliet. Can you hear me?” Finn’s voice. It washed over her, tripping a hodgepodge of memories, most of them X-rated.
Finn’s voice in the dark equaled one activity and one activity only. Pleasure, the feel of his skin on hers, urgency of the highest order to fly into the heavens with him—
Wait. What was Finn doing here?
“Yeah,” she mumbled thickly. “I hear you.”
Pain split through her brain the moment her jaw moved, cutting off her speech, her thoughts, even her breath. Inhaling sharply, she rolled to shift positions—or tried to.
Her muscles refused to cooperate. “What’s...going on?”
“Tranquilizer,” Finn explained grimly and spit out a nasty curse in French. “I think they must have used the same dose on both of us.”
The sinister-looking men. An unmarked van. The date with so much promise that ended badly. And then got worse.
Juliet groaned. “What? Why did they give us tranquilizers?”
“So they could snatch us without a fight,” Finn growled. “And they should be thanking their lucky stars they did. Otherwise I would have removed their spleens with a tire iron.”
Snippets of dinner with Finn flashed through her mind. Okay, good. So she hadn’t lost her memory and she wasn’t suffering from the effects of a hangover. “We were kidnapped? Stuff like that only happens in the movies.”
“Welcome to reality.” The heavy sarcasm meant he was frustrated. And maybe a little worried. That didn’t bode well. Finn always knew what to do.
Shifting along her right side indicated his general vicinity. Not too far away. “Can you move? Are we tied up?”
It was hard for her to tell. Everything was numb. That’s why she couldn’t move. She’d been drugged. And blinded, maybe forever.
What sort of scheme had she stumbled into simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong companion?
A strong, masculine hand smoothed hair from her face, throwing her back to another time and place where that happened with frequency.
“Nah,” Finn said. “They shot us up with enough narcotics that they didn’t need to tie us up. I’m okay. The cocktail didn’t affect me nearly as long as it did you.”
Gray invaded her vision and got lighter and lighter with each passing moment. Thank goodness. “Where are we?”
“Not sure. In a house of some sort. I was afraid to leave you alone in case you needed CPR, or the welcoming committee showed up, so I didn’t do more than look out the window.”
A fuzzy Finn swam through her eyesight, along with a few background details. White walls. Bed.
Finn held her hand. She squeezed, gratified that her fingers had actually responded, and then licked dry lips. “Guards?”
“Not that I can tell. I haven’t seen anyone since I regained consciousness.” Finn nodded to a door. “As soon as you can walk, we’ll see what’s what.”
“Help me sit up,” she implored him.
Finn’s arm came around her waist and she slumped against him. Two tries later, her legs swung off the bed and thumped to the floor.
Barefoot. Had they taken her shoes? She wasn’t even completely over the sticker shock at the price of those ivory alligator sandals and now they were probably in a Dumpster somewhere. And she’d actually kind of liked them.
“Now help me stand,” she said. Their captors might return at any moment and they both needed to be prepared. Sure Finn was stronger and better trained, but she was mad enough to take out at least one.
Finn shook his head. “There’s no prize for Fastest Recovery After Being Tranquilized. Take your time.”
“I want to get out of here. The faster we figure out what that’s going to take, the better.” Throbbing behind her eyes distracted her for a moment, but she ignored it as best she could. “How far do you think they took us from your hotel?”
Elise would be worried. Maybe she’d already called the police and even now, SWAT teams were tearing apart Dallas in search of Prince Alain.
Or...Elise might be smugly certain she’d staged the match of the century and assume they’d gotten so wrapped up in each other, Juliet had forgotten to call. The matchmaker probably didn’t realize they were missing yet.
“There’s only one way to find out where we are. Come on.” Finn took one step and her knees buckled.
Without missing a beat, he swept her up in his strong arms and she almost sighed at the shamefully romantic gesture.
Except he was still the Prince of Pigheadedness. Why had she ever thought she could marry him—even under the guise of changing Delamer policy from the inside?
Finn deposited her easily on the pale blue counterpane and kept a light but firm hand on her shoulder so she couldn’t sit up. “It’s early afternoon, if the daylight outside the window is any indication. We’ve probably been captives for about eighteen hours. The entire Delamer armed forces are likely already on their way to assist the local authorities. Stay here and I’ll go figure out the lay of the land.”
“You’re not the boss just because you’re a boy.”
He scowled. “I’m not trying to be the boss. I’m trying to keep you from cracking your stubborn head open. If you think you can walk, be my guest.”
With a flourish, he gestured toward the door.
Now she had to do it, if for no other reason than to prove His Highness wrong. Slowly, she wobbled upright and took excruciatingly slow steps, one in front of the other.
The door opened easily, despite her certainty that she’d find it locked. It swung open to reveal a bare hallway. “Let’s go.”
She’d almost taken an entire step across the threshold when Finn leaped in front like her own personal bulletproof vest.
She rolled her eyes. Of course. Bullets bounced off the perpetually arrogant all the time, right?
“Don’t you have any sense?” he growled in her ear. “This is a dangerous situation.”
If the kidnappers had wanted to harm them, they would have. Finn was more valuable alive than dead. “If anything dangerous is lurking in these halls, it’s going to get you first. Then who will protect me?”
“What makes you so certain I’d lose?” he whispered over his shoulder as he flowed noiselessly away from the bedroom. He’d always moved with elegant flair, but this cloak-and-dagger-style grace was sexier than she’d like to admit.
She dogged his steps, tearing her gaze from his spectacular backside with difficulty. “A hunch. If the kidnappers had tranquilizers, they probably have guns. Unless you think they’re in this for the opportunity to have afternoon tea with royalty.”
“Shh.” He halted where the hallway ended in a large room and poked his head out to scan the space with a double sweep. “All clear.”
An inviting living area with a fireplace and high-end furniture opened up around her as she stepped out of the hall. “This is not what I would have envisioned as a place to keep captives.”
A breathtaking panorama of sparkling sea unfolded beyond a wall of glass. The house perched on a low cliff overlooking the water. That particular shade of blue was etched on her heart, and her breath caught.
“We’re not in Dallas anymore,” Finn announced needlessly. “And those were some serious drugs the kidnappers used if they brought us clear across the Atlantic without me realizing it.”
“We’re on an island.”
She was home. Back on the Mediterranean, close to everything she loved. She’d sailed these waters often enough to recognize the hills rising behind the city, the coastal landscape.
Home. She never thought she’d see it again. The small ripples in the surface of the water. The wheeling birds. The sky studded with puffy clouds. All of the poetic nuances of the sea bled into her chest, squeezing it, nearly wrenching loose a sob.
“Yeah.” Finn skirted the large couch and squinted at the shoreline visible in the distance. “About two miles off the coast of Delamer. There are, I don’t know, at least four or five different islands in this quadrant. It’s hard to tell from the ground which one we’re on.”
“There can’t be more than a handful of people who own houses on these islands. It would be pretty easy to figure out who kidnapped us.” She shook her head. “We were taken by the dumbest kidnappers ever. They dumped us right in our own backyard.”
“Dumb—or really smart. Who would think to look for us here? We’re both supposed to be in Dallas.”
“Well...good point.”
So if all the search efforts were concentrated on the other side of the Atlantic, they were going to have to rescue themselves.
“And leaving us on an island means they don’t have to stick around,” she said. “Very difficult for us to escape. I assume they took both our cell phones.”
He nodded. “And I’m sure the kidnappers did a full sweep to remove all devices with access to the outside world.”
Gingerly, he gripped the handle of the sliding door and pulled. It slid open, and the swift Mediterranean breeze doused her with its unique marine-life-drenched tang.
Goodness how she’d missed it.
She followed Finn outside onto the covered flagstone patio, set with wicker outdoor furniture around a brick fire pit. The cry of gulls overhead was like hearing a favorite song for the first time in ages. There were worse places to be held captive than in a cliff-side villa in the south of France during early summer.
But they were still captives.
Finn gripped the wrought iron railing surrounding the patio and peered down the cliff to the rocky shore below. “The slip is empty.”
Sure enough, the dock was boat-free. “Maybe there’s a kayak or something in storage that the kidnappers forgot about.”
“We should definitely check around. I’m still not convinced we’re alone.” Finn grimaced. “Why would they leave us unsupervised in what’s essentially a vacation spot? None of this makes any sense.”
“Kidnapping as a whole doesn’t make any sense. How is kidnapping you, and by extension me, going to achieve changes in the king’s policies?”
Even in the midst of her lowest point of grief over Bernard’s death, she’d have never willingly put another human in harm’s way to promote her political agenda.
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