The Royal House of Niroli: Secret Heirs: Bride by Royal Appointment / A Royal Bride at the Sheikh's Command

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she said, following him with a pair of wineglasses she’d found.

He turned and looked at her, leaning against the kitchen counter, while she rinsed out the last few things. “Gino seemed to resent the air space I take up just by breathing,” he noted. “I thought you implied he was gay.”

“He is.”

“Then why does he always look like he wants to fight me to the death over your naked body?”

She turned toward him, her mouth open in mock outrage. “Explain to me why my body would be naked in this fantasy scenario of yours.”

He shrugged. Wasn’t it self-evident? “You’d be the trophy, of course. The prize.” He grinned, contemplating the scene and liking it. “Prizes are always better naked.”

She pouted. “Couldn’t I have just a little scrap of clothing?”

He shook his head sternly. “No. Not allowed. This is my fantasy. I make the rules.”

“I see.” She turned back to the washing up with a slight smile. “Remind me to keep my distance from your fantasies in the future.”

“Too late.” Reaching out, he touched her hair and she went very still. As he continued his voice became very low and husky. “You’re becoming the star attraction in my dreams, you know.”

Her breath caught jaggedly in her throat and she pulled away from his touch. “To get back to Gino,” she said quickly, drying her hands on a towel and starting out of the room, “he and I are very close. We have been for years. So be nice to him, please.”

“Be nice to Gino?” he muttered skeptically, but not loud enough for her to hear. He followed her out into the living room. Speaking of people it’s not easy to be nice to, he added to himself, and aloud he said, “Thanks for taking care of Jeremy while I was gone. How did your evening with him go? Was he civilized?”

“Civilized?” She turned to face him, standing at the piano. “He was a perfect angel. He helped me get ready for the party and then.” She smiled, remembering. “Then he negotiated his way into getting me to give him another piano lesson.”

“Really? He’s sitting still for lessons?” That surprised him.

She nodded. “He loves them. He asked me to teach him.” She let her fingers trail over the piano keys. “He’s learning very quickly. A natural.” Her smile was impish. “He has something he wants to show you tomorrow. Don’t let me forget.”

Adam frowned. This did not sound like any son he knew. “Was that his idea or yours?” he asked cynically.

Her head came up and she looked disapproving. “Why do you ask that?”

The impulse to defend himself overcame his good sense. “Because I’ve never seen any sign that my son gives a damn about me, that’s why.” It was the first time that he’d ever put the feeling into words. The pain and resentment hung in the air as the sound of his statement evaporated. Her face was registering the shock of it and he wished he’d kept his feelings to himself.

“You’re his father,” she said at last. “He loves you.”

He grimaced and looked around to see if there was a bottle of something strong left out he could take some solace in. “I’ve known that kid for a long time, Elena,” he said quietly. “Where’s the evidence?”

She stood where she was, very still. “I think you’re looking for it in the wrong places.”

He twitched. “And I think you’re dreaming.” He grabbed a mint out of a bowl set out for the guests and popped it in his mouth. A mint wasn’t exactly a good stiff drink, but it would have to do until one came along.

Meanwhile, he wanted to get off of this subject. “Anyway, my evening at the palace was mostly a waste of time. They wanted me to stay for dinner, meet some people. But I’m not sure it was worth the effort. I got the distinct impression that all the important people are still out of town. They just wanted to feel me out a bit.”

She frowned, her head bent as she listened to him. She wished she could hear some small sense of an understanding of the history and majesty and wonder of this island and this job he was taking on in his voice. Was it really just a vehicle for money in his eyes? Did he really not care at all?

“Too bad,” she said. “And you didn’t get to meet with your grandfather?”

“No. He’s got a cold or something. I’m pretty sure they are making excuses to keep me from him, but that’s hardly important. The contract is the crux of the matter and they haven’t let me see it yet.”

“Ah.” There it was. The money. That was his whole focus.

“Yes, they seem to be balking. Tomorrow I figure I’ll take Jeremy in and really give them a run for their money.” He popped another mint. “They don’t know much about Jeremy yet. Right now he’s just a theory to them.” He smiled wickedly. “Tomorrow he will become reality.”

She frowned, shaking her head in despair over his attitude. “What do you think he’ll do?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Climb out on a precipice and hang by his knees until they have to employ a helicopter to get him back. Set the horses free from the stables. Put piranhas in the moat. Or maybe they have a nice wedding cake he could ruin.”

She clenched her hands together distractedly. “Does it ever occur to you that he does these things because you expect him to?”

He sighed. “There’s a background here, Elena. I expect these things because he’s done them before.”

She licked her dry lips. She was developing such an interest in this man, and yet there were so many things about him that would normally turn her away. But she couldn’t dismiss him now. She was experiencing emotions she’d never had before and that meant she had to stay with him, try to understand—or, even better, try to help him understand and change. Was that crazy? Was she being arrogant herself? Was she chasing fireflies?

Probably. But it was too late to quit now. She was in for the duration—whatever that turned out to be.

“If he really is as bad as you say, aren’t you afraid taking him to the palace could make them think twice about accepting you as King? After all, he would come with the deal, from their point of view.”

Adam thought about that. “You’ve got a point there. Maybe I won’t take him over until the ink is dry.”

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and plunged in. “Adam, don’t you think this idea of becoming King could use a little more thought? Maybe it’s just not right for you.”

“What?” He wasn’t sure he’d heard her right. Every part of his body reacted with shock. “What are you talking about?”

Her hands were clenched so tightly, the knuckles were white. “Just this, Adam. What makes you think you’re right for the job? What makes you think you’ll be a good king?”

“A good king?” His laugh was short, cold and dismissive. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“It’s the basis of everything,” she said earnestly. “If you can’t be a good king, why would you want the job?”

“The ‘job’?” He stared at her, swore softly, and began pacing as well. “It’s not the ‘job’ I want, Elena. It’s the compensation for the job. I’ve already got a job. I run a film production company and I’m damn good at it.” He raked his fingers through his thick hair. “My company has been everything to me for years. I’ll do anything to keep from losing it.” He stopped in front of her. “Including play around at being King if that’s what I have to do.”

That was exactly what she’d feared. She turned from him. It was tempting to let it go. After all, what made her think she could change anything? And if she confronted him, told him what she really thought, he might decide she wasn’t worth the effort. And much as she kept telling herself she’d been fine before she knew him and she would be fine if he walked out on her tonight, she knew it wasn’t true. He’d already changed her life. And she didn’t want to lose him—not yet, at any rate.

But she couldn’t live a lie, either. And her first responsibility was to her island, to her people, to all those ancestors hanging around at the ruins. So she gathered her courage and turned back to face him.

“Adam, I’ve thought about this all afternoon. And I have to tell you what I think.” She drew in a full breath and let it out. “You should withdraw your name from consideration.”

“What?”

“You can’t be King of Niroli.”

CHAPTER SIX

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