Honeymoon With a Prince (Royal Scandals) (31 page)

“Because I’ve been away and we need some time together.
 
That’s all.”

“You’ve never booked a dinner with me before.”

“So?”

Her look was knowing, in the way mothers had wordlessly communicated with their children since the beginning of time.
 

“I’ve never been home before.
 
Not like this, when I wasn’t about to leave for school or an assignment.
 
And frankly, I want to hear about you.
 
Your projects.
 
Your interests.
 
Anything wrong with that?”

“You’re saying that you’re worried about
me
?”

“Let’s call it curiosity.”

Her lips took on a droll curve, one he’d seen captured by photographers and plastered on magazine covers, much to his mother’s chagrin.
 
She felt it unroyal—the expression gave her a mischievous bent—but often couldn’t help herself.
 
“All right.
 
I’ll see you tomorrow night.
 
You can tell me about the closet designer you’ve hired.
 
And I haven’t heard…did either of the decorators I recommended work out?”

“There’s another reason we need to talk.
 
You clearly have no idea of my taste.”

Her humorous expression morphed into an affronted pout.
 
“What do you mean?”

“I believe the most apt word for those two decorators is
somber
.
 
If I wanted to decorate a mausoleum, they’d be my go-to people.
 
But my living space?
 
No.
 
They missed the ‘living’ part.”

“I see.”
 
She glanced ahead of them, toward where they’d exit the car at the palace’s rear door, then flashed her famous cat-that-ate-the-canary grin.
 
“And I’m very glad to hear it.”

Come again?

She took in his look of bewilderment and said, “Oh, Massimo, you’re my son.
 
I know your taste better than anyone.
 
I wanted to be sure you were making decisions for yourself and not for anyone else, including me.
 
Hire whomever you wish.
 
So long as they don’t have anything in their background that might tarnish our family’s reputation, you’re fine.”

The car rolled to a stop, but he waved off the guard who’d approached.
 
He needed to finish this conversation.
 
“Don’t you think that was cruel to do to the designers?
 
They sent portfolios and sat through interviews with me.
 
They even drew up designs for my rooms.
 
Detailed
designs.
 
Do you realize the time commitment that took?”
 
And not simply for the designers.
 
It took his time, as well.
 
And extreme amounts of his patience.
 
If he’d had to endure another description of toile wallpaper or crystal sconces, he’d have gone mad.

“Of course I do.
 
And now I know they’ll go the extra mile.”
 
She shrugged.
 
“I’m hiring them for some of the unfinished rooms in the east wing.
 
Prepping a few extra designs for you was not a hardship.
 
Believe me, they’re being well paid.”
 

Massimo reached for the door handle.
 
“You are a crafty woman sometimes, Mother.
 
I never would’ve suspected. ”

“When it comes to my family?
 
You have no idea.
 
Now, get some rest this afternoon.
 
I’ll see you tonight at the banquet.”
 
She nodded to the guard, who opened her door and escorted her from the car with all the reverence she deserved, leaving Massimo to wonder what else he didn’t know about his mother.

Chapter Eighteen

April peered at herself in a handheld mirror as Kelly relaxed beside her on the covered deck of a seaside bar not far from the parade route.
 
They’d been fortunate enough to nab a free table and quickly order drinks and appetizers, but the crush of revelers who’d entered a minute behind them meant they’d likely be waiting awhile.
 
All around them, people who’d lined the city’s walkways for hours clamored for cool, liquid relief.

“I think my nose is sunburned,” April declared.
 
“I don’t get it.
 
I even wore sunscreen!”

“You look fine to me.”
 
Kelly squinted at April before inspecting her own arms.
 
“I don’t think I burned, but if I’m not more careful while I’m here, I’ll start to freckle.
 
Downside of being fair.
 
And no, don’t be fooled by the hair on my head.
 
My skin lacks enough melanin to handle the sun, no matter how much sunscreen I slather on.”

She’d gotten more than enough sun when she’d arrived and fallen asleep on the beach, but jet lag and the need for tranquility won out, keeping her on her lounger long after most other beachgoers departed.
 
In the short run, it was lucky in that she’d met Massimo.
 
In the long run, it wasn’t so lucky for her complexion.

“Guess you’d know, being from Texas.
 
In New York it’s steamy in the summer, but days like this, with blue skies and the kind of warmth that actually make you want to be outside, are few and far between.”
 
She sighed, then tipped her face upward and closed her eyes for a moment.
 
“I think that’s part of why I love living here so much.
 
I’m making up for lost sunshine.
 
The Independence Day celebrations aren’t bad, either.”

“I admit that was a ton of fun.”
 

“Admit?”
 
April intentionally bugged her eyes.
 
“What do you mean,
admit
?
 
You thought it wouldn’t be?”

“Well…you’re about to hear my deep, dark confession.”
 
Kelly allowed her gaze to dart around the bar, mimicking a Cold War movie spy afraid of being overheard.
 
She dropped her voice to a mock whisper.
 
“I’ve never understood parades.
 
All the organization it requires for clowns and marching bands and horses to walk down the street strikes me as a tremendous waste of effort, both to those parading and to those watching.
 
So there.
 
I admit it.
 
I didn’t think I’d like the parade.”

April rolled her eyes as if to say,
what’s wrong with you?
“So why’d you say yes?”

 
Kelly lifted a shoulder.
 
“It’s my vacation and I’m getting to know the country.
 
Plus, it was a chance to hang out with you.
 
And you’re always fun.”

That brought a smirk to April’s face.
 
“Don’t you forget it.”

A waitress sidled through the crowd to deposit their drinks on the table and promised to be back in a few minutes with appetizers.
 
After Kelly took a much-needed sip, she told April, “The parade itself was much better than I expected.
 
It was more like a festival with all the activity.”
 

 
“It was, wasn’t it?”
 
April leaned back in her chair and sighed.
 
“Still is a festival, judging from the crowd here in the bar.
 
They’ve barely gotten started.
 
Fireworks aren’t for hours, and you know none of these people are going home between now and then.”

 
Kelly murmured her agreement.
 
There was a charge to the atmosphere she hadn’t felt during her previous days in Sarcaccia.
 
At first, she couldn’t pinpoint why, or if others detected the same buzz, but from the time she and April arrived at the barricade across from the royal box, she’d been on an emotional high.
 
It differed from the thrill she’d experienced during her tour of Cateri’s famous cathedral or while ogling the masterpieces in its museums.
 

Within minutes, she’d realized the sense of excitement ran deeper inside her than in those around her.
 
Their pulses quickened in anticipation of the parade and the arrival of the royal family; hers had quickened in anticipation of seeing Massimo.
 
While she’d seen him moving about his apartment during the last few days, this was different.
 
She’d see Massimo the way his country saw him, during a public event in his role as their prince.
 
She suspected it’d differ from the way he’d entered the police station or the manner in which he interacted with his stylist or other palace employees.
 
He’d be in the spotlight.

Inexplicably, she was nervous for him.

In the end, there’d been no need.
 
Despite the increasing roar of the crowd, the entire royal family appeared at ease as they approached the reviewing stand from the road that led downhill from the palace.
 
Massimo appeared larger-than-life as he stood alongside his parents and siblings and cheered the marchers.
 
His white shirt and gray slacks fit to perfection, emphasizing his fit frame and daunting size.
 
His movements were graceful and sure, as if he attended events like this and enjoyed the adoration of thousands on a daily basis.

She bit back a sigh, unable to reconcile the Massimo before her—the prince who commanded the attention of thousands and stood confidently above her, both literally and figuratively—with the man who’d flirted with her on the beach, treated her to an intimate sunset dinner, then made love to her with a single-minded passion she’d never before experienced.

She knew why she wanted to sleep with him.
 
But why in the world had a man like him made love to her?
 
It might’ve been a one-night stand, but it wasn’t a case of a celebrity wanting to get laid and get out.
 
She’d felt, deep in her bones, that there’d been more to it than that.
 
It was in the way he’d lingered in her bed, the twinkle in his eyes as he’d shampooed her hair, the tenderness with which he’d spooned her body to his as they fell asleep and ran his hand along her hip as if she were precious to him.

He looked nothing like that man now.
 
He seemed distant.
 
Powerful.
 
From another world.

When the first marchers approached the reviewing stand, he casually put a hand on his sister’s shoulder and gave her a warm, protective smile.
 
Even from her vantage point across the street, Kelly could see the dimple in his cheek, the one that only seemed to appear when he completely relaxed.

Just the way he had on the patio at Guilia’s.

After that, the rest of the parade passed quickly.
 
Kelly tried to focus on the floats, but occasionally sneaked peeks at the reviewing stand, unwilling to be caught staring, but unable to look away.
 
She’d struggled to find the balance between a normal level of curiosity—because the Barralis were, after all, the main attraction—and a level of intensity April would suss out as romantic interest.

April was too perceptive by half, and the last thing Kelly needed was for April to detect the waves of lust coursing through Kelly simply by looking at Massimo.

But then, near the midpoint of the parade, she’d seen Massimo scan the crowd.
 
Noticed his gaze light on her.
 
Had shivered under his watch, but knew he couldn’t possibly see her watching him back, since her head was turned to the side and she’d been studying him from behind her sunglasses.

Nevertheless, his scrutiny unsettled her.
 
Thankfully, April had grabbed her arm just before the final marchers approached, pulling her toward the bar in hopes they could nab a seat before the crowd dispersed.

“You look far away.
 
What’s on your mind?”
 
April asked, snapping Kelly’s mind back to the bar.

“Prince Massimo, I suppose.
 
We still have a lot of work to do.”
 
Both true statements, even if the man’s closet wasn’t the specific direction her thoughts had taken.
 
“Though now that the floor is done, I feel like we’re making progress.”
 

Kelly had been thrilled to discover the original hardwood remained underneath the ugly carpet.
 
The intricate details matched those of the apartment’s main rooms, making the closet feel more spacious since it now flowed from the rest of the suite.
 
Best of all, it was in such good shape it didn’t need refinishing.
 
A good scrub followed by a light polish restored it to its original glory.
 

“I never thought it’d turn out so beautifully.
 
That nasty carpet protected it.
 
Go figure.”
 

April glanced over her shoulder, looking for the waitress, then turned back to the table and smacked her palm to her forehead.
 
“I can’t believe I forgot to tell you!
 
The head of maintenance called me.
 
The extra carpenter is available to help me install the shelves tomorrow, otherwise he can’t come until next week because he’s working on a project in the royal kennels.
 
I went ahead and told him to come tomorrow.
 
Are you ready?”