Virgin Princess,

Tycoon’s

Temptation

Michelle Celmer

The Secret Child

& The Cowboy CEO

Janice Maynard

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Virgin Princess,

Tycoon’s

Temptation

Michelle Celmer

“It would be okay if you kissed me now.”

Louisa gazed up at him, a dreamy look on her face.

Oh, Garrett wanted to. So much that it surprised him a little. “Are you sure that’s what you want?” he asked.

“Just because my family treats me like a child doesn’t mean I am one.”

There was nothing childish about her, which she proved by not even waiting for him to make the first move. Instead, she reached up, slid her hands behind his neck, pulled him down to her level and kissed him. Her lips were soft but insistent and she smelled fantastic—delicate and feminine.

Louisa expelled a shudder of breath and rested her head against his chest. “Now, that was a kiss.”

He couldn’t exactly argue.

“It probably isn’t proper to say this,” Louisa said. “But I can’t wait to see you naked.”

About the Author

Bestselling author MICHELLE CELMER lives in southeastern Michigan with her husband, their three children, two dogs and two cats. When she’s not writing or busy being a mom, you can find her in the garden or curled up with a romance novel. And if you twist her arm really hard you can usually persuade her into a day of power shopping.

Michelle loves to hear from readers. Visit her website, www.michellecelmer.com, or write to her at PO Box 300, Clawson, MI 48017, USA.

Dear Reader,

Welcome to my ROYAL SEDUCTIONS series, the story of Princess Louisa Josephine Elisabeth Alexander and real-estate king Garrett Sutherland.

As an author, I love all the books I write and the characters I create, but every so often one comes along that I hold a special fondness for. This is one of those books, and Princess Louisa is definitely one of those characters. It is her innocence, and her unshakable faith in the people around her, that makes her so likable. And frankly so much fun to mess with. It was quite a challenge for me, tearing her down and stripping away her illusions. But, hey, it had to be done. And I’ll tell you, she was a tough nut to crack.

The same could be said for Garrett, whose single-minded determination made him as appealing as he was obtuse. What can you do to a guy who thinks he has all the answers? (Insert evil laughter here.) That’s right—tear him down, too.

Are you getting the feeling I really enjoy this?

Usually I have a pretty good idea going into a story how it will end, but I have to say, these two kept me guessing right up until the very last page. They genuinely surprised me, and I think they’ll surprise you, too.

Enjoy!

Michelle

To my grandson, Cameron James Ronald

One

A genuine believer in fate and fairy tale romances, Princess Louisa Josephine Elisabeth Alexander knew that if she was patient, the man of her dreams would eventually come along. And as their eyes met across the crowded ballroom, beneath a canopy of red and white twinkling lights, shimmering silver tulle and pink, white and red heart-shaped balloons, she could swear she felt the earth move.

She just knew he was the one.

Her family would probably remind her that she’d felt that way about men before. Aaron would tease her and call her a hopeless romantic. Chris, the oldest, would just sigh and shake his head, as if to say, “Here we go again.” Her twin sister Anne would probably sneer and call her naive. But this time it was different. Louisa was sure of it. She could feel it, like a cosmic tug at her soul.

He was the most intriguing, handsome and tallest man—by several inches—at the charity event, which was what drew her attention to him in the first place. With raven hair, a warm olive complexion and striking features, he was impossible to miss.

Was he an Italian businessman, or a Mediterranean prince? Whoever he was, he was rich and powerful. She could tell by the quality of his clothing and the way he carried himself. Most people knew better than to openly stare at a member of the royal family, but this man gazed intently at her with dark, deep-set eyes, as though they already knew one another. Which she was sure they didn’t. She definitely would have remembered him. Maybe he didn’t realize she was royalty, although she would imagine the diamond encrusted tiara tucked within her upswept hair would be a dead giveaway.

Another woman might have waited for him to make the first move, or manufactured a scenario in which their paths accidentally crossed, but Louisa didn’t believe in playing games. Much to the chagrin of her overly protective siblings. The youngest member of the royal family by a mere five minutes, and labeled as too trusting, Louisa was treated like a child. But contrary to what her family believed, not everyone was interested in her money and title, and those who were, were fairly easy to recognize.

She set her empty champagne glass on a passing server’s tray and headed in his direction, the full skirt of her gown—in her customary shade of pink—swishing soundlessly as she crossed the floor. Never once did his eyes leave hers. As she approached, he finally lowered his gaze and bowed his head, saying in a voice as deep as it was smooth, “Her Highness is enchanting tonight.”

Not a half-bad opening line, and he spoke with a dialect not unlike her own. Almost definitely from Thomas Isle, so why didn’t she recognize him? “You seem to have me at a disadvantage,” she said. “You obviously know me, but I don’t recall ever meeting you.”

Most people, especially a stranger, would have at least offered an apology for staring, but this man didn’t look like the type who apologized for anything. “That’s because we’ve never met,” he answered.

“I suppose that would explain it,” she said with a smile.

Face-to-face, he was a little older than she’d guessed. Mid-thirties maybe—ten years or so her senior—but she preferred men who were older and more experienced. He was also much larger than she thought. The top of her head barely reached his chin. It wasn’t just his height that was so imposing, either. He was big all over, and she would bet that not an ounce of it was fat. Even through his attire, he seemed to have the chiseled physique of a gladiator. She couldn’t help noticing that he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring.

This was, without a doubt, fate.

She offered a hand to shake. “Princess Louisa Josephine Elisabeth Alexander.”

“That’s quite a mouthful,” he said, but she could see by the playful grin that he was teasing her.

He took her hand, cradled it within his ridiculously large palm, lifted it to his mouth and brushed a very gentle kiss across her skin. Did the ground beneath her feet just give a vigorous jolt, or was that her heart?

“And you are …?” she asked.

“Honored to meet you, Your Highness.”

Either he had no grasp of etiquette, or he was being deliberately obtuse. “You have a name?”

His wry smile said he was teasing her again and she felt her heart flutter. “Garrett Sutherland,” he said.

Sutherland? Why did that sound so familiar? Then it hit her. She had heard her brother speak of him from time to time, a landowner with holdings so vast they nearly matched those of the royal family. Mr. Sutherland was not only one of the richest men in the country, but also the most mysterious and elusive. He never attended social gatherings, and other than an occasional business meeting, kept largely to himself.

Definitely not the kind of man who would need her money.

“Mr. Sutherland,” she said. “Your reputation precedes you. It’s a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Your Highness. As you probably know, I don’t normally attend events such as these, but when I heard the proceeds would benefit cardiac research, for your father’s sake at the very least, I knew I had to make an appearance.”

A testament to what a kind and caring man he must be, she thought. Someone she would very much like to get to know better.

His gaze left hers briefly to search the room. “I haven’t seen the King tonight. Is he well?”

“Very well, under the circumstances. He wanted to make an appearance but he has strict orders from his doctor not to appear in public.”

Louisa’s father, the King of Thomas Isle, suffered from heart disease and had spent the past nine months on a portable bypass machine designed to give his heart an opportunity to heal and eventually work on its own again. Louisa took pride in the fact that it had been her idea to hold a charity ball in his honor. Usually her family wrote off her ideas as silly and idealistic, but for the first time in her life, they seemed to take her seriously. Although, when she had asked to be given the responsibility of planning the affair, they had hired a team of professionals instead. Baby steps, she figured. One of these days they would see that she wasn’t the frail flower they made her out to be.

Across the ballroom the orchestra began playing her favorite waltz. “Would you care to dance, Mr. Sutherland?”

He arched one dark brow curiously. Most women would wait for the man to make the first move, but she wasn’t most women. Besides, this was destiny. What could be the harm in moving things along a bit?

“I would be honored, Your Highness.”

He held out his arm, and she slipped hers through it. As he led her through clusters of guests toward the dance floor, she half expected one of her overprotective siblings to cut them off at the pass, but Chris and his wife Melissa, enormously pregnant with triplets, were acting as host and hostess in their parents’ absence. Aaron was glued to the side of his new wife, Olivia, a scientist who, when she wasn’t in her lab buried in research, felt like a fish out of water.

Louisa searched out her sister Anne, surprised to find her talking to the Prime Minister’s son, Samuel Baldwin, who Louisa knew for a fact was not on Anne’s list of favorite people.

Not a single member of her family was paying attention to her. Louisa could hardly fathom that she was about to dance with a man without someone grilling him beforehand. He took her in his arms and twirled her across the floor, and they were blissfully alone—save for the hundred or so other couples dancing. But as he drew her close and gazed into her eyes, there was no one but them.

He held her scandalously close for a first dance—by royal standards anyhow—but it was like magic, the way their bodies fit and how they moved in perfect sync. The way he never stopped gazing into her eyes, as though they were a window into her soul. His were black and bottomless and as mysterious as the man. He smelled delicious, too. Spicy and clean. His hair looked so soft she wanted to run her fingers through it and she was dying to know how his lips would taste, even though she felt instinctively they would be as delicious as the rest of him.

When the song ended and a slower number began, he pulled her closer, until she was tucked firmly against the warmth of his body. Two songs turned to three, then four.

Neither spoke. Words seemed unnecessary. His eyes and the curve of his smile told her exactly what he was thinking and feeling. Only when the orchestra stopped to take a break did he reluctantly let go. He led her from the dance floor, and she was only vaguely aware that people were staring at her. At them. They probably wondered who this dark mysterious man was dancing with the Princess. Were they an item? She would bet that people could tell just by looking at them that they were destined to be together.

“Would you care to take a stroll on the patio?” she asked.

He gestured to the French doors leading out into the garden. “After you, Your Highness.”

The air had chilled with the setting sun and a cool, salty ocean breeze blew in from the bluff. With the exception of the guards positioned at either side of the garden entrance, they were alone.

“Beautiful night,” Garrett said, gazing up at the star-filled sky.

“It is,” she agreed. June had always been her favorite month, when the world was alive with color and new life. What better time to meet the man of her dreams? Her soul mate.

“Tell me about yourself, Mr. Sutherland.”

He turned to her and smiled. “What would you like to know?”

Anything. Everything. “You live on Thomas Isle?”

“Since the day I was born. I was raised just outside the village of Varie on the other side of the island.”

The village to which he referred could only be described as quaint. Definitely not where you would expect to find a family of excessive means. Not that it mattered to her where he came from. Only that he was here now, with her. “What do your parents do?”

“My father was a farmer, my mother a seamstress. They’re both retired now and living in England with my brother and his family.”

It was difficult to fathom that such a wealthy and shrewd businessman was raised with such modest means. He had obviously done quite well for himself.

“How many siblings do you have?” she asked.

“Three brothers.”

“Younger? Older?”

“I’m the eldest.”

She wished, if only for a day or two, she could know what that felt like. To not be coddled and treated like a child. To be the person everyone turned to for guidance and advice.

A chilly breeze blew in from the bluff and Louisa shivered, rubbing warmth into her bare arms. They should go back inside before she caught a cold—with her father’s condition it was important that everyone in the family stay healthy—but she relished this time alone with him.

“You’re cold,” he said.

“A little,” she admitted, sure that he would suggest they head back in, but instead he removed his tux jacket and draped it over her shoulders, surrounding her in the toasty warmth of his body and the spicy sent of his cologne. What she really wanted, what she longed for, was for him to pull her into his arms and kiss her. She already knew that his lips would be firm but gentle, his mouth delicious. Heaven knows she had played the scene over in her mind a million times since adolescence, what the perfect kiss would be like, yet no man had ever measured up to the fantasy. Garrett would, she was sure of it. Even if she had to make the first move.

She was contemplating doing just that when a figure appeared in the open doorway. She turned to find that, watching them, with a stern look on his face, was her oldest brother, Chris.

“Mr. Sutherland,” he said. “I’m so pleased to see that you’ve finally accepted an invitation to celebrate with us.”

Garrett bowed his head and said, “Your Highness.”

Chris stepped forward and shook his hand, but there was an undertone of tension in his voice, in his stance. Did he dislike Garrett? Mistrust him? Or maybe he was just being his usual protective self.

“I see you’ve met the Princess,” he said.

“She’s a lovely woman,” Garrett replied. “Although I fear I may have monopolized her time.”

Chris shot her a sharp look. “She does have duties.”

As princess it was her responsibility to socialize with all the guests, especially in her parents’ absence, and duty was duty.

Another time and place. Definitely.

“Give me a minute, please,” she asked her brother.

He grudgingly nodded and told Mr. Sutherland, “Enjoy your evening.” Then he walked away.

Louisa smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry if he seemed rude. He’s a little protective of me. My entire family is.”

His smile was understanding. “If I had a sister so lovely, I would be, too.”

“I suppose I should go back inside and mingle with the other guests.”

His look said he shared her disappointment. “I understand, Your Highness.”

She took off his jacket and handed it back to him. “I was wondering if you might like to be my guest for dinner at the castle.”

A smile spread across his beautiful mouth. “I would like that very much.”

“Are you free this coming Friday?”

“If not, I’ll clear my schedule.”

“We dine at seven sharp, but you can come a little early. Say, six-thirty?”

“I’ll be there.” He reached for her hand, brushing another gentle kiss across her bare skin. “Good night, Your Highness.”

He flashed her one last sizzling grin, then turned and walked back inside. She watched him go until he was swallowed up by the crowd, knowing that the next six days, until she saw him again, when she could gaze into the dark and hypnotizing depths of his eyes, would be the longest in her life.

Two

Garrett sipped champagne and strolled the perimeter of the ballroom, eyes on the object of his latest fascination. Everything was going exactly as planned.

“That was quite a performance,” someone said from behind him, and he turned to see Weston Banes, his best friend and business manager, smiling wryly.

He pasted on an innocent look. “Who said it was a performance?”

Wes shot him a knowing look. He had worked with Garrett since he bought his first parcel of land ten years ago. He knew better than anyone that Garrett would have never attended the ball without some ulterior motive.

“I’ve hit a brick wall,” Garrett told him.

Wes frowned. “I don’t follow you.”

“I now own every available parcel of commercial land that doesn’t belong to the royal family, so there’s only one thing left for me to do.”

“What’s that?”

“Take control of the royal family’s land, as well.”

A slow smile spread across Wes’s face. “And the only way to do that is to marry into the family.”

“Exactly.” He had two choices, Princess Anne, who he’d commonly heard referred to as The Shrew, or Princess Louisa, the sweet, innocent and gullible twin. It was pretty much a no-brainer. Although, considering the way she’d looked at him, as responsive as she was to his touch, he wondered if she wasn’t as sweet and innocent as her reputation claimed.

Wes shook his head. “This is ruthless, even for you. Anything to pad the portfolio, I guess.”

This wasn’t about money. He already had more than he could ever spend. This was about power and control. To marry the Princess, the monarchy would first have to assign him a title—most likely Duke—then he would be considered royalty. The son of a farmer and a seamstress becoming one of the most powerful men in the country. Who would have imagined? If he played his cards right, which he always did, someday he would control the entire island.

“We can discuss the details later,” Garrett told him. “I wouldn’t mind your input, seeing how this involves you, as well.”

“This is really something coming from the man who swore he would never get married or have children,” Wes said.

Garrett shrugged. “Sometimes a man has to make sacrifices.”

“So, how did it go?”

“Quite well.”

“If that’s true, then why are you here, and she’s way over there?”

His smile was a smug one. “Because I already got what I came for.”

“I’m afraid to ask what that was.”

Garrett chuckled. “Get your mind out of the gutter. I’m talking about an invitation to dinner at the castle.”

His brows rose. “Seriously?”

“This Friday at six-thirty.”

“Damn.” He shook his head in disbelief. “You’re good.”

He shrugged. “It’s a gift. Women can’t resist my charm. Just ask your wife.”

Wes turned to see Tia, his wife of five years, standing with a throng of society women near the bar. “I should probably intervene before she drinks her weight in champagne and I have to carry her out of here.”

“You need to let her out more,” Garrett joked.

“I wish,” Wes said. Despite considerable means, Tia was the kind of nervous new mother who believed no one could care for their child as well as she and Wes, but he worked ridiculous hours and because of that she didn’t get out very often. In fact, this was the first public function they had attended since Will’s birth three months ago.

“Join us?” Wes asked, gesturing in his spouse’s direction.

Garrett gave one last glance to the Princess, who was deep in conversation with a group of heads of state, then nodded and followed Wes to the bar. He already had a game plan in place. What he would say to her and what he wouldn’t, when they would share their first kiss. The trick with a woman like her was to take it very slow.

He had little doubt that in no time, probably next Friday, he would have her eating out of the palm of his hand.

Louisa had been right.

It had been a murderously long week waiting for Friday to arrive, and when it finally did, the day seemed to stretch on for weeks. Finally, when she thought she couldn’t stand another second of waiting, at six-thirty on the dot, a shiny black convertible sports car pulled up in front of the castle and Garrett unfolded himself from inside.

She watched from the library, surprised that someone of his means didn’t have a driver, and wondering how such a big man fit into such a tiny vehicle. Maybe someday he would take her for a drive in it. With her bodyguards following close behind of course, because no member of the royal family was allowed to leave the castle unescorted. Especially not since the threats began late last summer.

Louisa peeked out from behind the curtain, watching as Garrett walked to the door. He looked so handsome and distinguished in a dark gray, pinstripe suit. And tall. She’d almost forgotten just how big he was.

Her brother Chris hadn’t been happy about the short notice when she’d informed him this morning that she had invited Garrett for dinner. She knew though that if she’d told him sooner, the family would have teased and harassed her mercilessly all week.

As it was, everyone had managed to get their digs in this afternoon. Chris of course questioned Garrett’s motives, as though no man would appreciate her for anything but her money and connections. Aaron voiced concern about the age difference—which, as Louisa had guessed, was just over ten years. Anne, who had been particularly cranky since the ball, warned her that a man like Garrett Sutherland was way out of her league and only interested in one thing. Louisa would love to know how Anne knew that when she didn’t even know Garrett. Even her parents, who had been relying on Chris’s judgment lately, were reserving their opinion. She wished, just this once, that everyone would mind their own business.

When Chris married an illegitimate princess, everyone just had to smile and go along with it for the good of the country, and when Aaron announced that he was going to marry an American scientist, an orphan who had not even a trace of royal blood, barely anyone voiced an objection. So what was the big deal about Louisa dating a rich and successful businessman?

She had checked up on him this week, purely out of curiosity of course, and though she hadn’t been able to find too much information, none of it had been negative.

She was sure, though, that since her announcement this morning, Chris had ordered Randall Jenkins, their head of security, to dig up all the information he could find on Garrett. Louisa wasn’t worried. She knew instinctively that he was a good person because she was an excellent judge of character.

The bell rang and she scurried over to the sofa to wait while Geoffrey, their butler, let Garrett in. She sat on the edge of the cushion and smoothed the wrinkles from the skirt of her pale pink sleeveless sundress, her heart pounding so hard it felt as though it might beat right through her chest.

Under normal circumstances she would have worn something a bit more conservative, like a business suit, for a dinner guest, but this was a first date and she wanted to look her best. Make a good first impression.

It seemed to take a millennium before the library door opened and Garrett strolled into the room. She rose to her feet to greet him.

Garrett wore his confidence like a badge of honor. So different from the cocky young royals she’d been introduced to in the past, who reeked of wealth and entitlement, as though their name alone afforded them everything their greedy and spoiled hearts desired.

Louisa and her siblings had been raised with wealth and privilege, but taught not to take anything for granted. Life, they had learned, especially since their father’s illness, was fragile, and family was what mattered above all else.

Maybe it was wishful thinking, but she had the distinct feeling Garrett shared those values.

When he saw her standing there, a gorgeous smile curled his lips. He bowed his head and said, “Your Highness, a pleasure to see you again.”

“I’m so glad you could make it,” she replied, even though she’d never had a single doubt that he would show. What had happened between them on the dance floor had been magical and she was certain that they were destined to be together. Besides, his assistant had phoned hers this morning to confirm.

“Would you care for a drink, sir?” Geoffrey offered.

“Scotch, please,” Garrett said, and his manners made Louisa smile. There was nothing she despised more than a man who treated the hired help with disrespect. Especially Geoffrey, who had been with them since before Louisa was born and almost single-handedly kept the household running like clockwork.

“White wine, Your Highness?” Geoffrey asked her.

She nodded. “That would be lovely, thank you.”

She gestured to the sofa and told Garrett, “Please, make yourself comfortable.”

He settled onto the cushion, looking remarkably relaxed, as though he dined with royalty on a daily basis, when she knew for a fact that the charity ball had been the first time he had visited the castle under social circumstances. She sat at the opposite end, all but crawling out of her skin with excitement. When their drinks were poured, Geoffrey excused himself and they were finally alone. No family breathing down her neck, no bodyguards watching their every move.

“I was looking forward to my parents meeting you, but unfortunately they won’t be joining us this evening.”

“Your father isn’t well?” he asked, looking concerned.

“He’s going in for a procedure soon and has to stay in tip-top shape. The fewer people he’s exposed to, the less likely he is to contract illnesses. His immune system is already compromised by the heart pump.”

“Another time,” he said. Was that his way of suggesting that he wanted to see her again? Not that she ever doubted he would. This was destiny.

It was still nice to hear the words out loud, to know what he was thinking.

“I’ll warn you that tonight might feel more like the Spanish Inquisition than a dinner,” she told him.

Garrett smiled. “I expected as much. I have nothing to hide.”

“I Googled you,” she admitted.

Her honesty seemed to surprise him. “Did you?”

“Earlier this week, although I didn’t find much.”

“There isn’t much to find. I am a simple man, Your Highness. What some may even consider … boring.”

She seriously doubted that. Everything about him intrigued her. He was so dark and serious, yet his smile was warm and inviting. She liked the way his eyes crinkled slightly in the corners when he smiled, and the hint of a dimple that dented his left cheek.

She opened her mouth to tell him that she would never consider a man like him boring, but before she could get the words out, her family appeared in the doorway. The entire lot of them.

Fantastic bloody timing. God forbid they let her have a little time alone with the man she planned to marry.

As everyone piled into the room, Garrett rose and Louisa stood to make the introductions.

“Garrett, I believe you already know my brothers, Prince Christian and Prince Aaron.”

“A pleasure to see you again.” Garrett bowed his head, then accepted a firm and brusque shake from each of them. Very businesslike, but with an undertone of possessiveness, a silent notification that he was being carefully assessed.

“This is my sister-in-law, Princess Melissa,” Louisa said.

“Just Melissa,” she added in the southern drawl she had adopted while living in the States. She shook his hand firmly and with purpose. For a southern belle, she didn’t have a delicate or demure bone in her body. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Sutherland. I’ve heard so much about you.”

“Please call me Garrett,” he said. “I understand you’re expecting. Congratulations.”

“Kind of tough to miss at this point,” she joked, laying a hand on her very swollen middle.

“I understand it will be soon.”

“They prefer I make it to thirty-six weeks, so the babies’ lungs have enough time to mature. Preterm labor is a possibility with multiples, but I can hardly imagine another month of this. I feel like an elephant.”

“I’ve always believed there’s nothing more beautiful than an expectant mother,” Garrett said with genuine sincerity.

Melissa grinned widely and Louisa knew that he’d instantly won her over.

Aaron stepped forward and said, “This is my wife, Princess Olivia.”

Liv smiled shyly, still unaccustomed to her role as a royal. A botanical geneticist, she was reserved and studious and would much rather be in her basement lab studying plant DNA than interacting with people. But she shook Garrett’s hand and said, “Nice to meet you.”

Anne, not waiting to be introduced, stepped forward and announced, “I’m Anne.” She stuck out her hand, shaking Garrett’s so firmly that Louisa worried she might challenge him to an arm wrestle.

What was her problem?

If Anne had been expecting a negative reaction from her confrontational introduction, she got the opposite.

“A pleasure to meet you, Your Highness,” Garrett said with a smile, the picture of grace and etiquette, and Louisa all but beamed with pride. The situation couldn’t be more tense or uncomfortable, yet he’d handled it with ease.

“I’ll admit I was surprised when Louisa informed us this morning that you were joining us for dinner,” Chris said, and Louisa wanted to punch him. Garrett had to be wondering why she would wait until this morning to tell them. She didn’t want him to get the wrong idea, to think that she was ashamed of him or uncertain of her invitation.

Instead of appearing insulted, Garrett looked her way and flashed her that adorable, dimpled smile. “And I was a bit surprised when she asked.” His eyes locked on hers with a look so warm and delicious she almost melted. “I could hardly believe I was lucky enough to draw the attention of the most beautiful woman in the room.”

The honesty of his words and the admiration in his eyes warmed her from the inside out. The fact that he would speak so openly of his feelings for her, especially in front of her family, made her want to throw her arms around his neck and kiss him. But who wanted an audience for their first kiss?

Geoffrey appeared in the study door and announced, “Dinner is ready.”

Melissa held out her arm for Chris to take. “Shall we?”

“Go ahead without me. I’d like to have a private word with our guest.”

Louisa’s heart nearly stopped. Why did Chris need to see him alone? She prayed he wouldn’t say something embarrassing, or try to scare Garrett off. But if she made a fuss, it might only make things worse.

At Melissa’s look of hesitance he added, “We’ll only be a minute.”

Louisa flashed Garrett an apologetic look, but he just smiled, looking totally at ease as Melissa ushered everyone from the room.

With any luck, Garrett wouldn’t decide that pursuing a princess was just too much hassle and bring an end to their first date before it even began.

Three

And so it begins, Garrett thought as the rest of the family walked, or in Melissa’s case, waddled, from the room, leaving only himself and Prince Christian. He wondered if, had he been a royal, the Prince would feel this chat was necessary.

Well, it wouldn’t be long before Garrett had a royal title, garnering him all of the respect he had earned. Though time wasn’t an issue, he would still push for a quick engagement. The sooner they were married and settled, the sooner he could relax and begin enjoying all the fruits of his labor.

“Under normal circumstances it would be the King having this conversation with you,” Chris said.

But the King wasn’t well enough, so Garrett was stuck with the Crown Prince instead. He hadn’t yet decided if that was a good or a bad thing. “I understand.”

The Prince gestured to the sofa, and after Garrett sat, Chris took a seat in the armchair across from him. “As a precaution, I had a thorough background check performed on you.”

He had anticipated that, and as he had told Princess Louisa, he had nothing to hide. “Did they find anything interesting?”

“Actually, they didn’t find much of anything at all. Though ruthless in your business practices, as far as I can tell you’ve always kept it legal and ethical, and you seem to be a fair employer. You donate a percentage of your income to worthwhile charities—most having to do with education for the underprivileged—and as far as any brushes with the law, you’ve never had so much as a parking ticket.”

“You sound surprised.”

“I would expect that a man so elusive might have something to hide.”

“I certainly don’t mean to be elusive,” he said. “I simply lead an uncomplicated life. My work is my passion.”

“It shows. Your accomplishments are quite impressive.”

“Thank you.”

The Prince paused for a second, as though he was uncomfortable with what he planned to say next. “While I see no clear reason to be concerned, I’m obligated to ask, on the King’s behalf, what your intentions are regarding Princess Louisa.”

It seemed ridiculous to Garrett that, at twenty-seven years old, Louisa wasn’t allowed to make her own decisions regarding who she wanted to see socially. “Her Highness invited me to dinner and I accepted,” he said.

The simplicity of his answer seemed to surprise the Prince. “That’s it?”

“I admit I find your sister quite fascinating.”

“Louisa is … special.”

He said that as though that was an impediment, and Garrett felt an odd dash of defensiveness in her honor. Which was a little ridiculous considering he barely knew her.

“I’ve never met anyone quite like her,” he told the Prince.

“She tends to be a bit naive when it comes to the opposite sex. Men have taken advantage of that.”

Maybe if her family stopped sheltering her, she would learn not to be so gullible. However, that particular trait was working in his favor, so he could hardly complain. “Rest assured, I have nothing but the utmost respect for the Princess. I pride myself on being a very honorable man. I would never do anything to compromise her principles.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Chris said. “But of course I will have to discuss the matter with the King.”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

The shadow of a smile cracked the serious expression. “We’ve known each other a long time, Garrett. Call me Chris.”

With that request Garrett knew he was as good as in. Chris needing to speak with his father was merely a formality at this point. “I’m very much looking forward to getting to know you better,” Garrett told him.

“As am I.” Chris paused, his expression darkening, and said, “However, if you did take advantage of my sister, the consequences would be … unfortunate.”

The fact that Garrett didn’t even flinch seemed to impress Chris. Still, Garrett was going to have to be very cautious while he courted Louisa.

Chris rose from his chair and said, “Shall we join the others?”

Garrett stood and followed him to the dining room. The first course was just being served, and as soon as they entered the room, Louisa shot from her seat and gestured him to the empty chair beside her.

When they were seated again, she leaned close to him and whispered, “I’m so sorry he did that. I hope he wasn’t too hard on you.”

He gave her a reassuring smile. “Not at all.”

If he thought the worst was over, he realized quickly that it had only begun. He barely had a chance to taste his soup before Anne launched into the inquisition portion of the meal.

“I understand your father was a farmer,” she said, her tone suggesting that made him inferior somehow.

It had only been a matter of time before someone broached the subject of his humble beginnings, but he wasn’t ashamed of his past. He was instead very proud of his accomplishments. Although for the life of him he never understood why his parents hadn’t strived to better themselves. Why they settled for a life barely a step above poverty when they could have done so much more for themselves and their sons.

“All of his life,” Garrett told her. “My earliest memories are of working beside him in the fields.”

“Yet you didn’t follow in his footsteps,” Anne noted, her words sounding an awful lot like an accusation. Much the way his father had sounded when Garrett had informed him that he planned to leave the island to attend college.

“No, I didn’t. I wanted an education.”

“How did your father feel about that?”

“Anne,” Louisa said, plainly embarrassed by her sister’s behavior.

“What?” Anne asked, her innocent look too manufactured to be genuine. He wasn’t sure if she was jealous of Louisa, or simply being difficult because she could. If there was one thing Garrett knew for sure, he’d definitely chosen the right sister. Had he picked Anne, he would be asking for a life of misery.

“Stop being so nosy,” Louisa said.

Anne shrugged. “How else can we get to know Mr. Sutherland?”

“Please call me Garrett,” he told Anne. “And in answer to your question, my father wasn’t at all happy with me. He expected me to take over the farm when he retired. I wanted to do something more with my life.”

“Which you certainly have,” Chris said, and maybe Garrett was imagining things, but he almost sounded impressed.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned,” Garrett said, “it’s that you can’t live your life to please other people.” He glanced over at Louisa, catching her eye for emphasis. “You have to follow your heart.”

“I believe that, too,” Olivia said. She reached over and placed a hand on her husband’s arm. “Aaron is starting back to school in the fall. Premed.”

“I’d heard that,” Garrett said. He made it his business to know everything about his stiffest competition. Aaron’s leaving the family business would create the convenient opening he required to insinuate himself inside.

“He’s going to be a brilliant doctor,” Olivia said, beaming with pride. She was a plain woman, very young and unassuming, but pretty when she smiled … and quite the brilliant scientist from what he understood. The previous autumn, an unidentifiable blight potentially threatened all the crops on the island. The effects would have been devastating on the export trade, the main source of income for the country, and Olivia had been hired by the royal family to find an eco-friendly cure.

“I’ve heard that your own brilliance saved the livelihood of every landowner in the country,” Garrett told her. “Myself included.”

Olivia grinned shyly and blushed. It would seem that he had won over at least three-quarters of the females at the table. Anne seemed a lost cause at this point. Chris and Aaron, he wasn’t sure about, but it looked promising. Now it was time for a change of subject, and he’d done his research.

“I understand you spent quite a lot of time in the States,” Garrett said to Melissa.

“I was born on Morgan Isle but raised in New Orleans,” she told him.

“A lovely city,” he commented.

“You’ve been there?”

He nodded. “Several times in fact. For business. Terrible what happened during Katrina.”

“It was. I started a foundation to fund the rehabilitation of the city.”

“I had no idea. I’d love to make a donation.”

Melissa smiled. “That would be lovely, thank you.”

“I’ll have a check sent round next week.”

“What other places have you visited?” Louisa asked him, and they launched into a conversation about traveling abroad, and everyone’s favorite vacation spot. Garrett was pleasantly surprised to find that, with the exception of Anne, they were a friendly bunch, and not nearly as uptight as he’d expected. The tone of the conversation was not unlike those of his youth, when his family gathered for supper. In fact, by the time dessert was served, Garrett realized that he was actually enjoying himself.

Louisa didn’t say much, but instead spent most of her time gazing up at him, seemingly mesmerized by every word that passed his lips.

After dinner, Chris pushed back from the table and asked Garrett, “Up for a friendly game of poker? We play every Friday evening.”

Before he could answer, Louisa said, “Garrett and I are taking a walk in the garden.” Which he took as his clue to decline their offer, when the truth was he would much rather play cards than take a leisurely stroll, but securing his position with Louisa took precedence for now.

“Maybe some other time,” he told Chris.

“Of course.” Chris turned to Louisa, his expression serious, and said, “Not too far, and I want you inside before sundown.”

“I know,” Louisa replied, sounding exasperated, and Garrett didn’t blame her. He knew her family kept a tight grip on the reins, but telling a woman of twenty-seven that she couldn’t stay out past dark bordered on the absurd.

Louisa slipped her arm through his and smiled up at him. “Ready?”

He thanked her family for dinner, then let Louisa lead him through the castle and out onto a patio that opened up into acres of lush flower gardens. The evening was a warm one, but a cool breeze blew in from the bluff.

She kept a firm grip on his arm as they started down the path, as though she feared the instant they were in the clear he might run for his life.

“I’m really sorry about my family,” she said, looking apologetic. “As you probably noticed, they treat me like a child.”

“They are quite … protective.”

“It’s humiliating. They think I’m naive.”

Maybe they weren’t so far off the mark, he thought wryly. She was unsophisticated enough to fall for his charms without question or doubt. Not that he would ever mistreat her, or compromise her honor. She would never suffer as his wife.

“I’m sure they mean well,” he told her. “I imagine it would be much worse if they didn’t care at all.”

“I guess you’re right,” she conceded. “But since the threats started they’ve been a lot worse than usual. They think everyone I meet is a spy or something.”

“I had seen something on the news about the security being breached in your father’s hospital suite in London. I understand no one was able to identify the suspect from the surveillance footage.”

“He calls himself the Gingerbread Man.”

“Seriously?”

“Strange, I know. It started last summer with e-mail. He hacked into our computer system and sent threatening messages to us from our own accounts. They were all twisted versions of nursery rhymes.”

“Nursery rhymes?” That didn’t sound very threatening to him.

“Mine said, ‘I love you, a bushel and a peck. A bushel and a peck, and a noose around your neck. With a noose around your neck, you will drop into a heap. You’ll drop into a heap and forever you will sleep.’” She looked up at him with a wry smile and said, “I memorized it.”

On second thought, that was rather ominous. “What were the others?”

“I don’t remember them word for word, but the common theme was burning alive.”

Ouch. No wonder the family was being so cautious.

“At first we thought it was just an elaborate prank, until he managed to slip through castle security and get on the grounds. They think he scaled the bluff.”

That explained the seemingly excessive security the night of the ball. “Was anyone harmed?”

“No, but he left a note. It said, ‘Run, run, as fast as you can. You can’t catch me. I’m the Gingerbread Man.’ That’s how we learned his name. We haven’t heard anything from him lately, but that doesn’t mean he’s stopped. Things will be quiet for a while, then just when we think that he’s given up, he’ll leave another note somewhere or send an untraceable e-mail. He sent a gift basket full of rotten fruit for New Year’s, then he sent flowers for Melissa and Chris congratulating them on the pregnancy. Weeks before the official announcement was made. He even knew that they were having triplets.”

“Sounds like someone on the inside.”

“We thought so, too, but everyone checked out.”

At least her family’s protectiveness made a bit more sense now. He just hoped it didn’t interfere with his plans. It could be difficult courting a woman who wasn’t allowed to leave her home.

“Enough about my family drama,” she said, waving the subject away like a pesky insect. “What is your family like?”

“Simple,” he said, then quickly added, “Not intellectually. But they prefer to live a … humble lifestyle.” One that didn’t include him.

“What do your brothers do?”

“Two own a business together in England. They sell farming equipment. My youngest brother is something of a … wanderer. Last I heard he was working a cattle ranch in Scotland.”

“I’d like to meet them,” she said, with an eagerness that surprised him. “Maybe they could all come to the castle for a visit.”

Considering he was trying to impress the royal family, that probably wouldn’t be wise. “I’m not so sure that would be a good idea.”

She frowned. “You’re not ashamed of them?”

Once again, her directness surprised him. “I’m afraid it’s quite the opposite.”

Her eyes widened. “They’re ashamed of you?”

“Maybe not ashamed, but they’re not very pleased with the path I chose.”

“How is that possible? Look how well you’ve done. All that you’ve accomplished. How can they not be proud?”

He’d asked himself that same question a million times, but had long ago given up trying to understand their reasoning. He no longer cared what they thought of him. “It’s … complicated.”

She patted his arm. “Well, I think you’re amazing. The instant I saw you I knew you were special.”

He could see that she truly meant it, and in an odd way he wished he could say the same of her. He was sure that Louisa was very special in her own right, and maybe someday he would learn to appreciate that.

“Tell me the truth,” she said. “Did my family scare you off?”

He could see by her expression that she was genuinely concerned, but he was a man on a mission. It would take a lot more than a grilling by her siblings to get in his way.

He gave her arm a squeeze. “Absolutely not.”

Her smile was one of relief. “Good. Because I really like you, Garrett.”

Never had he met a woman so forward with her feelings, so willing to put herself out on a limb. He liked that about her, and at the same time it made him uncomfortable. He was taught by his father that showing affection made a man weak. If he loved his sons, his father never once said so.

But Garrett had the feeling that if he was going to make this relationship work, he was going to have to learn to be more open with his feelings. At least until he had a royal title and Louisa had a ring on her finger.

He smiled and said, “The feeling is mutual, Your Highness.”

Four

Louisa gazed up at Garrett, looking so sweet and innocent. So … pure. He felt almost guilty for deceiving her.

“I think at this point it would be all right for you to call me Louisa,” she said.

“All right, Louisa.”

“Can we speak frankly?”

“Is there ever a time when you don’t?”

Her cheeks blushed a charming shade of pink and she bit her lip. “Sorry. I have this terrible habit of saying everything that’s on my mind. It drives everyone crazy.”

“Don’t apologize. It’s a welcome change. Most women play games.” Unless this was some sort of game she was playing. But his instincts told him that she didn’t have a manipulative bone in her body.

“You should know that I’m not looking for a temporary relationship. I want to settle down and have a family.” She stopped walking and looked up at him. “I need to know that you feel the same. That you’re not just playing the field.”

“I’m thirty-seven years old, Louisa. I think I’ve played the field long enough.”

“In that case, there’s something else I should probably mention.”

Why did he sense that he wasn’t going to like this?

“We should talk about children.”

She certainly didn’t pull any punches, although oddly, he was finding that he liked that about her. “What about them?”

“I want a big family.”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “How big?”

The grip on his arm tightened, as though she was worried he might try to make a run for it. “At least six kids. Maybe more.”

For a second he thought she might be joking, or testing him, then he realized that she was dead serious.

Six kids? Bloody hell, no wonder she was still single. Who in this day and age wanted that many children? He’d never felt the desire or need to have one child, much less half a dozen of them! Marrying a royal, he knew at least one heir would be expected. Maybe two. But six?

Despite his strong feelings on the matter, he could see by her expression that this was not a negotiable point for Louisa and he chose his next words very carefully. “I’ll admit that I’ve never given any thought to having a family that large, but anything is possible.”

A bright and relieved smile lit her entire face and he felt an undeniable flicker of guilt, which he promptly shook off. This was business. Once they were married, he would lay down the law and insist that two children at most would be plenty and she would eventually learn to live with that. Or maybe, after the first child or two, she would change her mind anyway. He’d seen the way his parents struggled with a large family, the emotional roller coaster rides. Who would want to subject themselves to that?

Louisa gazed up at him, a dreamy look on her face. “It would be okay if you kissed me now,” she said, then added, “If you want to.”

Oh, he wanted to. So much that it surprised him a little. The idea had been to wait until their second date before he kissed her, to draw out the anticipation. Did she intend to derail each one of his carefully laid plans? “Are you sure that’s what you want?” he asked.

“Just because my family treats me like a child, that doesn’t mean I am one.”

There was nothing childish about her, which she proved by not even waiting for him to make the first move. Instead, she reached up, slid her hands behind his neck, pulled him down to her level and kissed him. Her lips were soft but insistent, and she smelled fantastic. Delicate and feminine.

Though he had intended to keep it brief, to take things slowly, he felt himself being drawn closer, as though pulled by an invisible rope anchored somewhere deep inside his chest. His arms went around her and when his fingers brushed her bare back, what felt like an electric shock arced through his fingers. Louisa must have felt it, too, because she whimpered and curled her fingers into the hair at his nape. He felt her tongue, slick and warm against the seam of his lips and he knew he had to taste her, and when he did, she was as sweet as candy.

He was aware that this was moving too far, too fast, but as she leaned in closer, pressing her body against his, he felt helpless to stop her. Never had the simple act of kissing a woman aroused him so thoroughly, but Louisa seemed to put her heart and soul, her entire being, into it.

To him, self-control was a virtue, but Louisa seemed to know exactly which buttons to push. Not at all what he would have expected from a woman rumored to be so sweet and innocent. Which had him believing that she really wasn’t so sweet and innocent after all.

Her hands slipped down his shoulders and inside his jacket. She stroked his chest through his shirt and that was all he could take. He broke the kiss, breathless and bewildered, his heart hammering like mad.

Louisa expelled a soft shudder of breath and rested her head against his chest. “Now that was a kiss.”

He couldn’t exactly argue. Although the whole point of this visit had been to prove to her family that his intentions were pure, yet here he was, practically mauling her out in the open, where anyone could see. If someone was watching, he hoped they hadn’t failed to notice that she’d made the first move and he’d been the one to put on the brakes.

She nuzzled her face to his chest, her breath warm through his shirt. He curled his hands into fists, to keep from tangling them through her hair, from drawing her head back and kissing her again. He wanted to taste her lips and her throat, nibble at her ears. He wanted to put his hands all over her.

“It probably isn’t proper to say this,” Louisa said, “but I can’t wait to see you naked.”

Bloody hell. He backed away and held her at arm’s length, before he did something really stupid like drag her into the bushes and have his way with her. “Do you ever not say what’s on your mind?”

“I just gave you the censored version,” she answered with an impish grin. “Would you like to know what I’m really thinking?”

Of course he would, but this was not the time or place. “I’ll use my imagination.” He glanced up at the darkening sky and said, “It’s getting late. I should get you back inside.”

“Lest I turn into a pumpkin,” she said with a sigh and took his hand, as naturally as if they had known each other for years, and they walked down the path toward the castle.

“I had a good time tonight,” he said.

“Me, too. Although I get the feeling that I’m not quite what you expected.”

“No, you’re not. You’re more intriguing and compelling than I could have imagined.”

As she smiled up at him, he realized that was probably the most honest thing he’d said all night.

Louisa stood in the study, watching as Garrett’s car zipped down the drive, until the glow of his taillights disappeared past the front gate.

She sighed and rested her forehead against the cool glass. This had been, by far, one of the best nights of her life. Kissing Garrett had been … magical. Even if she had been the one to make the first move. Later, when he had kissed her goodbye, it was so sweet and tender she nearly melted into a puddle on the oriental rug.

He was definitely the one.

“He’s using you.”

Louisa whipped around to find Anne leaning in the study doorway, arms folded across her chest, her typical grumpy self. Typical for the last week or so, anyway.

“Why would you think that?” she asked.

“Because that’s what men like him do. They use women like us. They feed us lies, then toss us aside like trash.”

Louisa knew that, like herself, Anne hadn’t had the best luck with men, but that reasoning was harsh, even for her. “Are you okay, Anne?”

“He’s going to hurt you.”

Louisa shook her head. “Garrett is different.”

“How do you know that?”

“How do you know that he isn’t?”

Anne sighed and shook her head, as though she pitied her poor, naive sister. Louisa would have been upset, but she knew that attacking her was Anne’s way of working through her own anger. Not that she didn’t get a little tired of being her sister’s punching bag.

“I can take care of myself,” Louisa told her.

Anne shrugged, as though she didn’t care one way or another. Which she must, or she wouldn’t have said anything in the first place. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Did something happen to you?” Louisa asked, and she could swear she saw a flicker of pain before Anne carefully smothered it with a look of annoyance.

“You think that just because I don’t like Garrett, something is wrong with me?”

“You can talk to me, Anne. I want to help.”

“You’re the one who needs help if you think that man really has feelings for you.” With one last pathetic shake of her head, Anne turned and left. Her sister was obviously hurting, and Louisa felt bad about it, but she wished Anne would stop trying to drag Louisa down with her. Why couldn’t Anne just be happy for her for once?

Maybe she was jealous. Maybe Anne wanted Garrett for herself. Or maybe, like Louisa, she wanted someone to love her, to see her for who she really was. Even though Anne could be a real pain in the neck sometimes, deep down there was a sweetness about her, a tender side, and she was loyal to the death to the ones that she loved.

“You’ll meet someone, too,” Louisa whispered to the empty doorway, knowing with all her heart that it was true. Even though Anne was a little pessimistic and occasionally cranky, there was a man out there who would appreciate all her gifts and overlook her faults. He would love her for who she was, just the way Garrett would love Louisa.

Worried for her sister, she started out the door, intending to collect her Shih Tzu, Muffin—who had spent the afternoon with his groomer and behaviorist—and tell him all about her day, but she ran into Chris in the foyer.

“Poker game over already?” she asked. Typically they played well past eleven. Louisa didn’t play cards, unless you counted War and Solitaire, but occasionally she liked to sit and watch them.

“Melissa was tired and Liv wanted to get back to the lab. Some new research project she’s working on. I assume your evening was a success.”

She smiled and nodded.

“Have you got a minute?”

“Actually, I was just on my way to get Muffin.”

His expression darkened. “I suppose you heard what your little mutt did to the pillows on the library sofa. There was stuffing everywhere.”

She cringed. “Yes. Sorry.”

“The day before that it was Aaron’s shoes.”

“I know. I offered to replace them.”

“He’s a menace.”

“He just wants attention.”

“What he’s going to get is a nice doghouse in the gardens.”

Even if she thought Chris was serious, that wouldn’t work either because every time Muffin was let outside unsupervised he made a run for it.

“I’ll keep a closer eye on him,” she promised. “What did you want to talk about?”

“Let’s go in the study.”

She couldn’t tell if this would be a good talk, or a bad talk. But she had the sneaking suspicion that it had something to do with Garrett.

Louisa sat on the sofa while Chris fixed himself a drink. In preparation for his role as future King, Chris had always been the most responsible and aggressive sibling. He honored the responsibility, oftentimes to his own personal detriment. Still it surprised and impressed Louisa, since having to take their father’s place while he was ill, how effortlessly Chris had slipped into his place and taken over his responsibilities. She had no doubt that if, God forbid, their father didn’t recover, Chris would make a fine king.

But she had every confidence that their father would make a full recovery. He simply had to.

“I want you to know,” Chris said, his back to her, “I didn’t appreciate you waiting until this morning to announce that you had invited Garrett to dinner.”

So he’d asked her here to scold her. Wonderful. “Can you really blame me? Had I said anything earlier I never would have heard the end of it.”

He turned to her, took a swallow of his drink, then said, “You could have been putting the family in danger.”

She rolled her eyes. “You say that like you haven’t known Garrett for years. If he was dangerous, I’m sure we’d have heard about it a long time ago.”

“You still have to follow the rules. We’ve all had to make sacrifices, Louisa.”

As if she didn’t know that. If they didn’t treat her like a child, she would have been more forthcoming. This was more her siblings’ fault than hers. They drove her to it. Sometimes she just got tired of being the obedient princess.

“I’m assuming that he must have checked out,” she guessed, “or he never would have made it through the front gate.”

“Yes, he did.”

“I knew he would, and I didn’t need a team of security operatives to tell me.”

He shook his head, as though she was a hopeless cause. He crossed the room and sat on the sofa beside her. “I had a talk with Father about this earlier today, regarding his wishes concerning the matter.”

Louisa held her breath. If the King disapproved of a man she wanted to date, she would be forbidden. Those were the rules. “And?”

“He told me to use my discretion.”

Louisa wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing. At least she knew their father would be fair. Would Chris forbid her to see Garrett to teach her a lesson?

This was probably something she should have considered when she waited until the last second before telling Chris about Garrett’s visit.

“And what did you decide?” she asked, flashing him the most wide-eyed and hopeful look she could manage.

He regarded her sternly for a moment, then a grin tipped up the corner of his mouth. “It’s clear that you have feelings for the man. Of course you can see him.”

She let out an excited squeal and threw her arms around Chris, hugging him so hard that his drink nearly sloshed onto the sofa. “Thank you! Thank you!”

“You’re welcome,” he said with a chuckle. “However …”

Oh boy, here came the conditions. She sat back and braced herself.

“No more stunts like you pulled this morning.”

She shook her head. “Never. I promise. I swear, it won’t happen again.”

“In addition, you will not leave the premises without a minimum of two bodyguards, and I need at least two days’ advance notice before you visit any sort of public place or attend a function. No exceptions, or I will not hesitate to place you on indefinite house arrest.”

Inconvenient, but definitely doable. “No problem.”

“And please, let’s try not to give the press anything to salivate over. With Father’s health, the last thing the family needs is more gossip and rumors.”

She refrained from rolling her eyes. Now he was being silly. “Honestly, Chris, have I ever been one to create a scandal?”

“It’s not necessarily you I’m concerned about.”

“You don’t have to worry about Garrett, either. He’s a complete gentleman. So much so that when it came to kissing, I had to make the first move.”

Chris cringed. “I really didn’t need to know that. I’m counting on you to be … diplomatic.”

Diplomatic? He made it sound as though she and Garrett were forming a business partnership. Besides, she knew for a fact that Chris hadn’t been very “diplomatic” when he was first seeing Melissa. They couldn’t seem to keep their hands off each other.

What he was really saying was that he expected her to live up to her reputation as the innocent and pure princess. Eventually her family was going to have to accept that she was a woman, not a child.

If only he knew what went on in her head, how curious she was about sex and eager to experiment. Most modern women didn’t make it to twenty-seven with their virginity intact. He would probably drop in a dead faint if he knew about all of the reading she had done online about sex. When it came to intimacy, boy, was she ready. It was all she’d been able to think about since she had danced with Garrett on Saturday night.

“You don’t have to worry about me or Garrett,” she assured him and left it at that, and Chris looked relieved to have the subject closed.

“I want you to know that I like Garrett,” he added.

“But …?”

“No buts. I think you and he would be a good match.”

She eyed him skeptically. “Even though he isn’t royal?”

“Liv isn’t a royal,” he reminded her.

True. Liv was an orphan from the States who didn’t even know who her parents were, but there was always that double standard. A prince could get away with marrying a commoner. A princess on the other hand was held to a higher standard. She imagined that Garrett’s money was probably his only saving grace. She would never be allowed to date a man of modest means.

“Given his background,” Chris continued, “Garrett would be the perfect choice to take over Aaron’s position now that he’s going back to school. If you marry him, that is.”

Oh, she would. The fact that he was already making plans to include Garrett in the family business was more than she could have hoped for. “I think that’s a wonderful idea!”

“However,” he added sternly, “I don’t want you to think this means you should rush into anything.”

How could she rush fate? Either it was or it wasn’t meant to be. Time was irrelevant. Besides, Chris was one to talk. He’d asked Melissa to marry him after only two weeks. Of course, at the time, he’d expected nothing more than an arranged, loveless marriage. Boy, did he get more than he’d bargained for. But destiny was like that. And there was no doubt that he and Melissa were meant for one another.

Just like Louisa and Garrett.

She pictured them a year from now, married and blissfully happy, hopefully with their first baby on the way. Or maybe even born already. She would very much like to conceive on her honeymoon. What could be a more special way to celebrate the union of their souls than to create a new life? Some women dreamed of a career, and others liked to travel. Some spent their lives donating their time to charitable causes. All Louisa had ever wanted was to be a wife and mother. Archaic as some believed it to be, it was her ultimate dream. A man to cherish her, children to depend on her. Who could ask for more?

“By the way,” Chris said. “Melissa and I are planning to go sailing Sunday.”

“Is she allowed to do that so close to her due date?”

“As long as she takes it easy and stays off her feet. We figure we should get in as much time on the water before the babies come. You’re welcome to join us. Garrett, too, if you’d like to invite him.”

Her parents were leaving for England on Sunday morning for testing on her father’s heart pump, and Anne was going with them. If Chris and Melissa were going to be gone, too, that would mean that she and Garrett could have some time alone, without her entire family watching over their shoulders. She wondered if there was any way she could get rid of Aaron and Liv, as well.

“Maybe next time,” she told Chris. “I already have plans.”

At least, she would have plans, just as soon as she called Garrett and invited him over.

Five

Garrett had just walked in the door of his town house when his cell phone rang. He looked at the display and saw that it was Louisa’s personal line. When they had exchanged numbers earlier, he hadn’t expected a call quite this soon. In fact, he’d just assumed he would be the one calling her.

It shouldn’t have surprised him that she wouldn’t let him make the next move. This so-called shy and innocent Princess seemed to have everyone snowed, because as far as he could tell, she didn’t have a shy bone in her body. As for innocence, she certainly didn’t act like an inexperienced virgin.

When he answered, she asked, “I’m not bothering you, am I?”

“Of course not.” He dropped his keys and wallet on the kitchen counter then shrugged out of his jacket and draped it over the back of a chair. “I just walked in the door.”

“I wanted to tell you again what a wonderful time I had this evening.”

“I did, too.” Things were progressing even more quickly than he’d hoped.

“I was wondering what you’re doing Sunday afternoon. I thought you might like to come over.”

He chuckled. “I suppose it’s too much to expect that I might get to ask you on a date.”

“Am I being too forward?” she asked, sounding worried.

“No, not at all. I like a woman who knows what she wants.”

“I just wanted to catch you before you made other plans.”

“If I’d made other plans, I would cancel them. And in answer to your question, I would very much like to come over. If it’s all right with your family, that is.”

“Of course it is. They love you.”

That must have meant he’d passed the initiation. Not that he ever doubted he would. It was just nice to know that he’d scaled the first major obstacle.

“I thought maybe we could have a picnic,” Louisa suggested. “Out on the bluff, overlooking the ocean.”

“Just the two of us?”

“My parents and Anne will be leaving for England, and Chris and Melissa are going sailing. Liv will probably be tied up in the lab and lately Aaron has been down there assisting her. And as long as I stay on the grounds I don’t need security at my heels, so we’ll be alone.”

He didn’t miss the suggestive lilt in her tone, and wondered what she expected they might be doing, other than picnicking that is.

“Muffin will be there, too, of course,” she added.

“Muffin?”

“My dog. You would have met him today, but he was with the groomer and then his behaviorist. He’s a Shih Tzu.”

So, Muffin was one of those small yappy dogs that Garrett found overwhelmingly annoying. He preferred real dogs, like the shepherds and border collies they kept on the farm. Intelligent dogs with a brain larger than a walnut.

“He can be a bit belligerent at times,” Louisa said, “but he’s very sweet. I know you’ll love him.”

“I’m sure I will,” he lied, and reminded himself again that this relationship would require making adjustments. It was just one more issue he could address after they were married.

The front bell rang and Garrett frowned. He wasn’t expecting anyone. Who would make a social call this late?

“Was that your door?” Louisa asked.

“Yes, but I’m not expecting anyone.”

“Could it be a lady friend perhaps?” Her tone was light, but he could hear an undercurrent of concern.

“The only woman in my life is you, Your Highness,” he assured her, and could feel her smile into the phone.

The bell rang again. Whoever it was, they were bloody well impatient.

“I won’t keep you,” she said.

“What time would you like me there Sunday?”

“Let’s say 11:00 a.m. We can make a day of it.”

“Sounds perfect,” he said, even though he’d never really been the picnicking type. He would much rather take her out to eat—preferably at the finest restaurant in town—but the heightened security was going to make dating a challenge.

They said their goodbyes and by the time Garrett made it to the door, the bell rang a third time. “I’m coming,” he grumbled under his breath. He pulled the door open, repressing a groan when he saw who was standing there.

“What, you’re not happy to see your baby brother?”

Not at all, in fact, but he did his best not to look too exasperated. “Last I heard you were working a cattle ranch in Scotland.”

Ian shrugged and said, “Got bored. Besides, I have something big in the works. A brilliant plan.”

In other words, he was let go and had formulated some new get-rich-quick scheme. One that, like all his other brilliant plans, would undoubtedly crash and burn.

“Aren’t you going to invite me in?” Ian asked with forced cheer, but the rumpled clothes, long hair and the week’s worth of beard stubble said this was anything but a friendly social call.

Letting Ian in was tantamount to inviting a vampire into the house. He had a gift for bleeding dry his host both emotionally and financially and an annoying habit of staying far past his welcome.

It was hard to believe that he was once the sweet little boy Garrett used to sit on his knee and read to, then tuck into bed at night. For the first eight years of Ian’s life, he was Garrett’s shadow.

“Mum and Dad turn you away?” Garrett asked, and he could see by Ian’s expression that they had. Not that Garrett blamed them.

The cheery facade fell and Ian faced him with pleading eyes, looking tired and defeated. “Please, Garrett. I spent my last dime on a boat to the island and I haven’t had a proper meal in days.”

Or a shower, guessing by the stench, and it was more likely that he’d conned his way to the island than paid a penny for passage. But he looked so damned pathetic standing there. Despite everything, Ian was still his brother. His family. The only family who would bother to give him the time of day.

Knowing he would probably regret it later, Garrett moved aside so his brother could step into the foyer. The cool evening air that followed him inside sent a chill down Garrett’s back and when Ian dropped his duffel on the floor, a plume of dust left a dirty ring on the Italian ceramic tile. He would consider it a bad omen if he believed in that sort of thing.

“Spacious,” Ian said, gazing around the foyer and up the wide staircase to the second floor. “You’ve done well for yourself.”

“Don’t touch anything.” Things had a mysterious habit of finding their way into Ian’s pockets and disappearing forever. “And take off your boots. I don’t want you trailing mud on my floors.”

“Could I trouble you for a shower?” Ian asked as he kicked off his boots, revealing socks so filthy and full of holes they barely covered his feet.

“You can use the one in the spare bedroom.” It was the room that possessed the least valuable items. “Up the stairs, first door on the right. I’ll fix something to eat.”

Ian nodded, grabbed his duffel and headed up the stairs. Garrett considered wiping up the dust on the floor, but there would probably be more where that came from, so he decided to take care of it in the morning after Ian was gone. He walked to the kitchen instead and put a kettle on for tea, then rummaged through the icebox to see what leftovers his housekeeper had stashed there. He found a glass dish with a generous portion of pot roast, baked red skin potatoes and buttered baby carrots from last night’s dinner.

He reached for a plate then figured, why dirty another dish, and set the whole thing in the microwave.

While he waited for it to heat, he noticed his wallet lying on the counter and out of habit slipped it into his pants pocket. He wasn’t worried about the cash so much as his credit and ATM cards. The last time Ian had stayed with their brother Victor, he’d run off with his Mastercard and charged several thousand pounds’ worth of purchases before Vic even realized the card was missing. Electronic equipment mostly, which Garrett figured Ian had probably sold for cash.

Garrett wasn’t taking any chances. After a shower and a meal and a good night’s sleep, he would loan Ian a few hundred pounds—that he knew would never be repaid—and send him on his merry way. With any luck, he wouldn’t darken Garrett’s doorway again for a very long time.

Ian emerged a few minutes later, freshly shaven, his hair still damp, wearing rumpled but clean clothes. “Best shower I ever had,” he told Garrett.

“I made you tea.”

He saw the cup and scowled. “I don’t suppose you have anything stronger.”

Garrett shrugged and said, “Sorry.” Unless he wanted his liquor cabinet cleaned out, Garrett was keeping it securely locked for the duration of his brother’s visit. Besides, Ian probably had a bottle or two stashed in his duffel. Given the choice between a meal and a bottle of cheap whiskey, the alcohol always won.

“Well, then, tea it is,” Ian conceded, as though he had a choice. “You just get in from work?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Came by earlier, but you weren’t here. I waited for you in the park across the road.”

It was a wonder he wasn’t arrested for loitering. The authorities in this neighborhood had no tolerance for riffraff. “I wasn’t working.”

“Got a lady friend then, do you? Anyone I know?”

Garrett nearly chuckled at the thought of Ian socializing with the royal family. “No one you know.”

The microwave beeped and Garrett pulled out the dish.

Knowing Garrett couldn’t cook worth a damn, Ian eyed the food suspiciously. “You made that?”

“Don’t worry, my housekeeper prepared it.”

“In that case, slide it this way,” Ian said, rubbing his work-roughened hands together in anticipation. Garrett watched as he shoveled a forkful into his mouth, eating right there at the kitchen counter, standing up.

“Delicious,” he mumbled through a mouthful of beef and potatoes. He followed it with a swallow of tea. He wolfed down the food with an embarrassing lack of regard for the most basic table manners. Their mum would have been horrified. They may have lived like paupers but his mum had always insisted they carry themselves with dignity.

“So,” Garrett asked, “why did you get fired this time?”

“Who says I was fired?” Ian asked indignantly.

“Please don’t insult my intelligence.”

He relented and answered, “The owner of the ranch caught me in the hay barn with his youngest daughter.”

“How young?”

“Seventeen.”

Garrett was about to say that a twenty-eight-year-old man had no business chasing a girl more than ten years his junior, but that was almost exactly the age difference between himself and Louisa. But that was different. Louisa was an adult—even if her family didn’t treat her like one. Not to mention that Garrett intended to marry her, while he was quite sure his brother was only using the young girl in question.

“Don’t give me that look of disapproval,” Ian countered. “It wasn’t my fault. She seduced me.”

Of course. Nothing was ever his fault. Someone else was always to blame for his irresponsibility. “Did you ever consider telling her no?”

“If you’d seen her, you wouldn’t have told her no, either.”

Unlike his brother, Garrett wasn’t a slave to his hormones. He had principles. He didn’t take advantage of women. Not sexually, anyway. Besides, he wasn’t taking advantage of Louisa. If she married him, she would never be denied a thing she desired. With the exception of a few children, that is.

“What are you going to do now?” he asked Ian.

“Like I said, I have something fantastic in the works. A sure thing. I just need a bit of capital to get it off the ground.”

He didn’t say it, but Garrett knew exactly what he was thinking and saved him the trouble of having to ask. “Don’t look at me. I’ve thrown away enough money on your so-called sure things.”

Ian shrugged. “Your loss.”

Garrett doubted that.

Ian finished his dinner, stopping just shy of licking the dish clean. “Delicious. Best meal I’ve had in weeks.”

“I assume you need a place to stay.”

He leaned back against the countertop and folded his arms over his chest. “There’s a very comfortable bench in the park I could sleep on.”

“You’re welcome to use the spare bedroom. For one night,” he stressed. “And I expect everything to be as you found it when you go.”

“I’ll even make the bed.”

“Well then, I’m off to bed,” Garrett said.

“Already? I thought we might catch up for a while.”

“I have an early breakfast meeting.”

Ian looked appalled. “You’re working on a Saturday?”

“Sometimes I work Sundays, as well.” A concept Ian, who worked as little as possible, would never grasp. “Help yourself to whatever you find in the icebox, and I have satellite television if you want to watch it. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“See you in the morning,” Ian parroted as Garrett walked from the room. He felt uncomfortable leaving his brother to his own devices, but short of staying awake all night, he didn’t have much choice.

Consequently, Garrett didn’t see Ian in the morning. When he rolled out of bed at 6:00 a.m., Ian had already left. With half the contents of the liquor cabinet and Garrett’s car.

The e-mail showed up in Louisa’s personal in-box late Saturday afternoon. At first when she saw the blank subject line she assumed it was junk mail, then she noticed the return address—G.B. Man—and her heart nearly stopped.

That couldn’t be a coincidence. It had to be him.

Not now, she thought to herself. Not when things were going so well. She took a deep breath, preparing herself for the worst, and reluctantly double clicked to open it. The body of the e-mail read simply, Did you miss me, Princess?

No gruesome nursery rhymes or threats of violence this time, still a cold chill slithered up her spine. This was going to put everyone into a panic and security back on high alert. Which meant her chances of leaving the castle and going on a normal date with Garrett were slim to none. Why did the Gingerbread Man have to choose now to start harassing them again?

She leaned over for the phone to ring security, when she noticed the time stamp on the e-mail and realized it had actually been sent yesterday morning. Louisa didn’t check her in-box daily, but her brothers did. If they had gotten one, too, wouldn’t she have heard about it by now?

Was it possible that the Gingerbread Man had sent a message to her alone? And if so, was it a coincidence that it started at the same time she began seeing Garrett? Was he trying to complicate things?

She sat back in her chair, wondering what she should do. The e-mail hadn’t been threatening at all. Just a reminder that he was still there, which they all had assumed anyway. If he had planned to actually harm a member of the family, wouldn’t he have done it by now?

If she accidentally forgot to mention this to security, what difference would it really make?

She sat there with her finger hovering over the delete button, weighing her options. If it turned out her brothers and sister had gotten an e-mail, too, she could just tell them that she must have erased hers accidentally, assuming it was junk mail. She hated to lie, but this was her future on the line. Her relationship with Garrett might be destiny, but even destiny had its limits. Would Garrett want to court a woman who wasn’t even allowed to leave the house, and by dating her very possibly make himself a target?

It would be best, for now, if no one else knew about this.

Before she could change her mind, she stabbed the delete key, promising herself that if he contacted her again, threatening or not, she would let the family know. Until then, it would be her secret.

Six

It was after noon when Garrett’s meeting finally ended. He was in the company limo on his way to the club to play squash with Wes, when he received a call from the police informing him that his car had been in an accident. Apparently, in his haste to flee Garrett’s town house, Ian had run off the road and into a tree.

“He was pretty banged up,” the officer told him. “But he was conscious and alert when they put him in the ambulance.”

Despite everything, Garrett was relieved Ian wasn’t hurt too badly. If he’d died, Garrett would have been the one to break the news to his family. Since it was Garrett’s car Ian had been driving, they would likely pin the blame on him. Not that he cared what they thought of him any longer. It was just a hassle he didn’t need.

“Did he say how it happened?” Garrett asked.

“He claims he swerved to avoid hitting an animal in the road, a dog, and lost control.”

Ian had always had a soft spot for animals. Dogs especially, so it was a plausible excuse.

Garrett dreaded the next question he had to ask. “Was alcohol involved?”

“We assumed so at first. There were a dozen or so broken bottles of liquor in the car. Expensive stuff, too.”

Tell me about it, Garrett wanted to say.

“He denied being intoxicated, but we won’t know for certain until we get the results of the blood test. He must have been going quite fast though. I’m sorry to say that the car is totaled.”

It wouldn’t be the first car Ian had demolished with his careless driving. Or the last. Besides, Garrett had never expected to get it back. He didn’t have the heart to report it as stolen and Ian would have eventually sold it. At least now Garrett would get the insurance money, and Ian would have to face what he’d done while the wounds were still fresh.

He thanked the officer for the information and instructed his driver to take him to the hospital instead, then rang Wes to cancel. With any luck, this fiasco wouldn’t find its way into the papers, or, if it did, he hoped no names were released. With the royal family keeping a close eye on him, the last thing he needed was a scandal. Not that he should be held accountable for his brother’s actions, but in his experience royals had a … unique way of looking at things.

Garrett should have listened to his instincts and never let Ian in the house. Or maybe this time Ian would finally learn his lesson.

The limo dropped him at the front entrance of the hospital and Garrett stopped at the information desk to get his brother’s room number. Ian’s was on the third floor just past the nursing station, but when Garrett walked through the door, he was totally unprepared for what he saw. He’d expected Ian to have suffered a few bumps and bruises, maybe a laceration or two, but his baby brother looked as though he’d gone a dozen rounds with a prize fighter.

His face was swollen and bruised, his nose broken and both eyes blackened. His right wrist and hand were wrapped in gauze, and he’d suffered small nicks and cuts on both arms. From the broken bottles, Garrett figured. His left leg was in a cast from foot to midthigh and suspended in a sling.

Garrett shook his head and thought, Ian, what have you done to yourself?

Instead of seeing Ian the troublemaker lying there, under the bandages and bruises Garrett could only picture the little boy who used to come to him with skinned knees and splinters, and his anger swiftly fizzled away.

“Garrett Sutherland?” someone asked from behind him.

He turned to find a doctor standing just outside the room. “Yes.”

“Dr. Sacsner,” he said, shaking Garrett’s hand. “I’m your brother’s surgeon.”

“Surgeon?”

“Orthopedics.” He gestured out of the room. “Could we have a word?”

Garrett nodded and followed him into the hallway.

“Your brother is a lucky man,” the doctor began to say.

“He doesn’t look so lucky to me.”

“I know it looks bad, but it could have been much worse. The fact that he suffered no internal injuries is nothing short of a miracle.”

“What about his leg?”

The doctor frowned. “There he wasn’t so lucky. His lower leg was crushed under the dash. The impact shattered the fibula and snapped his tibia in three places. The only thing holding it together are rods and pins.”

“But he’ll recover?”

“With time and physical therapy he should make a full recovery. The first six weeks will be the most difficult. It’s imperative he stay off the leg as much as possible and keep it elevated.”

“So he’ll stay here?”

“For another day or two, then he’ll be released.”

Released? Where was he going to go?

He realized, by the doctor’s expression, that Garrett was expected to take Ian home.

Bloody hell. He didn’t have time for this now. Nor did he feel he owed his brother a thing after all the grief he’d caused. But who else did Ian have? Where else could he stay?

“I know it sounds like a daunting task,” the doctor said. “But if money is no object, you can hire twenty-four-hour care if necessary.” His pager beeped and he checked the display. “I’ll be back to check on him later.”

“Before you go, was it determined if alcohol was involved?”

“That was a concern at first, since he came in smelling like a distillery. We were hesitant to give him anything for the pain, but he swore he wasn’t drinking, and the tox screen came back clean. No drugs or alcohol in his system.”

So he had just been driving too fast and lost control. If that wasn’t Ian’s life story. As a kid he was always pushing the limits and hurting himself. If there was a tree too high or dangerous to climb, Ian wasn’t happy until he reached the highest branch. By the time he was eight, he’d suffered more broken bones and received more stitches than most people did in a lifetime.

Maybe this time he would learn his lesson.

“You didn’t have to come here,” he heard his brother say, his voice rusty from the anesthesia.

Garrett turned and walked to his bed. “Someone has to pay the bill.”

Ian gazed up at him, bleary-eyed and fuzzy. “I guess ‘I’m sorry’ isn’t going to cut it this time.”

“It might if I thought you meant it.” But Ian wasn’t sorry for all the trouble he’d caused. Only that he’d been caught.

His eyes drifted shut, and Garrett thought that maybe he’d fallen asleep, then he opened them again and said, “I was going to bring it back.”

“The car or the liquor?”

“Both.”

Garrett wished he could believe that.

“I got a few miles from your house and I started to feel guilty.”

That was even more unbelievable. “You don’t do guilt.”

“Apparently I do now. I thought if I got back fast enough you would never know I’d left. Then that damned dog darted out in front of me.” Ian studied him for several seconds. “You don’t believe me.”

“Is there a reason I should?”

He sighed. “Well, whether you believe me or not, I’m tired of living this way. I’m going to change this time. I swear I am.”

Garrett might have believed his brother if he hadn’t heard the same thing so many times before. “Let’s just concentrate on getting you healthy. The doctor says you have to keep off the leg for six weeks. With my hectic schedule, I’ll have to hire a nurse to stay with you.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

And he didn’t expect a penny of it back. “Where else would you go? You think Mum and Dad would let you stay with them?”

His expression said he knew the answer to that question was no. Even if their mother still had a soft spot for Ian, their father would put his foot down.

“I’ll figure something out,” Ian declared.

“You have a friend who will take you in?”

Ian was silent. They both knew that Ian had never made a friend he didn’t eventually betray. Unfortunately, Garrett was all he had. “You’re staying with me.”

“I owe you too much already,” Ian said, and Garrett wished the regret he heard in his brother’s voice was genuine. He wasn’t counting on it though.

“Face it, Ian, we’re stuck with each other. If you really mean what you say about turning over a new leaf—”

“I do. I swear it.”

“Then you can spend the next six weeks proving it to me.”

Louisa woke early Sunday morning, planning her picnic with Garrett before she even got out of bed, until she heard the low rumble of thunder and the thrum of rain against her bedroom window.

Oh, damn!

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she climbed out of bed, rousing Muffin, who gave a grumble of irritation before settling back to sleep. She walked to the window and shoved the curtains aside. Dense gray clouds rolled in from the northwest, and a fierce wind pummeled the trees and whipped rain against the windows.

She sighed. It looked as though the weather front that was supposed to miss the island had changed course sometime during the night. It was only 7:00 a.m., but even if the rain stopped it would still be too wet for a picnic. She’d been so sure it would be a sunny day, she hadn’t bothered with a plan B. Her options were limited considering she couldn’t leave the castle with Garrett without giving Chris a two-day warning. And with the weather so dreary, she doubted that he and Melissa would be doing any sailing today.

So much for her and Garrett having some time to themselves. If they had to stay inside the castle, someone would be constantly looking over their shoulders, watching their every move.

She frowned. Being royalty, especially royalty under house arrest, could be terribly inconvenient.

But she refused to let this small setback dampen her spirits. She was sure if she put her mind to it, she could come up with something for them to do, some indoor activity they would both enjoy. Maybe a tour of the castle or a game of billiards. Or maybe they could just sit and talk.

On her way to the shower, Louisa passed her computer and was half tempted to log on, just to see if she had gotten another e-mail from their stalker. No one had said anything about getting the e-mail yesterday, so she could only assume his latest communication had been sent exclusively to her. She couldn’t help wondering if her relationship with Garrett was the catalyst or if it was just a coincidence that he chose now to pick on her individually.

Maybe she should check, just in case. She took a step toward her computer, then stopped. What would be the point of checking? If he e-mailed her, he e-mailed her and nothing would change that, and the way she looked at it, what she didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her.

She gave her computer one last furtive glance and headed to the bathroom instead.

She showered using her favorite rose-scented body wash and took extra care fixing her hair. Instead of the conservative bun she typically wore, she used hot rollers then brushed her hair smooth, until it lay loose and silky down her back. She dressed in pale pink capris and a crème-colored cashmere sweater set, then slipped her feet into a pair of pink leather flats. She rounded out the look with mascara and pink, cherry-flavored lip gloss with a touch of glitter.

She stood back to examine her reflection, happy with what she saw, sure that Garrett would be pleased, too.

Anticipation adding an extra lift to her step, she headed downstairs to the dining room for a spot of tea, Muffin trailing behind her, but Geoffrey intercepted her at the foot of the stairs.

“Prince Christian asked that you call him as soon as possible.”

She frowned. “Call him? Did they go sailing? The weather is horrible.”

“No, Your Highness. He took Princess Melissa to the hospital early this morning.”

Her heart skipped a beat. “What for?”

“He didn’t say. He just asked that you call him as soon as you’re up.”

“Are Aaron and Liv up yet?”

“Not yet.”

She was going to ask him to wake them, but there was no sense in starting a panic before she even knew what was wrong. It might be nothing.

“Could you see that Muffin is fed and let out?” she asked Geoffrey.

“Of course. Come along, Muffin.”

Muffin just stood there looking back and forth between them.

“Breakfast,” Geoffrey added, and Muffin scurried excitedly after him.

Forgetting about her tea, Louisa hurried back to her room and dialed her brother’s cell phone. As soon as he answered she asked, “What’s wrong? Is Melissa okay? Are the babies all right?”

Chris chuckled and said, “Relax, everyone is fine. Melissa started having contractions last night.”

“Why didn’t you wake me?”

“There was nothing you could have done and Melissa didn’t want you to worry.”

“Is she in labor? I thought it was too early.”

“She was, but they gave her a drug to stop it. Unfortunately she’s already dilated two centimeters, so she’s on complete bed rest. They’re keeping her in the hospital until she delivers.”

“Oh, Chris, I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do?”

“Actually, yes. Melissa made a list of things she needs. Makeup and toiletries and things like that. Could you gather everything and bring it to the hospital?”

“Of course.” She grabbed a pad of paper and a pen and jotted down the list. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“I want to stay here as often as possible, so I’d like you to meet with my assistant about taking my place at a few speeches and charity events.”

For a second she was struck dumb. He never would have trusted her to a task like that before. She almost asked, what about Aaron or Anne, but caught herself at the last minute. She didn’t want him to think she didn’t want to do it.

“Of course I will,” she told him instead. “Anything.”

“Thanks, Louisa. I’ll see you soon.”

She hung up and was turning to leave her room when she remembered her date with Garrett and stopped dead in her tracks.

Bloody hell.

Well, as much as she wanted to see Garrett, family always came first. Especially now, when Chris seemed to be seeing her as a capable adult. She would just have to call him and reschedule. Maybe they could see each other later in the week.

She picked up the phone, mumbling to herself about bad timing, but as she put it to her ear there was no dial tone. She nearly jumped out of her skin when a deep male voice said, “Hello?”

“Garrett?”

“Well, that was strange,” he said.

“What just happened?”

“I called your number, but before it could even ring, I heard your voice.”

“Seriously? Because I just picked up the phone so I could call you!”

Garrett chuckled. “We must be on the same brain wave or something.”

“I guess. Why were you calling?”

“Regrettably, something came up and I have to break our date for this afternoon.”

Louisa laughed and said, “Seriously?”

Garrett paused for several seconds, then said, “Well, that wasn’t exactly the reaction I’d been expecting.”

“I’m laughing because I was calling you to say that I have to cancel our date.”

“Hmm, that is pretty weird, isn’t it?”

“I thought maybe we could get together later this week.”

“We could do that. The first half of the week will be a little hectic for me, but maybe Thursday evening?”

That seemed so far off, but at least it would give her time to visit with Melissa while she adjusted to being confined to a hospital bed. “Just to warn you, if you want to take me off the palace grounds, Chris will need two days’ warning to arrange for security.”

“Well, then, I guess I’ll call you Tuesday.” There was a commotion in the background, and what sounded like a voice over a PA system, but she couldn’t make out what they were saying. “I’m sorry, Louisa, but I have to go. I’ll talk to you Tuesday.”

Before she could say goodbye, he disconnected, and she realized she hadn’t even asked why he had to cancel today. Oh well, she was sure that it must have been very important. They could talk about it Tuesday.

She hated the thought of having to wait until Thursday to see Garrett again, but the anticipation would make their next date that much more special.

Seven

Sunday morning became a blur of doctors and nurses and representatives from the private home care facility that Garrett was hiring to look after his brother while his leg healed. And since Ian was being released tomorrow morning, there wasn’t much time to get everything squared away.

Though Garrett wasn’t too keen on the idea of his brother staying in his house for another six weeks or so, at least this time Ian would be physically incapable of running off with his belongings. The only time he was allowed out of bed was to bathe and use the loo, or he risked the bones shifting and healing incorrectly, leaving him with the threat of more surgeries and possible permanent disabilities. And while Ian could be irresponsible and self-absorbed, he wasn’t stupid.

It was going on three when all the arrangements were completed and the appropriate paperwork signed. Garrett was walking down the hall to the elevator when someone called his name. He turned to see Louisa standing behind him, flanked by two very large and ominous looking bodyguards.

Oddly enough, his first instinct was to pull her close and kiss her, and he might have were it not for the risk of being tackled by her security detail.

“I thought that was you,” she said, breaking into a wide smile. “What are you doing here? Did you come to see Melissa?”

“Melissa?” he asked.

She walked toward him, and with a subtle wave of her hand the guards fell back several steps. “Princess Melissa, my sister-in-law.”

“No. Is she here?”

“In the family’s private wing,” she said, gesturing behind her. “She was brought in last night for early labor. That’s why I had to postpone our date.”

“I had no idea. I’m here visiting … an associate. He was in an accident yesterday.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry. Is he okay?”

“He’s banged up, but he’ll recover.”

“Is that why you had to break our date? To come here?”

He nodded. “Weird, huh?”

“Very weird. If we knew we were both coming here we could have carpooled,” she joked.

He grinned. “Except I was already here when I called you.”

“He must be a special friend for you to stay here all day with him.”

“We’ve known each other most of our lives.” He knew he should probably tell her the truth, but he just didn’t feel like explaining. With any luck Ian would heal, then be out of Garrett’s life forever, and the royal family would never be the wiser. “Is Melissa all right?”

“They managed to stop her labor, but she’s on strict bed rest for at least four weeks, and they’re keeping her in the hospital just to be safe.”

“Please send her and Chris my best.”

“She’s having some tests right now, but I’m sure she would love a visit from you later. She’s only been here a few hours and already she’s crawling out of her skin.”

Normally he wouldn’t visit a stranger, but under the circumstances, it couldn’t hurt. Besides, he’d liked Melissa from the moment he met her. She wasn’t a typical royal. Of course neither was Liv, or Louisa for that matter. Maybe there was nothing unusual about any of them. Maybe it was his preconceived notion that was way off.

“I’d like that,” he said. “As long as it’s not an imposition.”

“Of course not. Chris and Melissa really like you. In fact, Chris told me …” She paused and pressed her fingers to her lips.

“Chris told you what?”

Her cheeks flushed to match the pink of her pants. “Forget it.”

He smiled. “You’re blushing, Your Highness.”

“I’m not sure if I should have said anything.”

He folded his arms over his chest. She was usually so poised and self-confident. He liked that she had a vulnerable side. “Maybe you shouldn’t have, but now you’ve piqued my curiosity. It wouldn’t be fair to leave me hanging with no explanation, would it?”

“I suppose not.” She glanced over at the busy nurses’ station, then whispered, “Not here.”

Whatever she had to say, it was apparently private in nature. All the more reason for him to know what was said. “Where?”

“I was on my way back to our private waiting room,” she told him. “You could join me.”

“I’d like that,” he told her, realizing it was true, and not just for the information. Meeting like this in the hospital hallway could have been awkward, but instead he felt totally at ease with her. In fact, the moment he saw her standing there, some of the stress from the last few days seemed to melt away.

He held out his arm and she slipped hers through it. Thankfully the guards didn’t knock him to the ground and cuff him. “Lead the way, Your Highness.”

Louisa led Garrett into the royal family’s private waiting room. She was relieved to find it empty. If this was the only time they could be alone, she could think of worse places.

“This is nice,” Garrett said, gazing around. “More like a hotel suite than a hospital.”

“It didn’t used to be so modern, but the last few years, with my father’s condition, we’ve spent a lot of time here so it was renovated.”

“I expected Chris to be here.”

“He’s with Melissa. She’s having a test to determine the development of the babies’ lungs.” She turned to set down her purse and felt Garrett’s hands settle on her shoulders. A warm and delicious feeling poured through her like honey and the purse dropped with a clunk on the table.

“Does that mean we’re alone?” he asked, and something in his tone made her heart skip a beat. Until now, she was the one to instigate the physical contact. It was exciting, and yes, maybe a little scary, that he had taken the upper hand.

“I guess we are.”

His hands slipped off her shoulders and down her arms. His palms were smooth and felt hot to the touch. “Security won’t barge in at any second?”

“Only if I call them.”

“Are you going to call them?”

Now that they finally had some time alone? Not bloody likely. “I wasn’t planning on it.”

“Even if I do this?” He pulled her hair over one shoulder and brushed a kiss on the back of her neck. Goose bumps broke out across her skin, and her legs suddenly felt limp. Men had kissed her before, but it had been a long time since one made her tingle all over or feel the warm tug of arousal between her thighs and in her breasts.

He kissed her shoulder and she willed him to touch her, to cup her breasts in his palms, to slide his hand down, inside her panties. She almost moaned out loud imagining it, but she knew this wasn’t the time or the place.

“I like your hair this way,” he said, running his fingers through it. “You should wear it down all the time.”

“Maybe I will.”

“You were going to tell me what Chris said,” he reminded her, his breath warm on her nape where he dropped soft kisses.

“I’d hoped you’d forgotten about that.” She let her head fall to the side, giving him more area to explore, and he didn’t disappoint. “Chris might be upset that I told you.”

“We’ll keep it between you and me.”

“You promise?”

He turned her to face him and brushed his lips across hers. “Cross my heart and hope to die.”

Even if she’d wanted to tell him no, there was no way she could. He could ask her the royal family’s most intimate secrets right now and they would spill willingly from the lips he so skillfully nibbled. “I was talking to Chris the other day and he mentioned that if … well, if you and I were to get married, you would be a good choice to replace Aaron when he goes back to school.”

He stopped kissing her. “He said that?”

“Just the other day.”

“Well, I’m … I’m a bit speechless, actually. I’m flattered that he would even consider me.”

“Nothing is set in stone, of course, which is why I never should have said anything in the first place. Me and my big mouth.”

He smiled and made a growling sound deep in his throat. He cradled her face in his hand and brushed the pad of his thumb across her lower lip. “Hmm, I love your mouth.”

She loved the way it felt when he touched it. Especially when he used his lips.

“Chris also insinuated that we shouldn’t ‘rush’ things,” she said.

“Are we rushing?”

She grinned up at him. “As far as I’m concerned, we’re not moving fast enough. In fact, would you find it totally inappropriate to make out on the sofa in a hospital waiting room?”

“If it were only kissing, maybe not, but I’m having a tough time keeping my hands off of you.”

She sighed and laid her head against his chest, heard the steady thump of his heart. “There has to be someplace we can go to be completely alone.”

“I have a place in Cabo,” he offered. “Maybe with enough advance warning, your family would let you go.”

“I would love that! I’ll talk to Chris about it.”

“Unless security issues aren’t his only concern.”

She didn’t have to ask what he meant. “I’m twenty-seven. My sex life is none of my family’s business. And believe me when I say that they’re in no position whatsoever to pass judgment. I hate that we have to even talk about this, that we can’t just be a normal couple, let things happen naturally.”

He led her to the sofa, pulling her close beside him as they sat. “All couples have issues, Louisa.”

She drew her legs up over his thighs and curled against his chest. “Sometimes I wish I could lead a normal life. I’d like to shop in a store without a team of security parked outside, or eat dinner in a restaurant without a thorough background check of every employee.” She looked up at him. “Have you ever considered what it would be like to be in a relationship with someone like me? The freedoms you would have to sacrifice? You’d be a fool not to run screaming in the opposite direction.”

“Those things don’t matter to me, Louisa.” He cradled her chin in his hand and gazed into her eyes. They were so dark and compassionate and earnest it made her want to cry. “The way I feel about you, I’d be a fool not to stay.”

He brushed his lips against hers, so tenderly. So sweet. But she didn’t want tender and sweet. She was tired of that. She wanted fire and passion. She wanted to feel sexy and desired.

She slid her hands around Garrett’s neck, pulled him down and kissed him. A kiss that was anything but tender. At first he resisted a little, until she drew herself up on her knees and straddled his lap.

“I can’t seem to control myself when I’m with you,” he mumbled against her lips.

“Good, because neither can I.” She rocked her hips and rubbed against him. Garrett growled deep in his throat and tunneled his fingers through her hair, feeding off her mouth. She could feel his erection growing between them and she wanted so badly to touch him. She was so far gone, she didn’t care that Chris could walk through the door at any second.

Which incidentally, he did.

Somewhere in the back of her hormone-drenched brain she heard the door open, then the exaggerated rumble of a throat clearing. She peeled herself away from Garrett and looked over to find Chris in the waiting room doorway, one brow lifted. She knew exactly what he was thinking. This was her idea of discretion?

She heard Garrett mumble a particularly colorful curse under his breath—one most men wouldn’t dare speak in front of a princess—as he lifted her from his lap and dropped her onto the sofa beside him.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Chris said, “but Melissa is back in her room and eager for visitors.”

Louisa should have asked how Melissa was doing, or if the babies were okay, but to her surprise, and apparently her brother’s surprise as well, the first thing out of her mouth was, “I’m going to Cabo with Garrett and you can’t stop me.”

Demanding she be allowed to leave the country with Garrett probably hadn’t been the wisest course of action for Louisa to win a little freedom. Especially when Chris had just walked in on them making out like two lust-driven youths. Garrett was quite sure, considering her brother’s look of exasperation, she wouldn’t be leaving the country anytime soon. With Garrett or anyone else.

So much for convincing her family that he wasn’t compromising her honor.

Garrett assumed Chris would be furious with him, but when he pulled the Prince aside later to apologize for his inappropriate behavior, Chris only laughed.

“I know you’re smarter than that, Garrett. I don’t believe for a second that my sister wasn’t the aggressor. Just, if you could, try to keep her in check, at least when you’re in public. I would appreciate it.”

Garrett had been so stunned, he couldn’t form a coherent reply, which seemed to amuse Chris even more.

“You think I don’t know what my sister is like?”

“She can be … tenacious,” Garrett said.

Chris chuckled. “That’s putting it mildly. I’ve spent the better part of my life keeping her out of trouble. She whines incessantly that we shelter her, yet she refuses to exercise any common sense. If she wants something she goes after it, all pistons firing. Usually with no regard to the rules, or oftentimes her own safety. And if what she gets isn’t what she wanted, watch out.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love my sister to death. She has a heart of gold and you’ll never meet a woman more loyal to her family and friends. I would lay down my life for her. I also believe that she’ll make a fantastic wife and mother. But she is a handful. Let your guard down and she’ll walk all over you.”

In other words, her so-called reputation of being sweet and naive was bollocks. He’d basically figured that out already. He just hadn’t realized the extent of her defiance. Some men might have considered that a negative quality, and maybe he should have, too, but the idea that she wasn’t at all what he expected only intrigued him more.

The question was: what did Chris have to gain by his honesty? Was he trying to scare Garrett away? And why would he after he’d told Louisa that he was considering offering Aaron’s position to Garrett?

“Why are you telling me this?” he asked Chris.

“I think you should know what you’re getting yourself into. Louisa needs a man who’s just as headstrong and determined as she is, and I see those qualities in you. She needs someone who can … rein her in.”

He made it sound as though Louisa needed a babysitter more than a husband. Did the royal family cling to the archaic values that deemed women should be seen but not heard?

He wasn’t sure if he should feel grateful for Chris’s candid advice, or offended on Louisa’s behalf. And since when did Garrett feel the need to defend her? When did he start caring about her feelings?

Probably right around the same time she smiled up at him and said she couldn’t wait to see him naked.

“By the way,” Chris said. “Send me a copy of your itinerary and I’ll see what I can do. It will take at least two weeks to arrange.”

It took a second for Garett to realize he was talking about the trip to Cabo. “I assumed that wasn’t going to happen.”

“If I tell her no, there’s a good chance she’ll go without permission. Besides, maybe some time away would do her good. With our father in fairly stable condition, I think we could all use a vacation.”

Garrett, too, was looking forward to some time away. With his brother around, the less time he spent at home, the better as far as he was concerned. He and Ian had nothing left to say to one another, and all that talk about Ian changing his ways was rubbish. Ian would never change.

After a short visit with Melissa, who was indeed climbing the walls, Garrett said goodbye to Louisa, sealing their departure with another enthusiastic kiss. He made a short trip to the office to get a few documents that needed his attention. Then, because the cook had Sundays off, he picked up dinner on his way home.

Later, as he lounged in front of the television, mindlessly surfing the channels, he thought about calling Louisa to see if Melissa’s tests came back favorable. Only, as usual, she called him first.

He picked up the phone after the first ring and said, “You probably won’t believe this, but I was just about to call you.”

“Were you really?” a sultry voice purred in his ear. “And here I thought you’d forgotten all about me.”

The unfamiliar voice threw him for a moment, then he looked at the caller ID and realized it wasn’t Louisa after all. It was Pamela, a woman he dated on occasion. Although to call what they did “dating” was a gross overstatement. They had sex. Unemotional, uncomplicated, no-strings-attached sex. Just the way he liked it.

“Pamela, sorry, I thought you were someone else,” he said. “How have you been?”

Her voice dripped with the promise of something naughty. “Missing you terribly, love.”

He used to find her sultry drawl warm and sexy. Now he recognized it for what it was: as insincere as her affection for him. She was using him, just as he had used her. Up until today that hadn’t bothered him in the least, in fact he’d preferred it that way, but now it just seemed … sleazy.

“I’ve been busy,” he said, but she totally missed what he’d hoped was a direct brush-off.

“Well, if you’re not busy tonight, why don’t I stop by for a while? We could get … reacquainted.”

It wasn’t the only time she’d offered herself up freely to him, but for the first time, he wasn’t the least bit interested. Not that he had no appetite for female companionship, but the female he was interested in right now was Louisa.

“I’m afraid this isn’t a good time,” he told Pamela.

“How about tomorrow night instead?”

“That won’t be a good time, either.”

The sexy tone wavered, as though she was finally starting to catch on that something was up. “When would it be a good time?”

How about never? “The thing is, Pamela, I’m seeing someone.”

“So?”

Admittedly, in the past, that wouldn’t have stopped him. “What I mean is, I’m seeing someone … special.”

There was a pause, then a short burst of laughter. “Are you saying that you’re in a serious relationship?”

“I am,” he said, relieved that he didn’t have to spell it out. Sometimes he could hardly believe it himself.

“Is she pregnant?”

“No, she’s not pregnant.”

“Blackmailing you?”

He laughed. “Is it so hard to believe I met a woman I want to date seriously?”

“I’ve known you almost ten years, Garrett, and in all that time not once did you ever have a serious relationship. You’re far too selfish.”

Pamela was right, but that selfish streak had led him to where he was now. He didn’t miss the irony. Some might go so far as saying he was too selfish for his own good.

“Who’s the lucky girl? Anyone I know?”

“No one you know,” he assured her. Of course she knew of Louisa, but they had certainly never inhabited the same social circles.

“Well, I guess all I can say is good luck,” Pamela said.

He said his goodbyes, hung up, then permanently deleted her number from his phone. He was about to set it down on the table beside him when it rang again.

This time it was Louisa, and he caught himself smiling. “I was just thinking about calling you,” he said.

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