Wedding Party Collection: Marrying The Prince. Кейт Хьюит

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СКАЧАТЬ of the monarchy as if she were descended from a millennia’s worth of royalty. It probably mattered to King Alessandro as well, but she didn’t care about either of them. She cared about Leo.

      Would it matter to him? Would he be disappointed that he wasn’t her first? She had no illusions that he was a virgin; he surely hadn’t been celibate for the six long years of their engagement, even if he’d been admirably discreet.

      Anxiety danced in her belly. Worry gnawed at her mind. She didn’t want to give him any reason to withdraw emotionally from her, to feel disappointed or perhaps even angry, yet she knew she would have to tell him...before tonight.

      They didn’t speak until the catamaran was pulled up on the beach and they were back in their private cove, and then only to talk about when they would have dinner. It was late afternoon, the sun already starting its mellow descent towards the horizon.

      Alyse went to shower in the separate bathroom facilities, all sunken marble and gold taps kept in a rocky enclosure that was meant to look like a natural part of the cove.

      She washed away the remnants of sea salt and sun cream and wondered what the next few hours would hold. Something had started to grow between her and Leo, perhaps even to blossom. Friendship—and perhaps something more, until he’d had that moment of panic.

      Could they recapture both the camaraderie and passion they’d felt this afternoon?

      What if her admission ruined it all?

      It doesn’t matter, she told herself. It shouldn’t matter. He might be a prince, but Leo’s still a modern man...

      Even so, she felt the pinpricks of uncertainty. Of fear.

      The staff were setting up another romantic dinner on the beach when Leo came out of the shower, his hair damp and curling slightly by his neck, the sky-blue of his shirt bringing out the blue in his eyes. Alyse had chosen another dress from her stylist-selected wardrobe, this one made of lavender silk, the colour like the last vestiges of sunset. It dipped daringly low in the front and then nipped in at the waist before flaring out around her legs. She left her hair down and her feet bare and went without make-up. It seemed ridiculous to bother with eyeliner or lipstick when they were on a secluded beach and the sea wind and salt air would mess them both up anyway.

      Leo seemed to agree, for he took in her appearance with no more than a slight nod, yet she still felt the strength of his response, the leashed desire.

      And something else. Something she didn’t like—a coolness in his expression, a reserve in his manner. He didn’t speak as he took her hand and led her to the table set up on the sand.

      Still she was achingly aware of him, more now than ever before: the subtle, spicy scent of his aftershave; the dry warmth of his palm as he took her hand; the latent strength of his stride as she fell into step next to him.

      ‘What shall we do tomorrow?’ she asked brightly when they’d sat down and begun their starters, slices of succulent melon fanned out with paper-thin carpaccio. She was determined not to lose any ground, not to let him retreat back into his usual silence, as much as he might seem to want to. ‘Go for a hike?’

      Leo’s mouth tightened and he speared a slice of melon. ‘I need to work tomorrow.’

      ‘Work?’ Disappointment crashed over her but with effort she kept her smile in place, her voice light. ‘This is your honeymoon, Leo.’

      He pinned her with a steely gaze. ‘I have duties, Alyse.’

      ‘And what will the staff think of you ignoring your bride on the second full day of our holiday?’ she asked, unable to keep herself from it even though she didn’t want to bring up the whole pretence of their relationship. She wanted to talk about how it was becoming more real. Or it had seemed to be, this afternoon.

      ‘I’m sure they’ll understand. Being in love doesn’t mean we live in each other’s pockets. The last six years have proved that. We spent most of the time apart and yet no one seemed to have any trouble believing we were wildly, passionately in love.’

      That wasn’t quite true, Alyse knew. When the media hadn’t been celebrating their grand romance, it had been trying to create division: publishing incriminating-looking photos, composing pages and pages of speculation that she’d feared contained more than a grain of truth.

      Leo looking for love with Duke’s daughter Liana?

      The memory still hurt.

      ‘I realise that,’ she told him when she trusted herself to speak as evenly as he had. ‘But this is our honeymoon.’

      ‘And you know just what kind of honeymoon it is.’

      ‘What is that supposed to mean?’

      ‘We’re pretending,’ he clarified, his voice cool. ‘We always will be.’

      ‘I haven’t forgotten.’ Alyse stared at him. His face was as blank as it ever had been, all traces of humour and happiness completely gone.

      Today had been so sweet, so wonderful and so full of hope. She hated that they’d lost so much ground so quickly.

      And why? Just because of that moment on the boat, when Leo had mentioned the dreaded L-word?

      Was he actually spooked? Afraid?

      The thought seemed ridiculous; Leo was always so confident, so assured. And yet Alyse couldn’t think of another reason for his sudden and utter withdrawal.

      The friendship—the intimacy—that had been growing between them had him scared.

      The thought almost restored her hope. Scared was better than indifferent. Still, she knew there was no point pressing the issue now. That didn’t mean she was going to let him off the hook quite so easily.

      ‘I suppose I can entertain myself easily enough for a day,’ she said lightly, and saw the flicker of surprise ripple across Leo’s features that she was capitulating so easily. ‘What work do you have to do?’ she continued, and the surprise on his face intensified into discomfort. Alyse almost smiled. ‘Are you working on that proposal for broadband?’

      ‘Some paperwork,’ he answered after a pause, his voice gruff, but Alyse was determined not to let the conversation sputter out. He would let her in, one way or another. Even if he was scared.

      ‘Will you put the proposal before the Cabinet? That’s how it works, isn’t it? A constitutional monarchy.’

      ‘Yes. I hope to put it before them eventually. It’s not one of my father’s priorities.’

      ‘Why not?’

      Leo shrugged. ‘My father has always been more interested in enjoying the benefits of being king rather than fulfilling his royal responsibilities.’

      ‘But you’re different.’

      A light blazed briefly in his eyes. ‘I hope so.’

      ‘I think you are.’ She spoke softly, and was gratified to see something like surprised pleasure lift the corners of Leo’s mouth before he glanced away.

      ‘I hope I can СКАЧАТЬ