Taming the Lost Prince. Raye Morgan

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СКАЧАТЬ in at a pub and got involved in judging a karaoke contest and lost track of time.”

      “Oh, Max,” Kayla said in soft despair.

      “So I say, watch the balcony. He’ll tie a rope to the edge and pretend he’s Tarzan. Don’t let him get away.”

      “I won’t.” She only wished her determination was as stout as it sounded.

      Pellea sighed. Maybe her tone hadn’t been convincing. “Give me your exact location. I sent a couple of security officers up to help you. I’ll key in directions for them.”

      That startled her. “Help me do what?” she asked after giving the queen her location.

      “Make sure he doesn’t escape. We’ll tie him up and drag him in if we have to.”

      “We will?” She knew Max and she was pretty sure that wasn’t going to be done easily. This whole thing was beginning to resemble a nightmare. She stared at the door to the target apartment. Max was supposedly in there. They’d told her he’d gone in with a woman. Did the phrase love nest come to mind? This wasn’t the way she’d imagined their reunion might pan out.

      “Now I want you to be forceful,” Pellea encouraged. “You must take him by surprise.”

      Kayla gasped in horror as a picture of what that might mean spun through her head. “You mean … burst in on him without warning?”

      “If you have to. Whatever you do, you’ve got to stop him from disappearing again. Call me when it’s over.”

      “Yes, Your Majesty. Of course.” She hung up just as two security guards stepped off the elevator and marched over to join her.

      “Sgt. Marander, ma’am, at your service,” the one who seemed to be in charge announced. “Here’s the master key. We’re here to back you up. We’ll be right behind you.”

      She chewed on her lower lip. “Can I knock first?” she asked, rather forlorn.

      His stare was steely cold. “I’m afraid not. Her Majesty specifically recommended a surprise attack. She’s afraid he’ll …”

      “Escape by jumping off the balcony. Yes, she told me as much.”

      He glanced at her and frowned. He probably heard the reluctance in her voice and didn’t approve. “Sorry, miss. Instructions from the queen are not to be taken lightly.”

      She took a deep breath. “All right,” she said, straightening her shoulders and heading for the door. “Here I go.”

      She closed her eyes and turned the key in the door, letting it swing open. “Max?” she asked breathlessly, not daring to look. “Are you in there?”

      There was an ominous moment of startled silence and then a deep voice cried, “Kayla! What are you doing here?”

      She forced herself to squint through one slightly opened eye. And there he was, standing before her, completely clothed. Very civilized. Not scary at all. She gasped in relief.

      “Oh, Max,” she said, half laughing. And as he threw his arms around her, she sighed and went limp in his embrace. “I can’t believe it’s really you.”

      He hugged her, kissed each cheek, dropped a quick one on her lips and, finally, leaned back to take a look.

      “Hey, gorgeous, it’s been almost two years, hasn’t it?”

      She nodded, her head swimming. He was still the most beautiful man she’d ever seen, still hard and handsome, still looking like a playful rascal and a bit of a rogue. His thick rust-colored hair seemed to have a constant breeze blowing through it, his mischievous blue eyes were framed by eyelashes so thick it was almost criminal, and his mouth looked so deliciously sensual, it ought to be censored. That was Max, just as she remembered him. Lord, how she’d missed him!

      “So what are you doing here?” he asked, looking completely bemused.

      “I came to … to sort of arrest you. In a way.” She made a face. What a farce.

      “Arrest me?” At last he focused on the security guards behind her. He frowned. “What did I do now?”

      “Oh, Max,” she sighed. “Why can’t you be good?”

      “Kayla, my sweet,” he said grinning at her, “you know that’s not in my nature.”

      But he was genuinely happy to see her. Taking her in was like a good shot of whiskey. One look and he was transported two years back in time, back to those sidewalk cafés with the red umbrellas along the Mediterranean coast, back to the balmy breezes and sunlight filtering through the palms, back to hearing suggestive songs played by small combos while they’d sat sipping chichis, the local drink that tasted a bit like a Mai Tai and packed a punch like an angry kangaroo. The things they’d done, the things that had happened, the choices made, the regrets—it all still churned inside him. He couldn’t let it go.

      But he also couldn’t regret knowing Kayla. She’d always been a joy. It was fantastic seeing her again.

      “This is Kayla,” he said casually to the redhead who was standing behind him, looking terrified. It appeared she wasn’t used to having castle security barge in through her locked door. “Her husband was my best buddy in the old days when we flew sorties out of Trialta together.”

      “Oh,” the redhead said weakly. Her teeth seemed to be chattering. “Nice to meet you, I’m sure.”

      “Yes,” Kayla responded and tried to smile at the girl.

      Max saw the confusion in her eyes and realized she was still digesting the situation she’d burst in on. It was pretty obvious she thought she’d found him having a “moment” here. That was hardly the case, though the redhead seemed to have thought it might turn into one, too.

      But he hadn’t been able to conjure up any interest. He’d been polite. He’d chatted. He’d accepted one small drink and the redhead had worked hard at creating a seductive scene. But he’d found himself looking out at the stars in the inky sky and listening to the strains of the orchestra from below in the ballroom, and all desire for that sort of satisfaction had melted away.

      But before he found a way to explain all that, the two guards stepped forward and began to slip metal restraints on his wrists.

      He looked down, startled. “What the hell is this?”

      “Sir,” Sgt. Marander said in an unfortunately pompous tone, “consider yourself in the custody of castle security.”

      Max blinked. He couldn’t accept this. Handcuffs? They had to be kidding. He quickly saw two or three ways out of the situation. He could easily handle the guards and …

      But then he looked up and met Kayla’s worried gaze. Her pretty face, her dark, clouded eyes and her long, silky blond hair all created in flesh a picture that had haunted him for two years. Adrenaline still sizzled inside him for a few seconds, then began to drain away.

      He wasn’t going to run from Kayla. Now that he’d found her again, he didn’t want to lose her until they’d had a chance to talk. If he СКАЧАТЬ