Royal Holiday Baby. Leanne Banks

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      Alarm rushed through her. What on earth had she done? What on earth was she doing? Her security detail would be descending on her any minute. She was surprised they hadn’t shown up already.

      Oh, that wouldn’t do, she thought, cringing at the image of Rolfe, her head security man, bursting through the door. She had never caused a scandal. She was the dependable one. Her brother Stefan, the crown prince, was the one with a temper. Her younger sister was the beautiful, impetuous one with the whole family breathing a sigh of relief that she was settling down. Her other younger siblings were involved with their own lives and personal dramas. Getting them to help with royal duties was like pulling teeth from a wild boar.

      Tina was the go-to princess. Someone had to be. She should leave before Zach was dragged into the craziness of her life. Her heart twisted with regret as she studied the hard planes of his face, his dark eyelashes and his dark hair, mussed by her fingertips.

      He’d given her a sliver of an out-of-time, out-of-body experience. Thank goodness for these few hours, she thought. She’d never felt more like a woman. Sadness twisted through her as realization sank through. She might never feel like this again.

      Sunlight seeped through the blinds of Zach’s condominium window. He didn’t open his eyes, feeling a bone-deep relaxation and satisfaction that prevented him from any muscle movement. His muscles were relaxed, his mind blessedly blank. For a full moment.

      Then flashes of the night before skittered across his brain. His eyes still closed, he saw a woman with sexy, plump lips and inviting eyes and a body that made him hard. Again.

      He opened his eyes. Tina. He glanced around the bed and inhaled, smelling the scent of her. Where had she gone?

      “Tina,” he called, lifting up on his elbow.

      Silence answered him.

      “Damn,” he muttered and raked his hand through his hair. He shouldn’t have brought her here, he thought. She was Keely and Brent’s friend. He was supposed to see her safely back to their place.

      But she’d been so soft and sexy and irresistible. And now she’d run out on him.

      Not until he’d taken her over the edge, he reminded himself. Several times. For both of them. He couldn’t remember a wilder night. Not even with his wife.

      His gut squeezed at the thought. His dead wife and his dead baby. For a little while, Tina had given him something else to think about. His elbow scraped against something. Metal, he thought, scooping up a small chain. He studied it for a moment, noting the catch had broken. He remembered the way the silver bracelet had played over her skin when she’d caressed him with her hands and mouth.

      He closed his eyes, his sense of pleasure and ease evaporating quickly. His little break from pain was over, and his time of torture and self-recrimination had returned.

      Twelve hours later, Tina sat in her brother’s parlor waiting for his to-do list. He usually delivered it via e-mail, but Tina suspected that since she’d ditched her cell phone for that one night at the masquerade party, he didn’t trust electronic communication. Or perhaps he just didn’t trust her.

      Her brother’s assistant had already bowed in greeting a few moments ago. Standing, he waved his hand to the door to Stefan’s office. “His Royal Highness will see you now,” he said.

      Tina could have pushed to eliminate the wait, but after rushed good-byes to her friend Keely, and her transatlantic flight to Chantaine, she was grateful for a moment to catch her breath. “Thank you, Pete,” she said and entered her brother’s office.

      Her brother stood, even though his royal position made it unnecessary, and rounded his large, antique desk. He opened his arms to give her a quick hug. “Welcome home,” he said. “Why is it that we seem to get hit with an onslaught of royal duties every time you leave the country?”

      She smiled. “It’s the same amount of duties as always. No one picks up the slack.”

      “I’ve noticed that,” he said with a frown. “Both Bridget and Phillipa have finished their education. They should take on more.”

      “Good luck with that,” she said. “They both have more excuses than there are grains of sand on Senesia Beach,” she said, referring to the most popular beach of their island kingdom. “I take it you tried giving them assignments.”

      “They ignore me,” he said, his expression incredulous. “Turn off their cell phones, lose e-mails. If they were staff, they would have been fired ten times over.”

      Tina laughed. “Tough to fire your sisters.”

      He shook his head and his mouth drew into a frown. “I’m considering other measures. You’ve told me again and again about your American friends who believe in earning their way. I can put a limit on their charge cards.”

      “Ouch,” Tina said. “There will be lots of screaming. You may try negotiating first.”

      “I’m thinking of putting you in charge of them. They need to be trained.”

      Tina shook her head. “No way. Even Mother didn’t train me. A longtime advisor taught me everything. You can bring her out of retirement for the job,” she said. If she doesn’t quit.

      Stefan wrinkled his brow. “Something has to be done. With Ericka’s upcoming wedding, you’ll be busier than ever. I’m focused on plans for the economy and facilitating our diplomatic relationships with countries that can boost our GDP.”

      “What do the advisers say?

      “They recommend that I take a wife. I have no time for courting with my schedule.”

      “You could always just accept one assigned by the advisers. That’s what you wanted me to do,” she said, unable to resist the dig. Both her father and brother had urged her to accept an arranged marriage to a man twice her age because he was an Italian count.

      “You could have done worse,” he said.

      “What about Princess Margherita from Italy?” she retorted.

      He cringed. “I couldn’t bear her laugh for a night let alone for the rest of my life.”

      “But think of your country, your duty,” she began, echoing the same words he’d used with her.

      “Enough,” he said sharply, lifting his hand.

      Tina could tell by the flicker of the tiny muscle in his jaw that she’d pushed a little too far for his comfort. Stefan struggled with his temper, especially when he felt as if things were out of his control.

      “The purpose of this meeting is not to discuss your marital prospects or mine,” he said. “The purpose is to discuss where you disappeared to for over eight hours last night. Rolfe said he couldn’t reach you by cell and that your hostess refused to name your whereabouts when asked.”

      Tina felt a twist of irritation. “Rolfe is a tattletale.”

      “He was doing his job,” Stefan said. “You know better than this. You must always remain available via your cell. You must always have protection.”

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