Brandishing a Crown. Rita Herron

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СКАЧАТЬ his gaze slid down the ball cap to the dainty nose and full pink lips, and he swallowed hard. He’d expected a mannish woman below that cap, and granted this woman bore no makeup or feminine clothing, but his belly tensed with a sudden spark of attraction.

      She might not be dressed for seduction, but a keen intelligence and innocence lay in her expression. And a sensuality that sent a sliver of desire straight through his groin. “Prince Stefan?”

      The soft timbre of her voice startled him even more. The gods, she had a bedroom voice. “You know who I am?” he finally asked.

      A tiny smile curved her mouth, friendly at first, then twisting with displeasure. “Of course. Doesn’t all of America?”

      He simply stared at her, speechless, and for the first time in his life, completely out of his element. He had bedded countless women in his years, yet this tomboyish female had his tongue tied in knots.

      How could this be?

      Fahad cleared his throat. “And you are, Miss?”

      The woman rose, putting her almost a good half-foot below his six-two, her gloved hands by her sides. “Jane Cameron, forensics. I’m here with the crime lab to analyze and process the crime scene.”

      Fahad introduced himself and explained his presence. “And we are here to find out about this victim,” Fahad said.

      Fahad’s words jerked Stefan back to the matter at hand, and he shifted his gaze to the dead man on the ground.

      The last thing he needed was a feminine distraction. And the silky strands of hair peeking from the ball cap and spiraling around Jane Cameron’s face and shoulders was definitely distracting.

      “This man is not Sheik Aziz,” Fahad said matter-of-factly. “He was the driver, Bahur Adler.”

      Jane Cameron planted her hands on her hips. Blast it. She also had curves.

      “Forgive me, but under the circumstances, how can you tell?” Jane asked.

      “The medallion around his neck, Bahur always wore it,” Fahad said. “And he was missing the index finger on his right hand. He lost it in a childhood explosion in his country.”

      As if on cue, Stefan’s gaze fell to the man’s right hand. No index finger.

      Stefan breathed a momentary sigh of relief that Amir might have survived. But if he wasn’t here or in the limo, where was he?

      JANE’S BREATH HITCHED as she stared at Prince Stefan. His green eyes hid a well of emotions, but she read fear, worry, caution and distrust.

      Although for a second, those eyes had flickered with something else when she’d first looked up at him. He’d been surprised that she was a female. When his gaze had fallen on her mouth, she’d had to wet her lips with her tongue because they suddenly felt dry.

      Then an odd look had crossed his stoic face. Not just surprise, but as if he might be pleased at what he saw. As if he found her attractive…

      She swiped at a drop of perspiration beading on her upper lip.

      Ridiculous. The heat and lack of sleep must be getting to her.

      Not only would he laugh at the idea of her being attracted to him, but she didn’t want any part of the limelight.

      She’d had enough of that after her mother’s death. Plain Jane in front of the camera, news reporters dogging her, strangers staring and prying, whispering and gossiping.

      How could that odd little girl be the model-beautiful Genevieve Cameron’s daughter?

      “We’ll transport this man’s body to the morgue for an autopsy,” Sheriff Wolf said, interrupting her trip down memory lane. “And we’ll need contact information so we can request his medical records to verify his ID.”

      “Of course,” Fahad said. “I will make the necessary calls immediately.”

      Jane noticed Ralph speak to the coroner as he arrived. Prince Stefan visually scanned the area where the vehicle had exploded. Remnants of metal, plastic and glass littered the asphalt, filling the air with the stench of smoke, charred metal and burned rubble.

      “Did the driver suffer?” Prince Stefan asked quietly.

      Jane studied the dead man’s remains. “The explosion probably killed him instantly, then the body burned post mortem.”

      The prince nodded. “Have you discovered evidence of another victim inside the vehicle?”

      “Let me examine the limo and I’ll let you know.” She frowned. “Why the interest?”

      Prince Stefan gave her a cautious look, then lowered his voice. “Our group used this limo earlier. It is important we know if this bomb was intended for us.”

      “You think you could have been the target?”

      Prince Stefan shrugged. “One of our men took it after the rest of us retired. I need to know if he was inside.” He touched her arm gently. “But we do not wish this news to be public. You understand, Miss Cameron? It could cause panic, and we do not know who we can trust.”

      His fingers sent a jolt of heat through her. A sexual kind of heat that she didn’t want. Yet his words stirred caution. Had they received threats?

      “Call me Jane,” she said. “And don’t worry, Prince. I dislike the media myself and will protect the investigation. They won’t learn anything from me.”

      He studied her for a long moment as if debating whether or not to believe her, but finally gave a clipped nod.

      More disturbed by his presence than she wanted to admit, Jane pulled away. “Now, I need to examine the vehicle. We might find clues as to the identity of the killer from the type of bomb and material used.”

      “And the detonation device,” Prince Stefan said.

      Jane raised a brow. “You know about detonation devices?”

      A small smile lifted the corner of his mouth. “My military expertise was with explosives. But I’d rather you not make that public, either.”

      Jane bit back a sardonic smile. Dammit, he wasn’t only sexy as hell, he was intelligent. She felt as if he’d lit some kind of fire in her belly. “I’m sure you wouldn’t.”

      She spotted Ralph eyeing her and strode to the limo. Hopefully, she’d be able to assure the prince that this bomb had nothing to do with the royals, then he could leave, and she wouldn’t have to deal with him again.

      He was far too dangerous and tempting for a girl like her. Drooling over him would do nothing but lead to heartache, rejection, and put her in front of the media.

      One place she never intended to be again.

      STEFAN TENSED as Jane pulled away from him and rushed over to the limo to examine it. Something had passed between them when he’d touched her. A charged heat that had surprised him.

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