Not-So-Perfect Princess. Barbara Wallace

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СКАЧАТЬ should leave you.” Alejandro took a step toward the staircase. “I don’t want my brother to think I’m trying to steal his princess bride.”

      Would Alejandro do that? Her pulse skittered thinking he might.

      Stop. Now. She couldn’t allow herself to be carried away with girlish fantasies. She raised her chin. “Enrique wouldn’t think—”

      “Yes, he would.”

      “Have you stolen his girlfriends in the past?”

      His eyes raked over her. “No, we have different taste in women.”

      Alejandro’s stark appraisal should have made her feel uncomfortable, but he also made her feel sexy, a way she’d never felt before. She wet her lips. “Would your being the black sheep and all the gossip have something to do with Enrique feeling this way?”

      Alejandro grinned wryly. “Possibly.”

      “So the rumors and stories are true.”

      “Some are,” he admitted. “Others are exaggerations.”

      He was a gorgeous prince. That often led people to act out of …”I’m sure a few tales are due to jealousy.”

      He eyed her curiously. “Has this happened to you?”

      “Oh, no. I’m about as proper a princess as you’ll find.”

      “Proper with obvious skills of manipulation.”

      “Proper with practiced social skills and manners that help others get along.”

      “Yet you downplay your intelligence by saying your knowledge about international trade is nothing but a hobby.”

      His perceptiveness made her feel like a mouse caught in a trap. He might be a black sheep and prefer to go barefoot, but he was sharp. She’d have to watch herself. “Education opportunities for females in my country exist, but are limited. Women are allowed to hold only certain jobs. We must work within the system. I’ve been more fortunate than others and able to use my time traveling abroad to … expand my knowledge base. But the last thing my country wants is their princess spouting off how smart she thinks she is.”

      Laughter lit Alejandro’s eyes and made her temperature rise ten degrees. “You’ll be good for Enrique. Keep him on his toes. But he won’t mind.”

      “I hope not. What about you?” Jules liked the easy banter between them. Earlier when she’d arrived, she thought Alejandro didn’t like her. “Will you mind not being second in line for the throne after Enrique and I have children?”

      He glanced inside once again. “I can honestly say the more children you and my brother are blessed with, the happier I’ll be. I’ve been hoping to be made an uncle for years.”

      His words sounded genuine. She ignored her disappointment that he wouldn’t want her himself. That was stupid. Her father would never approve of a man like Alejandro, and she needed to be a queen to best help Brandt and Aliestle. “That’s sweet of you.”

      “The kitten is sweet. I’m not.” He took two steps down the stairs. “Enrique’s on his way out here. That’s my cue to fade back into the shadows.”

      Alejandro’s cryptic words intrigued her. “Do you usually hang out in the shadows?”

      “Yes, I do.”

      She watched him disappear into the night.

      Behind her, footsteps sounded against the terrace’s tile floor. A familiar scent of aftershave enveloped her. She didn’t like the fragrance. Still better than the alternative, she reminded herself.

      Jules leaned forward over the railing, but couldn’t see Alejandro. “I hope your call went well.

      “It did.” Enrique stood next to her. “But you needn’t worry about state business. The wedding should be your focus.”

      “I’ve been thinking about our wedding.” She wondered if Alejandro was listening from below. Not that she minded if he eavesdropped. A part of her wished he was here with her instead of his brother. “And children, too.”

      “We are of like minds.” Enrique placed his hand over hers. His skin was warm and soft. His nails neatly trimmed. Not the hands of a sailor or gardener. “Heirs would please my father.”

      “Mine, too.” Her duty was to extend the bloodline. But Jules also wanted babies of her own. She remembered helping the nurses with each of her brothers. She wanted to be more involved with raising her children than her stepmother.

      Enrique’s eyes darkened. “Once we are married we shouldn’t waste any time starting a family.”

      His suggestive tone made her shiver. Not a surprising reaction given she’d never discussed sex with any of her matches before. Offspring had always been assumed. “I would like a big family. At least four children.”

      He tucked her hair behind her ears. “I hope they all look like you.”

      His compliment was nice, but the words didn’t make her feel warm and fuzzy the way Alejandro’s had. “Thank you.”

      “My brother will be pleased to know you want so many children,” Enrique said. “He can’t wait to fall lower in the line of succession. I believe if he could give away or relinquish his title he would without a second thought.”

      “I can’t imagine anyone wanting to do that,” she admitted. “But Alejandro does have his boats.”

      She envied his ability to follow his dreams.

      “Nothing matters but those damn boats. Sailing has consumed him. He works as a manual laborer, a commoner, refusing to take advantage of the free publicity being a royal engaged in business always brings.”

      Enrique’s critical tone didn’t surprise Jules. The two brothers seemed to always be going at each other. But sometimes that might keep them from seeing a situation more clearly. “If Alejandro wins the Med Cup, he’ll earn respect. New customers.”

      “He won’t win with a new design,” Enrique said. “Competition is fierce. The best crews are going to be on well-known, tested designs. Too bad my brother is too stubborn to use the same boat as last year. But he always wants something newer, better. That’s one reason I doubt he’ll ever marry. He upgrades the women in his life like they were cars.”

      The picture Enrique painted of his younger brother was not flattering. Jules wondered if this was one of the stories Alejandro had mentioned. The two brothers needed to get along better. That gave her an idea.

      “Sail his other boat for him,” she said. “The one he sailed last year.”

      “I haven’t raced since my duties became expanded. State business takes up the majority of my time.”

      His curt tone rebuked her. “It was only a suggestion.”

      “Racing in open water isn’t without risks.”

      “I’ve never СКАЧАТЬ