Page 45 of Marrying a Prince

He glanced over at her. "There's no spare." He twisted his hands on the wheel and, she was pretty sure, let out a few Italian swear words.

"No spare?"

He shook his head. "I have a feeling it's Filippo's way of keeping tabs on me. If there's no way to change the tire, I'll have to call him to come get me." He sighed and leaned his head back.

"Well, we can walk," she said, trying to give him an encouraging smile.

He glanced over at her. "The next town isn't for twenty miles and it's dark." He shifted in his seat, pulling out his phone. "It's okay. I'll call him. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you. Your safety is more important."

She watched as he powered on his phone. A frustrated feeling rose up in her stomach.—she didn't want him to be disappointed. She reached out and stilled his hand. "It's okay. I can walk." She flexed her muscles. "I'm stronger than I look."

A smile played on his lips as he studied her. "Oh really?"

She nodded. "I pity any person who would try to fight me." She leaned over and kissed one of her biceps.

He hesitated and then lowered his phone. "You sure?"

"Yes. I didn't climb down the side of a castle like Rapunzel just to come back through the front door. If you need a break, let's take one. We can figure this out." She reached out and squeezed his hand.

He studied her and then nodded. "Okay. We can do this. But if something happens, I'm calling and we are going back."

She held up her right hand. "Promise."

He laughed as he grabbed the handle and pulled it open. "This'll be exciting. Me and you on the open road."

The sound of crickets filled the air as Marianna stepped out. With no other light around them, the moon and the stars shone against the black sky. She inhaled the fresh air as she looked around. It was peaceful here. Perhaps, this was what she needed—to leave the world and get lost in nature.

Her gaze made its way over to Leo, who was stretching. And getting lost with a prince? This was every girl’s dream. She was pretty lucky.

He must have felt her stare because he glanced over at her. When he met her gaze, he winked.

Heat permeated her cheeks as she studied the gravel beneath her feet.

Once their luggage was retrieved, Leo nodded toward the open road. "Are you ready, m'lady?"

She laughed. "Ready as I'll ever be."

They walked next to each other for the next thirty minutes. Leo filled the silence with stories of his childhood. It was fascinating, listening to all the etiquette classes, tutors, and arranged playdates he grew up with. Life as a royal was such a contrast to hers.

"What was primary school like for you as a child?" he asked.

She hesitated, not wanting to answer. It was hypnotizing, listening to his smooth accent. He seemed so much more at ease here in the middle of nowhere than he'd ever been at the castle. It was like the true Leo had finally come out.

Silence surrounded her, and she realized that he was waiting for her to answer. "It was normal. Well, as normal as it could be. I mean, you met my parents."

He chuckled. She glanced over to see the soft lines of his smile as the moon lit up his face. "Yeah, they are quite the characters."

"That's one way to put it," she said. Yes, she loved her parents, but they could be a handful sometimes.

He was quiet for a moment. "It must be nice," he said. His tone had deepened. She could hear the emotion in his voice.

"What?"

When he didn't answer right away, she feared that she'd said something wrong.

He sighed. "Knowing that no matter what you did, your parents would always support you."

And there it was. The truth. The reason he was out here, trekking with her down some deserted highway. He felt alone. In a castle with more residents than her high school graduating class he felt alone.

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