Page 33 of Incognito

Somehow, having Natasha see him in a good light had become important to him. He liked her, beyond her beauty and sassy mouth, and a small part of him wanted more. A lot more.

But what could ‘more’ entail? He didn’t want to indulge in a tawdry fling with her. Natasha was too special for that. Yet he didn’t have time to explore anything deeper.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have many options, and for a smart man used to making economical decisions for a country andrunning world-affair meetings, he didn’t like the strange fog pervading his brain when it came to Natasha.

He needed clarity, some idea of what to do about his growing attraction to a woman who sparked him like no other ever had. Instead, she had him so befuddled that he couldn’t think beyond how great it felt to spend time with her.

Gina snorted and shook her head. “Oh no.”

“What’s wrong?”

Gina waggled a finger at him. “You’ve got an odd expression, big brother.”

“Probably indigestion from that awful gnocchi you fed me earlier.”

“More like a case of wanting to have your cake and eat it too.”

He should ignore Gina or change the subject, but Paolo hadn’t returned with the nanny yet, leaving Dante no option but to face the firing squad.

Besides, he loved his sister, no matter how intrusive and obnoxious she could be, and they rarely got to see each other these days.

“Okay, I’ll bite.” He rolled his eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Gina huffed out an exasperated breath, like she had to explain her logic to a child. “We both know Mother will have you betrothed as soon as you step off the plane in Calida, because she won’t hand over the crown without you being engaged. So this thing with yourfriendNatasha is your way of having what you want before getting what you don’t.”

Gina smiled and to Dante’s surprise, it held a tinge of sadness rather than smug satisfaction or her usual gloating.

“I don’t envy you, that’s for sure.” She tut-tutted. “It must be tough having your life mapped out.”

You don’t know the half of it, Dante thought.

“It’s my duty.”

“But is it what you want?”

Dante cast a quizzical glance at Gina. He’d never seen her like this: serious, compassionate, interested in him rather than the latest fashion trend.

“It’s irrelevant what I want.”

He learned that from an early age.

When the village kids could skip down to the water’s edge and jump off the cliffs into the crystal clear azure sea, he’d be flanked by surly bodyguards warning him of the dangers.

When his few teenage friends wanted to ride beat-up old scooters around the island, he had to stay behind to entertain the neighbouring island’s king’s son.

When he finally reached a legal age and could’ve partied and got drunk like other guys his age, he’d been busy taking diplomacy lessons and learning to speak five languages.

No, it didn’t matter what he wanted.

It never had.

To his surprise, Gina crossed the short space separating them and gave him a quick hug. “You’re one of the good guys, Dante. And believe it or not, I’m on your side.”

“Thanks,” he said, glad he’d made this trip to Australia.

He’d seen firsthand that Gina had her life on track, Paolo was adorable, and next week, Dante would secure a few trade deals for Calida.

As for Natasha, he still had no idea where they went from here.

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