Page 27 of Raul
Pascal nodded. “He’s very protective of our dragons. He regards them as a symbol of the royal family.”
The anger lingered, but the sun had brightened again as she savored the thought of spending more time with the mesmerizing prince.
“I’ll make sure to tell him about this,” she said with a lilt in her voice.
Chapter 7
The next morning, Erica followed a palace staffer down a long stone-floored hallway lined with paintings, tapestries, and a couple of suits of armor. She had been to the publicsalónsof Castillo Draconago, but this was the first time she had been in the private wing, where the royal family had their apartments.
When she had texted Raul that she had information to share about the hole that had tripped him, he had insisted that she come to discuss it in person. She was trying to pretend that her excitement was because she got to go to the palace. But that was a lie. It was the prince who made her breath come faster.
Her high-heeled black pumps sank into the thick teal-green carpeting, making her miss her comfortable hiking shoes. But she would not dare to go to the royal palace in anything less than the tailored gray trousers, blue silk blouse, and navy blazer that she wore for this visit. She had toned down her usual taste in dangly earrings to small gold hoops and pulled her hair back in a low ponytail. Professional and unobtrusive.
They approached a door with a guard on either side.
“Erica Ortiz,” the staffer said. “El principeis expecting her.”
The guard nodded and opened the door for her while the staffer smiled and departed.
Erica walked into a large living room that seemed full of people sprawled on comfortable couches and chairs. The space was surprisingly casual with multiple seating groups anchored by richly colored Oriental rugs. Polished wooden tables, brass lamps, and vivid landscapes added warm accents that glowed in the sunlight pouring through the tall arched windows.
“Erica! It’s good to see you. My apologies for not greeting you properly.” Raul’s voice shimmered over her skin, and she wondered if her face was as lit up as his was. Dressed in jeansand a white polo shirt, his feet bare, he lay on a green velvet sofa with his injured ankle propped on several pillows and surrounded by ice packs.
Despite the crowd, she wanted to stretch out on the sofa beside him, to feel those long, well-muscled legs entwined with hers, to rest her head on his chest and hear his heartbeat, to have his strong arms wrap around her.
Where did that come from?
“Oh, thank God!” The red-haired young woman sitting with her back to the door turned with a smile and a wink. “If I hear one more word from Raul about ‘stemming’ or ‘chimneys,’ I will scream. Hi, I’m Grace.”
Yanked out of her crazy fantasy, Erica recognized the newprincessa, the daughter the king hadn’t known he had until a few months ago. The woman had grown up in Iowa, having no idea she was Calevan royalty. Such a strange and fantastic story.
Erica dropped a curtsy, which Grace waved off. “No need for that stuff here.”
“You know everyone else,” Raul said, sweeping his hand to indicate her boss,el DuqueGabriel, and his fiancée, Quinn, another American transplant.
She hesitated. She didn’t normally curtsy to Gabriel or Quinn when she was piloting their jet, but this was a different milieu.
“Come and sit.” Gabriel solved her problem by gesturing to an armchair beside Raul. “Would you like something to drink?”
“No,gracias.” She wove through the chairs and tables, her heels once again sinking into the luxurious carpet, to reach the indicated seat.
So many royals in one room. The two men—one heir to the throne, the other a brilliant musician and duke—exuded an inborn aura of confidence and power that they weren’t even aware of. The two American women projected a different kind of confidence, one that came from being good at what they did.Quinn was a genius at cyber investigation, while Grace was not only a princess but a veterinarian who was creating Caleva’s first vet school.
Erica reminded herself that being a pilot for a member of the royal family was not nothing. She sat up straighter to bolster her confidence.
“How is your ankle?” she asked Raul. “What did the doctors say?”
“They said that he has to stay off it for three days, and he keeps trying to schedule meetings,” Quinn said. “So we’re here to enforce the medical decree to rest.”
“I thought you were here for the pleasure of my company,” Raul said with a grin.
“Not when all you can talk about is rock climbing,” Grace said.
Gabriel shook his head, his long dark hair catching glints of light. “Erica, you did your job too well. He has become an enthusiast and throws around climbing jargon that none of us understands. You can be our translator.”
“Oh, and you’ve never once mentionedrasgueoorpicado,” Raul retorted.
“Those are flamenco guitar terms,” Quinn explained to the room, pushing her oversized, black-rimmed glasses up on her nose.
