Page 11 of Royal Hottie
I ignore the heat from his big hand on my lower back and allow it to remain there as a test of my fortitude. I will courageously resist temptation with every ounce of mental and emotional strength within me. Also, his hand feels too good to push away.
I look up at him. “So you just encourage her crush on you when there’s no chance?”
He shrugs one shoulder.
“What if she’s turning down guys because she thinks she’s in love with you?”
He drops his hand from my back and stares at me. “You think she’s in love with me?”
“Why not? You’re gorgeous, warm, and kind to her. Not to mention a frigging prince.”
A slow smile breaks until he’s smiling widely, his teeth flashing white against the dark stubble of his jaw. I am immune, dammit.
“What?” I ask.
“That might be the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me. The warm and kind part, not the frigging prince part.”
I give him my best menacing scowl, though being a petite five-foot happy pixie, I can never quite pull it off. “Just don’t break her heart. I like her.”
“I do too, Ruby. I do too.”
A stab of jealousy alarms me. Maybe Maya does have a chance with him.
And why do I care?
Chapter Four
Phillip
I’m only here to help out Anna. When my sister-in-law returns from her honeymoon to my steadfast refusal to set foot in a bachelor auction, at least I can feel good about helping her friend with the royal fantasy suite. I tell myself that’s more than enough. I will make myself useful to Ruby, and she will hopefully pass along how helpful I’ve been.
Except I know that’s not the only reason I’m here. I want to spend more time with Ruby. Yesterday when I kept my distance after her open friendliness, I felt like I’d lost something important. She’s beautiful and has such joie de vivre, an inner spark of enthusiasm, an energy I find irresistible. I can’t deny the attraction, and I know it goes both ways. It’s like a living, breathing thing between us. Would it be so bad if I acted on it?
Yes! It would be very bad. Anna already warned you off.
I pull out my phone. Look, there it is, Anna’s Ruby-is-forbidden text.We need her, and I can’t afford to have you screw it up like you do with every other woman.
And this little gem:I love you, just keep it in your pants.
I study our texts for a moment. You know, it doesn’t say I can’t befriendswith Ruby. I will stand on that virtuous mountain until I die of unsatisfied lust. Or until Ruby goes back to the US next week. That’s another good reason to keep it in my trousers. She’s leaving; I’m leaving. She’s not into casual sex, according to Anna, which means she’d regret a fling with me.
I’m not known for my steadfast commitment. Not since my ex, Lana. Our five-year relationship ended in a very public breakup that was well documented in the press and gossip rags. I admit I went a little nuts rutting my way through Europe after that. None of those women were right. I couldn’t make the leap to a third date let alone commitment. And then I met Hailey, the wedding planner for my sister Silvia’s wedding in the US. I purposely sabotaged myself by picking her to get closer to, a woman who was clearly in love with another man.
I exhale sharply. I’ve given up on finding the right woman. Maybe down the line I’ll agree to an arranged marriage to benefit the kingdom. It was an option offered to me and my siblings, though only Gabriel and Emma agreed to it. Gabriel changed his mind when he met Anna. Emma is still engaged and seems content with the arrangement.
I look down from the captain’s perch of the yacht, where I’ve been standing with the crew, at Ruby and Maya by the deck rail taking in the view as Villroy fades in the distance. They’re a study in contrasts—the blond Ruby with her hair wild and loose in the sea breeze, the brunette Maya, her hair mostly still contained in a neat bun. Maya is dressed in her uniform of white shirt and black trousers, while Ruby is all color in a vibrant floral dress in shades of red, pink, and yellow. Maya is composed propriety, albeit with a sense of humor. Ruby is looser, more open.
I take in the island that is home. It’s mostly untouched by modern times, though we do have cell phones and internet. The coastline is rugged with cliffs. Inlets with gorgeous sand beaches nestle between the cliffs. Port Axel is the main commercial base for fishermen, who mostly catch tuna, bass, monkfish, and shellfish. There’s an old lighthouse with a red top, the locals’ white boats anchored near the port, and farther out by the port are white buildings with red roofs for the commercial fishing industry. Inland and along the road to the palace are cottages, white with blue trim, and even farther out dunes and wetlands. Villroy is a part of me, and no matter how far away I travel, I always return home. I’m lucky enough to live in Amalie Palace, perched in the center of the island on a hill overlooking it all.
I join the women at the deck rail, standing next to Ruby. “Hello. Enjoying the view?”
She smooths her long dirty blond hair back behind her ears before turning to me. “Absolutely. The palace looks like something out of a fairy tale, even more so from a distance.”
I smile. I’ve heard that before, but to me it’s simply home. Amalie Palace is sandstone with copper roofs, five stories, reaching six stories in the two towers. There’s two long wings stretching out from the sides that form a courtyard in back, leading to manicured gardens and a long path to the sea.
“I think the last renovation is what put it over the edge with all the spires,” I tell her. “Fire took some of the earlier palaces. This one was built in the eighteenth century and renovated many times.”
She turns back to the view. “It’s enchanting.”
