A Royal Temptation

She took a seat, her eyes widening as she waited for him to explain.

“It seems I might have need for your services.”

“My services? As an art advisor?”

“Well, yes. In a way. It would be something quite adventurous. You did say you liked adventure, didn’t you?”

“I do.”

“Well, then, let me explain. I don’t know how much you know about the history of Alma, but it’s been rumored that right before my family fled the country, they hid artwork dating back before World War II on the grounds of their abandoned farm. It’s very run-down and Tantaberra never went there, so it was the perfect hiding place. Now that I’m king, I want to find those treasured pieces belonging to the royal family. It would go a long way in helping the country heal and bring new hope to our people. Imagine what a find that would be.”

“It would be monumental,” she agreed. Fireworks lit in her eyes at the mention of hidden art.

Good. He had her attention.

“But I see that you’re vacationing here, so maybe you’d be too busy to help me locate the treasure.”

“You want my help in locating the artwork?”

“Yes, I would need someone to help me hunt for it, and then assess its value. You’d be able to look at something and determine if it’s authentic, I would imagine.”

“Yes, for the most part. It’s what I do. But you plan on doing this by yourself?”

“I can donate a few days of my time, yes. I wouldn’t want word to leak out about what I was doing. If I come up empty, or if there are other issues regarding the artwork we find, I would rather it not become public knowledge immediately. Bella and her husband had already begun renovations on the property but given the site’s historical significance, they’ve agreed to allow me to take over and devote the full resources of the crown to the project. As we speak, there is a team working on the grounds, getting it ready for my arrival. So Princess Portia, would you consider helping me? Of course, you’d be paid for your time.”

“So, this is a job offer?”

“Yes, I’m offering you a job and an adventure.”

She smiled, leaning forward and placing her hands on her crossed knee. “Who else will be there?”

He gathered his brows. “No one but my bodyguards. As I said, I plan to do this discreetly.”

“It’s intriguing, Your Majesty. But the two us alone, all that time?”

“Is that a problem for you?” God only knew, it was a problem for him. How could he keep his hands off her? It would be a living hell, but not worse than having her living a continent away. A few days was all he was asking of her.

“Maybe. Answer one thing for me, please.”

He extended his arms, palms up. “Anything.”

“Do you have an ulterior motive in offering me this opportunity? And please don’t make me spell it out.”

He smiled. She’d made her point and he wouldn’t do her a disservice by lying to her. “If you mean, do I value a few more days in your company, then yes. I suppose. But I do honestly have good reason to be asking this of you. You are an expert, are you not?”

“I am.”

The sparkle in her eyes evaporated.

“What is it?”

She rose from her seat, and good manners had him rising, too. She walked behind the chair, putting distance between them, and leaned her elbows on the back, a battle raging in her eyes, on her face. “I’m not presuming anything here, but I do have to tell you where I stand. It’s...it’s complicated. Because I do like you.”

Encouraging. He nodded.

“And that kiss we shared...well, it bordered on amazing.”

He nodded again. She had something to say and he wanted to hear it.

Or maybe not.

“But the truth is, you’re King Montoro of Alma. You’re new to this king thing, but you’ll find out how demanding a job it will be. And you’ll be in the spotlight. All. The. Time.”

“Does that worry you?”

“Yes. You see, I’m not one to share heartbreak stories, but in this case, I should probably share with you, why I’ve been—”

“Playing hard to get?” He couldn’t hold back a smile.

“Yes. Only I’m not playing. I’m seriously not interested in getting involved with a man with so much...glitter.”

“Glitter?” He laughed. “What’s that?”

“You’re always going to shine. No matter what.” His smile faded. She was dead serious. “And any woman who gets involved with you, will be giving up her identity, her dreams, her heart, to someone who has pledged his life to his country.”

“Who was he, Portia? Surely, someone has broken your heart.”

“Yes, my heart was broken. I don’t like talking about it, but since it’s important to our conversation, I’ll tell you about Travis Miles. He’s like a king in America, a big time Hollywood celebrity.”

Juan Carlos nodded. “Of course I know of him. I don’t go in much for entertainment news, but he sure has quite a résumé.”

“Travis knows everyone of substance in the country from sports figures and superstars to high-ranking politicians. We ran hot for a short time, and then...I became old news to him. He didn’t have time for me and we began seeing less and less of each other. Shortly after, I found out he’d been cheating on me with a woman on the staff of his TV show for a long time. Seems that everyone knew about it but poor little gullible me. He’d made me out to be a fool and my career and credibility suffered. It’s taken me three years to get my reputation back. Princess or not, I wasn’t immune to the blonde-bimbo stigma and so now, I’m cautious. Which is why your royal status isn’t a plus in my book.”

He stood with hands on hips, silent, taking it all in. He understood her caution. The pain in her eyes, the tremor in her voice were telling, and his heart hurt hearing her confession. He should leave and let her resume her vacation. He shouldn’t press her. But his feet were planted and they weren’t moving. He couldn’t face not seeing her again.

“If things were different, would you accept my offer?”

“Yes,” she said, her eyes clear now. “I wouldn’t hesitate. It sounds far too exciting to pass up.”

“Then let’s pretend that we’ve just met. There was no amazing kiss from before. We haven’t danced and spent time together. This is a business meeting. And I promise to keep things completely professional between us.”

“Why is it so important to you?” she asked.

“Because, I...I see how much you want to say yes. I see that you’d love to locate the secret artworks.”

“And you promise that after we discover this wonderful treasure, we’ll just be friends?”

He let a split second go by. He was a man of his word. If he promised, he’d have to adhere to his vow, regardless of how much he wanted things to be different.