Virgin Princess, Tycoon’s Temptation / The Secret Child & The Cowboy CEO: Virgin Princess, Tycoon’s Temptation

“A pleasure to meet you, Your Highness,” Garrett said with a smile, the picture of grace and etiquette, and Louisa all but beamed with pride. The situation couldn’t be more tense or uncomfortable, yet he’d handled it with ease.

“I’ll admit I was surprised when Louisa informed us this morning that you were joining us for dinner,” Chris said, and Louisa wanted to punch him. Garrett had to be wondering why she would wait until this morning to tell them. She didn’t want him to get the wrong idea, to think that she was ashamed of him or uncertain of her invitation.

Instead of appearing insulted, Garrett looked her way and flashed her that adorable, dimpled smile. “And I was a bit surprised when she asked.” His eyes locked on hers with a look so warm and delicious she almost melted. “I could hardly believe I was lucky enough to draw the attention of the most beautiful woman in the room.”

The honesty of his words and the admiration in his eyes warmed her from the inside out. The fact that he would speak so openly of his feelings for her, especially in front of her family, made her want to throw her arms around his neck and kiss him. But who wanted an audience for their first kiss?

Geoffrey appeared in the study door and announced, “Dinner is ready.”

Melissa held out her arm for Chris to take. “Shall we?”

“Go ahead without me. I’d like to have a private word with our guest.”

Louisa’s heart nearly stopped. Why did Chris need to see him alone? She prayed he wouldn’t say something embarrassing, or try to scare Garrett off. But if she made a fuss, it might only make things worse.

At Melissa’s look of hesitance he added, “We’ll only be a minute.”

Louisa flashed Garrett an apologetic look, but he just smiled, looking totally at ease as Melissa ushered everyone from the room.

With any luck, Garrett wouldn’t decide that pursuing a princess was just too much hassle and bring an end to their first date before it even began.

Three

And so it begins, Garrett thought as the rest of the family walked, or in Melissa’s case, waddled, from the room, leaving only himself and Prince Christian. He wondered if, had he been a royal, the Prince would feel this chat was necessary.

Well, it wouldn’t be long before Garrett had a royal title, garnering him all of the respect he had earned. Though time wasn’t an issue, he would still push for a quick engagement. The sooner they were married and settled, the sooner he could relax and begin enjoying all the fruits of his labor.

“Under normal circumstances it would be the King having this conversation with you,” Chris said.

But the King wasn’t well enough, so Garrett was stuck with the Crown Prince instead. He hadn’t yet decided if that was a good or a bad thing. “I understand.”

The Prince gestured to the sofa, and after Garrett sat, Chris took a seat in the armchair across from him. “As a precaution, I had a thorough background check performed on you.”

He had anticipated that, and as he had told Princess Louisa, he had nothing to hide. “Did they find anything interesting?”

“Actually, they didn’t find much of anything at all. Though ruthless in your business practices, as far as I can tell you’ve always kept it legal and ethical, and you seem to be a fair employer. You donate a percentage of your income to worthwhile charities—most having to do with education for the underprivileged—and as far as any brushes with the law, you’ve never had so much as a parking ticket.”

“You sound surprised.”

“I would expect that a man so elusive might have something to hide.”

“I certainly don’t mean to be elusive,” he said. “I simply lead an uncomplicated life. My work is my passion.”

“It shows. Your accomplishments are quite impressive.”

“Thank you.”

The Prince paused for a second, as though he was uncomfortable with what he planned to say next. “While I see no clear reason to be concerned, I’m obligated to ask, on the King’s behalf, what your intentions are regarding Princess Louisa.”

It seemed ridiculous to Garrett that, at twenty-seven years old, Louisa wasn’t allowed to make her own decisions regarding who she wanted to see socially. “Her Highness invited me to dinner and I accepted,” he said.

The simplicity of his answer seemed to surprise the Prince. “That’s it?”

“I admit I find your sister quite fascinating.”

“Louisa is … special.”

He said that as though that was an impediment, and Garrett felt an odd dash of defensiveness in her honor. Which was a little ridiculous considering he barely knew her.

“I’ve never met anyone quite like her,” he told the Prince.

“She tends to be a bit naive when it comes to the opposite sex. Men have taken advantage of that.”

Maybe if her family stopped sheltering her, she would learn not to be so gullible. However, that particular trait was working in his favor, so he could hardly complain. “Rest assured, I have nothing but the utmost respect for the Princess. I pride myself on being a very honorable man. I would never do anything to compromise her principles.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Chris said. “But of course I will have to discuss the matter with the King.”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

The shadow of a smile cracked the serious expression. “We’ve known each other a long time, Garrett. Call me Chris.”

With that request Garrett knew he was as good as in. Chris needing to speak with his father was merely a formality at this point. “I’m very much looking forward to getting to know you better,” Garrett told him.

“As am I.” Chris paused, his expression darkening, and said, “However, if you did take advantage of my sister, the consequences would be … unfortunate.”

The fact that Garrett didn’t even flinch seemed to impress Chris. Still, Garrett was going to have to be very cautious while he courted Louisa.

Chris rose from his chair and said, “Shall we join the others?”

Garrett stood and followed him to the dining room. The first course was just being served, and as soon as they entered the room, Louisa shot from her seat and gestured him to the empty chair beside her.

When they were seated again, she leaned close to him and whispered, “I’m so sorry he did that. I hope he wasn’t too hard on you.”

He gave her a reassuring smile. “Not at all.”

If he thought the worst was over, he realized quickly that it had only begun. He barely had a chance to taste his soup before Anne launched into the inquisition portion of the meal.

“I understand your father was a farmer,” she said, her tone suggesting that made him inferior somehow.

It had only been a matter of time before someone broached the subject of his humble beginnings, but he wasn’t ashamed of his past. He was instead very proud of his accomplishments. Although for the life of him he never understood why his parents hadn’t strived to better themselves. Why they settled for a life barely a step above poverty when they could have done so much more for themselves and their sons.

“All of his life,” Garrett told her. “My earliest memories are of working beside him in the fields.”

“Yet you didn’t follow in his footsteps,” Anne noted, her words sounding an awful lot like an accusation. Much the way his father had sounded when Garrett had informed him that he planned to leave the island to attend college.

“No, I didn’t. I wanted an education.”

“How did your father feel about that?”