Diamonds are Forever: The Royal Marriage Arrangement / The Diamond Bride / The Diamond Dad

Lucca frowned before glancing at his watch. He’d been asleep three hours already? How was that possible?

“Is Princess Alexandra up yet?”

“If she is, she hasn’t left her cabin.”

The thought of seeing her this morning produced an adrenaline rush, bringing him fully awake. “Before we’re ready to land, ask her to join me in the study.”

He nodded and left the cabin.

Once Lucca had showered and shaved, he opened his closet doors. After a quick perusal, “The tan suit I think with the brown silk shirt. No tie,” he muttered to himself.

Five minutes later he entered the study to discover she was seated near the window drinking coffee. Filled with relief that yesterday’s earthshaking events hadn’t been a figment of his imagination, his muscles relaxed.

“Buongiorno, Alexandra.”

“Buongiorno, Lucca. Come va?”

She must have asked the steward for help. It pleased him she was already trying to communicate in his native tongue. One day she would be fluent.

“Va bene. Grazie.” His gaze took in her plum-colored silk mandarin-collar shirt and gray denims. She had superb dress sense. Most Italian women of his personal acquaintance weren’t as tall. None had her artless sophistication. When he realized he was staring, he poured himself coffee from the tray placed on the table. Then he sat down opposite her. “How did you sleep?”

She smoothed some hair away from her temple in an unconsciously feminine gesture. “Probably as well as you did.”

He chuckled before swallowing the hot liquid. “If we’re always this honest with each other, we’ll have no problems.”

“Lucca—” She put her mug in the drink holder. “This is all new territory for both of us and we’ll have to make it up as we go along, but there are a few things we need to discuss before I meet your parents.” Her breathlessness was more pronounced this morning, a sign her composure was only surface deep.

“You took the words out of my mouth. As soon as we land, I’ll do my best to prepare you so you’ll feel at ease.”

In reaction to his comment she rolled those fabulous eyes of hers. The unexpected gesture made him smile. Along with everything else about her, Alexandra had a healthy sense of humor. Living with her was going to be fun.

With perfect timing the seat-belt light flashed on. “Have you been to Europe before?”

“No.”

They both buckled up.

“I envy you seeing everything for the first time.”

Her knuckles looked white where she gripped the armrests. “If there is a first time.”

Lucca’s laughter resounded in the cabin. He’d done this hundreds of times before, but had forgotten the steep descent wasn’t to everyone’s taste. While she took in the view of one of the world’s most famous coastlines, he preferred to concentrate on the view seated across from him. She was all soft shoulders and long legs.

Mio dio, her mouth …

No sooner had they taxied to a stop than Lucca was at his desk, talking to someone on the phone. Alex sensed a hum of activity both in and outside the plane.

Cocooned as she was in the body of the jet, she felt a certain comfort in being relatively isolated from the world, but her heart did a double clutch to realize that before long she’d be stepping into his world. The gravity of what she’d done was starting to seep in.

Footsteps in the corridor drew her attention away from the window where she could see men and maintenance vehicles clustering around to service the plane. Her ear picked up a woman’s voice.

Alex felt her stomach muscles bunch in apprehension. Lucca had virtually promised her they’d talk before she met his parents. Surprised she might not be able to trust him after all, she turned to him. However, no words escaped because the steward had just wheeled in a cart of food. Behind him came a woman who couldn’t possibly be his mother.

“Lucca—” cried the adorable-looking female who launched herself at him. She was maybe five-four with a cap of glossy black curls and a figure to rival that of Gina Lollobrigida.

Alex’s boss, Michelle, had worked around movie stars for years and thought the curvaceous Italian film idol of the fifties was the essence of feminine beauty. Apparently, Lucca thought the same thing. Was this the woman he loved? His dark eyes flashed with emotion as he rushed around to crush her in his arms.

“Regina,” he murmured.

The sight of him rocking her curvy body dressed in a trendy-looking, ribbed top in navy with white cargo pants drew a groan from Alex. Though she’d made a promise to herself to help the two of them all she could, she hadn’t expected to be thrown in at the deep end this fast.

Obviously, something very private was going on. The other woman was crying gut-wrenching tears. They seemed to pour from her soul, and why not? After all, the separation must be brutal for both of them. Even Alex with only ten Italian words in her vocabulary at the moment could tell he was crooning endearments to her. Suddenly she knew a terrible envy to be loved like that.

The steward continued to lay out breakfast, seemingly oblivious to their uninhibited reunion. Alex wished she could remain as unaffected. Shocked by another strange jolt of pain and embarrassed for anyone to notice, she turned her head away and ended up looking blindly out the window again.

“Regina? I want you to meet someone.” Lucca had switched to English. That was Alex’s cue to give them her attention. With pounding heart, she pivoted around, then came to an abrupt stop because the lovely face and moist eyes staring at her was the feminine version of Lucca’s.

She was his sister!

A wave of intense relief washed over Alex, catching her by surprise. She clung to the back of the seat.

“May I present Princess Alexandra Carlisle Grigory of Beverly Hills, California. Alexandra? I would like you to meet my one and only sibling, Princess Regina Schiaparelli Vittorio.”

“How do you do?” both women said at once and shook hands. The puzzled, curious look in his sister’s expression couldn’t hope to match Alex’s dazed condition. In trying to recover, she made the mistake of glancing at Lucca.

His eyes were so alive Alex knew he had to be thinking about the freedom he now had. It wouldn’t be long now before he could go to his lover and tell her there was a way they could be together. “Regina, I wanted you to be the first to know that Alexandra has consented to be my wife.”

Following that revelation a gasp broke from his sister. Her eyes, a burgundy brown, stared at Alex in shock before darting to Lucca. “I-is this the truth?” she stammered, as if she were afraid to believe it.

“As God is my witness,” came his solemn response.

Alex wasn’t prepared for the way Regina’s eyes lit up or her strong hug that came close to knocking Alex down. It was a good thing she was taller and could take the impact.

Once again Lucca’s sister was sobbing, but these seemed to be happy sobs for her brother who appeared to have picked the bride he wanted. All these years Regina had to have been aware of Lucca’s pain. Now she was misinterpreting the situation, but it didn’t matter. In witnessing the degree of love Regina felt for her brother, Alex was more determined than ever to facilitate matters for the two lovers.

Already Alex loved Regina for being so devoted to him. This was the way family should be, all for one and one for all. Lucca’s happiness was the goal that would bind her friendship with his sister.

Over Regina’s heaving shoulder, Alex met Lucca’s gaze. His dark orbs were thanking her. She smiled slowly at him, letting him know he could trust her to be his friend. He smiled back. The moment was so piercingly sweet she closed her eyes to savor it.

In the next instant Regina moved out of his arms. “Forgive me,” she said, wiping her eyes. “What a beginning!”

“Being an only child I’ve always wondered what it would be like to have a sister,” Alex confided. “I’m no longer nervous.”

Regina laughed gently, but was still shaking her head, bewildered. “How did it happen? Where did you two meet? When? Mama and Papa know nothing! This has to be the best-kept secret of the century.”

Better stick to the truth as much as possible. “In a roundabout way through my mother.”

“That’s right. On business,” Lucca added. “Let’s eat while we talk, shall we?” By tacit agreement the three of them sat down at the table.