The Greek Wants a Wife: A Bride for the Island Prince / Georgie's Big Greek Wedding? / Greek Doctor Claims His Bride

“Don’t tell my dad. I’m not supposed to take it to school.”

She studied him for a minute. “If he finds out, I’ll tell him you’re using it to help Zoe. She’s never seen one of those. There’s an application on it that makes those animal sounds.”

“Oh, yeah—”

“It’ll fascinate her.”

“Cool.”

“See if you can get her to say cool, too.”

“Okay. This is fun.”

Dottie was glad he thought so. After trying to learn Greek at school and home, it had to be a big release for him to speak English. “Let’s go have a war with her and her daddy.” She took off her beach coat and slipped into the water. “You get on the whale. I’ll push you over to them and we’ll start splashing.”

“Won’t the prince get mad?”

“Yes.” Dottie smiled. “Real mad.”

His face lit up and they took off.

Hopefully Alex would get mad enough to forget his own problems for a little while. She’d suffered for him and his family all night. No matter her misgivings about spending full days with Zoe until the coronation, she couldn’t have turned Alex down last night. The look in his expression had been a study in anguish, aging him.

Once they reached their destination, the happy shrieks coming out of Zoe were just the thing to get their war started. For a good ten minutes they battled as if their lives depended on it. The best sound of all was Alex’s full-bodied laughter. After knowing how deeply he’d been affected by his family’s problems, Dottie hadn’t expected to hear it again.

When she came up for air after Alex’s last powerful dunk, his eyes were leveled on her features. “You’ve been holding out on me. All this time I thought maybe you couldn’t swim well. I was going to offer to teach you, but I was afraid you’d think I was a lecherous old man wanting to get my hands on you. After I showed up in your cabin on the yacht, now you know it’s true.”

She was thankful for the water that cooled her instantly hot cheeks. In the periphery she noticed Mark pushing Zoe around on the whale. He was talking a blue streak and had captured her full attention. The ice had been broken and they were oblivious to everyone else. Dottie couldn’t have been more pleased.

Alex followed her gaze. “Your experiment is working. She’s so excited by his attention, she hasn’t once called for either of us.”

“I’ve asked him to help her. He’s a darling boy.” In the next few minutes she told Alex about their conversation. “If all goes well today, how would you feel about Mark coming home with us from school on Friday?”

“I’m open to anything that will help her speech improve and make her happy.”

“Mark seems to be doing both. I’ve learned he’s been unhappy, so I was thinking maybe he could even come to Aurum with us on Saturday. Naturally you’d have to talk to his parents. If they’re willing, maybe he could make a visit to the island next week. You know, after his morning class at preschool. Zoe would have something exciting to look forward to and I know it would be good for him, too.”

His eyes glinted with an emotion she couldn’t read. “I can see where you’re going with this. If you think his being there will prevent her attachment to you from growing deeper, you couldn’t be more wrong. But as a plan to entertain them and help her, I like the idea.”

“Honestly?”

He ran suntanned hands through his wet black hair. Adonis couldn’t possibly have been as attractive. “I wouldn’t have said so otherwise.”

She expelled the breath she’d been holding. “Thank you. I was thinking Zoe and I could ride the ferry to Hellenica and meet him at the dock after he’s out of class. He could ride back with us and we could eat lunch on board. Mark can help her pronounce the names of foods, and she can teach him some more Greek words.”

Alex nodded. “I’ll fly him back with me in the helicopter in the evening.”

“You’d be willing to do that?”

He frowned. “By now I thought it was clear to you I’d do anything to help my daughter. In order to ensure that you stay with her until her uncle Stasi has been proclaimed king, I’ve even gone so far as to promise I won’t touch you again.”

She knew that and already felt the cost of it.

If he had any comprehension of how hard this was for her, too … They had no future together, but that didn’t mean she found it easy to keep her distance. She’d come alive in his arms. Because she was unable to assuage these yearnings, the pleasure had turned on her so she was in continual pain. This was the precise reason she didn’t want to have feelings for any man, not ever again, but it was far too late for that.

“Your Highness?”

Hector’s voice intruded, producing a grimace from Alex. Dottie hadn’t realized he’d come out to the pool. It seemed like every time she found herself in a private conversation with Alex, some force was afoot that kept wedging them further apart, At this point she was a mass of contradictions. Her head told her the interruption was for the best, but her heart—oh, her heart. It hammered mercilessly.

“King Alexandre-Philippe has arrived from Valleder and your presence is requested in the queen’s drawing room. The ministers have been assembled.”

Hearing that news, Alex’s face became an inscrutable mask. “Thank you, Hector. Tell her I’ll be there shortly.”

His gaze shot to Dottie’s. “I’m afraid this will be a long night. I’d better slip away now while Zoe’s having fun.”

“I think that’s a good idea. We’ll walk Mark out to his parents’ car before dinner. She can eat with me. Later I’ll take her to her bedroom and put her down.”

“You couldn’t have any comprehension of what it means to me to know you’re taking care of my daughter. Sofia will be there to help. I’ll try to get away long enough to kiss her good-night, but I can’t promise.”

“I understand.”

“If I don’t make it, I’ll see you at nine in the morning. After I’ve talked to Mark’s parents, we’ll see if he wants to join us on Saturday. I thought we’d take the cruiser to Aurum. Sofia will know what to pack for Zoe.”

“We’ll be ready.”

She heard his sharp intake of breath. “Zoe trusts you and loves being with you. Under the circumstances, it’s an enormous relief to me.”

“I’m glad. As for me, she’s a joy to be with, Your Highness.” She had to keep calling him by his title to remind herself of the great gulf between them no ordinary human could bridge. If she were a princess …

But she wasn’t! And if she’d been born a royal, he would have run in the other direction.

For him, any attraction to her stemmed from forbidden fruit. She was a commoner. It was the nature of a man or woman to desire what they couldn’t or shouldn’t have. In that regard they were both cursed!

Fathoms deep in turmoil, she noticed his eyes lingering on the curve of her mouth for a moment. She glimpsed banked fires in those incredibly dark recesses. He was remembering those moments on the yacht, too. Dottie could feel it and the look he was giving her ignited her senses to a feverish pitch.

With effortless male agility he suddenly levered himself from the pool and disappeared inside the palace. When he was gone, the loss she felt was staggering.

CHAPTER EIGHT (#ulink_e1b515b1-4096-5265-8f8e-acacffa13f94)

“HI, MARK!”

“Hi!”

He got out of his father’s limo and hurried along the dock to get in the cruiser. Zoe’s brown eyes lit up when she saw him. The two fathers spoke for a minute longer before Alex joined them and made sure everyone put on a life preserver.

The prince piloted the boat himself and they took off. Excitement suffused Dottie, crowding out any misgivings for the moment. She found the day was too wonderful. It seemed the children did, too. Both wore a perpetual smile on their animated faces. Zoe pointed out more fish and birds as they drew closer to their destination. While they were communicating, Alex darted Dottie an amused glance.

She wondered if he was thinking what she’d been thinking. What if his daughter and Mark were to share a friendship that took them through childhood to the teenage years? What if … But she forced her mind to turn off and think only happy thoughts. The island of Aurum was coming up fast. She’d concentrate on it.