The Royal House of Niroli: Secret Heirs: Bride by Royal Appointment / A Royal Bride at the Sheikh's Command

She held back a chuckle. “What did you do?”

He shrugged. “I threw some money at them and grabbed the kid and got out of there. Believe me, I don’t think we should go back. We’ve been wandering the streets ever since.” He sighed. “So now we have to find a new place to stay. Then I’ll send for our clothes.”

He threw some money at them. She nodded silently, thinking that was probably what he did with a lot of things. Got a problem? No big deal. Here’s some money so I don’t have to think about it anymore. Heaven help any woman who got involved with a man like this.

Not that she was in any danger of that. She was pretty sure she’d made it clear that she wasn’t responsive to him. He must have picked up on things she’d said and the way she’d said them. He couldn’t be so dense—or so egotistical—that he thought she would be interested.

He was trying to make a call again, then muttered something and swore softly. “So where the hell did they disappear to, anyway?” he said.

She frowned, then realized with a start that he was talking about Jeremy and Fabio. She hadn’t given them a thought for some time now. Silently, she scolded herself. Here she’d just been thinking about how dangerous it would be to care about a man like Adam, and the next thing she knew, he gave her raw evidence that she was letting his presence turn her head as it was.

“I’d better go take a look and see if I can find them,” he said, rising. “Be right back.”

She nodded but didn’t speak, glad for a moment to steady herself. But she only had seconds to do that, because her friend Gino arrived just as Adam left.

“Hey, Elena,” he said, slumping down into a chair beside her. “Isn’t that Adam Ryder?”

Elena’s head rose in surprise. “Yes. Do you know him?”

“No. But you seem to.” Gino didn’t sound pleased. “Is he a friend of yours?”

“I met him yesterday at the ruins.”

“Did you?” Gino cleared his throat thoughtfully. “You don’t realize who he is, do you?”

She went very still. “No. Tell me.”

He patted her hand as though she needed consoling.

“You’re not keeping up with the local news, my sweet. He’s the latest candidate they’ve brought in to audition for the job of King of Niroli. He’s the illegitimate son of the late crown prince, Antonio.”

CHAPTER THREE

ELENA gasped. Adam was Crown Prince Antonio’s son? Such a possibility hadn’t entered her mind. And he’d seemed like—what? Not an everyday, average guy. Not that. She’d sensed something edgier, more dangerous about him from the first. But hardly royal.

Still, why not? He had the insolence for royalty. No wonder she’d been instinctively wary of him from the beginning. The illegitimate son of Antonio. She could hardly believe it.

“He didn’t let on?” Gino asked.

“He gave no hint that I was aware of.”

“Hmm. Maybe he thinks he’s going incognito for now.” Gino grimaced. “Well, be careful, darling. Royalty aren’t like you and me. Even when they’re illegitimate.” He rose. “I’ve got to see a man about a painting. I’ll stop by and see you later.”

She nodded. “Don’t forget about tonight,” she reminded him, thinking of the small gathering of friends she was having that evening.

He bent to kiss her cheek. “I won’t let you down,” he said affectionately, then hurried off.

His words echoed in her mind and she shook her head to rid herself of them. She seemed, suddenly, to be clinging to any hint of protection as though she was expecting a major assault on her peace of mind very soon. This was no good and it wasn’t like her. Ever since she’d been very young she’d worked hard at being self-sufficient. The temptation was to relax and let others take care of her. It came with the territory and she had a very big excuse for doing exactly that. But she knew she would lose all self respect if she let that happen.

Still, this news that Adam was Antonio’s son was disturbing. Of all people for her to have run into at the ruins! She almost felt as though she’d stepped into a part of Nirolian history herself while visiting her ancestors.

The island had been in turmoil ever since the fateful day, two years before, when King Giorgio’s two sons, his only direct heirs, were killed in a yachting accident, along with one of their wives. Crown Prince Antonio had been particularly beloved by many factions in Niroli. It had been assumed he would soon be King himself, and his death had sent shock waves through every level of society.

The old king’s grief had been staggering and he had lost his will to govern. But when he had begun looking around at his grandchildren for a successor, he’d found that one after another they proved unsuitable or unwilling. Rumors had been flying that he was about to turn to an illegitimate child of Antonio’s, and now it seemed they were right on the money.

“But that is something I don’t want to get involved with,” she muttered to herself, and at the same time she heard Adam and the others coming back, and Fabio was suddenly there, rubbing against her leg.

To her consternation, Jeremy seemed to be sobbing.

“What have you done to him now?” she asked Adam fiercely, rising from her chair, all thoughts of his possible connection to royalty out the window.

“I haven’t done a thing,” he responded shortly. “He fell and scraped his knee before I found them. It’s bleeding. I’m going to have to find someone with a first-aid kit around here. Any ideas?”

She hesitated, but quickly realized something would have to be done. The man was one thing. She could be cold and dismissive to the man all day long if she felt like it. But the child was hurt and that was another matter. She couldn’t just leave him that way.

“Oh, bother!” she said, giving up on her self-imposed rule to keep Adam out of her house. “Come along, then.”

Grasping Fabio’s halter, she started off down the street. Behind her, she heard the man and the boy following. She could tell that Adam had swung Jeremy up into his arms and was carrying him. That mollified her somewhat. In fact, she was just a bit chagrined that she’d accused him of hurting his son. She would have to be careful about jumping to false conclusions in the future.

Future, her mind was screaming, trying to get her attention. What future? But she ignored it and hurried on.

“Where are we going?” Adam asked.

She held her head high. If it must be done, t’were best done quickly—and bravely, she told herself.

“To my house,” she said aloud.

“What? You live near here?”

“Just around the corner, actually.”

“Oh. Well, that’s handy.”

They turned the corner and Adam nodded to himself. This was just the sort of neighborhood he could picture her living in—quaint and traditional, yet neat and tidy and very well maintained. A sort of old-fashioned storybook lane. It fit.

What amazed him was how confidently she stepped along the walkway. She did have the dog to lead her, but a dog couldn’t do it all and she moved as though she wouldn’t allow herself a hint of uncertainty. His lopsided grin appeared almost against his will. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to start admiring the woman for more than just her very provocative feminine appeal.

She turned in through a neat picket fence to a small white cottage that could have housed the Seven Dwarves. A brightly painted red door beckoned. Window-boxes spilling over with flowers and a small wishing well completed the picture.

Any moment, he thought, someone is going to start singing “Someday My Prince Will Come”, in the background.

And that thought almost made him laugh out loud. So he was doing prince jokes now.

But he sobered quickly. Every now and then he began to realize just what he was playing around with here. Much as he needed the funding to stave off the hostile takeover of his company, was he really willing to trade in his freedom for a crown? He was going to have to decide soon. He was rapidly working his way into a position where he wasn’t going to have any choice in the matter.

The inside of the cottage looked as carefully maintained as the outside. The furniture appeared to be antiques lovingly saved from centuries past. And as a centerpiece to the room, a beautiful piano gleamed in the light coming in from the high windows.

He put Jeremy, still sniffling a bit, on the couch while Elena went to a cupboard and found disinfectant and bandages. He watched her, trying to see how she knew where to stand and where to reach. So far he hadn’t caught her in a mistake, and that seemed remarkable.