The Prince's Secret Bride

“Let’s go,” he said again, putting his hand lightly at her back to urge her along.

He entered the café warily, scanning the scene like a soldier on point. Simple booths lined one side of the room. Wrought-iron tables and chairs filled the center. Posters and advertisements covered the walls and pop music was playing on the speaker. The place was almost empty. A pair of young lovers had a booth at the back but they were lost in each other’s eyes and paying no attention. An elderly couple was finishing up a meal toward the front. Involved in some sort of argument, neither looked up. That left the waitress and she just looked bored and very sleepy. No one reacted.

Who knew—maybe he was becoming unrecognizable. That would certainly be an improvement.

He led her to a booth in a protected corner and sat across the table from her.

“An omelet and a tall glass of milk,” he ordered for her, giving the bored waitress a quick, cool smile. “And I’ll take a cup of espresso.”

“Eggs,” the mystery woman said thoughtfully, as though she were considering whether she really liked them or not. “Okay.” She sneaked a look back at the counter. “But that pie looked awfully good,” she mentioned.

He stifled the grin that threatened to soften his mouth. “Okay. A large piece of the apple pie, à la mode, too. We’ll share it.”

As the waitress left with their order, the woman gazed at him wide-eyed with that searching look again.

“Do I know you?” she asked softly.

He looked at her sharply, afraid she’d realized who he was, but all he saw was bewilderment in her beautiful eyes, and he relaxed. If she felt he looked familiar, but couldn’t quite place who he was, that might at least make her trust him a bit more.

“Not that I know of,” he replied lightly. “We met on the bridge just tonight.”

“Ah. Of course.”

“And I don’t know your name,” he noted.

She nodded as though she thoroughly agreed, and he prodded further.

“My name’s Nick,” he said, fudging a bit. “What’s yours?”

“Uh…” She looked trapped for a moment and avoided his gaze, looking about the café as though she was going to find the answer to his question in the atmosphere. “Marisa,” she said quickly as her eyes focused behind his head. “It’s Marisa. Marisa Fleur.”

“Marisa,” he repeated. “Pretty name.” He stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Marisa.”

She put her small, fine-boned hand in his and for the first time, she actually smiled. “Nice to meet you, too, Nick.”

The beat of his heart stuttered. There was no way to deny it. For just a second, he was afraid his heart had stopped. The feel of her small, smooth hand in his, the beauty of her sweet smile, the warmth that came momentarily from her dark gaze, all combined to shock him as though someone had hit him with a stun dart. He blinked, drew in a sharp breath, and quickly pulled his hand away from hers. What the hell…?

“And thank you,” she was saying. “It might not seem like it but I really appreciate you taking the time to…well, to help me.”

He nodded, avoiding her gaze, still shaken by the involuntary reaction he’d had to her smile and touch. “No problem,” he said gruffly.

He risked looking at her and it was okay. Whatever spell had swept over him seemed to be gone for now. Still, forewarned was forearmed. He was going to be on his guard from now on.

He waited for her to take a few bites of her omelet before trying to question her. Her color was better by then, and she’d lost most of that trapped look.

“So,” he said, nursing his espresso in both hands. “Are you ready to tell me what happened?”

She looked up at him, eyes wide. “You mean on the bridge?” she asked.

He nodded.

She looked down. “I…well, I think a man came up from behind and knocked me down.”

His hand tightened on the slender cup. “Did you know him?”

“I don’t think so. No,” she amended quickly. “No, I’m sure he was just a mugger or something. He grabbed my purse and then he threw my bag over the side of the bridge.” She gazed at him earnestly. “That’s why I was climbing up on the railing. I was trying to see where my bag had gone.”

“And that was what you were looking for along the side of the river?”

She nodded. “I know there’s not much hope in finding my purse, but if I could find my bag…”

“It’s a suitcase?”

She hesitated, looking uncertain. Then she nodded again.

He frowned. There was something odd and off-kilter about all this. “When did it happen?”

She hesitated, shrugged, then her eyes lit up as she remembered. “Just before I saw you the first time. I think maybe you scared him away.”

The waitress brought them a huge slice of pie on a ceramic plate. A rounded mound of vanilla ice cream was melting on top. Marisa smiled again and he frowned to keep from letting it get to him.

“So you’re here from out of town?” he noted as he handed her a fork. “Where are you from?”

She looked down again. “I really can’t talk about that,” she said evasively.

He shrugged. “Do you know anyone in town?” he asked.

She didn’t answer but the look on her face said it all. What was he going to do with her? The realization came to him with a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He was going to take her home. At this time of night, what else could he do?

They rose to leave and he turned to let her go first, and as he did so, his gaze fell on an advertising poster on the wall behind where he’d been sitting. Marisa’s Flowers it said, along with an address and telephone number.

Marisa’s Flowers. He turned slowly and watched as she walked ahead of him out of the café, and that feeling in the pit of his stomach got sicker.

CHAPTER TWO

MARISA.

It wasn’t her name but it felt like a near fit. Close enough—for now. Her real name was there, right on the tip of her tongue, but every time she thought she had it, it slipped away again. But it would come. She had no doubt about that. She’d hit her head pretty hard and it had knocked her silly for a moment. Give her a little time and a bit of rest and it would all come back. If only she could find her suitcase….

She glanced at the man walking beside her. He was near thirty, large and hard and there was something just a little bit dangerous about him. There was something appealing, too, despite his icy demeanor. But she needed to be careful. She’d been wrong about men before. Hadn’t she? She couldn’t think exactly how, but she knew it was true. She wasn’t thinking too clearly right now but she did know one thing: men were nothing but trouble. She’d best get away from this one as soon as possible.

“Thanks for the late-night snack,” she said, keeping her tone light. “I’m sure you’ve got places to go and people to meet, so I’ll just say goodbye here.”

She stuck out her hand. He took it but not for the handshake she’d expected.

“Where are you going?” he said, looking down at her, his hand warm on hers.

She tugged, but he wasn’t letting go. Looking up, she winced—partly at how tall he was, but mostly for the look of resolve in his silver-blue eyes. The man wasn’t going to go gently into the dark and foggy night, was he?