Becoming the Prince's Wife

A smile appeared. “They deserve some vacation time away from deadlines.”

“Amen. We’ll do more work tomorrow when Max is feeling better. Come swim with me.”

She shook her head. “I’ve already been in.”

“There’s no law that says you can’t swim again, is there?” He put his phone on the table.

“No. Please—just forget I’m here.”

“I’m afraid that would be impossible,” he said over his shoulder before plunging in at the deep end to do some laps. When he eventually lifted his head, he was shocked to discover she’d left the patio and was walking back to her wing of the palace on those long shapely legs.

Nothing like this had ever happened to him before. Propelled into action, he grabbed his things and caught up to her as she was entering the door of her apartment. Valentino stood in the aperture so she couldn’t close it on him.

“Did you go away because I’d disturbed you with my presence? Or was it because you have an aversion to me, signorina?”

Color swept into her cheeks. “Neither one.”

His adrenaline surged. “Why didn’t you tell me you preferred to be alone?”

“I’m just a guest. You’re the prince doing your own thing. This is your home. But I had no intention of offending you by leaving the pool.”

He frowned. “Yesterday I asked if you were afraid of me. You said no, but I think you are and I want to know why. It’s true that though I’ve been betrothed to Princess Alexandra for years, I’ve had a love life of sorts. In that way I’m no different than Vincenzo before he married Michelina. But I’ve the feeling Abby has painted me as such a bad boy to you, you’re half terrified to be alone with me.”

“Nothing of the sort, Your Highness!” She’d backed away from him. “Don’t ever blame her for anything. She thinks the world of you!”

That sounded heartfelt. “Then invite me in so we can talk without the staff hearing every word of our conversation.”

She bit her lip before standing aside so he could enter. “I’ll get you a dry towel so you can sit down.” He closed the door and watched her race through the suite. She soon came hurrying back with a towel and folded it on one of the chairs placed around the coffee table.

“Thank you,” he said as she took a seat at the end of the couch.

He sat down with his hands clasped between his legs and stared at her. “What’s wrong with you? Though I’ve told you I find you attractive, it doesn’t mean I’m ready to pounce on you.” She averted her eyes. “Don’t tell me you don’t know what I’m talking about.”

“I wasn’t going to, and I didn’t mean to be rude. You have to believe me.”

She sounded sincere enough, but Valentino wasn’t about to let her off the hook. “What else am I to think? Last night I thought we were enjoying each other’s company while we talked, but today you act like a frightened schoolgirl. Has some man attacked you before? Is that the reason you like to be alone and ran the minute I dived into the water?”

Her head lifted. “No! You don’t understand.”

“Since you’re a special guest, help me so I don’t feel like some pariah.”

“Forgive me if I made you feel that way.” Her green orbs pleaded with him. “This has to do with me, not you.”

“Are you this way on principle with every man you meet? Or am I the only one to receive that honor?”

She stood up. “I—I’m going through a difficult time right now.” Her voice faltered. “It’s something I really can’t talk about. Could we start over again, as if this never happened?”

Much as he’d like to explore her problem further, he decided to let it rest for now. “That all depends.” On impulse he said, “Do you like to ride horses?”

“I love it. I used to ride all the time on my grandparents’ farm.”

Good. “Then I’ll have lunch sent to your room, and I’ll collect you in an hour. We’ll ride around the grounds. It’s someplace safe and close to Abby, who’s hoping you’re having a good time. But if you’re afraid of what happened to my sister while she was riding, we could play tennis.”

“I’m not afraid, but to go riding must be a painful reminder to you.”

“I’ve worked my way through it. Accidents can happen anytime. To worry about it unnecessarily takes away from the quality of life. Don’t you think?”

Her eyes suddenly glistened. “Yes,” she whispered with such deep emotion he was more curious than ever to know what was going on inside her, and found himself wanting to comfort her. Instead he had to tear himself away.

“I’ll be back in an hour.” Reaching for his towel and phone, he left the apartment and hurried through the palace to his suite. Maybe by the end of their ride today, he’d have answers...

* * *

Carolena stood in the living room surprised and touched by his decency. He’d thought she’d been assaulted by a man and wanted to show her she didn’t need to be afraid of him while he entertained her. No doubt he felt an obligation to her with Vincenzo and Abby indisposed.

He was sensitive, too. How many men would have worried she might be afraid to ride after what had happened to his sister? She’d gotten killed out riding, but he didn’t let that stop him from living his normal life. His concern for Carolena’s feelings increased her admiration for him.

So far she’d been a perfectly horrid guest, while he was going out of his way to make this trip eventful for her when he didn’t have to. This wasn’t the behavior of a playboy. The crown prince was proving to be the perfect host, increasing her guilt for having offended him.

Within the hour he came for her in a limo and they drove to the stables across the vast estate. Once he’d picked the right mare for her, they headed out to enjoy the scenery. In time, he led them through a heavily wooded area to a lake. They dismounted and walked down to the water’s edge.

“What a beautiful setting.”

“We open it to the public on certain days of the month.”

“Abby used to tell me she felt like a princess in a fairy tale growing up on the palace grounds in Arancia. If I lived here, I’d feel exactly the same way. You and your siblings must have spent hours here when you were young.” On impulse she asked, “Were they interested in volcanology, too?”

His eyes swerved to hers. She had the feeling she’d surprised him by her question. “Quite the opposite.”

That sounded cryptic. “What’s the real reason you developed such a keen interest? It isn’t just because Etna is there.”

“It’s a long story.” There was that nuance of sadness in his voice again.

“We’ve got the rest of the afternoon.” She sank onto her knees in the lush grass facing the water where an abundance of waterfowl bobbed around. “Humor me. Last night I was up until one o’clock looking at video clips of Etna and other volcanoes. They were incredible. I really want to know what drove you to become so interested.”

He got down on the grass next to her. “My father had a sibling, my uncle Stefano. He was the elder son and the crown prince, but he never wanted to be king. He fought with my grandfather who was then King of Gemelli.

“Uncle Stefano hated the idea of being betrothed and having to marry a woman picked out for him. Our country has never had a sovereign who wasn’t married by the time he ascended the throne. It’s the law. But Stefano didn’t ever want to be king and left home at eighteen to travel the world. I knew he had various girlfriends, so he didn’t lead a celibate life, but he never married.

“In time, volcanoes fascinated him and he decided he wanted to study them. To appease my grandparents, he came home occasionally to touch base. I was young and loved him because he was so intelligent and a wonderful teacher. He used to take me up on Etna.

“The day came when I decided I wanted to follow in his footsteps and announced I was going to attend the university to become a geologist. My parents could see my mind was made up.

“While I was at school, the family got word he’d been killed on the Galeras volcano in the Colombian Andes.”

“Valentino—” she gasped. “I read about it on the website last night. One of the people killed was your uncle?”

Pain marred his striking male features. “He got too close. The ash and gas overpowered him and he died.”