The Crown Prince's Bride (Royal Duology 2)

She could tell he did, and he was definitely stepping back. Of course he was. There was a big difference between a sudden mutual attraction and discovering someone had had feelings for months, even years.

“This is too complicated, isn’t it? I should go in.”

“You surprised me, that’s all.”

But his voice was still cool, and the hot energy that had flowed between them earlier had fizzled away.

“It’s okay,” she said finally, straightening her shoulders. “Seriously, Raoul. I’ve been dealing with my feelings for a long time. I’m fine. If you want, we can forget this ever happened.”

It was a courageous statement, but not entirely brave on her part, because she didn’t wait for an answer. Instead she passed by him and went to the terrace doors to rejoin the party.

* * *

The castle had an empty feel to it, Raoul realized. He walked the quiet hallway to the part of the palace that housed the offices, his steps echoing dully on the carpeting. Rose and Diego were on their honeymoon. Rose’s family had all departed back to England, and Lucy and Brody had taken the children—including Max and Emilia and Imogene—to Disneyland Paris. Alexander was around, and Sofia was in the office, since she was managing things for Diego in his absence. But it was uncharacteristically quiet as he left the family quarters behind and entered the foyer to the business wing.

Stephani was already at her desk.

The wedding had been on Saturday, and she’d stayed home on Sunday. Monday, he’d spent with the children, wanting to have some quality time with them before they left on their trip. Tuesday, he’d been booked to play polo in a charity event, though his skills were inferior to Diego’s. When he’d returned, late in the day, Steph had gone home.

All completely valid reasons for not seeing each other. Nevertheless, he knew he’d been avoiding her, and he suspected the same was true for her. The way they’d left things Saturday night was awkward.

She looked up, glasses perched on her nose. “Good morning.”

“Good morning.”

It made very little sense that he wanted to go to her desk, pull her to her feet, and plant a kiss on her unsmiling lips. He’d always prided himself on his self-control, but he had started to realize that Steph could run circles around him in that regard. He’d never had a clue, not once, in all the years she’d been his assistant. She’d been his friend. She’d been his trusted and incredibly efficient assistant. She’d been . . . his wife’s cousin. He’d never had an inkling that she’d harbored any sort of romantic feelings toward him.

But he knew now. He thought back to the days after the drunken kiss in the alcove. They’d carried on as if nothing had happened.

A kiss was apparently easier to ignore than confessions.

“You have a call scheduled for nine thirty,” Steph advised him. “Then nothing until eleven, when you meet with your father. Two thirty is the meeting with the committee regarding the environmental impact study that’s being done for the proposed resort site.” She gave a slight smile. “You and Señora Munoz weren’t playing around when you met last week, were you?”

It was a rhetorical question, so he merely smiled in return. “A light day, then,” he said easily. “Thank you, Steph.”

“Of course. Do you want coffee?”

“I’d love some.”

He went into his office and frowned. Was ignoring everything the best course of action? It felt like the coward’s way out. At some point they had to deal with what had happened, and decide what came next. It wasn’t as if feelings had just disappeared, after all.

The thump of his heart when he’d seen her sitting there this morning told him that.

She tapped on his office door and then came in, carrying a tray with his coffee and a little plate with two rolls and some cheese. “I heard you didn’t have breakfast this morning, so I brought something to hold you until lunch.”

He met her gaze, and admired the way she could stand before him and remain so calm and impassive. Had she perfected that look over the years?

“Why don’t you get a cup for yourself and come in? We should talk.”

There. A flicker of uncertainty. He was relieved he wasn’t the only one freaking out a bit on the inside.

“Oh . . . of course. I’ll be right back.”

He wasn’t really hungry, but while she was gone he bit into a soft roll. He washed it down with the strong coffee and then sat down behind his desk. By the time Stephani came back, he’d eaten half the roll and was feeling slightly calmer.

She sat down across from him, crossed her left leg over her right, and cradled the coffee cup in her hands.

“So,” he said, leaning forward. “We’ve been avoiding each other.”