The Crown Prince's Bride (Royal Duology 2)

Messages from the children, via Imogen’s phone. He sent them a reply, apologizing for missing them and that he couldn’t wait to see them when they got home. He signed it with hugs and kisses.

An email from Diego, which required a longer response and that he’d answer in the morning.

And another text came in, the phone buzzing in his hand. He thought maybe it was Imogene, but when he tapped on the little envelope he saw it was Stephani.

Are you still up?

Yes, he typed back. Ran into my father. He asked questions.

What did you say?

He hesitated for a minute, then tapped on the little keyboard. I said I was out for dinner. He didn’t need to tell her about the rest of the conversation. She’d only get paranoid.

There was a bit of a break, and then another message came through. You’re very cute when you sleep.

He chuckled a bit, as he highly doubted anyone had ever described him as “cute.”

I must have been comfortable, he replied. Maybe a little too comfortable. He liked her apartment. Liked her cooking. She was slightly different in her own environment. More . . . at ease, perhaps.

He wondered if she’d disappeared, it took so long for her to answer. When she did, it was simply two words; a question left hanging.

About earlier . . .

Raoul’s body tensed, simply from the memory of holding her in his arms. She’d been warm and sweet, like Señora Ortiz’s dulce de leche, and amazingly open to him. His earlier thought came back to settle in his mind. He’d liked how she’d taken the lead. Admired her confidence. He also knew she’d been right to stop. His brain was already crowded with thoughts; if they’d slept together it only would have compounded his confusion. His body had demanded satisfaction, but she’d correctly recognized that they needed to take things slowly.

You were right, he typed. It’s too soon.

Once again, she didn’t answer right away, and he wondered if that had been the wrong response. Damn, it had been years since he’d had to worry about saying the wrong thing to a woman. He added, When it happens, I want it to be right.

When it happens. Did that mean it was a foregone conclusion? He rather thought it was. Rationally, he knew he should be able to date, to possibly even have a relationship, without marriage being an inevitable result. They could take their time. It wasn’t like there was a rush on for heirs, either. He’d satisfied that duty with Emilia and Max.

He flipped over to his side. Dating had to be so much easier when a person was ordinary. Most of the time the pressure that came with being next in line didn’t bother him so much. But sometimes, like tonight, he wished he could just be a regular man with a regular job trying to navigate the dating scene.

His phone buzzed again.

I want that too, she answered. Good night, Raoul. I’ll see you in the morning.

Yes, yes she would. And he’d lie awake for a long time, thinking of how on earth they could maintain a secret relationship within the castle walls.

/> CHAPTER TEN

Stephani held down the mouse button and slid the email over into the “responses” folder. That made four replies now, and she starting to panic over how to answer. Did she go for interviews? How could she manage that without Raoul knowing what she was doing? How could she ask for time off right now . . . when their relationship was just getting going?

And the biggest question: Did she still want to leave?

It felt as if moving forward with the job-hunting process would create a self-fulfilling prophecy that the relationship would fail. On the other hand, if it did fail—and of course there were no guarantees—she needed to have a plan.

What frightened her most of all was that she’d walked into the office this morning, dying to get her first glimpse of him. To see him smile at her. It made her feel unfocused, and she didn’t like that. At all.

Raoul was at a meeting in the city and she should be taking this opportunity to catch up on the things that got behind during wedding week. Instead she heard running feet coming down the hallway, and a decidedly girlish giggle.

It was Emilia, dragging a gigantic gift bag, with Max and Alex trailing behind.

“Tía Stephani! We’re back from Disneyland and we brought you a present!”

Lucy was with the boys, and sent Stephani a grin. “Wait’ll you see. Emilia picked out the big present.”

“I did.” Emilia rushed over to her desk. “We got home a while ago but Tía Lucy said we had to do things before we could come see you.”