Defying the Prince

Who was she to shatter someone’s illusions?

‘He’s a gem, no doubt about that.’ And moody. And sexy. And complicated. Cold and distant one minute and scorching hot and wildly passionate the next. It was enough to give a girl emotional whiplash. ‘I’m sure he’s kind to old ladies and children.’

The girl beamed back, delighted to welcome someone else into the Prince Matteo fan club. ‘He is. He raises so much money for charity and he knows everyone, of course. He just has to pick up the phone and the next minute a child is spending the day with their football hero.’

‘That’s great.’ Actually, it wasn’t great because she didn’t want to have a positive opinion of him. ‘So where is he now?’

‘His Highness is in back-to-back meetings all morning but he asked that you join him for lunch at twelve-thirty in the Rose dining room. It overlooks the English rose garden on the south side of the palazzo.’ The girl hesitated, excitement dancing in her eyes. ‘You’re the first woman he’s allowed to stay overnight. We’re all so excited.’

Feeling like a fraud, Izzy ushered the girl to the door, remembering the delight the staff had shown at his arrival the night before. Clearly Moody Matteo must have hidden depths if he managed to inspire such devotion in the people who worked for him.

Walking over to the windows she stared down at the grounds. Acres of formal gardens stretched beneath her and Izzy stared in fascination because she’d never seen so much green space. Perfectly manicured hedges, a long sweep of grass and at the bottom an ornamental lake with a central fountain.

Heat pricked the back of her neck and she suddenly realised that it really was very warm.

She had two hours to kill before lunch.

And she knew exactly how she was going to spend it.

The day had started badly and was becoming worse with each email and phone call.

It didn’t help that his mind wasn’t focused on work, but wrapped up in an erotic daydream involving a woman in shimmering red sequins with strawberry-streaked hair.

He had no idea what it was about her that had smashed through his control. Yes, she was pretty, but he met beautiful women every day of the week. Women more elegant, more refined in their tastes, more decorous in their behaviour. By comparison, Izzy was wild.

He closed his eyes and told himself that wild wasn’t good.

Especially when he’d been her Goal of the Day.

Being the target of female attention for all the wrong reasons was one of the penalties of being a prince but he’d never met anyone quite as blatant as her.

Maybe it was her presence in his home that was having this effect on him. He never, ever allowed women to stay the night here. It was too … personal.

‘Nice voice.’ His PA slapped a pile of papers on his desk and Matteo looked up at her blankly.

‘Pardon?’

‘Your guest. The windows are open and she’s been singing. You put her in the turret bedroom, didn’t you?’ There was curiosity in her eyes. ‘If she’s going to be part of the concert you’d better tell me what—’

‘She isn’t part of the concert,’ Matteo snapped, and then felt an immediate flash of guilt as he saw curiosity turn to shock. ‘Sorry.’

‘That’s all right. It’s always stressful just before the big day, although it’s not like you to let it get to you. Nor is it like you to have overnight female guests while you’re here.’ She placed a cup of coffee next to the papers. ‘So will Miss Jackson be—?’

‘Miss Jackson isn’t part of anything we do here. Did Hunter call?’

‘While you were on the phone. He’s calling you back in ten minutes.’

‘Right.’ Matteo stood and prowled over to the window, restless and unsettled.

Why the hell was she still singing when no one could hear her?

He turned back to his PA, trying to delete images of Izzy Jackson from his brain. ‘The concert is just weeks away and we still haven’t found the right song.’

‘I know. Cue our annual nervous breakdown. I’ve been emailing Callie, but her assistant says she just isn’t inspired since her relationship with Rock Dog broke up. She’s taking some time out to “fill her creative well.”’

Matteo ground his teeth. ‘And how long is that expected to take?’

‘She spent last week in a secret location in Arizona. This is the usual pattern when she breaks up with someone.’