Defying the Prince

A one-night stand. Probably something neither of them would speak of again.

Pondering on the practicalities of outdoor sex, Izzy extracted a leaf from her hair. ‘I expect you want to go back separately.’

He frowned. ‘What would be the point of that?’

‘I thought you were worried about shocking your staff.’

‘My staff can mind their own business. I refuse to creep around my own palazzo and it would be absurd to leave separately when we’re both going to end up in the same place. My bedroom.’

‘Your … bedroom?’

‘You thought we were going to spend the night in the maze?’

‘No! I thought—Never mind.’ The smile spread right through her as she realised that this wasn’t over yet. ‘So what happens now?’

‘You pick up your shoes,’ he drawled, yanking her against him and lowering his mouth to hers. ‘That’s assuming you don’t want to break with tradition and put them on your feet.’

Two weeks later Izzy lay on her stomach on Matteo’s office floor, papers spread out in front of her as she poured over the lyrics for her latest song. It was past midnight and she’d been working since daybreak. Her shoes were abandoned on the floor next to her, along with three empty coffee mugs and the remains of a hastily eaten lunch. ‘I’m excited about this one.’

Matteo lifted his gaze from the computer. ‘You should take a break. You’ve been working on that all day.’

Izzy sat up and stretched out her aching muscles. ‘I don’t see you taking one.’

‘I’m responsible for the success of the concert.’

Looking at him, her stomach flipped. He was so sexy. Every time he walked into the room her knees wobbled. They’d spent two weeks together, recording music, planning the last details of the concert, and she’d been in the thick of it and loving every minute. And when they weren’t working they were having sex. Often and everywhere. In his bedroom, in the maze and on the small private beach that nestled at the bottom of the cliffs that guarded the palazzo. And although she knew that for him their relationship was just physical, for her it had become so much more. But after that first time Izzy had been supremely careful not to even hint at an emotional connection.

‘I heard your demo today.’ He leaned back in his chair, the movement drawing attention to the width of his shoulders. ‘It’s genius. You should have sung your own material on Singing Star.’

‘They wouldn’t let me.’ Izzy glowed. After a decade of being dismissed and diminished at every turn, suddenly she was being appreciated and the high that came from that was something she hadn’t been able to imagine. And if that high was slightly tainted by the fact that he showed no inclination to deepen their personal relationship then she tried to ignore it. ‘I still can’t believe my record went straight to number one or that it’s only two nights until the actual concert.’

‘That record is a major hit, tesoro.’

‘Unbelievable.’ Izzy sat watching him as he finished entering a stack of numbers onto a spreadsheet. ‘You have no idea what these past few weeks have been like for me. No one has ever asked my opinion on anything before,’ she said humbly. ‘I’m used to hearing, “Shut up, Izzy.”’ The fact that he encouraged her to sing at every opportunity made her feel warm inside. And as for the rest of it …

Her eyes met his and she blushed because looking at him always did wild, crazy things to her insides.

‘We’re going to celebrate.’ He rose to his feet. ‘Tomorrow I’m taking you back to the palace.’

Izzy’s heart lifted and flew. He was going to introduce her properly to his parents? ‘Really?’

‘It’s the Annual Rock ‘n’ Royal Ball. A fundraising event that takes place every year the night before the concert. You’re coming as my guest.’

So their celebration wasn’t going to be an intimate evening but a huge, glittering event. Panic set in. ‘It’s a big formal thing?’

‘If you’re worrying about which knife and fork to use then don’t. You’re going to be fine. Just be yourself and everyone will love you.’

Izzy doubted that. People didn’t usually even like her, let alone love her. They sneered and made disparaging comments, and now that she understood just how much the reputation of the royal family mattered to him, she didn’t want him tainted with that. ‘I don’t think it would be a great idea. Everyone would just laugh at me.’

Her comment drew a frown from him. ‘Why would they laugh at you?’

‘Because that’s what they do.’

‘If I see anyone so much as smile at you in a way that doesn’t please me I will knock them into next week.’

‘And how would that help? You don’t need the adverse publicity just before the concert.’ And just thinking of that reminded her of how utterly impossible their relationship was. Even if she

managed to wriggle through the protective force field he’d spun around himself there was still the fact that he was a prince to contend with. Her mood plummeted. ‘And neither do Allegra and Alex.’