My Forbidden Royal Fling

‘We can do that,’ he agrees, and it’s then that I realise how totally he’s taken the upper hand in this conversation. ‘But first, I’d like to hear your concerns from you. Now. In summary.’

‘Are you ordering me?’ I can’t help but respond, lifting a brow.

‘Oh, never, Your Highness,’ he responds with a hint of droll amusement. ‘You’re the one who gives orders around here.’

My cheeks grow warm again. ‘You aren’t like anyone I’ve ever met.’ The confession escapes before I can stop it.

‘I can imagine.’ Again, I feel scorn layered beneath the banal response, as though my comment on his uniqueness has led him to derision for my place in the pala

ce, the country.

‘Meaning?’

‘That your usual visitors are probably a very carefully curated type of person.’

My gasp is audible. ‘Mr del Almodovár—’

‘Santiago,’ he interrupts, and if I liked the taste of his name in my mouth I love the feel of it in my ears even more. He says it with such Spanish tones, all sunshine and spice. My stomach clenches in overwhelming awareness.

‘I think we’ve got off on the wrong foot,’ I say, searching for a modicum of control. ‘You don’t know me, and I don’t know you. You’re not here to get to know me, and I have no interest in knowing you. What I care about is my country, and the impact your casino mega-complex will have on the culture of the region.’

I look at him through narrowed eyes, my breath uneven. My dad flashes into my mind and I feel a stomach-clutching panic. I’m letting him down so badly. I wish there was some other way! ‘So, perhaps we should avoid any personal observations whatsoever and move onto the contracts, as I suggested.’

‘Are you sure avoiding personal observations is what you want?’ he asks smoothly, and my whole body fires onto high alert. Heat builds low in my abdomen, spreading through me. My breasts are tingly and heavy, my nipples straining against the lace fabric of my bra. I turn away from him, afraid of how exposed I must be to someone with his experience. He’s unpicking me piece by piece, stripping me raw, and I have no defence against him. More concerning, I don’t know if I want a defence against him.

‘You don’t act like a man who’s eager for this deal to go ahead,’ I say, looking out at the river, seeking a sense of calm that won’t come.

‘No.’

‘Why not? I thought this was important to you.’

‘Oh, it is. But you are not the only one who does your research, Princess. I could walk away tomorrow and find another country to work with, many of which would be tripping over themselves to offer incentives to take my business there. But you? Could you find such an appealing investor as easily?’

I close my eyes on a wave of surrender, because he’s right. Damn him. I feel actual hatred for the man then, and it’s only intensified by the glorious, sensual awareness cresting through me. How dare he be the only man I’ve ever looked at and felt a stirring of desire for? No, not just a stirring, a total tsunami, a crushing weight of need that robs me of the ability to breathe.

‘Not to put too fine a point on this, but you need me. So let’s stop dancing around the issue and come to agreement. I want this concluded today.’

He’s so dismissive, so infuriatingly arrogant, I whirl around to face him, all semblance of regal control dissipating completely. ‘And you always get what you want, I imagine.’

His smile makes a flame flicker in my gut. ‘Does that bother you?’

‘You bother me,’ I respond honestly.

His eyes widen with a brief glimmer of surprise, as though he wasn’t expecting my answer.

‘But I don’t know why.’ More honesty. I frown. ‘We should focus on the business at hand, and then you can consider this concluded.’

The air between us sparks with lightning bolts.

‘I bother you because I am the opposite of you in every way,’ he says, his meaning not clear.

But that’s not it. I meet people who are different from me all the time. I celebrate difference and value diversity. This is not about difference, it’s about desire, and how completely threatening is my reaction to him. It’s as though my body, usually a trusted ally, has defied me in every way.

‘Your proposed development is bold and—’

‘Ambitious, yes. You’ve said.’

‘Mr del Almodovár—’