Working side by side...
With a secret prince!
In desperate need of staff for her small clinic on a beautiful Malaysian island, Dr. Arissa Cotter accepts the help of tourist Dr. Philippe Aronaz, little knowing her knight in shining armor is also a prince! But when he sweeps her away to his Mediterranean kingdom, she discovers Philippe faces battles of his own. Arissa has always hidden herself away—dare she step into the spotlight and stand by her prince’s side?
Arissa’s heart was thrumming against her chest, part from the reaction to Philippe and part from the adrenaline coursing through her body in annoyance.
She turned a corner and sighed in relief as she recognized the corridor, finding her room quickly and closing the door behind her. She took off her jacket and shoes and flung herself down on the bed. Her head was spinning.
Last time she’d kissed him he was just Philippe, the doctor who was helping at the clinic. This time she’d kissed Prince Philippe of Corinez. Did it feel different? Her heart told her no, but her brain couldn’t quite decide.
And as she closed her eyes, she still wasn’t quite sure.
Dear Reader,
Every girl wants to be a princess, don’t they? Or do they...
For this story I got to let my imagination run riot. I got to make up not one but two countries—a fabulous Malaysian island and a European principality.
When my hero and heroine meet, sparks fly and the attraction is fast and furious, but when Philippe finally reveals he’s a prince and invites my doctor heroine, Arissa, back to his principality, she has major doubts.
Arissa has fallen in love with a man, not a prince, and realizing how much comes hand in hand with his life makes her stop and consider her next steps.
But, with a wonderful family, and a hero who is willing to give up everything to love her, true love will always conquer all! Hope you love their story as much as I do.
I love hearing from readers, please feel free to contact me via my website at scarlet-wilson.com.
Best wishes,
Scarlet
CHAPTER ONE
PHILIPPE SETTLED INTO his seat and pulled his baseball cap over his eyes. It was a four-hour flight to Temur Sapora, the Malaysian island in the South China Sea, and he intended to sleep the whole way.
Two minutes later an ample gentleman tried to slide into the seat next to him. Philippe looked up briefly, shifting a little to allow the man more room to sit down. It was an instant mistake. The red-faced man instantly started talking. ‘Pardon me. I’m a little bigger than the standard-sized airline seat.’ He laughed, then stuck out his hand towards Philippe.
‘Harry Reacher, I’m from Minneapolis in the US. Are you going to Temur Sapora too?’
Philippe let his practised face slide into place. He didn’t say the word obviously that was floating around in his head. This aircraft had only one destination.
‘Philippe,’ he said simply, leaving the last name blank. It didn’t matter that this guy was American. His surname was pretty well known worldwide. The whole point of this trip was to remain anonymous—hence why he was heading to an island in the South China Sea that few people had heard of.
‘I’m a doctor,’ added Harry quickly, pulling a cotton handkerchief from his pocket and wiping the sweat from his brow. ‘I’m going to work at one of the local medical centres for a couple of weeks. They’ve apparently made huge advances on wound healing.’
‘They have?’ Now Philippe’s curiosity was definitely piqued. He sat up a little in his chair. ‘What are they doing?’
There was a spark in Harry’s eyes. ‘You in the business?’
Philippe nodded. ‘I’m a doctor too.’
‘Ah-h-h.’ Harry gave him a careful stare, which Philippe hoped wasn’t a glimmer of recognition. ‘You here to work too?’
Philippe shook his head and smiled. ‘Absolutely not. This is a holiday. My first in five years. I’m going to lie low for two weeks, drink a few beers and sleep.’ He left out the part about needing a bit of time and head space to regroup after his last patient in the ER. That experience would never leave him.
‘If this is a holiday, where are all your friends?’ Harry looked around in surprise. ‘Don’t you young guys all go on holidays together?’