The Prodigal Prince's Seduction (Castaldini Crown 2)

I can’t live without you, my Gabrielle.

The crowd gaped. All of New York City seemed to hold its breath. He continued the song he’d written for her, had proposed with, his voice setting the yearning lyrics on passionate fire, turning the evocative melody into all-encompassing enchantment.

A hush reigned after his last vibrato had died away.

Then a storm of applause and questions exploded.

“Did you write this song?”

“Will you be recording this song?”

“Will you release it as a single? Part of an album?”

He shrugged. “It’s Gabrielle’s song. She decides what I do with it.” He turned his eyes down to her, his all-out surrender stoking the inferno raging inside her. “Just say the word and I’ll turn it into a rock number and perform it in a jumpsuit—”

She surged up, sealed his lips with hers, shutting him up.

He sagged in her arms, groaned his relief long and shuddering into her mouth, shaking the foundations of her soul. Then he suddenly dropped down. She panicked. For a millisecond.

He wasn’t fainting. He was bending for leverage. Then she was in his arms, feeling weightless, his gaze, the emanations of his whole being making her feel priceless.

The sea of bystanders parted, raged with hoots and applause. She vaguely thought New Yorkers must be reveling in the unfolding of yet another chapter in the fairy tale of their resident Castaldinian prince and his commoner American princess.

She missed the journey back up to her apartment. She only knew she was on her bed, her world once again anchored by Durante’s beloved weight, the heat and hardness of his steel-fleshed body driving security and equilibrium back into hers.

A long time after the frenzy unleashed in the wake of the barely escaped catastrophe abated, she lay boneless and throbbing with satiation, cleaved into him, sighing her bliss. “That was quite a stunt you pulled down there.”

Durante pressed into her, almost entering her again “down there,” purred, “Glad you approve.”

She wanted nothing more than to have him inside her again. But this couldn’t be put off. She dug her nails in his buttocks, stopping his movement.

He groaned in disappointment, rose over her, his eyes growing serious. “It wasn’t a stunt. I was showing you everything I held dear, my privacy, my pride, my status, my achievements, are a negligible price for regaining your trust. None of them mean a thing without you.”

Her heart swelled until it seemed to fill her down to her toes. Seemed it squeezed against her now ever-filled tear glands. “I won’t let you do any of the things you said you’d do.”

“I already did them.

“You’re undoing them, right this second.”

“I can’t. It’s all yours now.”

“Okay, Durante, this long ceased to be thrilling and is getting pretty scary. Stop. Now! Before this crazy stunt backlashes, you crazy, insane man.”

“I was insane to hurt you. I’ve never been saner or clearer about what matters. You, the restoration of your pride, your trust in me and my love. All I need is for you to let me be yours…yes, until the end of my days.” His lips crooked. “I just hope you’ll let me give you advice on what to do with your newly acquired wealth, so your stockholders don’t suffer a cent’s devaluation in the transfer. That’s the only catch, really, that you can’t give it all away to your favorite charities and causes.”

“But I can give it to anyone I want, right? So I’m giving it to you. End of conversation.” Something enormous mushroomed in his eyes, until she almost wailed. “What now?”

“I was just wondering. Who else would toss back something of that magnitude, without even pausing to make me sweat it first? Not that I am sweating it. I don’t care about it at all. I made my billions, and I’ll just make more. In fact, on the way here, I made a transaction that resulted in half a billion in my newly emptied account. I’m not destitute, if that what you’re worried about.”

“I’m not worried. I’m disintegrating.”

“While I’m rejoicing. If I managed to prove the extent of my trust. Even though you’re making it so hard to prove anything by tossing everything back to me like that, I hope you know I wouldn’t have risked anything with such catastrophic potential to so many if I didn’t trust you more than I trust myself.”

“Everything has to be larger-than-Jupiter with you, doesn’t it? I toss around a few stupid words when I’m upset, and instead of giving me those couple of days—of hours you once suggested—to get my act together, you fling a whole financial empire at me.”

“And my kingdom, for good measure.” He sighed in contentment.

Suspicion sank its ice into her bones. She exploded out of his arms, sprung standing on the bed. “God, what did you do?”

He spread his magnificence like a replete lion, hooked his hands behind his head. “I told my father to go for his third candidate for the crown.”

Her heart almost fired out of her ribs. “What do you think I am? An insane goddess appeased only with atrocious sacrifices?”

“You are my goddess, but you’re regretfully too benevolent. You tried to stop my sacrifices, are trying to reverse them now.”

He stirred, prowled on all fours to her, bent to kiss her feet. She cried out the surplus of emotion. He crooned worship, worked his way up her legs, her calves, the back of her knees, burning one fuse after another, congealing the valves of her heart. She collapsed at the first touch of his tongue inside the thighs that trembled again with the need to wrap around him.

He received her nerveless mass in his cherishing arms, cosseted all of her quivering flesh. “This has nothing to do with what happened between us. But it is the best course of action for us. We’re both too much citizens of the world, too invested in our careers. As much as I love Castaldini and know you can come to love it, too, I don’t see our life bound to it.”

She squirmed. “God, no, don’t even consider my career in this decision. I’ll find a dozen ways to maintain it. I’m sure you can work out as many ways to run your empire by remote control. Take this back, please.”

“I won’t, because it’s the right thing to do. If I’m crowned, it will pulverize the law that made Castaldini such a unique and prosperous kingdom until my father’s personal life interfered with his being the formidable king he was. My reign would be the end of the crown for merit. And I truly think King Antonio had a great idea in making the king work for his crown, not be born to it.”