The Prince in the Royal Suite

Pulling his head back to stare down at her, Lucaj frowned. ‘No. I wanted to talk to you. That’s it –’

As he opened his arms in a disarming shrug, she melted a little more. ‘I didn’t sound rude to you at the front desk, did I?’

‘Not a bit, considering the room they gave you. All hotels have a last-resort room, and it sounded to me as if that’s what you got.’

‘That’s a relief – that I didn’t sound rude, I mean.’

‘You’re not a troglodyte, nor are you an infectious disease, so I think it’s quite reasonable to request a noise-free, light-filled room that isn't cut off from the rest of the hotel by the service lift and the night porter's luggage store. To be honest, I thought you were extremely restrained. Cheers!’ Lucaj raised his glass of amber liquid. ‘Here’s to you…’

‘I was happy with the emergency room, honestly –’

‘You deserve something better, that’s all. In my humble opinion,’ Lucaj added with a mock bow.

She was still staring at him, still absorbing his evaluation of her, and the fact that, however improbable it seemed, Lucaj was definitely interested in her. Maybe all it took was a pair of sassy heels.

‘Something wrong with your drink?’ he demanded.

She loved the way his sexy lips pressed down when he asked a question, while his eyes lit with amusement. It took her a moment to drag her gaze away so she could juggle her brain cells into some sort of order. ‘Would you mind if I changed the scotch for lemonade?’ Lucaj was a real distraction, and what she needed right now was a clear head.

‘Break the rules,’ he reminded her, ordering a bottle of vintage champagne.

She could definitely get used to this, Libby concluded as Lucaj chinked his glass against hers. And as for breaking the rules? She was tempted.

Chapter Three

But enough was enough. She had honoured her pledge to Lucinda, but Lucaj was major league, and when she re-entered the dating scene – if she ever did – it would be with the modern equivalent of a pipe and slippers man. She envisaged a nice gentle start, rather than a full-on rampaging affair with a man who might well be an international playboy –

‘I really must go.’ Collecting up her belongings, she prepared to leave.

‘Let me escort you to the elevator – ’

She looked up at Lucaj with surprise. Her heart thundered. He was going to escort her to the elevator?

She was a little bit pleased. No. Quite a lot pleased. It was flattering and exciting, and well into the reckless zone she had never inhabited before tonight.

‘Really, I’m fine.’ Okay, so she’d chickened out. It wasn’t easy to change the habit of a lifetime, and cautiousness was stamped throughout her DNA.

But Lucaj wasn’t so easily dissuaded. She could feel him behind her as she walked to the door. Ripples of sensation were running up and down her spine as his stare burned into her. She blamed the heels. They made her walk differently, sexily, she supposed, her hips swaying from side to side without her even meaning them to.

They’d reached the door into the lobby, and she still hadn’t turned around to tell Lucaj she could open doors all by herself too. And then the duty manager waylaid them. ‘Ms Lancaster – I apologise for interrupting your evening, but I had to catch you before you went upstairs.’

‘Yes?’ She looked at the man with surprise.

‘Please allow me to apologise for the mix-up with your room, Ms Lancaster. I’m delighted to tell you that we’ve managed to arrange something else for you.’

Luce came through, was Libby’s immediate thought. Of course she had. Lucinda must have staged a last-minute rescue. She waited to hear what else the manager had to say.

‘We’re giving you the very best accommodation the Chatsfield can offer, Ms Lancaster –’

‘Oh, that’s really not necessary.’

Now she was embarrassed, especially as Lucaj was standing just behind her, but before she had chance to say a brighter, quieter room would be lovely, but she could quite happily stay where she was, rather than cause any inconvenience by moving now, the manager insisted.

‘Please don’t say anything until you’ve had chance to inspect this suite for yourself, to make sure it meets with your requirements.’

‘A suite?’ She was instantly catapulted from the glamorous world of the dress and high heels, to a far more realistic world in which Libby didn’t have enough money to pay for a suite.

‘Our best,’ the manager assured her.