His ears immediately perked up. So did other parts of him. “What exactly do you have in mind?”
Her eyes widened at the sound of his deep, sultry voice. “Not what you have going on in that dirty mind of yours.”
A deep chuckle rumbled in his chest. “Hey, now you’re the one throwing around propositions.”
She smiled and shook her head. “I’m glad to see there’s still some of the Demetrius I used to know lurking about.”
She was right. The new Demetrius—the proper one—wouldn’t be flirting and playing with innuendos. Maybe he’d taken the role of crown prince too seriously. He rubbed the back of his neck. “About the mural, what are you suggesting?”
“I have some sketches I’d like to show you. They’re at my apartment. I have one in particular of the beach that I think would be perfect. But I’ll let you pick which sketch I paint.”
“Okay. Let’s go get them.”
“What?” She looked at him as if he’d just spoken in a foreign language.
“We’ll pick up your sketch on the way back to the beach house.”
She shook her head. “No. Never mind.”
He didn’t understand the problem. He was willing to entertain her idea and now she was changing her mind. What in the world had he missed?
His gaze met hers. “You no longer want to do the mural?”
“I want to do it.”
“Good. But if you think you’re going back to your apartment alone with that reporter snooping around then you’re mistaken. It’s my fault that he’s bothering you—”
“No, it isn’t.”
He arched a brow. “We both know it is. He wants a scoop on the crown prince. The more scandalous, the better. And I’m not going to let him near you.”
“You can’t always be there to protect me.”
She was right and he didn’t like it, not one little bit. “But I’m here now.”
Her unwavering gaze met his. “Are you sure you have time?”
“I’m sure. Let’s go.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
IT WILL ALL work out.
That was what Zoe kept telling herself.
She sat next to Demetrius in the same unmarked black sedan that had escorted her to Residenza del Rosa. Demetrius wanted to stir the least amount of public attention as possible. Although with his security detail in the lead with another black car and an additional black car following closely behind, they stood out even here in the capital of Mirraccino. She tried to reason with him to delay the trip, but he was insistent they move on this immediately.
Frantically, she tried to remember what condition she’d left the apartment in when she’d rushed out the door. Sure he’d been there before, but only for a few minutes, most of which he’d spent standing in the hallway. And then he’d been so concerned about the creepy reporter that she doubted he’d noticed much of anything as he rushed off to speak with his security detail.
Had she put away the dishes? Was there still some lingerie on the drying rack? And that basket of laundry—was it still sitting in the living room? Or had she put the clothes away?
She’d always been able to keep him away from her apartment when they were dating. That hadn’t been too hard considering their relationship had been kept on the down low. If her mother had known she was dating the prince, her mother never would have been able to keep the exciting news to herself. Not that Zoe could blame her. At times, she’d felt like she would burst, holding in the fact that she’d found her very own Prince Charming.
“Are you feeling okay?” There was a note of concern in Demetrius’s voice.
“Sure. I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”
He studied her intently. “You know that you can talk to me about whatever is on your mind?”
Why did things have to be so complicated between them? She longed for a normal life. One where her mother was healthy and could live on her own. One where her mother didn’t get confused and frustrated with aspects of life that so many people took for granted.
“Why does life have to be so unfair?” Zoe muttered under her breath.
“Sometimes I wonder the same thing. Being a prince doesn’t give me a pass on painful and unhappy moments.” Demetrius reached out and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I am here if you need me.”
At first, she resisted the pull of his arm, but needing to feel his strength and the comfort of someone being on her side, she gave in. Her head came to rest against his shoulder. The scent of his spicy cologne taunted her, reminding her of all the things in life she’d had to give up in order to do right by the people she loved. And now, she had to be content with this platonic touch.