The Prince's Runaway Lover (Men of the Zodiac) Read online

  “You did a great job today. They would both be very proud of you.” She’d never met either man, but if Nicky was a product of one and was raised with the other, she didn’t think she could be wrong. Even his mother, who was harder to read and kept her softer side covered up, was proud of him. She might disagree with his methods but she admired his strength of character. You couldn’t fake that.

  “I hope so.” He sighed. “They were men of principle. I’m just trying to be the same.”

  “You are,” she said, standing up on her toes to meet his kiss. It was sweet, gentle, soft as the petals of the exotic orchids in his garden.

  Last night seemed like ages ago and her body was already craving the man who’d spent hours touching her like she was something precious, someone special to him. It was selfish to allow it to continue when she wasn’t going to stay, when they couldn’t be anything. But Nicky was persistent and she was willing, too willing, and she knew she was going to be hurt by this in the end but she couldn’t stop herself.

  “Excuse me, Nick.”

  They broke apart, the voice of the man now standing a few feet away interrupting their reverie. He was tall with dark hair and a smirk that no one else who worked in the palace would use with the future king. Nicky cleared up her confusion.

  “Isabel, this is Chris Wheaton, my personal chief of staff and one of my oldest friends from university.”

  The man walked forward and extended his hand. Isabel noticed that he carried a large shopping bag with the logo of an expensive clothing store in the other. His smile was huge, eyes sparked with humor and trouble. She bet they’d been quite the pair of troublemakers at college.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Isabel. Nick talks about you constantly.”

  “Hey. I’m trying to play it cool here,” Nick said.

  “And from what I saw, you’re nailing it, Mr. Pacino. She has no idea you’re into her.” Isabel bit back a laugh as he stuck out the hand holding the bag to Nicky. “Your package arrived and everything else has been arranged. I texted all the details to your phone.” He winked at her as he handed off the bag and backed away. “Have fun you two.”

  Isabel looked at Nicky. “What is he talking about?”

  Nicky smiled down at her, not even trying to hide his sneaky grin. “I have a surprise arranged for you. You’ll need to pack an overnight bag because we won’t be back until tomorrow. Don’t worry, our photo will never be taken by anyone and no one knows you’re going with me.”

  “I have to work.”

  “I talked to Paul and he said he could spare you for a day.”

  Isabel gave him her best evil eye. “That’s not very professional. He probably thinks I’m a flake.”

  Nicky shrugged. “He’s known me my entire life. Believe me, he knows I’m dragging you off on my crazy scheme and I’m the prince so…”

  She couldn’t argue with that.

  “What’s that?” She nodded toward the bag. “That’s from the most expensive shop in Callanos.”

  “It’s your present,” he answered, holding up a hand when she started to argue. “I can’t expect you to buy your own clothing when I won’t tell you where we’re going.”

  She choked on her words, flabbergasted by what he was telling her. “I cannot let you buy me a dress from that store. It’s too much to buy someone you’re only…”

  “Only fucking?” he finished for her, his mouth grim. “No. That isn’t only what is happening here.” He shook the bag in her direction. “This is something I would buy my girlfriend.”

  She laughed, her heart beating so fast in her chest that it came out sharp and rough. “Are you suggesting that we change our Facebook status or something?”

  “You aren’t on Facebook. I checked,” he said, his words and the hot look in his eyes riveting her to the spot. “To me, girlfriend implies friendship, sex, intimacy…”

  “Me too,” she said.

  “Then it fits.” He softened his voice, adding that sexy husky edge that made her toes curl in her sandals. “It doesn’t have to mean forever. It can be for now, for as long as we want it to. I’m not trying to get you to make promises you can’t make. I just want you while you’re here and I really want you to go on this trip with me, Isabel. Are you okay with that?”

  Damn him. When he put it like that, no strings and all the benefits, how was she supposed to say no and not look like a crazy woman? Her heart kept whispering that it was one more memory to put in her mental photo album and take with her. Bottom line was that she didn’t want to say no. It didn’t have to change her plans. She wasn’t leaving tomorrow anyway.

  “I’m okay with that.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Nick took his surprises seriously.

  The private jet had been a surprise and Nicky was adamant about their destination remaining a secret. He’d warned the flight crew to not breathe a word to her about it and they’d joined in as he’d teased her throughout the entire journey. He’d blindfolded her once they’d landed and ushered her into a waiting limousine for what he promised was a short journey to their final destination.

  “Are we there yet?” Isabel asked as she tried to angle her head to peek under the scarf.

  “Every time you ask me that, I’m going to tell the driver to make another trip around the block,” Nicky said, his fingers wrapped around her own. “Stop peeking.”

  “Bastard. I don’t like surprises.”

  “That’s Crown Prince Bastard to you and I would have never known that you hated surprises if you didn’t tell me.” He leaned in and kissed the corner of her mouth. “Let me spoil you.”

  Isabel sighed and slumped against the leather seat. “When you put it that way, I sound like a shrew if I don’t let you.”

  “Then let me.” His voice dropped lower, the intimate tone sending a warm shiver along her spine. Nicky was good at seduction. Some men executed by inches, sliding into home by pretending that was the last place they wanted to be. Nicky came at you head-on, full intent known from the beginning, no secrets or subterfuge. It was his honesty, delivered with a sexy smile and drugging kisses, that got you to cave. And she was going to cave because she couldn’t wait to see what he had planned for them. For her.

  He sensed his victory and celebrated by draping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her almost into his lap. “You look beautiful.”

  “You have excellent taste, Your Royal Highness,” she said, sliding her fingers across the silk fabric of his tuxedo. Nicky’s present had been a dress. Not just any dress but a confection of chiffon and silk in muted matte golden beige. The V-neck, crisscross bodice was covered in a sparkle dust pattern of gemstones that continued onto the skirt and gradually faded away. The jewelry was heirloom quality yellow gold and diamonds that he assured her were real. “This is the most beautiful dress I have ever worn.”

  “The dress is only beautiful because of the woman wearing it.” She blushed at the compliment and nuzzled into the soft sweep of his hand along her cheekbone. “Thank you for keeping your hair down. I love it this way.”

  Isabel shut her eyes tightly under the blindfold, forcing back the tears threatening to ruin the makeup that had been expertly applied by a woman brought in by Nicky to get her ready for their evening out.

  He was an affectionate man, touching her often and saying whatever was on his mind. It was a combination that was sure to win any woman over, especially one that was lonely. And she’d been lonely these last eighteen months. She missed her sister and her niece. She missed her friends and her job and her own last name. She’d missed being touched, being held.

  “Hey, you okay?” Nicky whispered against her ear, his hand caressing her back in long, soothing strokes.

  “My sister would love this. She’s a fashion diva…as much as you can be on a bank clerk’s salary.”

  “You can tell her all about it. We can call her if you want.”

  Isabel shook her head. She’d given up the hope of ever seeing her again the mo
ment she’d accepted the fake passport and started her journey to freedom.

  “Isabel.”

  She could feel him watching her through the blindfold.

  “I know something is going on with you and I want to help. Please let me help.”

  She shook her head again, burying her face against his throat and inhaling the scent of him that now made her wild. Citrus, spice and all mouthwatering things.

  “There is nothing you can fix, Nicky.” She wouldn’t deny what was clearly true. She had issues. She could never let him know what they were and drag him into her trouble. Not only was it potentially dangerous to his position as king, but it endangered his very freedom. What was the penalty for harboring a fugitive? As much as she wanted to confide in him, she would not.

  The car turned and slowed down and then stopped. She lifted her head to see if she could hear anything.

  “We’re here.” He reached up to stop her hand from removing the scarf. “Wait. Not yet.”

  “You’re enjoying this too much.”

  “I’ve never had a better time in my life.” He kissed her cheek. “Being with you Isabel Reynolds is on the highlight reel.”

  The car moved forward again, slowly, and made another gentle turn and then came to a final stop. She held her breath when the driver’s door opened and closed, exhaling a shaky breath when the back door opened and the warm air from the evening washed over her exposed skin.

  “Let me out first and I’ll help you.” Nicky moved away from her and for a moment she was alone in the darkness, and then he was there, his hand engulfing her own as he led her out.

  The scents in the air were rich and different, exotic with the hint of fruit and spice. Underneath it all was the crisp unmistakable smell of water. The sun was setting and she could feel the last tendrils of its heat on her bare shoulders but she leaned into Nicky anyway, preferring his warmth.

  “Are you ready?” he whispered and she shivered with the puffs of air that traveled over her neck.

  “I’m ready.”

  He gently removed the blindfold and she blinked as her eyes adjusted to the light still remaining in the day. She looked around. Everything looked familiar but she knew she’d never been in a place like this before. The villa was a pale golden yellow reflected in the water shimmering below and the entire scenery was filled with gorgeous trees and blooms. It looked like a picture. The picture on her end table.

  “Is this Villa Segreto?” she asked on a whisper, afraid that giving voice to the dream would make it drift away and disappear into that place where all good dreams went. Isabel turned to look at Nicky. “How did you do this?”

  “My father knew the owner. We have the whole night.”

  “The whole night? We’re staying here?”

  He laughed and reached out to grab her hand, leading her over to the steps that led to a green lush lawn that ended at the lake.

  “We’re staying.” Nicky drew her in close and kissed her, the touch gentle but lingering. His words made her shiver. “I’m looking forward to having you all night long.”

  “Oh, yes.” What else was there to say? She wanted that, too. So much.

  He pulled back and grinned down at her. “But first, I think you wanted to see the gardens.”

  …

  Isabel was a joy to watch.

  Nick followed at a short distance, letting her chat away in a mixture of Italian and English with the chief gardener of Villa Segreto. The older man reminded him of Paul Arzos, his graying hair and sun-wrinkled skin stretched to the limit with the smile leveled in her direction. She was enthusiastic and animated and very, very knowledgeable.

  She was not an English major. He would bet money on that. She talked foliage and species and landscape techniques with the interest and acumen of someone who’d received professional training. Add to the fact that she didn’t like to talk about her family and she had no plans to see them or for them to come visit and it all added up to something he shouldn’t get involved in. But he was involved, more than he’d ever been with anyone else.

  He was so screwed. It was the dumbest move he’d ever undertaken. She was leaving, probably soon, and he knew she meant it. She was running. From the ex-husband? From herself? Did she think she had to live like a nomad to remain the strong woman she’d fought to become?

  “Nicky.” Isabel turned toward him and held her hand out. He went to her, bypassing the hand and wrapping an arm around her waist in order to hold her close. He would never pass up a chance to touch her, to feel her curves pressed against him. The diamonds in her ears and around her neck had nothing on the sparkle of her eyes. “Umberto is going to send some cuttings home with us for the gardens. Wild orchids and some exotic florals. Isn’t that wonderful?”

  His chest pulled tight at her mention of the word home. It had rolled off her tongue so easily and he couldn’t deny the thrill of hearing it. To hear her refer to the palace, to Callanos, as home gave him ideas he had no business having.

  “It is wonderful. Thank your employer for me, Umberto.”

  The man bowed to them both and then shyly accepted Isabel’s hug as he excused himself and left them alone in the twilight. The lights in the villa dotted around the grounds glowed like gold. It was quiet except for faint music, Italian and sexy, drifting down from the open doors on the back of the mansion and the movement of the water.

  “Nicky.” Isabel squeezed him tight. “I don’t even know how to thank you for this.”

  “Don’t. I wanted to do this for you.” He kissed the top of her head. “There are perks to being a prince and if I can’t use them to make you happy, then what’s the point?”

  They mounted the short flight of stairs to the rough marble patio where a single table was set with a white tablecloth, lit candles, and a chilled bottle of champagne. Isabel gasped and let go of him, skipping forward to admire the little scene before them.

  “It’s like a fairy tale. A movie.” She turned to face him, the silk of the gown swishing with her movement. “This is too much.”

  “No.” He walked toward her, shaking his head and trying to put as much censure in his voice that he could. He stopped beside her and removed the bottle and poured two glasses, filling them with the fizzy gold liquid. “Tonight there is no such thing as too much. You deserve this. Tonight you are Cinderella.”

  “I don’t understand,” Isabel said, her eyes wet with the tears he could hear in her voice. “You know nothing about me. How can you say that?”

  He put down the glasses and tugged her to him with an arm around her waist and the other tipping her face up to look at him.

  “I know enough. I know you are kind and strong and full of joy in spite of whatever happened in your past. I know enough to want to know more as soon as you are willing to tell me.”

  “And if I can’t tell you?” Her eyes were dark and filled with pain and worry and this was not what he wanted for them tonight. His frustration at never being free, at always having life intrude in places he sought as refuge came out in a growl between clenched teeth.

  “Isabel, this is what I wanted for us tonight. I wanted a night for us to just be Nick and Isabel and leave all the stuff in Callanos and our uncertain future behind us for a little while.”

  Her gaze was sharp as it raked over his face and he knew the moment she found what he’d tried to hide.

  “Are you okay? What’s going on?”

  He struggled with how to put his own investment in this evening into words. It was like he knew the hurricane was coming and this was the calm before it hit and swept him into the new and unknown.

  “I wanted this night with you. You make my mind settle, you help me focus on what I need to do.” He pulled her against his chest and rested his chin on her head, wrapping himself up in the scent of her shampoo, her perfume, the heat of her skin as it seeped through the layers of clothes barring him from her body. “Today I realized that I’m going to be king.” He laughed at the absurdity of his pronouncement. “I kn
ew I would be king, that I would have to take over for my brother. I knew it…”

  She picked up where he left off, her words exactly what he was feeling.

  “Today was the first day you felt it. The weight of it, the power and the responsibility.” She squeezed him tighter, assuring him she was there and he was never more grateful for someone to just be there with him. “I saw it on your face. Heard it in your voice. It became real to you today.”

  “Alec isn’t coming back,” he whispered, letting the breeze whisk his words away so fast it was as if he’d never said them. “He’s gone.”

  Isabel twisted to look at him then, her tiny hands encircling his face and wiping away the moisture he hadn’t realized was on his lashes.

  “He would be proud of you and stand behind what you did. I never knew him but from what you’ve told me, he followed his conscience and his heart. He would admire that you are doing no less.” She stroked her fingers along his brow, his cheek, soothing him with her touch. “You’re grieving for so much. For Alec. Your father. Your old life. It will take time.”

  “I didn’t want this to be about me. I wanted to leave all the prince stuff behind us.”

  “This isn’t about Nicholas, this is about Nicky.” She pressed up on her tiptoes and he met her halfway, taking the kiss she offered and letting her deepen it to a warm stroke of tongues and soft lips. “It’s about Isabel. It’s about us. We’ve both lost so much.”

  “Tonight is about us,” he said.

  “So tonight we live the fairy tale?” she asked, pulling out of his embrace to take his hand and lead him to the open doors leading inside the villa.

  “There will be no midnight chime for us here, in this place. We have forever.”

  “Forever in one night.” She smiled at him, the sexy, sultry one he loved, the one she gave him as she beat him on the footpath and when she dropped her dress on the floor of her cottage. It was a smile of a woman who knew what she wanted and was strong enough to take it. “I like it.”

  “Don’t you want to eat?” He gestured back at the table, hoping she would say exactly what she said.