Saved by the Prince

by Michelle Pennington

  She frowned. “I’m sorry. I know you were wanting to avoid that.”

  He shrugged, finding that at the moment, or at any time, having his name linked with hers satisfied some deep primal urge. Besides, there would be little to the rumor once she returned home. “They’ll all learn that you are the one designing Lydia’s dress and the speculation will end as quickly as it began.”

  She didn’t answer, just looked thoughtful as she sipped her soda and looked up at the lines of wash hanging over the street.

  As they passed an intersection, a young girl bolted out in front of them, ramming directly into Serenity’s legs. She looked as if she was no more than five or six, with tangled black hair and bare feet. She had wrapped her skinny arms around Serenity’s legs to keep from falling over, and her brown skin contrasted sharply against the white fabric.

  “Oh my,” Serenity said, startled. She reached out for Alexios’s arm, steadying herself, then looked down at the startled oval face tilted up to her. “Well, hello there.”

  The little girl let go of her and stepped back, but didn’t move. Her eyes were fixed on Serenity, sweeping up and down her like she’d just seen an angel. She reached out a cautious hand and touched Serenity’s dress softly, awestruck.

  Serenity handed him her soda and crouched down to the little girl’s level. “Do you like my dress?”

  Alexios translated for her and smiled when the girl nodded her head enthusiastically. “She says she hopes she can have a pretty dress someday.” He felt a tug in his heart as he recognized the tattered hem of her dress and the gaunt look about her features that told him so much about her situation.

  Any time he came up against poverty within his own country, he felt frustrated, wishing he had the power to do more to help them. He had a charity that provided schooling and two healthy meals a day to many of the island’s poor children, but it was difficult to reach them all. Many of the children were kept home from school more than they were allowed to go, because families needed them to help work in whatever trade provided a living for them. As always, when he looked down at this girl, he felt a keen sense of responsibility for her and her future. The knowledge that he would one day have it within his power to do more for children like this was one of the burning motivators behind his sense of duty––the same duty that had torn him away from Serenity.

  As all these thoughts rushed through his mind, Serenity reached out to touch the girl’s grubby skirt with as much awe as the girl had touched hers. When she spoke, her voice was rough with emotion. “How would you like to have a new dress tomorrow?”

  When Alexios heard her question, his brows drew together, wondering what she meant. So it took a moment for him to remember to translate. Once he did, the girl’s eyes widened and her little mouth formed an “O” of surprise. Then she replied in a torrent of enthusiasm and questions that tested his abilities to keep up with the conversation.

  “Okay then,” Serenity said. “Stand still just a moment.” She stood and dug through her little handbag, pulling out a measuring tape. She pulled it around the girl’s waist and chest, measured her height from shoulder to knee, and the circumference of her little arms. She made a few notes in her phone and asked, “May I take a picture of you so I can make a dress that will look good on you?”

  When she understood the question, the little girl nodded and smiled, a few gaps where her baby teeth had fallen out showing clearly in her wide grin.

  “Don’t forget to meet me back here tomorrow at this same time,” Serenity reminded her before they said goodbye and walked on.

  “Are you really going to make her a dress by tomorrow?”

  “Definitely,” Serenity said. “I’ll just need a few supplies. Will you pardon me if I call Jade as we walk back?”

  “Of course.”

  He listened to the one-sided phone conversation as they walked back, quickly now because Serenity was on a mission. Mentions of buttons and zippers and binding tape didn’t mean much to him, but apparently Jade was supposed to find somewhere to procure these things.

  Her compassion and willingness to act humbled him. He had all these grand ideas and large-scale charities, but with only a moment’s consideration, Serenity was acting to bring sunshine into one little girl’s life. There was such a sharp contrast between her willingness to help someone and Lydia’s selfish motivations that his admiration for her grew.

  There had always been so much about her that he admired—her beauty, her talent, and her confidence, among other things. But this…this was something else. It was a glimpse into her soul, at the kindness that he’d never before had occasion to see.

  Longing for her, to spend his life at her side, burned inside him like a coal in his chest. He took deeper breaths trying to control the feeling, but it was no use.

  He should keep his distance from her while she was here. The more time he spent with her, the harder it was going to be to endure this. But he knew, even as he determined to stay away from her, that he wouldn’t be able to do it. Not when his eyes might rest on her or his ears catch the familiar strains of her voice. Not when his soul only felt whole when he was close to her.

  “Hey, Jade,” she said, “I’m getting another call. Just get whatever you can dig up, and we’ll make something work. We’re intelligent women, right? Okay, bye.” Watching over her shoulder, he saw that as soon as she hung up with Jade the other call connected. “Hello?”

  He couldn’t hear the conversation on the other end, but her gasp was enough to halt him mid-step and reach out to pull her to a stop beside him. He looked around, found one of the security officers and signaled him over.

  “Stop calling me.” She paused, listening to what sounded like a deep, male voice. “Leave me alone.”

  Without asking permission, he took her phone. “Who is this?” There was silence on the other line for several seconds, and then the call disconnected. He bit back a curse and handed her phone to the security officer. “Have that call traced.”

  “Alex, you can’t just take my phone.”

  “I can actually. Don’t forget what soil you’re standing on. And I wouldn’t have to if you’d tell me what’s going on.”

  She bit her lip and stared at the ground, her fingers clenched into fists so tightly her knuckles turned white. But she didn’t answer him.

  “Serenity, I’m going to get to the bottom of this one way or another, so you might as well tell me.”

  “Fine, but not here in the street. Let’s go back.”

  He nodded curtly and led her up the hill, keeping a hand protectively on her elbow. The two security officers that had remained unobtrusive thus far now stayed close to them.

  As soon as they got to her rooms at the palace, he excused the officers to go trace the call and closed the door to give them privacy. He stepped toward her, wrapped his hands around her arms, and pulled her close, so close she had no choice but to meet his eyes. “Okay, who are you afraid of?”

  Chapter Ten

  After telling Alex the bare bones of what had happened with Daniel, she saw an anger come over him that amazed her. He excused himself then stood on her balcony looking out to sea while she watched from her seat inside.

  He was very still. Somehow though, he looked like a volcano about to erupt. She could feel the tension building up inside him.

  She’d understood that he’d needed to cool off and think over what she’d told him, but she couldn’t bear to be separated from him any longer. Walking out to stand beside him, she asked, “What are you thinking?”

  He looked at her, his jaw clenched too tightly to make her think he would answer her any time soon. But after drawing in a long breath, he bowed his head and said, “How much I’d like to get on a plane and go deal with this guy right now.”

  “Alex, I didn’t come here so you could fix this for me.”

  “I know. You came to hide out until you figured it out.” Oddly, he smiled a bit. “Which stomps my conceit into the ground. I was rather fond of t
he idea that you’d come because you couldn’t stand the idea of me marrying someone else.”

  Serenity knocked her shoulder into his. “Shut up. You know I have more pride than that. Besides, don’t forget about Ben.”

  His expression tightened. “I’m not likely to, though I’m not satisfied I’ve gotten to the bottom of that yet either.”

  She stepped closer to him, longing to be held by him, drawn by a magnetism she couldn’t fight when she was this close to him. “Why are we doing this to each other? Throwing our feelings back and forth like weapons?”

  He turned to face her, tipping his head down to study her. “You’re right. I don’t want to fight. I want to help you.” He reached for her and pulled her into his arms, holding her securely in his embrace.

  She shouldn’t have let him, but oh, it felt like heaven. Like the rest of the world was far away and his strong arms a fortress to keep her safe.

  Neither of them moved. She knew if they did, this embrace would ignite into something more, and they couldn’t let that happen. At the moment it was an offering and accepting of comfort and nothing more. As long as she didn’t focus on the warmth of his skin rising through the cotton of his shirt or the solid thrum of his heartbeat beneath her cheek. As long as she didn’t slide her hands up and around his neck to lower his head to hers.

  Compelled by something that was neither logic nor restraint, she looked up at him, at his lips. Time stilled between them. A bird sang. The wind blew through her hair, tickling her nose with loose strands from her ponytail. He brushed them back and bent toward her.

  But then there was the sound of a door shutting in the distance.

  “Serenity, I’m back,” Jade called.

  Alexios’s arms fell away, and he stepped back, turning to lean over the railing. Serenity blinked and tried to gather herself.

  “Hey, are you here?” Jade walked out onto the balcony and came to a dead halt. Her eyes flashed between them, then she immediately turned to go back in. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

  “No.” Serenity followed her. “It’s fine. Alex was just here because I got another call from Daniel. I told him everything.”

  Jade turned back, though cautiously. “Well, that’s probably for the best. I’ve been thinking it would be helpful if security had a heads-up about the situation.”

  Alex turned around, his expression once again composed. “Wouldn’t it? Which makes it even more crazy that Serenity went traipsing around Thissa with me today, just as if she didn’t have a worry in the world.”

  Serenity shrugged. His tone was sharp, but she suspected it had as much to do with their almost kiss being broken up—and a good thing too—as with his fears for her safety. “There wasn’t a reason to worry about it. He doesn’t even know where I am, and he’s on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.”

  “You cannot possibly know that with any certainty.” He came towards them, pausing to say, “Please don’t leave the palace again without telling me, so I can make sure you’re protected.”

  “But I have a dress to deliver tomorrow.”

  He nodded. “With plenty of security. Now, if you ladies will excuse me, I have some important matters to attend to.”

  Serenity stared after him as he left, her emotions a jumble. When the door closed, however, she could feel Jade staring at her. “What?”

  “Did you guys just kiss or something?”

  “No.”

  Jade raised her eyebrows, clearly not believing her.

  Serenity rolled her eyes and walked past her. “Your excellent timing saved us from making that particular mistake.”

  “Ah. Do you hate me or feel grateful to me?”

  “I don’t know. Ask me again tomorrow. For now, we have work to do.”

  ***

  Serenity stood at the ironing board, pressing seams on the little wrap dress she was sewing, her eyes fixed on her inspiration board for Lydia but her thoughts far away. Not that they were focused on any one thing. They jumped around like rabbits, making her dizzy with the rapid change in direction. First it was the memory of Daniel’s smarmy voice on the phone, asking her where she was hiding herself. Then it was Alex and the protective way he’d reacted to the phone call. The dress designs. The girl in the street. The theme for her new line that she had to come up with as soon as possible. The fashion show that she wasn’t ready for. Ben’s eminent arrival at the palace to help her.

  “Jade, are you sure Ben was okay with pretending to be my fiancé?” She laughed. “Yep. If you ask me, he’s looking forward to it.”

  “Great.”

  “Don’t worry about it. He’ll pull it off. Now, you need to have that dress done soon if you’re going to meet the little girl on time.”

  “Yes. Yes. I just need to press and stitch the hem.” She went back to her work, her focus finally on the task in front of her. Fifteen minutes later, she had the dress hemmed. She buttoned the one button and tied the bow that kept the wrap dress closed and held it up. The skirt was full and twirly, so she knew the little girl would love it. The fabric was a gorgeous, deep blue with tiny white daisies all over it.

  “Jade, remind me to ask her name.”

  “And how are you going to do that when neither of us speaks Greek?”

  “Alex said we had to take security, remember? Surely one of them will translate for us. Ready to go?”

  “Ready,” Jade said, turning off her tablet. She’d been emailing back and forth with the team in New York, trying to put out the fires that were erupting over there as they worked on over two dozen separate pieces for the fashion show. “And I am so ready to get out of here and stretch my legs.”

  Forcing a smile, Serenity grabbed her sunglasses, and the two of them left, heading out through the courtyard, nodding to the security officers that waited for them at the gate, and heading down the steep road to the village below. Thissa, she thought it was called. One of the men walked closely behind them while two more spread out, one ahead and one further behind.

  The men intimidated her, so she hoped she could find her way without asking them for directions. Alex had taken a rambling sort of path the day before, but she knew that the street she needed was just a short distance west from the main road. Hopefully, she’d recognize it.

  As they walked, the breeze fluttered the little dress she carried over her arm, a bright splash of color against the landscape. She smiled, breathing deeply of the sun-drenched air. If nothing else came of this, at least she’d been able to bring some beauty into someone’s life.

  They were only halfway down the hill when a car pulled up next to them. As it came to a stop, the window rolled down and Alex stuck his head out the window. “Are you ladies going my way?”

  Serenity lifted her eyebrow at him. “Where are you going?”

  “To surprise a certain little girl.”

  Intrigued, Serenity walked over to the car. “The dress isn’t a surprise?”

  “No, but this basket of food and supplies, along with a scholarship to one of my schools is. But don’t worry, I’m not going to steal your thunder. I’m merely going to find out where her family lives and take this to her home.” He traded glances with the security officer, as if checking to make sure all was well. “I thought I could give you a ride though, since I know how much trouble you have walking down this hill.”

  Serenity’s eyes shifted to Jade. Her friend wore an expression of ill-concealed curiosity. She did not want to tell her about being carried barefoot on Alex’s shoulder. Somehow, though, she didn’t think she was going to get away with keeping it a secret.

  Pointing down at her feet, she said, “I’m wearing flats today and keeping my eyes on the road, so I’m fine.”

  “You mean Jade doesn’t distract you like I do? Interesting. Well, if you’re sure you don’t want a ride…”

  There was nothing on earth that could have convinced her to get in his car at that point. “Positive.”

  “I’ll see you down there then.” He gave a very roya
l-looking wave and put the window back up.

  As they watched the car drive away, she could almost feel the expectation coming off Jade in waves. Finally, Jade voiced the obvious question. “So…you had trouble walking down the hill yesterday?”

  “If you think that I’m going to tell you an embarrassing story about myself—”

  “I’ll just ask Prince Alexios if you don’t.”

  Great. His version of the story was not likely to make her look good. “Fine, but it’s really not that big of a deal.”

  But by the time they made it to the street where she was meeting the little girl, Jade was laughing way too hard. “Were there little birds gathered around to sing as he put on your glass slipper?”

  “Hush,” Serenity said, her cheeks burning. “Look, there she is.”

  The little girl waited for them against the cool stone wall of one of the buildings at the intersection where they’d been the previous day. She wore the same dress from yesterday, but it looked as though she’d received a thorough washing and her hair was fixed into two long braids that hung neatly down her back. Serenity smiled, thinking how nice it was that the girl’s natural loveliness was no longer hidden behind dirt and tangles. The fire in her eyes, that spark of interest with which she viewed the world, was captivating even then. Now it was almost overwhelming as the little girl ran up to her with her whole face alight in excitement.

  Serenity could only smile through the torrent of Greek pouring out of the girl, but she figured that the dress would be communication enough. She held it up to the girl, who touched it as if it was made of spiderwebs and might fall apart before her eyes. She grasped it by the shoulder seam and moved it from side to side so that the full skirt swished. The wide smile on her face made tears prick Serenity’s eyes, and as she looked up at Jade, it was obvious that she was having the same problem containing her emotions.

  All at once, the girl shoved the dress back into her hands with an urgency that startled Serenity. Did she not like the dress after all?