The Prince's Forbidden Bride (The Princess Brides Book 2)

by Rebecca Winters

  “I don’t know. Remember the old adage? Be careful what you wish for.”

  “Donetta—”

  “Don’t mind me. I’m so happy I don’t know what I’m saying.”

  “Shall we go?”

  Within minutes the limo whisked them away to the cathedral.

  Donetta was stunned by its beauty. She could hear the organ and choir as they entered the doors. While her sisters joined their mother inside, Donetta joined her father.

  He wore his ceremonial dress suit and sash, looking kingly and splendid as always. She was afraid he was worn out, but he seemed to be handling all the festivities very well.

  They walked arm in arm down the aisle toward the cardinal in his red robes. The grandeur of these surroundings made the experience surreal.

  Their families were seated on carved chairs on one side, facing the aisle. Queen Teodora wore a cream-colored gown. Next to her, King Nuncio sat in his wheelchair. He was dressed in his ceremonial finery and no longer wore a cast. Enrico’s sisters sat by him, along with their husbands and Prince Giovanni.

  Donetta’s mother wore blue chiffon. Her sisters were dressed in their lavender gowns. Lanza sat close to her handsome husband, Stefano. They all looked spectacular.

  Holding on to her father, Donetta walked to the front, where King Victor helped her to sit in the carved chair next to the one Enrico would occupy. Then he took his seat next to her mother.

  Enrico came in through a side door at the front to join her. He was dressed in his ceremonial navy blue suit with gold epaulets on the shoulders and his light blue sash. If Donetta were the type to swoon from such unmatchable male beauty—an old-fashioned word—she would have fallen at his feet in a white lace heap.

  Today her husband was being proclaimed king. He looked so handsome and splendid she could hardly breathe. How blessed was she to be his wife and lover. No woman could be as insanely in love as she was.

  Enrico’s black eyes met hers and flashed. He knew exactly what was running through her private thoughts, and she blushed.

  Like in everything he did, Enrico had been thoughtful, asking the cardinal to keep the coronation short enough to accommodate both their fathers, who shouldn’t have to endure anything lengthy.

  She’d learned that the cardinal was an old friend of their family, eager to comply with Enrico’s wishes. The speech about anointing the king didn’t take long. After his solemn talk, they were instructed to pray, and the choir sang a gorgeous piece of music.

  Donetta was overjoyed when the cardinal picked up the crown and placed it on Enrico’s head. No man in existence could match her husband for his striking presence or inner goodness.

  Her heart turned over on itself when Enrico reached for her hand so she could stand next to him. “Just wait until later,” he whispered in her ear, sending darts of awareness to the tips of her fingers.

  The cardinal blessed both of them before the organ burst forth and they heard bells ringing. Donetta was excited beyond belief when they walked down the aisle to the enclosed carriage waiting outside. Their ride would end at the palace with a feast awaiting everyone in the main dining room.

  Once he released her, they turned to their families. To her everlasting gratitude, everyone showed a surfeit of love today. As for Enrico’s mother, her decision to allow the coronation to proceed made Donetta love her more than ever.

  Back at the palace, Enrico removed the crown and the festivities began. Their coronation dinner included champagne toasts from everyone, including Enrico’s sisters. Donetta loved all the tributes, especially the ones from Fausta and Giovanni, who’d sat together and seemed to be enjoying each other’s company. They stood at the same time and revealed secrets back and forth to everyone’s amusement.

  “To my cousin Enrico, whom I’ve never seen so happy in my life. Every time he had a date with a girl, I’d ask him if he was going to see her again, but he’d say he wasn’t interested. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong until he finally told me about Donetta. And then we planned the concorso here so she’d come.”

  “That explains everything,” Fausta blurted. “To Donetta! If you’ve all noticed, she’s glowing. When she returned home from that competition, I never saw anyone so happy. She told me Enrico had taken her on a picnic. I knew she was crazy about him.

  “She reminds me of Lanza who came back from their last trip to Argentina and told us she and Stefano were expecting a baby.”

  Everyone laughed and clapped in delight. Knowing Lanza was going to have a son very soon made this coronation day extra special for Donetta.

  Her father made the last toast. “To my beloved daughter Donetta. I couldn’t agree with your sister more. I’ve never known you to be this happy, which means you’ve met the right man in Enrico. May you always feel this same joy through the years and know the contentment I’ve had with my bride.”

  His toast brought tears to Donetta’s eyes and her mother’s. She glanced at Enrico’s mother. How hard this had to be for her because of her husband’s illness. Enrico had to be thinking the same thing. He squeezed Donetta’s hip before leaving her side to go hug his mother and father.

  His devotion to them made Donetta love her new husband with a fierceness she didn’t know herself capable of. Later in the day he stole her away and they hurried to their apartment where they could be alone at last.

  He kissed her long and hard. “Let’s hurry and get changed. I have a surprise for you.”

  “You do too much for me already,” Donetta murmured against his lips.

  “This is a small thing, but I know you’ll enjoy it. Wear something casual.”

  “Life is always exciting with you.”

  She rushed to get out of the gown she’d worn to the coronation, wondering if he wanted to go on a horseback ride or some such thing.

  In a few minutes they were both ready. He’d dressed in cargo pants and a sports shirt. From king to sailor, he was equally gorgeous.

  Donetta smiled at him. “Before we leave, I have two surprises for you.”

  “You do?” He looked excited.

  “One is in here. Come into the living room.” She reached for his hand and walked him out of their bedroom. “Look over on the far wall.”

  Those black eyes swerved in that direction. She felt his body quicken as he pulled her with him to the oil painting of his latest horse.

  She knew she’d given him something he would cherish. He crushed her to him. “It’s fabulous.”

  “Just like you.”

  “I adore you, bellissima.”

  After another lengthy kiss they left the apartment and hurried down the staircase to the entrance where he kept his Jaguar. Was he taking them back to their camp?

  But her question was answered quickly when he drove down to the lake and parked at a pier, where she saw a gleaming white sailboat moored.

  She squealed when she noticed the name on the side and turned to him. “You’ve named it the Luna!”

  “That’s right. When I decided to buy this sailboat, I had you in mind. But I didn’t want to give away my secret and call it Donetta. Your horse’s name was the next best choice.

  “The day you won that championship on Luna was years ago, but I recognized there was something special about you even back then. You have no idea how excited I am to be sleeping on board with my wife who was once a girl with hair like a silvery gold waterfall.”

  She launched herself in his arms. This was love beyond imagining. He walked her down the pier and helped her onto the boat.

  The sun was about to disappear below the horizon. She looked into his eyes. “Now it’s time to tell you about my second gift. I haven’t seen a doctor yet, but I did a home test and—”

  “I’ve made you pregnant already?” he cried. The elation in his voice told her everything she wanted to know. “Donetta!”

 
“Won’t it be fun to see if we have a boy with my color of hair or a girl with yours? You’ll make the most wonderful father in the whole world.”

  Enrico rocked her in his arms, apparently too overcome to talk, and they lay together, looking forward to their wonderful future.

  * * *

  If you missed the previous story in The Princess Brides trilogy, check out

  The Princess’s New Year Wedding

  And look out for the next book

  Coming soon!

  If you enjoyed this story, check out these other great reads from Rebecca Winters

  Wedding the Greek Billionaire

  Falling for the Venetian Billionaire

  Captivated by the Brooding Billionaire

  All available now!

  Keep reading for an excerpt from Summer Escape with the Tycoon by Donna Alward.

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  Summer Escape with the Tycoon

  by Donna Alward

  CHAPTER ONE

  THE LAST PLACE Molly Quinn wanted to be tonight was at the Merchant Seafarer Resort, wearing a snug cocktail dress and her feet in a new pair of heels that added a good three inches to her height and blisters on each of her pinky toes.

  A parking attendant took her keys and she handed him a generous tip before taking a breath and entering the luxurious lobby. Cool air washed over her and she made a conscious effort to tamp down her irritation. It didn’t help that she’d been in heels since seven this morning, in the office early to prepare for a deposition. After a grueling day with clients who’d acted more like children than adults, she’d changed at the office, left an hour early and then fought the traffic to get to the resort on Nantucket on time. Tomorrow she had to be in court by ten, so she had no option other than to drive back to the city tonight and get in at an ungodly hour. Why had she done this again?

  She had to admit, it was a gorgeous spot. Positioned above a white-sand beach, with sloping grounds leading to the ocean, the Seafarer was a Nantucket icon: grand, timeless and a bastion of wealth and opulence. But Molly would have much preferred sitting on her balcony, sans footwear, sipping on a glass of rosé to attending such an event, no matter how wonderful the cause.

  “Molly! You made it.”

  Ryan O’Neill appeared out of nowhere, striding across the lobby as if he owned it, dressed in perfectly tailored Armani. Tall, with striking blue eyes and a hint of Irish red in his chestnut hair, he garnered attention wherever he went. Lately he’d received a good amount of attention because of his divorce from a somewhat obscure actress—one who was more recognizable now because of the public nature of the split. Ryan had brought the money into the relationship, and Molly had been the lawyer in charge of ensuring he kept as much of it as possible.

  Moreover, she liked him, and they’d become friends of a sort. He was a train wreck at the moment on a personal level, but he was a nice, fun guy, and she hadn’t been able to say no when he’d asked her to attend tonight’s dinner and auction with him. No one wanted to attend these things alone and make for an odd number at a sponsored table—especially when you were the sponsor.

  “Ryan.” She smiled genuinely and held out her hands. He took them and gave them a squeeze, then leaned forward and kissed her cheek in greeting.

  “Thank you for coming tonight. There’s nothing worse than attending these things alone.”

  She grinned up at him, feeling a little of her annoyance dissipate. “You’re welcome. Sorry I’m a little late.”

  “It’s just getting started. Let’s get you a glass of wine, shall we?”

  “Just one,” she cautioned. “I have to drive back to the city tonight.”

  “Ah, yes. No staying at the hotel tonight, I remember.” He put a hand at her back and chuckled a little. “You do like to follow the rules.”

  “Always.” She arched her back and moved away from his hand slightly, not wanting to settle into the touch that was both solicitous and...a little too familiar. She looked up at him, all Irish roguishness and twinkling eyes, and suppressed a sigh of irritation...and maybe a hint of regret. “Which is why I accepted your invitation tonight when I said no to the others. Officially you’re no longer my client, so I’m not breaking any rules.”

  “Yet.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Still not staying the night. But nice try,” she teased. If she thought he really meant it, that his overtures were more than flirting, she would have refused the invitation. But she knew he was still a bit too raw from his divorce to do more than be charming.

  He laughed now as he guided her from the lobby to the ballroom where the dinner and silent auction for a new opioid treatment center was being held. The other reason she hadn’t been able to say no to him was because she knew that it was a personal cause. Ryan’s brother had been in and out of rehab since he was twenty-two. Ryan had confessed to her during one of their meetings that finding the painkillers in his wife’s bag had been a critical moment in deciding if he wanted their marriage to continue. He’d immediately had Molly’s sympathy. And if she were being honest, the ugliness of his divorce had exhausted her and made her wonder if her exorbitant fees were, in fact, worth it.

  But that was behind them now. The ballroom was stunning. Tables were bedecked with ivory and gold linens, and flower arrangements, heavy with lilies, sent out a pungent, exotic scent. The room was already half full of other guests, who mingled with long-stemmed or highball glasses in their hands. Chandeliers dripping with crystal winked over the assembled crowd, and soft music played. A waiter approached and Molly took a glass of something white and cool as Ryan asked for a whiskey.

  It was a good cause. There was food. She had a good-looking, fun date. And she still really wanted to be home and out of the shoes and dress and Spanx that kept her figure smooth and a size smaller beneath her dress. As the Lycra dug into her ribs, she heard her mother’s voice in her head, reminding her of the extra ten pounds she always carried, and how certain dresses simply weren’t flattering. One day she was going to burn every single slimming garment she owned and say the heck with it.

  For a while she and Ryan mingled, then moved on to peruse the auction items.

  Each one represented a grand adventure, a trip of a lifetime. Displays were arranged with some featuring promotional videos, while others had representatives in attendance. She gawped at the offerings. There was an African safari. A castle in Provence, among the heady scent of lavender fields. Italy—including gondola rides in Venice, a wine agrit
urismo in Tuscany and a side trip to Malta and the famed Blue Grotto. The rain forest in Costa Rica and mountain climbing in Nepal. Bids had already been made on some of the adventures, and she sipped her wine and wondered what it would be like to actually take a trip like that. These were bucket-list items, she realized. Bucket lists to help those, like Ryan’s brother, who may never have the chance to do any of their bucket-list items if they didn’t kick their addictions.

  It made her pause and think about her complaints that were really, in the overall scheme of things, small stuff. She had all this money and a great career and she wasn’t happy. So maybe it was time for a change. For some time she’d felt that family law was a mistake, and a bit too soul-destroying. The trouble was, she wasn’t at all sure what would make her happy.

  Ryan was chatting to someone a few feet away and Molly stopped at a table, her attention caught by a monitor where killer whales curved through the waves, their dorsal fins straight and tall. The shot shifted to a group of kayakers sliding through the water, with huge sequoia trees, rolling hills of grapevines and a view of the ocean from a luxury hotel room. The words Island Outdoor Adventures crossed the screen, with the smaller words Vancouver Island, Canada.

  Canada. Maybe not the most exotic location in the world, but she’d occasionally traveled to Montreal or Toronto for conferences and she’d loved the country. She stepped closer to the table and picked up the glossy brochure. The adventure promised a variety of experiences, most outdoor, with luxury accommodations to pamper even the most particular guest.

  “Find something you like?”

  Ryan’s voice sounded by her ear and she half turned. “Maybe?”

  He picked up a brochure and flipped it open. “Kayaking with killer whales? Zip-lining in the rain forest?” His teasing eyes swept over her. “That doesn’t sound much like you, Molly.”

  A sliver of indignation seared through her. How would Ryan O’Neill know what did or didn’t sound like her? Sure, they got along well. He’d been a good client and they’d had some fun conversations. But he didn’t know her. Not really.