by Cat Schield
Nic’s chest tightened. He was doing a terrible job of lying to himself. In truth he wasn’t ready to say goodbye. It was selfish and stupid.
“I need to make a phone call,” Nic told Elena. “Will you let Brooke know we’ll be leaving in ten minutes?”
Calling himself every sort of idiot, Nic dialed Gabriel. When he answered, Nic got right to the point. “I’m bringing someone home with me. She’s come a long way to see me and I don’t feel right leaving her alone in Greece.”
“She?” Gabriel echoed, not quite able to keep curiosity out of his voice. “Is this going to cause problems?”
Nic knew exactly what Gabriel meant and decided not to sugarcoat it. “That’s not my intention. She’s Glen’s sister. I think I’ve mentioned her a few times.”
“The one who drives you crazy?” Gabriel sounded intrigued.
“The interfering one who flew here to convince me to come back to the Griffin project.”
“Just the project?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Nic didn’t intend to be defensive, but with last night’s events still reverberating across his emotions, he wasn’t in the best shape to fence with a diplomat as savvy as Gabriel. “She’s Glen’s little sister.”
“And you talk about her more than any woman you’ve ever known.”
“I know what you’re getting at, but it’s not an issue. Things got a little complicated between us recently, but everything is sorted out.”
“Complicated how?”
“I didn’t tell her who I was until she came here looking for me and that upset her. I shouldn’t have left her in the dark. We’ve been...friends...for a long time.”
“Why didn’t you tell her?”
Nic rubbed his temples where an ache had begun. “I know this is going to be hard for you to understand but I liked being an ordinary scientist, anonymously doing the work I’m really good at.”
“You’re right. I don’t understand. I grew up knowing I belonged to the country. You never did like being in the spotlight. So you didn’t tell her you’re a prince. Do you think she would have looked at you differently if she’d known all along?”
“Brooke values a person for how they behave not who they are or what they have.”
Gabriel laughed. “She sounds like your sort of girl. I can’t wait to meet her.”
“Honestly, it’s not like that.” He didn’t want his brother giving the wrong idea to their parents. “She understands my situation.”
“She knows that you’re coming home to find a bride? And she wants to accompany you, anyway?”
“I haven’t spoken with her this morning.” Not exactly a lie. “She doesn’t know I’m bringing her with me to Sherdana yet.”
“Well, this should make for an interesting family dinner,” Gabriel said. “I’ll make sure there’s a place set at the table for her beside Mother.”
And before Nic could protest that arrangement, Gabriel hung up. Nic debated calling him back, but decided it would only exacerbate his brother’s suspicions about Brooke. Playing it cool and calm around his family would be the best way to handle any and all speculation.
Grabbing his bag from his bedroom, Nic made his way toward the steps that Brooke had used to access the terrace two days ago. They led down the steep hillside in a zigzag that ended at a private dock. Brooke had already arrived at the boat and was settled onto the seat opposite the pilot’s chair. The smile she offered Nic was bright if a little ragged around the edges.
Thasos started the engine as soon as Nic stepped aboard and quickly untied the mooring ropes. Nic settled into the bench seat at the back of the boat and watched Brooke pretend not to be interested in him. He knew the signs. He’d spent years giving her the impression he was oblivious to her presence. Yet how could he be? She lit up every room she entered. Her personality set the very air to buzzing. Sitting still was probably the hardest thing she did. Yet when her brain engaged, she could get lost in a book or her writing for hours.
They’d shared many companionable afternoons while she was working on her second doctorate. Not surprisingly, she enjoyed sitting cross-legged on the couch in his workroom, tapping away at her computer keyboard or with her nose buried in a book. If he managed to accomplish any work on the weekends she visited, it was a miracle. Most of the time, he’d pretended to be productive while he watched her surreptitiously.
Forty-five minutes after leaving Ithaca, the boat maneuvered into an open space at the Fiskardo quay. A car would be waiting to carry them on the thirty-one-kilometer journey to the airport outside Kefalonia’s capital, Argostoli. If traffic was good, they would get there in a little less than an hour.
Thasos carried their bags to the waiting car and with a jaunty wave turned back to the boat. As soon as he’d driven out of sight, Nic turned to Brooke.
“I don’t feel comfortable heading home to Sherdana and leaving you on your own.”
“Good Lord, Nic.” She shot him a dry look. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”
“I agree. It’s just that with everything that has happened in the last few days—”
“Stop right there.” All trace of amusement vanished from her tone as she interrupted him. “After everything that’s happened...? I am not some delicate flower that has been crushed by disappointment.”
“Nevertheless. I’m not going to leave you stranded in Greece. You are coming home with me.”
* * *
After five years of teasing and cajoling, bullying and begging, Brooke thought she had Nic all figured out. He preferred working in solitude, hated drama and rarely veered from a goal once he’d set his mind to something. But this announcement left her floundering. Had she ever really known him at all?
“What do you mean you’re taking me home with you?” The notion thrilled and terrified her.
“Exactly what I said.” Nic’s jaw was set in uncompromising lines. “You will fly with me to Sherdana and from there I will make sure you get a flight back to California.”
The knot in Brooke’s stomach didn’t ease with his clarification. “I assure you I’m perfectly capable of getting a flight home from Greece.” With morning sickness plaguing her, she’d given up the idea of a summer holiday in Italy. She wanted to be surrounded by familiar things and her favorite people. Maybe she’d spend a week in LA visiting her parents.
“Don’t make this difficult on yourself.”
“Isn’t that what I should be saying to you?” Seeing he didn’t comprehend her meaning, Brooke clarified. “Have you considered what happens when we land? How fast can you get me on a plane to the States? In the meantime are you planning on leaving me waiting at the airport? Putting me up in a hotel? Or perhaps you think I’d be more comfortable at the palace?”
Expecting her sarcasm to be lost on him the way it usually was, Brooke was stunned by his matter-of-fact retort.
“My brother said he’ll make sure the staff sets an extra place for you at dinner next to my mother.” Lighthearted mischief lit his eyes as her mouth dropped open.
“I can’t have dinner with your family.” Her throat clenched around a lump of panic.
“Why not?”
“I have nothing to wear.”
“You look perfect to me.”
With lids half-closed, his gaze roamed over her body, setting off a chain reaction of longing and need. The July morning had gone from warm to hot as the sun had crested the horizon and Brooke had dressed accordingly in a loose-fitting blue-and-white cotton peasant dress with a thigh-baring hem and a plunging neckline. The look was fine for traveling from one Greek Island to another or catching a short flight to Rome, London or anywhere else she could snag a connection home to California. But to go to Sherdana and be introduced to Nic’s family?
“Why are you really bringin
g me along?”
“Because I’m not ready to let you go.” As light as a feather, he slid his forefinger along her jaw. It fell away when it reached her chin. “Not yet.”
But let her go he would. Her skin tingled where he’d touched her. Brooke saw the regret in his eyes and her heart jerked. Heat kindled in her midsection as she recalled what had taken place between them the night before, but desire tangled with anxiety and sadness. How was she supposed to just walk away?
She jammed her balled fists behind her to hide their shaking and estimated she had half an hour to talk him out of his madness. “Have you considered how unhappy your parents are going to be if you show up with some strange girl in tow?”
“You’re not a strange girl. You’re Glen’s sister.”
“And how are you going to explain what I was doing on the island with you?”
“I’ve already contacted Gabriel and briefed him.”
Briefed him with the truth or a diplomatic runaround? “You don’t think anyone is going to be suspicious about the nature of our relationship?
“Why would they be? I’ve spoken of you often to my family. They know you’re Glen’s annoying baby sister whom I’ve known for the last five years.”
Seeing his wicked smile, she relaxed a little. “Okay, maybe we can do this. After all, Glen knows us better than anyone and he has no idea anything changed between us.” If they could fool Glen, they could keep his family from guessing the true nature of their relationship.
“He knows.”
Brooke shook her head. “Impossible.” Her mind raced over every conversation she’d had with her brother in the past month. “He hasn’t said a word.”
“He had plenty to say to me,” Nic replied in a tight voice, and Brooke suddenly had no trouble imagining how that conversation had gone.
Glen was the best older brother a girl could have. Born eighteen months before her, he’d never minded when she’d tagged after him and his buddies. The guys had accepted her as one of them and taught her how to surf and water-ski. She’d grown up half tomboy, half girlie-girl. They’d all had a great time until Glen graduated high school two years early and headed off to MIT where he’d met Nic.
“The morning after we were together,” Nic continued, “your brother cornered me in the lab and threatened to send me up strapped to the rocket if I hurt you.”
“No wonder you got out of town so fast after breaking things off with me.” Her words were meant to be funny, but when Nic grimaced, she realized her insensitivity. He’d actually left not long after the rocket blew up. “I’m sorry.” She looked down at her hands. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
Nic set his fingers beneath her chin and adjusted the angle of her head until their eyes met. “I’d like to show you my country.”
And then what? She received the royal treatment and another goodbye? Already her heart was behaving rashly. She’d opened herself to heartache when she’d surrendered to one last night in his arms. To linger meant parting from him would be that much harder. Did she have no self-control? No self-respect? Hadn’t she already learned several difficult lessons?
The need in his gaze echoed the longing in her heart. “Sure,” she murmured, surrendering to what they both wanted. “Why not.”
“Then that’s settled.”
An hour later, Nic led her onto a luxurious private plane and guided her into a comfortable leather seat beside the window. With his warm, solid presence bolstering her confidence, Brooke buckled her seat belt and listened to the jet’s engine rev. As the plane began to taxi, her chest compressed. Try as she might, she couldn’t shake the notion that she should have refused Nic’s invitation and just gone home to California.
The instant he’d set foot on the plane his demeanor had changed. Tension rode his broad shoulders and he seemed more distant than ever, his bearing more formal, his expression set into aloof lines. Before leaving Ithaca he’d donned a pair of light beige dress pants and a pale blue dress shirt that set off his tanned skin. On the seat opposite him, he’d placed a beige blazer that bore a blue pocket square. Brooke stared at the oddity.
Nic in stylish clothes. And a coordinating pocket square.
He’d always been sexy, handsome and confident, but he now wore a mantle of überwealthy, ultrasophistication. Ensconced in the luxurious plane, his big hands linked loosely in his lap, he looked utterly confident, poised and...regal. For the first time she truly accepted that Nic was no longer the rocket scientist she knew. Nor was he the ardent lover of last night. Swallowed by helplessness, Brooke stared straight ahead unsure who he’d become.
Maybe leaving him behind in Sherdana was going to be easier than she realized. This Nic wasn’t the man she’d fallen in love with. A shiver raced up her spine as his hand covered hers and squeezed gently. Obviously, her heart had no problem with the changes in Nic’s appearance. Her pulse fluttered and skipped along just as foolishly as ever.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Did she explain how his transformation bothered her? To what end? He could never be hers. He belonged to a nation.
“This is quite a plane.” Feeling out of place sitting beside such an aristocratic dreamboat on his multimillion-dollar aircraft, Brooke babbled the first thought that entered her head. “Is it yours?”
“If by ‘yours’ you are asking if it belongs to Sherdana’s royal family, then yes.”
“Well, that’s pretty convenient for you, I guess.” She mustered a wry grin. “I suppose the press knows the plane pretty well and that your arrival won’t exactly be a state secret.”
“Your point?”
“Aside from the fact that we’re trying to maintain a low profile on our whole relationship thing, I’m dressed like someone’s poor relation. The press is bound to be curious about me. Please can I stay on the plane after you get off until the coast is clear?”
He looked ready to protest, but shook his head and sighed. “If you wish. I’ll arrange for someone to meet you at the hangar. That way there won’t be any press asking questions you don’t want to answer.”
It hit Brooke what some of those questions might be and her brain grew sluggish. She’d spent most of her life with her nose buried in books. Glen was the sibling who relished the spotlight. He didn’t freeze up in front of large crowds, but put people at ease with his charismatic charm and dazzled them with his intelligence. Numerous times she’d stood back during press events and marveled at his confidence. Not even the difficult questions fired at him after the rocket blew up had rattled him. He’d demonstrated the perfect blend of sadness and determination.
“As for clothes,” Nic continued, “I’m sure either my sister, Ariana, or Olivia, Gabriel’s wife, will be able to lend you some things.”
Brooke would be borrowing clothes from princesses. This wasn’t an ordinary family he was taking her home to meet. His mother was a queen. His father was a king. Nic was a prince. What the hell was she doing? She clutched at the armrests, suddenly unable to breathe.
The whirr and clunk of landing gear being locked into place startled her. They were minutes from landing. Nothing about this trip was working out the way she’d planned. She’d stepped onto the plane in San Francisco thinking she would fly to Greece, tell him about the baby and bring Nic back with her so they could be one big happy family.
The full impact of her foolishness now hit her like a mace. Even if Nic were madly in love with her, he couldn’t offer her anything permanent. In fact, he was so far out of her league that they could be living on separate planets.
“I need to know details about your family so I’m prepared,” she blurted out, her stomach flipping as the plane lost altitude.
“Sure. Where would you like to start?”
So many questions whirled in her mind that it took her a moment to prioritize them. “Your parents. H
ow do I address them?”
Eight
Nic emerged from the plane and hesitated before descending the stairs to the tarmac. In a tight knot, thirty feet away, a dozen reporters held up cameras and microphones all focused on him. He approached the assembled crowd—the prodigal son returning to the bosom of his family—and answered several questions before heading toward the black Mercedes that awaited him.
Although he’d known it was the sensible thing to do, separating from Brooke even for a short period of time didn’t feel right. It wasn’t as if he expected her to run off and hop a plane back to California. Enough security surrounded the royal aircraft hangar that she wouldn’t get five feet from the plane before she was stopped and questioned.
No, it was more the sense that by traveling separately to the palace, he was acknowledging that there was something to hide. And yet, wasn’t there? During the car ride to the airport when she’d asked him why he wanted her to come home with him, he’d told her the truth. He wasn’t ready to let her go. The answer had distressed her.
Last night she’d accused him of always demanding things be his way. Now, once again he was acting selfishly.
Nic passed the crowd of reporters without another glance. A familiar figure stood beside the car’s rear door. Stewart Barnes, Gabriel’s private secretary, offered a smile and a nod as Nic approached.
“Good afternoon, Your Highness. I hope you had a good flight from Greece.” The secretary’s keen blue eyes darted toward the plane. “Prince Gabriel mentioned you were bringing someone with you. Did she change her mind?”
“No. She’s just a little skittish about public appearances. Could you arrange a car to pick her up at the hangar?”
If Stewart was surprised that Nic was sneaking a girl into the country, his expression didn’t show it. “Of course.” He bowed and opened the car door.