Forbidden Royal

by Victoria Pinder

  Amy had goosebumps all over her. This was the closest thing to a date she'd ever have with Lucio. She’d had a crush on him all freshman year, watching him study so intently from her spot across the index files. She’d write notes she hadn’t been brave enough to pass but it all ended the day her sister stormed the library and sat on his table, with her miniskirt hiked to well above her knees to showcase her long legs.

  Lucio had been forced to break up with Evie and returned to Avce, never returning to their high school. She met his gaze and said a silent prayer that this wasn't about her sister though it probably was and asked, "So, what is it you want to talk to me about?"

  "I think that's best over dinner, at our private table."

  Private really did make this sound like a date. She pressed her lips together and decided to be upfront about her sister. Evie had always said he’d been the one to get away. "Evie doesn't live with me. She's up in Edinburgh, planning her wedding, but I'm sure if I called her, she'd swoop down this evening to see you."

  "I know where she is." His eyes rounded and he somehow seemed sweeter than the well-built sexy man he now was. "I came to see you, not Evie."

  No. She'd not let her hopes up. She wasn't a teenager anymore. Her gaze narrowed. "Why? You dated my sister."

  He shrugged and turned away to the window. "That was a long time ago. It doesn’t matter now."

  It felt like sharp glass edges ripped at her skin. So, he loved Evie still. The feeling of nausea would pass, but she tried to remember that her sister wasn't that bad. "It really does. She's engaged, but I'm sure she'd want to hear from you..."

  He interrupted and placed his hand on hers. "While I was curious about Evie, it's you I'm here for, Amy. You're exactly what I need."

  She wasn't a replacement. Not for Evie. If Lucio still loved her sister, he should go to her and let her sister choose between both men. The knots in her stomach tightened. "And it's not work related?"

  "No."

  The limo stopped in front of a high-end French restaurant located within the Dorchester. The outside seemed an ordinary building that blended into London’s greystones, but Amy had heard about opulence inside, though she’d never had occasion to try it.

  The door opened to the sidewalk and she fixed her pearl necklace at her throat. The place smelled of old money and the aristocracy. Her skin jumped as if she was the intruder here, but she slid out after Lucio. Not a drop of rain hit her head because the chauffeur held the umbrella for them. They walked to the front door in silence, and Lucio opened it for her.

  Part of her wished this was a date. She unbuttoned her frumpy jacket and took it off, hanging it over her arm.

  Men and women in expensive business suits milled around the marble arches in the lobby, holding cocktails. Lucio put his hand on her back and she was glad that her blouse was real silk. Her wardrobe might be understated but it was quality.

  "I am intrigued," she said. He didn’t say a word. "You never noticed me in high school. Then your parents reclaimed their throne and you left. Back then all you ever spoke to me about was my sister." At the time, his every question was like a knife to her heart that threatened to leave her bleeding and alone, forever.

  Savory smells of roasted lamb and garlic teased them down a long hall to where a host in black greeted them with a slight bow. They walked arm to arm as they made their way through the lobby of the old hotel but instead of checking in, they went toward the restaurant’s double doors.

  She caught the eye of one woman in a designer dress who was clearly someone with money, and Amy turned toward Lucio, half afraid of what others might think, even though this place was no longer just for the aristocracy. Besides, she’d been invited by a prince. He kept the conversation light. "You were skinny and wore those glasses that I was hoping to see again. Those black rims were way too big for your face."

  She laughed as they made it to the entrance and the maitre'd picked up two menus. They followed and she kept their conversation strictly on the past. "Yes, they were. And you were too into rugby and physics to ever care about anything other than sports." Until Evie.

  "I still read physics, for pleasure."

  The lemon butter taste from the last time she’d had French pasta caught in her throat as they passed people at white linen-covered tables with their entrees in front of them. She almost tripped on her own foot when the maitre'd shifted the white luminescent oval fiber-optic curtain to reveal a hidden table. He was serious? This was where they would be eating? She blinked, unable to process. Lucio urged her forward and she moved a tiny bit. "We're here. Shall we go inside?"

  For a dinner that wasn't a date because he was in love with her sister, the setting was extreme. She curled her hands together. "I can't wait to hear what this is all about."

  He followed her past the curtain. "I'm in shock that out of billions of women on the planet, it's you I'm going to ask, too."

  At least on that score they were on the same page. She slid into her seat and the waitress brought her different stemware and dining options to choose. She pointed toward the classic white with gray trim plate and crystal glasses while they set the table. Once they were alone she asked, "What is it that you might want with me, Lucio?"

  He turned his chair and pinned her with his gaze. "I'm here to ask you to marry me."

  Fireworks exploded inside her mind and body. Seriously? She knew about the archaic law—had written an article about it. He’d asked her? She couldn't move.

  A sommelier arrived with a bottle of wine. Lucio motioned for her to pour while Amy just stared at the fiber optic curtain, stunned, and couldn't look away. She couldn't hear anything, including the noise of the restaurant. On some level she heard the woman say "Enjoy" but she couldn't respond.

  Lucio put his hand on her knee and the world roared back into sound. She heard the patrons talking at their tables inside the restaurant beyond the fiber optics and she put her hand on his. "Am I on one of those joke shows where someone is going to come in here and call me a sucker?"

  "No."

  She pushed his hand away and shook her head. "You can't expect me to say yes. All I know about you is that you love my sister and you live in Avce and that you have to get married... before your 30th birthday... which is coming up...this year."

  Her recent report for a client on his family had shed light on his motives, but why her? Why not her sister? The question kept her from running out of the restaurant.

  "How do you know that?"

  "I'm a political analyst for a living, but like the rest of the world, I recently read about your situation in an article on my way to work." She kept the article she’d written on his country's strengths and weaknesses to herself. "So, why aren't you trying to steal my sister from marrying her Duke? Evie might say yes if you ask her."

  His eyes twitched but he held absolutely still. She waited for more of a reaction, but then he leaned closer, as if sharing a confidence. "I went to see your sister last night, before coming to you." He sat back in his seat. "I wanted to apologize for breaking up with her how I did, and now it is done. I can assure you that your sister is not the love of my life."

  He’d looked out the window so sadly she’d assumed…Her mind focused. "And that doesn't explain why me. Why would you want to marry me?"

  "And for why, the answer is because out of all the women in the world, your name was the one the computer programmers returned with as a perfect wife for me." He stared at her with such intensity she believed him. "Since I'm on a countdown so to speak, I'd rather marry someone I might have a shot at happiness with than someone with whom I have no future. It was in your report that you’re not dating anyone at the moment."

  Seriously? He had a file on her dating life? Her sister still considered him the one she loved and lost. Evie was his first choice. She dropped the napkin on the table and began her defense. "I don't need to marry anyone, ever. I make enough money to adopt, go get my eggs fertilized or whatever I want in the future."

&nb
sp; "That's your plan?" His eyebrow rose.

  Drat. Truth was she’d shied away from dating too much as her sister always interfered. Her muscles stiffened. "Or, I might be waiting for true love. Either way, I'm fine as I am. I don’t need you to swoop in and save me from my own choices."

  "It's good to hear that. I won’t take away your independence, Amy."

  "By marrying you, I throw my potential future happiness away, all for a crown that probably shouldn't even exist."

  "A crown that shouldn't... I'll get back to you later on that one." He stood as she stood, ready to end dinner and the night and stop playing games. "Please sit, let me explain why it has to be you and what I can offer you that you don't have right now."

  Lucio reminded her of the ancient Italian warrior in his genealogy, his intensity just as sharp as what she remembered in high school.

  With a heavy heart she sat, picked up her wine glass, sipped and motioned for him to do the same. "I'm all ears on why you'd have your IT department pick you a wife."

  He leaned forward and placed his hands together. "Let's start with why you and why this is serious."

  "Okay." She avoided eye contact while she prayed he didn’t mention her parents or the cement contract they wanted in Avce.

  He stared at her until she finally met his gaze. He nodded. "Your parents want to build a chemical plant on our land for their cement and they feel I slighted them years ago when I broke up with your sister, in high school."

  Her heart sped. She knew her parents would one day try to set her up and she had no doubt they’d expect her to say yes to Lucio. Marriage had often been the topic at family dinners, and for years she fought with them about who she’d marry, or if she’d marry, and she thought they were finally at an impasse. She’d been wrong.

  But her parents’ scheming had nothing to do with his IT department. She held the stem of her glass harder than normal. There had to be a way out of this.

  "My parents favored Evie, who is marrying a man they very much approve of." Amy gulped her wine and once she was done, put the glass on the table, half afraid she'd break it. "Since you broke her heart in high school she's been working to keep their good opinion. But I'm not her and I don't need my parents to tell me what to do."

  "Good. I don't need my parents either, but I do love them. It's why I will marry, but let's get back to broken hearts. We were fifteen. You were fourteen. Those moments don't define us."

  "For some they do." Evie had cried foul for years that she’d been punished for being in love.

  "Look, your parents want a chemical plant. I need a wife and your name came up through IT. I read your resume and was very impressed." He sat straight. "We don't have to love each other, but you've been preparing to be a royal bride all your life. Your parents sent you to the best schools. You work and live in the best areas. And you probably understand politics better than me."

  There was so much that she couldn't say. Overwhelmed, she played with her pearls. Of course, she thought about sex, but she didn't bring it up. As his wife, would he expect her in his bed? "I find politics interesting and studied hard but I never thought it was to marry you."

  Studying had been her escape to avoid her parents’ plans to find her a husband.

  "I knew you watched me, from behind your stack of books. I figured you had a crush." Lucio winked at her and sat more relaxed as servers came into the small fiber optic screen with the silver tray that must hold food. They quietly set the table and lit the candle between her and Lucio. Once the plates were laid, they disappeared. She didn't even remember ordering but perhaps the private table came with certain foods. She didn't ask. "And now you'll be my wife."

  "I was a teenager!" Her face heated and her stomach was in a huge knot. "What I felt or thought I felt doesn't matter."

  "So you agree that who we were as teenagers doesn't matter now that we are adults." Lucio folded his napkin over his lap. "At fourteen and fifteen, we weren’t at our most capable for thinking. And as for my offer, why don't you take tonight and think about it. Let’s eat." He picked up his fork and bit into his lemon butter chicken. He swallowed, wiped his lips and leaned closer, "So we eat this delicious dinner that's being delivered to our table."

  His confidence rattled her composure. He must have spoken to her parents as well as her sister and now they thought to trade her in for a contract. There was no way she'd agree, but her stomach churned. She’d never learned to say no to them, ever, using evasion to avoid a direct confrontation.

  She’d gone on some awful dates to appease them, men with the right lineage but no chemistry.

  Yet Lucio remembered that she’d reread Pride and Prejudice over and over again and that when, finally, he read it, years later, he’d thought of her.

  Drat, Lucio was even good at making her feel comfortable. She swallowed, but in her heart of hearts, she feared she’d give in to him too.

  3

  The limo pulled up to her apartment and she jumped out before anyone opened her door. All she could think about was a good night kiss. Lucio rolled down his window and winked at her. "Good night."

  "Night." He’d charmed her in the restaurant and her lips tingled as if he’d actually kissed her. She unlocked the door on the street and raced up the steps to her flat. Once inside, she locked her apartment door and leaned against it while she took a deep breath.

  Of course, Lucio hadn't followed her. The idea of a medieval wedding where she was the prized maiden was ridiculous. She imagined her parents signing contracts with her as the main offering. This wasn't the 14th century anymore. If they tried to force her, then she'd hop on a plane and take off to some remote corner of the planet.

  How far had her parents gone in their quest to secure her marriage to Lucio? Her sister remained the apple of their eyes. She picked up the phone, dialed, and listened to the ring until she reached voice mail. Great. She sighed, listened to her mother's instructions and heard the beep. "Mom. Dad. Are you up? I don't know where you two are, but I'm looking for you. I met with Lucio Aussa and he wants to marry me and said it was your idea. Call me back."

  She clicked off her phone. So much for immediate answers. She sank down on her couch. Her parents probably didn’t view what they’d done as medieval. They were always about business. If they played hardball with her, everything she thought she’d achieved on her own might disappear in a blink of an eye. Her career as political analyst was rewarding but there were a lot of qualified people with her degree to take her job at Whitehall and Fisk.

  With her knees to her stomach, she curled tight and wished none of this had happened. Then she let her legs go, stood and took a deep breath. She would be strong and make her opinion completely clear—no feeling sorry for herself.

  The ring of her phone broke the silence. Hoping it was her parents, she reached for it and answered without checking the screen. "Hello?"

  "So, have you seen Lucio yet, sis?"

  Amy jerked the phone away from her ear, like that might help her escape her sister's wrath.

  "Yes, we had dinner tonight."

  "He's as good looking as ever," Evie said. "He came to see me yesterday and if I wasn't already engaged, I'd have been all over him. Where did you go?"

  Amy's insides quivered but she brought the phone back to her ear. "Alain Ducasse."

  Evie's voice grew hard. "Sure beats the school cafeteria. His family wants him to marry you, and our parents agree. I guess my years of working on them paid off for you."

  Their parents hadn’t been the reason Evie lost Lucio. Since the incident, Evie spent her life working to ensure no one disagreed with her ever, which didn’t make for a pleasant family dynamic. Amy refused to acknowledge the butterflies in her stomach. "So he told you his plan?" Before even asking me!

  Evie's voice had more of an edge when she said, "Lucio looked me right in the eyes, said that I was nothing more than a memory to him, and that he intended to meet you today."

  "Evie, I didn't know he was coming, going
to see you or anything else." Amy prayed her sister didn't go on a warpath. The last thing she needed was her sister's decision to throw away everything she had with the duke for another shot with Lucio. "Michael loves you. That has to count for something."

  Evie huffed and let out a long sigh. "I thought Lucio used to love me, but he was so... cold."

  The man Amy had sat across from at dinner tonight hadn’t been cold, but he hadn’t exactly been warm either. They’d talked about political leanings of Italy and England's removal from the European Union, though neither of them expressed much of an opinion other than sharing knowledge.

  The conversation could have been with any of her clients—polite and neutral—though Lucio's sexy full lips and dark eyes made her think of things besides politics. She hugged her sofa pillow to her stomach. "Evie..."

  "My wedding to Michael will be the wedding of the century," Evie declared. "I called to let you know that it is okay with me if you marry Lucio. I felt nothing for him when he took my hand."

  Amy bowed her head. "I haven’t decided."

  "You will marry him, sis, and I'm going to give the best maid-of-honor speech." Her declarative tone deepened. "He shouldn't get to treat people like us..."

  "Calm down." If her sister intended to use her own wedding as a vindictive strike, then there was no way Amy would go through with it. And why was a part of her considering the idea? Because she’d never gotten over her crush? Amy sighed. "Look, you and he were high school, but he was yours."

  "Now he's your fiancé." Evie spoke with an undercurrent of resentment, like all those times her mother had said "good job" to Amy's grades, and made Evie say the same.

  The harrumph sound her sister made brought her back to the conversation. She punched the pillow into shape. "I haven't said yes."

  "We both know you will." Her sister's voice cracked with emotion. "Go for it. My wedding to Michael will be full of people who love me. Yours will be full of strangers."

  Without another word, she hung up the phone. Amy heard the click but said, "Wait, Evie!"