“Are you ready?” he asked.
“I think so.” I smiled, grabbing my keys and walking out behind him. I shut my door, locked it, and turned to him. “I’m surprised you didn’t send someone to pick me up.”
“That wouldn’t be a date.” His gaze slid to mine. “I’m trying to make a good first impression here.”
“You made a good first impression.” I bit my lip and looked away.
“Did I?” I could hear the smile in his voice, and even though I had no intention of confirming it, I really wanted to know if he remembered our night together or if he was talking about when I went over there with Etienne. When we reached his villa, he walked to the back and let me go ahead of him up the stairs. “Tell me about this scandal you’re involved in.”
“You looked me up.” My face flamed.
“Of course I did.”
When we reached the top floor balcony, I froze, taking it all in. There were little lights hanging from the back door to the columns of the balcony and a table with white linen and pink roses in the center. There were two place settings in front of two chairs sitting side by side that faced the ocean. Nearby, there was an ice bucket with champagne and a butler wearing white gloves, with a white napkin draped over his arm.
“Wow,” I said.
“Come on.” He chuckled beside me, grabbing my hand in his and walking me toward the table. He let go of my hand to pull a chair out for me, and I thanked him as I took a seat. He sat beside me.
“Do you get this creative for all of your dates?”
“Not once.”
I smiled, looking at him. “I almost believe you.”
“You should believe me. I’m not much of a liar.” He tilted his head. “Well, most of the time, I’m not much of a liar.”
“Good to know.” I laughed. The butler came over and served us champagne in flutes and poured waters before disappearing into the house.
“Cheers to a good first date.” Elias lifted a flute as I lifted mine and we clinked and drank.
“It’s one date,” I said, setting the flute down.
“You already cheered to it being a first date.” He set his down as well. “Which means, there may be more.”
“You do realize I’m planning your engagement gala, right?”
“It’s just a gala like every other gala my mother has been putting on since I was born. They’re all the same.”
“Meaning there is always a herd of women who attend in hopes to catch your attention and be married off to you?”
“Exactly.”
“Sounds . . . fun?”
“Not fun.” He smiled. “I’d bet good money half of them would hate being married to me, but can’t say otherwise.”
“I’d bet otherwise.”
“Even knowing I’m an asshole?” He raised his glass and an eyebrow.
“Even knowing that.” I raised my own, with a shrug. “You’re a prince. Everyone dreams of being a princess.”
“Even you?”
“I used to.” I took a gulp of the champagne. “Not so much anymore.”
“Because of me?”
“Nah.” I laughed lightly. “I think I just outgrew the fantasy.”
“Hm.”
“What about the Princess of Austria?” I asked suddenly.
“What about her?”
“You’ve never been on a date with her?”
“For appearances. Yes.”
“For appearances?” My lips pursed. “How many dates have you been on that weren’t for appearances?”
“One.”
“One?” I repeated, my jaw dropping.
“It’s why I like to come here in the summers. It’s an escape from the appearances and the constant reminder that everything I do is for The Crown.”
“So your one date that wasn’t for pretenses was here?” Something akin to jealousy sprouted inside of me.
“That’s right.” His lips merely moved, but his eyes were laughing.
“Interesting.” I took another sip of champagne and tore my gaze from his to look back at the ocean.
“Addie.”
I met his gaze again.
“This is the date.”
“The one date?”
He nodded.
“Oh.” My heart skipped, though I still wasn’t sure why it was important to me.
“Tell me about the scandal.”
“There’s not much to tell if you already looked it up and saw for yourself.” I looked at the ocean again. It was dark, so it wasn’t like I could actually see it, but I was thankful for its waves trying to drown out my shame. “Did you watch the video?”
“Why the fuck would I do that?”
That made me look at him quickly. “Curiosity. Everyone else does.”
“I don’t want to see you having sex with another man.” His jaw was clenched as he spoke. “I’m going to make it go away.”
“You can’t.” I smiled sadly. “Thank you for the offer though.”
“I think you’re underestimating my power.”
“I think you’re overestimating it and forgetting what year we’re in.”
“If you say so.” He picked up his champagne again and got comfortable in his seat, leaning back a bit as he draped an arm over the side and stretching his legs out. He looked like a model without even trying.
“You know, saying things like that aren’t going to get you points with me. I personally don’t like the idea of one person having so much power.” I picked up my own glass and sipped, shifting my body toward his as I crossed one leg over the other and got comfortable as well.
“Which is why you moved to London, where the monarchs are just there for pretenses.”
“They do a lot of good.”
He shrugged, but the smile on his face told me he was biting his tongue. He looked sexy like that. When he looked away, to the ocean in front of us, I continued watching him.
“What’s the best part of being a prince?” I asked after a moment.
“The best part or the part I like most?”
“Is there a difference?”
“I like helping people. I like being able to stand behind a cause and know that others will follow.” He glanced at me, lowering his glass. “The best part is the power.”
“But it’s not the part you enjoy most.”
“With power comes responsibility.”
“Okay, Spider-Man.”
“It’s true though.” He chuckled before getting serious again. “A lot of people, including your father, don’t like how much power the Crown yields. They don’t like how traditional my family is. They want us to become a commonwealth country. They want my father to relinquish his power and he won’t, which means, I can’t. By staying traditional and true to what the Crown means to our family, we’re able to make a difference in the country, whether or not you see it. With that responsibility comes duty, one being that I must marry before or soon after I’m coronated king.” He shrugged. “It’s not something I agree with, but who am I to change thousands of years of history?”
“The future king.” I waited a moment for him to respond. When he didn’t, I added, “That’s who you are. You can change everything once you become king.”
“And risk losing all of my allies?”
“What do you need allies for? We’re not at war.”
“Not today, but what about tomorrow? We don’t know what the future holds. The reason people don’t invade or try to take things from us isn’t because they can’t, but out of respect for the Crown.”
“I disagree.” I set my glass down.
Before he could respond, the butler came back with a helper carrying two trays they set in front of us and uncovered to show us a surf and turf dinner with fingerling potatoes on the side. They took the champagne bottle and set it in the ice and replaced our flutes with wine glasses, pouring red wine and setting it where the champagne had been. Everything was done efficiently, with a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it swiftness. They were g
one with a “bon appétit” as quickly as they arrived. I was still processing what had just happened when Elias spoke again.
“You disagree,” he said, picking up his silverware and setting a napkin on his lap as soon as they closed the door. I did the same. “Explain.”
“I don’t think it’s like the old days, where people used to invade and conquer land for the hell of it.”
“It’s been happening in the Middle East for a long time now.”
“Well, yeah, but that’s different. That wouldn’t happen here.”
“Why not?”
“It just wouldn’t.”
“Because we feel safe,” he said. “Because the Crown has always been there. To dismantle that would cause chaos.”
I thought about that for a moment as we ate in silence. Maybe it would. I hadn’t considered that a lot of the problems going on in other countries may be because of the dismantling of organized government the way they once knew it. On the other hand, maybe the chaos had to happen in order for change to arise.
“Change is the only constant.” I set my fork and knife down and wiped my mouth before taking a sip of the wine in front of me. “Maybe that’s why people riot until governments are replaced and changed.”
“And then riot more once they get what they wanted,” he said. “We’re never going to be satisfied.”
“Maybe so, but that’s not a bad thing. If you’re satisfied with the way things are day in and day out, you might as well be dead. Isn’t the point to work for more? To try to be better people?”
“The point of what? Life? Are we talking about life now? Because the topic of life and why we’re here is different from whether or not the monarchy should stand.”
“How is it different? You of all people should argue that it’s the same thing. That your reason for existing is to be the king of France and rule over a nation that bows to your bidding.”
“You’ve never bowed for me.” He sipped his wine and leaned back in his seat again. “What am I to do with you?”
“Behead me.” I shrugged. “I don’t know. What do you do with people who don’t bow to you?”
“It would be a shame to behead you.” His gaze dragged over me lazily. “I’d find other ways to torture you.”
“Like what?” My grip tightened on the stem of the glass. “I don’t know that I’m cut out for torture.”
“Torture can be delicious.” He licked his lips after taking another sip of wine and when his eyes sparkled, I was sure he knew he was torturing me as he spoke.
“What are your marriage requirements?” I asked suddenly, because I needed to remind myself I couldn’t entertain this thing, whatever it was.
We both continued eating again, and when I set down my utensils this time, I was finished for good. He refilled our wine glasses before speaking.
“Marriage requirements,” he said, as if remembering my question and the fact that he had an impending marriage. “I don’t have any.”
“You must have some. I mean, we all have requirements when it comes to a partner, and a life-long partner has to be even more daunting.”
“What are your requirements?”
“He has to be kind, funny, smart, well-informed with current events, give me at least one compliment a day, good in bed, have a nice smile, treat people with respect—and by people, I mean waiters and anyone we encounter in the street—he can’t be cheap, I’m okay with frugal or men who don’t splurge all the time but I don’t like cheap. I also have a thing for tall men with dark hair and a nice jawline, but that’s just me being picky. At the end of the day, I just want to be valued and loved.” I shrugged. “That’s it.”
“You’ve really thought this through.” His brows rose. He watched me for a second before turning back to the ocean and sipping his wine. “Let’s go down to the beach. Part two of the date,” he said with a wink as he stood, picked up the bottle of wine, and waited for me to follow.
I was sure I’d scared him away, but it didn’t matter. The prince wasn’t mine to keep. Scaring him away wasn’t a deal-breaker. Thinking of it that way, it felt kind of freeing, and a little sad, but I wouldn’t focus on that. I couldn’t have him, and that was final. The sooner I accepted that, the better it would be. But then, he grabbed my hand and held it in his as we walked together down the stairs and onto the sand, and I couldn’t help the butterflies that came alive in my stomach. A large covered area came into view and it took me a moment to understand what I was seeing. It was as if they’d covered a part of the sand with a king-sized blanket and placed candles all around it. Two of his security guards stood on either side of it.
“You really thought of everything.”
“It’s my first real date, remember?” He shot me a half-smile that made a warm sensation travel through me.
The security guys walked toward us as we reached the blanket. One of them was Pierre. I felt a twinge of panic, riddled with guilt, as our eyes met, but he seemed unfazed by the entire thing and smiled widely at me as if he knew this would happen. It made the guilt inside my chest expand. Elias said nothing. He simply nodded at them as we passed and let go of my hand once we kicked off our shoes and settled over the plush blanket. I wiggled my toes over it as I sat down. He sat beside me, close enough that our sides were touching, and poured us both another glass of wine. I’d had enough that I was feeling it for sure, my brain hazy, thoughts swaying, the warmth in my veins comforting. I felt great. Better than great.
“I guess you really haven’t thought about it at all,” I said, after a moment. “Marriage, I mean. Does that mean you’re going to let your mother pick a bride for you?”
“If it comes to that.” He glanced at me. His face was incredibly close to mine. “I don’t expect you to understand. You have the freedom to do what you want. You choose who you go on dates with, who you’re surrounded by, who you marry. I grew up with the world at my fingertips but no freedom to make my own choices. Everything from what I wore to who I became friends with was meticulously planned out for me. Even if I was interested in a woman, she had to be on the list of approval.” He shot me a pointed look. “All of the women who surround me, with the exception of my sister, want me because I’m the future king, because they see power, and sure, maybe they find me attractive, but the power is what attracts them most.”
“That’s really sad,” I whispered. “I’ve never really thought about it like that.”
“Most people don’t. They see us in our ivory castles and think we live wonderfully perfect lives.”
“Would you give it up?”
“No.” He scoffed, shaking his head and looking at the ocean. “I wouldn’t know what to do if I gave it up. I was groomed for this role.”
“What would you change?”
“This is starting to sound like an interview.” He smiled as he met my gaze.
“A first date is an interview.” I raised an eyebrow. “Not that I expect you to know that.”
“Ah. In that case, I’ll need to ask more questions.”
“After you answer that one.” I smiled. He chuckled. I pushed him softly with the side of my right arm. “Come on, you promised you would and a good king keeps his promises.”
“A good king.” He laughed again, taking another sip of wine. “Okay. I would work with the cabinet and take steps to create a Parliament and make this a commonwealth country.”
My jaw dropped. “You would?”
“I want to.”
“Your father would not be pleased with that.”
“He’ll be dead.” He paused as if processing those words. “But no, he wouldn’t like that.”
“It goes against tradition.”
“My siblings and I aren’t much for tradition. My sister, Pilar, probably won’t marry the suitor my parents picked out for her, despite the fact that they’ve technically been engaged for two years. She sees him like a brother. My brother, Aramis, does anything he can to act out. I think he thinks his actions will break the palace apar
t from the inside.” He shrugged. “So, I need to be the one to make changes so that our children and their children won’t grow to hate everything our ancestors worked so hard to build. I have the power to change history.”
“You don’t have to be a king to change history.”
“No, I suppose not.” He smiled. “You can be a queen.”
“I meant, you can be a regular person.” I pushed him playfully again with my shoulder. “My father is a commoner, and he’s changed a lot already.”
“He has. As much as I disagree with the way he’s gone about it, I can’t argue that.”
“Have you met him?”
“Your father?” he asked. When I nodded, he lowered his wine glass and exhaled. “Once. He was nice enough.” He glanced at me. “And then he went on national television and said I wasn’t fit to be king because I was too much of a playboy.”
“Oh, God. I’m sorry.” I closed my eyes and turned my face toward the ocean, wishing the tide would rise and take me with it.
I couldn’t even defend my father when it came to that. He was the kind of man who shook hands with a boyfriend of mine, came up with twenty reasons why he was no good for me, and said it to his face. I couldn’t even imagine what he’d say about the prince if I ever took him home—not that I would. Not that I could.
“You’re not responsible for your father’s actions,” Elias said beside me. My eyes popped open and I turned my face toward him again. He had a serious expression on his all-too-perfect face. “People judge me for everything my father says and does and that’s fine, I can’t convince them otherwise, but I’ve learned to accept that we’re different people and I’m not responsible for any of those things.”
“I have a feeling you’re going to make a great king, Prince Elias.”
“Does that mean you’ll stick around to find out?” He inched closer, his wine-infused breath tickling over mine.
“I don’t think I can.” My heart skipped, at odds with the words I’d spoken.
“Why not?” He moved closer still, the tip of his nose brushing against mine.
The Sinful King: By New York Times Bestselling Author Page 8