The Prince's Runaway Lover (Men of the Zodiac)

by Robin Covington

  “No.” Irene tumbled forward, her face buried in the crook of her shoulder, her body shaking with the impact of her tears. Isabel blinked back her own, unsuccessfully, but enough to get through this with her makeup somewhat intact. “You don’t deserve this. He hurt you Izzy…he hurt you.”

  “I know.” What else could she say? She wasn’t going to break down in front of her sister and scream and rant like she wanted. Irene didn’t need to see that, didn’t need to carry that around with her. “I know.”

  Irene sat up quickly, wiping at her face and shoving Isabel away from her. Anger darkened her eyes and thinned her mouth into an ugly slash of red lipstick. “You sit there and take it like you deserve it. Fight!” She shoved at Isabel’s shoulder. “Fight back, goddammit. You fought him and won, you got away and you won. So fight him. Call Nick and ask him for help.”

  His name brought her to her feet, the plummet of her stomach threatening to bring up what little bit of breakfast she’d been able to get down.

  “Irene, I’m not going over this again. I will not call him.” She squeezed her hands and balled them into fists to stop the shaking. Just the thought of him brought her to her knees. “Nick cannot get involved in this, with me. He has a country to think of, a life that doesn’t include someone like me.”

  “He said he loved you.”

  “He did. He meant it.” That was something she’d never doubted. Nick loved her, at least he had when he said those words on the plane and it wasn’t his fault that it had all gone so badly. The fleeting dream that it could go any other way was crazy, impossible. “We just didn’t get our happily ever after. Not everyone does.”

  They looked up as Irene’s husband came into the room. Dressed in a dark suit, he’d been a rock for both of them, steady, kind and as stoic as always. He wasn’t a guy who let his emotions show to everyone, his face as usual a mask of calm, never betraying anything that was going on underneath. But right now, his expression was anything but calm. Confused. Perplexed. She thought the word was…gobsmacked.

  “Hey, Isabel, there is something I think you want to see.”

  He held out his phone to her, the screen filled with his browser app and displaying the large triangular icon that would let you play a video. Isabel hesitated, her hand hovering in the air between them and her gut clenching in nervous anticipation.

  “This isn’t another interview of Adam playing the martyr and lying, is it? Because I’ve seen all that I want to see.”

  He pushed the phone into her hand. “Just watch.”

  Irene scooted in close to her and peered over her shoulder to view the screen. Irene pressed the arrow with a sweat-dampened finger and stared as Nicky filled the screen. She sucked in a breath and soaked him in. He was dressed in a gorgeous dark blue suit and standing behind an ornate podium in an even more ostentatious room. A glance down at the headline scrolling along the bottom of the screen told her that he was in the Callanos parliament building and this was a special session about his fitness to rule.

  “Nicky, I’m so sorry,” she whispered as her fingers tightened on the phone case. She’d screwed him over so badly and she would always regret that her mistakes had caused him so much trouble. She could not regret knowing him but she did wish the plane had never landed and they could have stayed at Villa Segreto forever.

  Nick began his speech and Isabel hung on his every word but it became increasingly difficult as her heart started to pound louder and harder in her chest. He was talking about her, about how much he loved her and how he’d give up his throne if he couldn’t have her by his side. No. No. Just no.

  Isabel stood, dropping the phone with a loud thud on the table as she grabbed at her chest, trying to slow it down. She couldn’t catch her breath. She needed to get out of here, to get a message to Nick and tell him that this was crazy, unacceptable, to make him understand that they were over. She reached down and snagged the phone off the table, thumbing over to the message app and desperately trying to remember his number. Could you even text internationally without a plan? How did you get information for an international number?

  “I bet the King of Callanos’ phone number is unlisted,” she said and held the phone out to Irene. “Help me. I need to tell him to stop this right now.”

  Irene stepped forward and put an arm around her shoulders. “It’s going to be fine, Isabel.”

  The brisk two knocks on the door made them all jump and they turned as Mr. Russell arrived and swept into the room, another man in his wake, both carrying briefcases. Irene looked at her speculatively but she just shrugged. A new prosecutor? Investigator? It felt like a million people had strolled through her life in the past week, all of them a blur of dark suits and light blue ties. And after what she’d just seen? She had nothing.

  It was the third man who did not blend in with the endless sea of corporate uniforms and made her sway on her feet and out of Irene’s grasp. He could not be here. This was the impossible. The worst idea ever. She would know Nicky anywhere. She just stared at him, unable to speak or tear her eyes away from his face as she tried to read his expression.

  “Ms. Castillo, may I introduce Mr. Constantine to you?” He touched her arm and she dragged her gaze away from Nicky, going through the motions of shaking hands. Her gaze strayed back to Nicky and she wondered why he didn’t say anything, do anything.

  “Ms. Castillo, I am one of the attorneys retained by the crown prince of Callanos to represent you in your legal proceedings. I think we can work out something with the authorities that will require you to only serve probation or to get the charges dropped entirely.”

  That got her attention and she slowly returned her gaze to the man who was apparently offering his presumably high-priced services to her because Nicky hired him to do it.

  “I’m sorry. Did you say you could get the charges dropped?”

  “There are a number of irregularities in the record, the extenuating circumstances of your prior marriage with the victim and the lack of any prior criminal record on your part.” He smiled and it lightened his serious look considerably. “I can’t make any promises, but I think you will end up a free woman when all is said and done.”

  Her knees completely went out from under her and she saw the floor fly up to greet her until strong arms caught her and drew her close. Nicky supported her while he tugged a chair from underneath the table and sat down, pulling her into his lap.

  “Hey, you’re okay. I’ve got you.” His breath was warm on her cheek, his scent all she could breathe in as she buried her face on his shoulder. “Isabel.”

  Her name was a sigh, accompanied by a shudder of emotion that shook them both and she felt the wet on her cheeks before she knew she was crying. Huge, deep, gut-wrenching sobs almost broke her in two as she let every ounce of fear, pain, anger, and worry dampen the jacket of his expensive suit.

  In the distance, she heard the shuffling of feet and the closing of the door as the two lawyers and her sister and brother-in-law left the room. She remained where she was, riding out the torrent of emotion that poured out of her and made her shake with the adrenaline letdown. All the while Nicky stroked her back, pressing soft kisses against her temple, in her hair.

  When she could finally speak, she lifted her face to his, not caring if her makeup was a disaster or her hair was a tangled mess. Nicky was here and he cared at least a little bit if he’d brought his attorney.

  “You wore your hair down,” he said, his fingers playing with the riot of waves that spilled over her shoulders.

  She laughed, a wet sputter that rang more of shock than levity. “That’s all you have to say?”

  “Well, I gave a big speech this morning in front of parliament, so I’m kind of talked out.”

  “I saw that speech. It was nuts.” She cupped his face in her hands, making sure she could see his eyes. If he was hedging, it would show there. “Can you be here right now?”

  “Well, I think I’m okay but Rushing still wants my job and he is rai
sing holy hell about you to try and take it.”

  “I’m so sorry.” Isabel dropped her hands but he caught them and held them against his chest. She struggled against his hold, determined to make him see reason. “You need to go back. You can’t be here. What are you thinking, Nicky?”

  “I’ll tell you the same thing I told parliament and every citizen of Callanos this morning. I love you and I’m going to make sure that you have the best defense possible and then I’m going to take you home. To our home.”

  “Our home?” Nothing made sense. Her head was buzzing, the adrenaline spike rushing the blood through her ears and making it impossible for her to understand him completely.

  “Yes. Our home.” Nicky leaned in and brushed his lips over hers, maintaining eye contact the entire time. It wasn’t really a kiss but it made her heart race, like his touch always did. He ended the caress by leaning in further until their foreheads touched and they shared space, breath, and warmth. “I don’t have a pumpkin that turns into a carriage or a glass slipper. I know this isn’t a fairy tale…it’s better and I cannot wait to build something real with you, a life with you.” He inhaled and exhaled and she found herself joining him, their bodies in sync with each other as if they’d been doing this forever.

  “Nicky, I can’t ask you to give up your country for me or to be the reason you lose the respect of your people. They need you to be their king.”

  “And I need you to be with me as my friend, my lover, and someday my queen if you will have me.” He pressed a hard kiss to her mouth, cutting off any response she could get past the lump in her throat. “As long as we love each other we can have that fairy tale and it will never be midnight between us ever again. I swear.”

  “I don’t know what to say.” Her mind was reeling with everything that had happened and forming a coherent thought without coaching was going to be difficult. Fortunately, Nicky understood her perfectly.

  “Just say you love me and yes,” Nicky said, his usual grin beginning to take over his face. He knew he was in, his charm always worked on her.

  “I love you, Nicky…”

  He watched her closely, encouraging her with another quick kiss to her mouth.

  “And …yes.”

  Epilogue

  Six months later

  He was waiting for her at the bottom of the grand staircase in the palace, leaning on the marble balustrade and counting down the seconds until Isabel appeared.

  The loud crowd just down the hall in the main ballroom was waiting for her, the guest of honor at her welcome home party. The last six months had flown by and dragged at the same time. The hardest thing he’d ever had to do was leave her in Oklahoma and come back to Callanos, but Isabel had insisted, told him she was in great hands with his overpriced lawyer and to go back home. Actually, what she’d said was, “Go back and rule your country and keep the douchebag Rushing from screwing it up.”

  If he hadn’t loved her already, he would have loved her then.

  Three more visits were all he could spare between learning to be king and his coronation, and while it had been an amazing day, there had been so many moments when he would have given his crown to have her with him. But Mr. Constantine did his best work and managed to get her released into her sister’s custody, to get the federal charges dropped, and the state charges reduced to her minimal time served. The ex-husband had been furious but he’d backed down fast when he realized Nick wasn’t going to give up and the overwhelming proof that he was an abuser. He apparently was hoping to run for some local office and didn’t need the bad publicity.

  Isabel had spent some time packing up her stuff and arranging to have it shipped to Callanos and said good-bye to her home country. Now she was here, she was staying and they were going to celebrate.

  She appeared at the top of the stairs and the floor actually tilted under his feet. The dress was black, strapless, with a full, long skirt. He was sure it had a certain style name and was made by some incredibly expensive designer, but all he could see was her smile. He could drown in that smile.

  Isabel descended the steps and he met her halfway, dragging her to him in a kiss. She wrapped her arms around him, opened her mouth to his tongue, and purred down deep in her throat. He’d spent his afternoon in bed with her, getting her to make that sound and some of his other favorites over and over again, but you wouldn’t know it by the way his cock took notice. They broke apart, laughing as he carried her down the rest of the stairs.

  “Put me down, Nicky. This is not how a king acts with several hundred of his subjects down the hallway.”

  “Well, they need to get used to seeing this king discreetly groping his girlfriend.” He nuzzled against her cheek, trailing kisses up to the sweet spot on the side of her neck that made her shiver. “They got used to you moving in here with me at the palace and the fact that you continued working in the palace gardens.”

  “I love that job.”

  “And that is why I didn’t want you to give it up.”

  There had been rumblings from the old guard about everything involving Isabel and him. Their living together before getting married, her remaining an employee of the palace, her status as a divorced woman, but they’d found a surprising ally in his mother and a quick word from her in support of a working woman in the palace had silenced their critics.

  The people of Callanos loved Isabel almost as much as he did. The clamor of paparazzi in her face every time she left the palace still made her jumpy. A year and a half of pretending to be invisible was a hard habit to break, but she rallied and approached the interaction with his subjects in her own easy manner. Kissing babies, taking photographs with tourists and the regular people had been as easy as coaxing the wild orchids to life. Mingling with the international elite had its own fits and starts but she handled it with calm and poise and eventually won over her staunchest critics. It was a new, modern monarchy and they were finding their own way. Together.

  He set her on her feet, helping her fluff out the dress where he’d crushed it in his need to hold her. He took a long look at her again. Damn, but she was beautiful. “You wore your hair down.”

  “My boyfriend likes it down best.”

  “He’s a lucky guy.”

  “I think we both won the lottery on this one,” she said, smiling up at him. “I love you, Nicky.”

  He reached out and took her hand, intertwining their fingers in a move he loved. It never got old, touching her, being with her. The sparkling diamond bracelet on her wrist caught his eye and he lifted her arm, admiring the way it looked on her slender arm. He’d given it to her the first night in Callanos two months ago and she wore it every chance she got.

  “I love my getting-out-of-jail bracelet,” she said.

  “I prefer to think of it as your welcome-home-and-I-love-you bracelet.”

  “Yeah, your version is better.”

  “It would look even better with a will-you-marry-me ring to match.”

  She froze, her eyes wide as he dropped to the ground on one knee and he didn’t even try to bite back the laugh at her expression. As often as she kept him on his toes it was always amazing to be the one who put that look on her face. This one said she’d never get tired of this ride with him. He was counting on it.

  Nick pulled the ring out of his pocket and held it out to her. The diamond was ridiculously large and set in an antique setting but his mother and the royal jewelers had assured him that Isabel would love it. From the expression of delight on her face, he guessed they were right.

  “I love you, Isabel Castillo, and I want my happy ever after…with you.” He reached out and took her hand, positioning the ring at the end of the fourth finger. “Marry me. Please. Be my queen.”

  She bit her lip, a brief moment of her searching his eyes and then the smile…damn, that smile…as she helped him slide the ring on her finger.

  “Happy ever after sounds really good to me.”

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  Acknowledgments

  Huge, huge thanks to everyone who helped me get this book in your hands. This is a dream come true for me and I still get a thrill every time a book gets into the hands of readers.

  My editor and friend, Alethea Spiridon-Hopson. Thank you for making my books shine, time after time.

  My best friends, Avery Flynn and Kimberly Kincaid, for keeping me on track and kicking my ass when necessary.

  For the Sizzlemongers… I couldn’t ask for a better group of friends. Not just a street team, we have become a group who support each other and I love that so hard.

  For Chris Evans – for letting me stare at your photos and GIFs for hours as I brought Prince Nicholas to life. And for being Captain America and making a film that I can watch 900 million times without getting bored…ever. God Bless You.

  The Main Man, Little Man and Lulu. My reasons to keep going, you are the fulfillment of a dream I didn’t even know I had. I am a very lucky woman.

  About the Author

  Robin Covington loves to explore the theme of fooling around and falling in love in her sexy, bestselling books. When she’s not writing sexy, sizzling romance she’s collecting tasty man candy pics, hoarding red nail polish, indulging in a little comic book geek love, and obsessing over Dean Winchester. Don’t send chocolate . . . send eye candy!