“Yes, Your Highness,” Ella said, affecting a Valerian accent.
This time, even Liam had trouble hiding his smile.
Dante rolled his eyes. “She’s been practicing that all week.”
“Your accent is very good,” Liam said, dropping to a knee, “but how about you just call me Liam for today? Since we’re friends now?”
Ella’s eyes grew wide. “Really?”
Liam nodded and she bounded back up the sidewalk, disappearing into the house with the bouquet of flowers.
With Dante’s help, Lena made introductions, certain Liam would never be able to remember so many names. She had to give him credit, though. The man had stamina. His smile never faltered as they worked their way through what amounted to a reception line of Riveras. When they finally made their way into the living room, they found Tía Rosa arranging the flowers on a side table.
“Gracias, Prince William!” she said, her entire face lighting up at the sight of him. “The flowers are beautiful.”
“De nada,” he said as she reached out to hug him and planted a kiss on his cheek. “You have a lovely family. Thank you again for inviting me to dinner.”
“I hope you’re hungry,” she said, looking him over as he handed her the bottle of wine. “I’ve been cooking all day.” She stopped and looked around, her gaze locking on Jack and Ethan, who hovered nervously by the door. “I see you brought your friends, too. Good. Come on in, boys. Don’t be shy,” she said, waving them over with her free hand.
The bodyguards exchanged a wary look and shuffled forward. They introduced themselves and then Tía Rosa excused herself to go check on dinner, with orders that they all make themselves at home.
Easier said than done when the entire family was staring at them like a fine-art exhibit.
Lena couldn’t fault them. It wasn’t every day a prince dropped by for dinner. She might’ve behaved in the same starstruck manner if her own first meeting with Liam hadn’t been such a disaster.
Nothing like total chaos to break the ice.
“So, what brings you to New York?” her uncle asked, eyeing Liam suspiciously.
“Business,” Liam said, flashing a camera-ready smile. “I’ve been working on some new trade agreements for Valeria, which I hope to wrap up this week.”
“This week, eh?” Tío Hector asked, narrowing his eyes. “And what happens to my niece when you go home?”
“Tío Hector!” Lena said, humiliation burning her cheeks. She was so not in the mood for an inquisition. “Lo siento, pero no es asunto tuyo.”
“It most certainly is my business,” Tío Hector said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Rosa says he’s a good man, but I don’t want to see you get hurt again. Not like with that last pendejo.”
Lena groaned. At this rate, her relationship with Chad would haunt her until she died.
“How is this going to work when his life is in Valeria and yours is here?” Tío Hector pressed on.
Several of her cousins voiced their agreement, and Lena’s heart squeezed tight. Tío Hector wasn’t asking anything she hadn’t already asked herself, but the truth was, she had no idea.
It was all too new.
“It’s all right,” Liam said, resting a hand lightly on her lower back as he faced her uncle. “The truth is, we haven’t talked about it yet. We’re taking things one day at a time. But please know I have no intention of disappearing from Elena’s life. She’s a very special woman and I feel lucky to have stumbled into her alley,” he said, turning to meet her eye, “even if she did douse me head to toe in purple paint.”
Heat pooled low in her belly, and she was certain her entire family could sense how desperately she wanted Liam. It had only been a few days, but she was jonesing for another hit. How could she not? The sex was amazing and then he had to go and one-up himself by making such sweet declarations to her family? It might not be a commitment, but it was a start.
“You were trespassing,” she said huskily, triggering a ripple of laughter from the women.
“Isn’t that how all the great love stories begin?” Nia asked, appearing at the door like a goddamn guardian angel. She winked at Ethan before turning her thousand watt smile on Tío Hector. “Now why are you giving these two lovebirds a hard time?”
Her uncle started to protest, and Nia patted him lightly on the arm. “They’ve been through enough with the paparazzi. Don’t you go spoiling my dreams of a royal wedding. Lena promised I could be the maid of honor,” she stage-whispered as she steered Tío Hector toward the cramped dining room, putting an end to the inquisition. “Oh, is that pernil I smell?”
Best. Friend. Ever.
“Bollocks,” Ethan said, shaking his head. “That woman is a force of nature.”
Lena laughed and shook her head. “You’d do well to remember it.”
They watched as Nia and Tío Hector disappeared into the next room, Lena’s extended family following close behind, despite their divided loyalties. Most of the women looked Liam over appraisingly and there were whispers of muy guapo and gato, while the men shot warning glares at Liam as they filed out. Lena figured they were lucky only Danny was bold enough to give the prince a shoulder check on his way past.
Disaster averted.
“I guess I should’ve mentioned that my family is a little overprotective,” Lena said, turning to Liam and wrapping her arms around his waist. He was warm and solid and, despite the scene with her uncle, she was glad he’d come. Still, she gave silent thanks for the mouthwatering scent of pork and sofrito that had drawn her family to the dining room. It was a well-known fact that if you wanted a seat at Tía Rosa’s table, you had to claim it early. Not that Lena was in a rush to rejoin the family. She didn’t care if they had to sit on the front porch if it meant she’d get a minute alone with Liam. “We can still make a break for it.”
Liam gently lifted her chin, raising her lips to his. The kiss was soft, the kind of slow burn that was surely intended to leave her wanting more. “And what would we do instead?”
Lena pressed her breasts to the hard planes of his chest and rotated her hips, sealing her body to his in all the best places. “Oh, I’m sure we could think of something.”
…
“Bloody hell.” Liam groaned and lowered his forehead to Elena’s. “You do realize I’m going to spend the next hour fantasizing about your naked body and all the things I could do to make you scream my name, right?”
“That was kind of the point,” she said, rising up on her toes to whisper in his ear. Her breath was a warm caress against his cheek, and his cock swelled at the prospect of having her soft lips wrapped around him. “If you survive dinner, I just might let you make those fantasies reality. Tonight.”
He silently cursed himself for not taking her up on the offer to sneak out. Surely her aunt would’ve understood they needed some time to fuck their brains out, right?
“You better get in here before Nia eats all the tostones,” Ella called, popping her head through the door. “That girl can eat.”
Elena laughed mischievously and pulled away, robbing him of her soft curves. Not that it made much difference to his cock. One touch from Elena was all it took to communicate the prospect of pleasure.
But first, dinner.
Liam took Elena’s hand and followed her into the cramped, noisy dining room. The cherrywood table was polished to a high sheen and set with fine china, though it was crowded with mismatched chairs to accommodate the extended family, something that would never be acceptable at the palace. All around them, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews scrambled to place steaming dishes of pork, rice, and vegetables on thick crochet doilies. It was truly a family affair with everyone pitching in to help, except Nia, who was munching on some kind of fried vegetable dipped in green sauce. There was nothing formal about it, although everyone had a role to play, no doubt learn
ed over the course of countless family gatherings.
It was unlike anything he’d ever experienced at the palace, and he was instantly glad Tía Rosa had invited him. Where his own family was cold and rigid, Elena’s was warm and closely knit. It was obvious they loved one another deeply in the way they relied on and looked out for one another, though he might’ve liked advance warning that her uncle was going to grill him about their relationship.
Especially since he had yet to figure out a means of circumventing the Royal Marriages Act.
Once all the dishes were laid on the table, Elena grabbed a pitcher of water and began filling glasses. When she noticed him standing there with his hands shoved in his pockets, she traded the pitcher for a bottle of wine and a corkscrew.
“Do you mind?” she asked, offering them to him.
“Not in the least,” he said. He wanted to be included in the Rivera family dinner routine, if only this once. It was one thing to be a guest at the table, it was another to be treated as family, and he wouldn’t ruin the honor by spilling wine on Tía Rosa’s white linen tablecloth.
“Jack, Ethan,” Lena said, gesturing for the bodyguards to join them. “Can you fill the rest of the water glasses?”
The men exchanged a surprised look before turning to Liam for approval. He shrugged. “You heard the lady.”
He took care as he filled the wineglasses, opening one bottle after another. He’d never poured so many drinks in his life, but he didn’t stop until he’d filled the last glass at the head of the table, where Elena’s abuela, Valentina, was seated. The family matriarch sat with a straight back, chin lifted regally, her silver hair woven in a tight braid as if to proudly display the years of experience lining her face. She looked him over with an appraising eye as he poured, but said nothing. When he was finished, she shooed one of her grandsons from the chair next to her and indicated Liam should sit down.
Thankfully, Elena was able to squeeze in beside him. It was a tight fit, but he didn’t care if they had to rub elbows as long as she was at his side.
“Save some tostones for the rest of us.” Lena looked pointedly at Nia, who popped another golden goody into her mouth.
“Don’t worry, mi cariño. There’s enough to go around,” Tía Rosa said, handing Elena a platter stacked high with the little golden discs.
“What’s a tostone?” Liam whispered, not wanting to draw attention to his ignorance. Her cousins were already keeping a close eye on him and he was certain it would be a strike against him.
“Only the best culinary delight in the world,” Elena said, piling them on her plate.
Liam quirked a brow, admiring her ambitious appetite. “Care to elaborate?”
Elena passed the serving dish to her right and then dipped one of the little golden discs in green sauce and offered it to him. “Tostones with mayo-ketchup.”
“It’s a fried plantain,” Nia offered. “And I swear to God they’re better than se—” She paused, as if remembering there were children in the room. “Um, donuts.”
Elena stared at him expectantly, so he took the proffered treat and bit into it, an explosion of flavor coating his tongue. It reminded him of a french fry, only better. Elena was right; in all his travels he’d never had anything like it. He popped the rest of it into his mouth, savoring the hint of garlic in the sauce, and grabbed another one off her plate.
She tossed her head back and laughed, exposing the curve of her delicate neck. He loved seeing her laugh like that, knowing the weight of her problems had been forgotten, at least temporarily.
Maybe indefinitely.
Based on the numbers she’d quoted on the drive over, it sounded like EVA was back in the black, and he couldn’t have been more pleased by the news. The last thing he wanted was the threat of bankruptcy hanging over her head as they got to know each other better. Elena was an independent woman and despite the fact that her recent financial difficulties were entirely his fault—her ex’s frivolous lawsuit notwithstanding—he knew she wouldn’t have taken a dime from him to correct them.
Despite all the difficulties in her life, she wasn’t looking for a prince, or any man, to sweep in and save her. She was determined to do it on her own, and he admired the hell out of her for it. Sure, she’d let him pose as her fake boyfriend, but he knew even that had grated on her pride. He had a feeling she would’ve shuttered her doors before she asked for help, even though it would’ve gutted her.
“Lena has to get all the tostones she can while she’s here because the last time she tried to make them herself, she nearly singed her eyebrows off,” her cousin—Natalia?—said with a teasing smile.
Elena shrugged. “Who knew there was such a thing as overheating cooking oil?”
“Literally everyone,” Natalia replied to the laughter of the family.
Watching Elena and her cousins trade lighthearted jokes was just another reminder that they came from different worlds. Ones that placed a different emphasis on the value of family. He couldn’t imagine his own cousins sharing jokes around the dinner table. Barbs yes, jokes no.
The conversation continued as serving dishes were passed and Elena piled his plate high with seasoned pork and rice, clearly taking Tía Rosa’s comment about making themselves at home to heart. He was surprised when she got up and made plates for Jack and Ethan as well. They didn’t normally eat on the job, but he wouldn’t begrudge them a home-cooked meal, and despite her uncle’s earlier show of concern, he didn’t think there was much risk in the bodyguards taking a short break. They’d managed to ditch the paps back at the hotel, which was a rarity itself, so they might as well enjoy the reprieve while it lasted.
“Everything looks delicious,” Liam said, directing his compliments to the chef. Tía Rosa blushed and told him to eat up before his food got cold. He was happy to oblige, and the meal didn’t disappoint. The pernil was spicy and tender, practically melting on his tongue, and the rice had the kind of bold flavor you didn’t often find in traditional Valerian dishes. Elena explained it was sofrito, a base used in a variety of Puerto Rican dishes. He didn’t know what was in sofrito, but he made a mental note to have the palace chefs find out. Andres might not be willing to give up his empanadilla recipe, but surely the chefs could get their hands on sofrito.
The conversation turned back to Elena’s cooking skills, or lack thereof, but she took the ribbing in stride, admitting it was unlikely she’d ever master the culinary arts.
“I think it’s safe to say your talents lie elsewhere,” Liam agreed, giving her thigh a squeeze under the table. She flashed him a grateful smile as Nia pointed out that one of the benefits of living in the greatest city in the world was food delivery service.
Tía Rosa made the sign of the cross and swore she’d teach the pair of them to cook if it was the last thing she did.
“With Lena in the kitchen, it really might be the last thing you do,” Danny quipped, popping a tostone in his mouth. “Better make sure your insurance policy is up to date.”
Elena balled up her napkin and threw it across the table at him, laughing good-naturedly. “Look who’s talking. At least I never lit the Christmas tree on fire!”
“It was one time,” Danny whined, throwing his arms up in protest. “And I was eight!”
The whole family burst into raucous laughter, and Liam found himself chuckling right along with them, their warmth wrapped around him like a blanket. He couldn’t remember the last time his family had shared a meal like this, or hell, even a joke. Growing up royal had been about decorum and policy and public perception. There hadn’t been much room for love or laughter, and it showed in their strained relationships.
For the first time, Liam wondered if things might have been different. Perhaps if his parents had built their marriage on love and respect instead of political machinations. Maybe if they hadn’t pitted their children against one another, forcing them to compete for
scraps of approval. So many maybes. So many what-ifs.
He slammed the door on that line of thinking.
He was the crown prince, for fuck’s sake. He didn’t have the luxury of second-guessing himself or living in the past. What was done was done. There was no point looking back, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to sit around overanalyzing the shitty Stanley family dynamics when he had a job to do. He wasn’t the first kid to survive a dysfunctional family and he wouldn’t be the last, but at least his had prepared him to wear the crown.
All he had to do was save it first.
HRH Meets la Familia
Nothing says serious like meeting the family, and we hear MEM whisked HRH out to the Bronx for Sunday dinner. Guys, HRH went to the Bronx. If that’s not love, we don’t know what is. (Seriously. We haven’t set foot outside Manhattan since the great sushi debacle of ’09.)
Sources close to the couple say HRH was the perfect guest, greeting the hostess with flowers and wine (take note, boys…this is how the real men do it). In return, His Royal Hotness got his first taste of homemade Puerto Rican comfort food and the shenanigans of MEM’s overprotective uncle. (There might have been a bat involved, but our source was sketchy on the details.)
Call us crazy, but we think most families would say HRH passes the muster.
Sketchy details aside, HRH must have done all right, because we hear he took home an extra slice of pineapple rum cake at the end of the night. We’re guessing MEM didn’t need an extra dessert, because…HRH. Who needs booze cake when you’ve got the World’s Most Eligible Bachelor to satisfy your late night cravings?
Listen, if we can’t have him, we might as well live vicariously through MEM. Now if we could just get her to return our calls. Or tell us about her sexcapades with HRH. (Hey, a girl can dream, right?)
A Royal Disaster Page 17