He hadn’t intended to trap Amy. He held his tongue and ordered his breakfast the moment the waitress came in. Amy did the same. Once they were alone, he met her gaze. "So you realized all of that when sitting in your apartment,alone?"
Her cheeks blushed as she looked down. "I don't expect you to understand. I'm sure you never caved like I alwaysdo."
"No, I generally don't give in—with the exception of this law that I must marry. But I’m choosing to accept my fate so that I can stay near my family." The wait staff streamed in with breakfast plates piled with a selection of eggs, bacon, quiches and fruit. Lucio moved his seat closer to her while everything was set up. Alone again, he said softly, "Amy, when I marry it will be a full marriage. I won't bring shame to my family and seek out otherwomen."
Her eyes widened in surprise. "You want to discuss this,now?"
He adjusted his napkin on his lap. "Why not? The staff cannot hearus."
She covered her face with her hand. "Lucio, I'm not ready to have thisconversation."
"I won't force you." He leaned closer. Amy's reasoning grated against his conscience. He pressed his lips together and tried to figure out how to help ease her mind about this wedding. "I'd rather you ask me to takeyou."
His vivid imagination brought that scenario to life. Amy lowered her hand and stared into his eyes. "I didn't think you would demand anything, but I'd rather wait until we're both comfortable... You swear you'll let me saywhen?"
"Comfortable?" Frowning, he repeated the word and her shoulders relaxed as if he’d offered her a reprieve. He wasn't that much of a jerk, he thought withannoyance.
"Will you wait?" Her gaze softened withhope.
He nodded and reached for her hand, smoothing his expression. "Yeah. I can wait for sex until you ask me, if that helps you adjust. I swear it." The need to argue burst in his throat, and he stopped short of taking her hand, resting it beside hers on the cloth instead. How else could she get used to him? Thinking fast he added, "However, you must stay in the same suite as me. I won't have servants talking until I fully seduceyou."
She tugged on her pearl necklace like it might be too tight against her delicate throat. "Okay. I agree. We won't cause any gossip, especially since your brothers’ weddings made international news with all the danger your family wasin."
He'd ensure no spies were near them and no government take-overs loomed. The people had voted to keep the royal family in power. With Amy, he could see a bright future. His heart quickened. "I won't let anyone harm you or my family,Amy."
"I believe you." She picked up her fork and knife and they finished their breakfast with smalltalk.
He'd keep his vow. Amy was going to be his, and he'd show her that they fit. Lucio worked better with a deadline, so he set one for himself. Two weeks was plenty to see how successful he'd be at seducing his soon-to-bewife.
5
The plane toucheddown in Avce with barely a bump of wheels to tarmac. Amy looked out the window at the country she’d written articles about. It was a sunny day in comparison to cold London and she couldn’t wait to get out of the recycled air and outside. The hot-blooded male who sat beside her reading a hardcover book on thermodynamics, thin-rimmed black glasses perched on the edge of his nose, made her pulsequicken.
No one had ever tried to seduce her. Her old boyfriends were Peter Pan types who were way too narcissistic to even pretend she was more important than themselves, and her parents never approved of them because they weren’t titled enough for their tastes. To defy them, Amy used to enjoy nice-looking men at her side but they’d never caused her own thermodynamic blood temperature torise.
This time, Lucio was hers and her sister wasn't going to show off her legs to steal himaway.
She reached out and brushed her hand against his arm. He took off his glasses, pocketed them and asked, "Yes?"
The way he stared at her with warm concern brought a swoosh of butterflies. She shook off the silly feeling and asked, "Are we getting off the plane or should we just sit here? I don’t mind, whatever you want to do. It’s yourcountry."
He closed his book, his brow heavy. "I was thinking. It might be best to go to the North Castle and settle into the home we'll live in before we head to my parents. If we go to the palace, we'll be married by the end of the week, if we make it thatlong."
"My parents are where?" She discreetly inhaled his almondscent.
"With my parents who will plan the whole ceremony in a Church some ancestors of minebuilt."
Yes, if she didn't face Mom and Dad for a few days then no one could report to Evie on exactly what she was doing. She nodded. "The one that Mary herself, in, like 100 AD, made it snow in? The exact spot she wanted the church built?" She sat back and let her body relax. "I did some research and that's quite a fairy tale." She looked forward to seeing it inperson.
He lowered his shoulders. "My brother Marco and his new wife, Renee, are working on upping our tourist industry and enticing visitors to our smallkingdom."
Outside, the day wasn't getting any prettier and she was still on the plane. Lucio was probably used to living in paradise. She stood, her knee bumping his, and he did the same. Amy considered that she might as well be useful to him if she was going to pull off being a princess. "Your gambling laws and casinos are not capitalized on fully. You realize that you could be the nextMonaco?"
"All business, with you." He strode down theaisle.
It's not like they had anything else in common. She fixed her dress and followed him, her gaze glued to his broad back. "I can't read physics and pretend to understand that. So I'll talk about politics and economics and things Iknow."
He placed his hand on the small of her back while they exited the plane via silver stairs. "Have I told you that I'm trained in various forms ofcombat?"
