“I’ll come by your room at quarter past nine in the morning. Sogni d’oro, Alexandra.”
Tomorrow she would have to ask Tomaso what it meant.
Lucca spent a restless night tossing and turning. Her last words to him before running off sounded like a goodbye speech, and they weren’t even married yet. She was more excited about her next Italian lesson than being with him.
He couldn’t fault her for anything where their agreement was concerned. Her performance so far was nothing short of miraculous. Unfortunately, he found himself wanting more from her. Because his feelings for her were growing, it was probably just as well he’d been forced to come back to his room and take a cold shower.
She was right about him. He didn’t know how to take things slow, but it appeared that for once in his life he was going to have to learn that lesson. In the past few days he’d come to realize his whole life’s happiness depended on it.
At eight the next morning, he and Regina ate breakfast in his parents’ suite. By nine o’clock he’d showered and shaved. At 9:10 a.m. he left his suite wearing a dark gray business suit and tie. Aware his need to see Alexandra was over the top, he had to tamp down his excitement, but he couldn’t prevent the explosion of his senses when she opened the door to him, the embodiment of feminine allure.
Her silver high heels added two inches, making it easier for him to capture that supple mouth wearing a light pink frost. He almost acted on his desire to taste her, but remembering who was waiting for them downstairs, he caught himself in time.
If his eyes didn’t deceive him, her heart was pounding faster than normal. The diamond seemed to be in constant motion, pulsating with bursts of green light. Each beat matched the rhythm of his own heart, increasing in speed like his Ferrari.
She raised those solemn gray eyes to his. “Do I look all right? I wouldn’t want to embarrass you.” Her freshly washed hair smelled of peaches, a scent he would always associate with her.
The thing about Alexandra was that she didn’t have one selfish, self-absorbed, narcissistic atom in her body.
“You’ll do,” was all he could manage to say. In an automatic gesture he grasped her hand, twining his fingers around hers as they started down the hall.
“Where are we going?”
“To the conference room of my office on the main floor.”
She flashed him an anxious glance. “You don’t show it, but are you scared? Just a little bit?”
He took a steadying breath. “I was a lot scared until you opened your door just now.” If she hadn’t been there … If she’d run away because she couldn’t go through with it after all …
“You always say and do the right thing, Lucca. Thank you for sending the manicurist and hair dresser. My nails needed help, but I’m afraid my hair is hopeless.”
“I like your hair exactly the way it is. As for your nails, I’ve never noticed. Mama saw to those details this morning.”
“Then I’ll have to thank her later. Has your father forgiven me for the other night?”
“Since I’m not exactly the poster boy of perfection, either, he said your escapade convinced him we’re made for each other.”
“That’s not very reassuring.”
Lucca chuckled before giving in to the urge to kiss her neck. “All in all, we’re off to a better start than I would have imagined.” Just getting her to Castelmare had been a feat.
Once they reached the main floor, he caught hold of her upper arms. “You’ll see a lot of government officials in there. Don’t let it bother you. Their presence will help keep the news conference civilized. Remember you’re half Carlisle, half Grigory, a unique combination unlike any other.”
She gave a meek nod.
He cupped her chin and raised it a trifle. “One more thing. Keep your eyes on me.”
“I already planned on doing that,” came her quiet response.
Their mouths were only centimeters apart. Unable to help himself, he gave a quick kiss to those pliant lips, uncaring that some of her lipstick stayed on his … a little part of her he could savor until the day came when he would taste all of her.
Carlo cleared his throat behind them. “Everyone’s waiting.”
“Ready?” Lucca asked her. They stared into each other’s eyes for a moment. Hers were guarded. Then she surprised him by lifting her hand to wipe the lipstick off his mouth with her fingers.
“Now I am.”
It reminded him of the things his mother did for his father before an important dinner or conference so he would look his best. Alexandra could have no idea how the small gesture moved him.
Binding her hand to his once more, he drew her toward the west end of the palace where the double doors of the conference room were opened wide. The buzz of voices filtered down the hall.
The president of the cabinet was officiating today. He stood at the lectern placed on a raised platform in the center of the room. Everyone was seated below him. Regina sat to the side of the lectern representing Lucca’s immediate family. As soon as the statesman saw Lucca, he struck a staff to the floor several times.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the press, members of the cabinet, His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince Lucca Umberto Schiaparelli Vittorio the Fifth of Castelmare and the Princess Alexandra Carlisle Grigory.”
Everyone rose to their feet and began clapping. Amidst the cheers came the inevitable shower of flashbulbs going off.
For Lucca it was a source of intense personal pride that Alexandra handled it as though she’d been born to it. All his life he’d dreaded this day coming, but that was before Alex. …
CHAPTER SEVEN
KEEP your eyes on Lucca. Like a mantra Alex repeated his advice.
The huge room, as ornate and splendid as the rest of the palace, had to be filled with several hundred people if you included all the security assembled. Regina, looking beautiful in a dusky-rose suit, gloves and a broad-brimmed hat with a cluster of real roses at the side of the crown, sent her a private smile.
Alex reciprocated before ascending the platform with Lucca. A dozen microphones had been set up to carry the broadcast. It was the middle of the night in Los Angeles. By morning Alex’s friends would see all this on TV at work and go into shock. Before the end of the day she would have to make phone calls of explanation to them and Mr. Watkins.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t tell anyone the truth in case it ended up hurting Lucca. All she could say was that Lucca was responsible for helping her unite with her family and in the process he’d swept her off her feet.
Any woman seeing Lucca would understand how that could happen. Anyone catching sight of the green diamond fastened to her dress would agree that Alex was as greedy as her mother.
Yet strangely enough, none of it stung, because she had Lucca on her side. They’d entered into a pact to help each other. With him championing her, she had nothing to fear except an inability to get into medical school. But she wouldn’t think in defeatist terms. Right now her only job was to play Lucca’s adoring fiancée in front of the camcorders, a role she found came as naturally to her as breathing.
After the head of the cabinet sat down, Lucca moved to the lectern taking Alex with him. Together they faced the sea of faces.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the press, translators, members of the cabinet and their assistants,” he began in English, “I’ve called this news conference to announce my ascendancy to the throne on the twenty-eighth of this month. My father’s