“I’ll take him to my room,” Alejandro added. “See you at dinner.”
“Formal attire,” Enrique reminded, his voice tight. “In case you’ve forgotten, that includes shirt and shoes.”
Alejandro rocked back on his heels. “I know how to dress for dinner, bro, but thanks for the reminder.”
The air crackled with tension.
Twenty years ago, they would have been fighting while Ortiz called for the palace guards to separate them. Ten years ago, the same thing might have happened. But Enrique would never lower himself, or his station, to that level now. Even if his hard gaze told Alejandro he wanted to fight.
“At least your younger brother knows how to dress, Enrique. Not all of mine do.” Julianna sounded empathetic. “I don’t know about you, but sometimes it’s hard being the oldest.”
Her words may have been calculated, but they did the trick. Enrique’s jaw relaxed. He focused his attention on Julianna.
Alejandro was impressed. Diffusing the situation so deftly took skill. And practice.
“It can be difficult.” The corners of Enrique’s mouth lifted into a half smile. “Younger siblings don’t take things as seriously or have the same sense of duty.”
Idiot. Alejandro wondered if his brother realized he was also slamming Brandt, another crown prince, with his words.
“Some don’t,” Julianna agreed. “But others just need to understand their responsibilities a little better. Isn’t that right, dear brother?”
Brandt nodded, looking more amused than offended. Alejandro liked the guy already.
Enrique’s mouth twisted, as if he finally understood how his words could be construed. “I was talking about Alejandro.”
Julianna smiled at Enrique. “Of course, you were.”
The woman was smooth. Alejandro had no idea if her skills came from dealing with her brothers or boyfriends, but he’d never seen anyone handle Enrique so well. Not even their mother who had separated from their father years ago. Maybe Julianna could rein in the future ruler’s ego and temper. If she had a brain in that pretty head of hers, as she seemed to, she could stop him from making bad decisions, like focusing on projects that aggrandized himself, but did nothing to help the island.
The ice princess might be exactly what Enrique needed.
Alejandro would have to make sure his brother didn’t blow this engagement.
For both their sakes. And the island’s.
“Thank you for escorting me to my room.” Standing with Enrique, Jules glanced around. The pastel pink and yellow decor was bright and cheery. Maybe some of it would rub off on her because right now she was feeling a little … down. She forced a smile anyway. Replacing Enrique’s aftershave and teaching him a few manners wouldn’t be difficult. It could be much worse. “The suite is lovely.”
“I asked Ortiz to put you in this room.” Enrique pulled back a curtain. “I thought you might like the view.”
She stared out the window at rows of colorful flowers below. A burst of hot pink. A swatch of bright yellow. A patch of purple.
Another wave of disappointment washed over her. The same way it had when she’d discovered her hottie rescuer wasn’t going to be her husband, but her brother-in-law.
Don’t think about that. About him. Otherwise she might find herself back in Aliestle.
“A garden.” She hoped she sounded more enthusiastic than she felt. A bush of red roses captured her attention until she noticed the large thorns on the thick stems. Ouch, that would hurt. “How nice.”
“The garden is the closest thing I have to a hobby now. A majority of the flowers are in bloom,” Enrique explained. “When you open the window, the breeze will carry a light floral scent into your room.”
“Picking out this room for me is so thoughtful of you.” Even if she would have preferred the smell of salt water, a view of the sea, Alejandro.
No, that wasn’t fair.
Enrique was handsome. He looked more like a fashion model from Milan than a crown prince in his designer suit, starched shirt, silk tie and leather shoes. If he’d been shirtless and she found herself pressed against his hard chest …
She tried to imagine it. Tried and failed.
He wasn’t Alejandro, who had appeared in the foyer like the Roman god Mars come to life and looking for a fight. Well, until he held the kitten in his hand, and then he’d looked … perfect.
Not perfect. No one was perfect.
But the two brothers were tall, dark and handsome. They shared the same brown eyes, but the similarities ended there. One was sexy and dangerous, the black sheep. The other was formal and Old World, the future king.
Jules might be inexperienced when it came to men, but she wasn’t stupid. Even if thinking about Alejandro made her pulse quicken, Enrique would make the better husband and father. He was the logical choice, the smart choice.
The only choice.
She was here to be Enrique’s bride and his alone. She would be his wife and one day a queen. Whatever she may have felt in Alejandro’s arms didn’t matter. No one could ever know she found him attractive. As for her fiancé …
So what if he had similar mannerisms and speech as her father? Perhaps Enrique’s formality stemmed from nervousness. Crown princes were human, even if few would admit it.
He had selected this room for her. Granted, the view wasn’t the one she would have preferred, but he’d had his reasons for choosing it. And he was still better than marrying anyone from Aliestle. Jules smiled genuinely at him. “Thank you for welcoming us into your home.”
“It’ll be your home soon enough.”
She nodded, trying to muster a few ounces of happy feelings and peppiness. She hoped they would come.
“I look forward to seeing you at dinner,” he said.
“As do I.”
He took her hand and raised it to his mouth. He brushed his lips over her skin.
Jules wanted to feel the same passion and heat she’d felt in Alejandro’s arms. She would settle for a spark, tingles, warmth at the point of contact, even a small shiver. But she felt … nothing.
Enrique released her hand. “Until later, my princess.”
Later. The word resonated with her.
As he left and closed the door behind him, she remembered what she’d told Izzy, Princess Isabel of Vernonia.
Remember, just because you don’t love someone at the beginning doesn’t mean you won’t love them in the end. Love can grow over time.
Jules needed to listen to her own advice.
My princess. She would be Enrique’s princess. She needed to act like it, too.
Just because she didn’t feel anything with him now, didn’t mean she wouldn’t ever. Physical attraction and chemistry weren’t the same as love. Passion could be fleeting, but love remained. Prevailed. This first meeting was only the beginning.
Love could grow between her and Enrique.
She had to give the relationship time, keep an open heart and remember how love had blossomed with her parents.
But to be on the safe side until love bloomed with Enrique, Jules realized with an odd pang, keeping her distance from Alejandro would probably be a good idea.
Dinner