She backed up a few steps and he nodded to his bodyguards and then entered. They stood face-to-face again, alone in her suite.
Despite her guilt and a sense of being caught red-handed, this was the most exciting thing that had happened to her in three days. But how did he find out where she was and what did he want from her?
Her cell phone buzzed and she looked down at the screen. A text was coming through from Jasmine. She hadn’t had time to call her back yet. Quickly, she scanned the message.
Heads up. I might’ve made a mistake by giving King Montoro your location. He was charming and said it was a business thing. Apologizing in advance. Love you!
She lifted her lids to him. Okay, so he wasn’t psychic. But he was thorough.
“It’s good to see you again,” he said.
Warmth swelled inside her like an overflowing river. He had too much of an effect on her.
“It’s nice to see you, but I do admit, it’s quite a surprise.”
On this warm day, he was wearing dark trousers and a tan shirt, sleeves rolled up with his hands in his pockets, looking as casual and delicious as any man she’d ever met. Man, not king. But she couldn’t forget who he was. “I have to admit, I was also surprised to learn you hadn’t left the country.”
“You were looking for me?”
“Yes, I spoke with your assistant. She’s very nice, by the way, and she’s loyal to you. But the fact is, I have something of a business venture for you. And after I told her a little about it, she was willing to let me get in touch with you.”
His eyes skimmed over Portia’s body. Another wave of heat shimmied down to her belly and she turned away from his hot, assessing stare. Man or king, he was dangerous. “Would you like to sit down?” She waved him over to a latte-colored leather chair by the window that faced the Atlantic. “Please give me a minute to change my clothes.”
“Only if you have to.”
There was a wicked twinkle in his eyes that tweaked something lusty and recently unleashed in her body. It made her run, not walk toward her bedroom. “I’ll be a minute, Your Majesty,” she called over her shoulder.
His chuckle followed her into her room.
She scrubbed her face clean of sunscreen and removed her hair fastener, combing the tangles away and then gathering the strands back up into a long ponytail. She put on a pair of white capris and an off-the-shoulder cornflower-blue blouse.
A hint of lip gloss, some shading to her eyelids and she was ready. And more than mildly curious as to what was so important that King Juan Carlos had come all the way here to seek her out. She gave a last glance in the mirror and nodded. She felt a little less vulnerable to the king’s hungry eyes now.
* * *
Juan Carlos stood when Portia entered the room. His heart hammered in his chest at the sight of her. She didn’t know it yet, but he was determined to possess her. Aside from his newfound reign over Alma and his duties here, she’d become the most important thing in his life.
In such a short time.
It wasn’t rational. He had no explanation for it. He’d never experienced anything quite like this. When she’d left the palace the other night, remorse had plagued him and lingered for days. Was he pathetic? Or simply a man who knows what he wants.
She was perfect, his ideal woman. She was royal, beautiful, smart, but at the moment...quite unattainable.
“Princess,” he said.
“Would you like something cold to drink?” she asked.
“No, thank you.”
“Okay, then maybe we should sit down and you can tell me what this is all about.”
She took a seat, her eyes widening as she waited for him to explain.
“It seems I might have need for your services.”
“My services? As an art advisor?”
“Well, yes. In a way. It would be something quite adventurous. You did say you liked adventure, didn’t you?”
“I do.”
“Well, then, let me explain. I don’t know how much you know about the history of Alma, but it’s been rumored that right before my family fled the country, they hid artwork dating back before World War II on the grounds of their abandoned farm. It’s very run-down and Tantaberra never went there, so it was the perfect hiding place. Now that I’m king, I want to find those treasured pieces belonging to the royal family. It would go a long way in helping the country heal and bring new hope to our people. Imagine what a find that would be.”
“It would be monumental,” she agreed. Fireworks lit in her eyes at the mention of hidden art.
Good. He had her attention.
“But I see that you’re vacationing here, so maybe you’d be too busy to help me locate the treasure.”
“You want my help in locating the artwork?”
“Yes, I would need someone to help me hunt for it, and then assess its value. You’d be able to look at something and determine if it’s authentic, I would imagine.”
“Yes, for the most part. It’s what I do. But you plan on doing this by yourself?”
“I can donate a few days of my time, yes. I wouldn’t want word to leak out about what I was doing. If I come up empty, or if there are other issues regarding the artwork we find, I would rather it not become public knowledge immediately. Bella and her husband had already begun renovations on the property but given the site’s historical significance, they’ve agreed to allow me to take over and devote the full resources of the crown to the project. As we speak, there is a team working on the grounds, getting it ready for my arrival. So Princess Portia, would you consider helping me? Of course, you’d be paid for your time.”
“So, this is a job offer?”
“Yes, I’m offering you a job and an adventure.”
She smiled, leaning forward and placing her hands on her crossed knee. “Who else will be there?”
He gathered his brows. “No one but my bodyguards. As I said, I plan to do this discreetly.”
“It’s intriguing, Your Majesty. But the two us alone, all that time?”
“Is that a problem for you?” God only knew, it was a problem for him. How could he keep his hands off her? It would be a living hell, but not worse than having her living a continent away. A few days was all he was asking of her.
“Maybe. Answer one thing for me, please.”
He extended his arms, palms up. “Anything.”
“Do you have an ulterior motive in offering me this opportunity? And please don’t make me spell it out.”
He smiled. She’d made her point and he wouldn’t do her a disservice by lying to her. “If you mean, do I value a few more days in your company, then yes. I suppose. But I do honestly have good reason to be asking this of you. You are an expert, are you not?”
“I am.”
The sparkle in her eyes evaporated.
“What is it?”
She rose from her seat, and good manners had him rising, too. She walked behind the chair, putting distance between them, and leaned her elbows on the back, a battle raging in her eyes, on her face. “I’m not presuming anything here, but I do have to tell you where I stand. It’s...it’s complicated. Because I do like you.”
Encouraging.