Page 69 of Royal Caleva: Luis

She noticed that Luis was standing slightly apart, as he so often did. Sometimes he looked very alone, and it wrung her heart. Today, though, he looked pleased and even a little self-satisfied by the success of the dragon-viewing.

“How much did you pay those guys to pose for us?” Eve asked him.

“Only their weight in raíz dulce, their favorite food,” Luis said with a chuckle. “It was well worth it to see the reactions from you and Grace.”

“Caleva is a beautiful country,” Eve said, thinking of the magnificent dragons, the glorious beaches, and the fragrant vaho hibiscus.

“That’s why I go to the wild places when I can.” His head was turned as he gazed around the forest, so she could admire the sharp, strong lines of his profile. “To touch Caleva’s soul.”

If anyone else had said that, it would have sounded melodramatic, but Luis meant it.

“To remind yourself of why you go to all those meetings?”

“More to cleanse myself of all those meetings. Politics is a dirty business at times.” He met her eyes with a sardonic look. “Gone are the days when a king could simply decree that something be done. Now I must negotiate and persuade and compromise to move my agenda forward.”

Eve saw the haze of weariness cross his face. “No more talking business,” she said, touching his arm for a fleeting moment. “You’re still playing hooky.”

“I had hoped to stay away longer, but I have some troublesome nobles trying to upset the Americans on the naval base,” he said with a shrug. “We must return to the stables.”

As Luis linked his hands to help her mount Cielo, Eve first surreptitiously scraped her boot sole on a tuft of grass.

He waited until she settled in the saddle before running his hand down her leg to pretend to check her stirrup leather. Once again, she nearly caught fire from the blaze in his eyes.

“I will never forget this ride,” she said. “It has been pure magic.”

“Caleva is an enchanted place,” Luis said with a smile that invited her into his web of delights. “The longer you stay, the stronger the spell it weaves.”

Grace was already ensnared in that spell.

“I think the King of Caleva is a bit of a sorcerer himself,” Eve said before giving him a roguish glance. “A very wicked sorcerer at times.”

He leaned in close to say in a low, seductive murmur, “And he will do sinful things to your naked body tonight.”

She nearly melted in the saddle.

Luis and Raul had to return to the palace, so Eve and Grace rode back to Casa en las Nubes in the SUV with Bridget and Ivan. Eve sighed inwardly when Grace followed her into her suite.

“Okay, Mom, spill,” Grace said as she plunked down in a chair in the living area. “What is going on between you and Luis?”

Eve tried to gauge her daughter’s feelings about what might be happening, but Grace’s expression held nothing more than determined curiosity. “Oh, you mean when he squeezed my shoulder today? I was talking about how much I missed Nana Nelle, and he was expressing his sympathy.”

“That may be true.” Grace’s tone was skeptical. “But the way you two looked at each other and the body language say it’s more than that.”

“Oh, we’re just flirting a little. Harmless stuff that leads nowhere,” Eve said with a shrug. “I don’t mean to gross you out, but your father is a very attractive man.”

“Yeah, I get that. He’s still on a lot of the most-eligible-bachelors lists, even though he’s past fifty,” Grace said.

“I’ll put a stop to the flirting if it bothers you,” Eve said, even though the thought of pushing Luis away before they could spend another night together made her want to cry.

Grace shook her head. “It’s just that you haven’t been on a date in, like, ten years, and now you’re hooking up with Luis.”

“I’m not sure what ‘hooking up’ means these days,” Eve said.

“Going out, kissing, maybe more.” Grace held up her hand. “Not that I want to know if you’re doing more.”

“Okay,” Eve agreed with relief. “It’s nothing serious. After all, he’s the king.”

“So? I’m the princess.”

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