Page 7 of The Wanted Prince

CHAPTER 3

LAURA

Next thing I knew, we were speeding through the city. We left the palace behind, then the Royal Quarter, and then we were bathed in the lights of downtown. Alessandro drove like a man on a mission, and soon, we were climbing the hills of Santerre.

“Where are we going?”

“I have a penthouse up here.”

I let out a whistle. Santerre sat on a cliff with the sea to the south. Forest stretched off to the north and the east, cradling the neighborhood in blue, gold, and green. They’d stopped building years ago to protect its beauty, and when a home went for sale, competition was stiff. Hugo had twice been outbid for his apartment.

“It’s not what you’re thinking, some bachelor pad.”

I hadn’t been thinking that, but now I was. Where better to bring dates than sleepy Santerre? Quiet, discreet, and full of old money.

“It’s not,” he insisted.

I laughed at him. “Sure.”

“You don’t believe me.”

I couldn’t help teasing as he pulled up to his building. “So, we’re going to do what, then, once we get up there?”

“Well—” Was he blushing, or was that just the light?

“Are we going to have tea? Compare family photos?”

Alessandro’s valet spared him having to answer, opening the door for him. Taking his keys. We headed inside together and up to his place, and I gasped when I saw that the whole floor was his, tall picture windows framing jaw-dropping views. The sea far below gleamed in the moonlight, silver-lined waves lapping the shore. The lights of the city marched down the hill, reflected above in the sweep of the stars.

“It’s gorgeous,” I said. I felt more than heard Alessandro come up behind me.

“Stunning,” he agreed, and set his hand on my shoulder. “I saw you, you know. When you came back to visit.”

I stiffened. “Which time?”

“Last year, at the regatta. You were with your brother. You had a blue dress on, with white ruffled trim.”

A deep thrill ran through me. “You remember my dress?”

“It was so frothy, like it was cut from the waves. Like you were this siren come to lure me away.” He toyed with my hair where it brushed my shoulder. “I looked for you after, to say hello.”

“Hugo got a work call. We had to leave. If I’d known you were there, though…”

He turned me to face him. “What you said in the garden, about your PJs?—”

“I didn’t bring them, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

He laughed. “No, but too bad. I’d love to see those.” He winked, then he sobered and shook his head. “What I meant to say was, that was us, wasn’t it? We were ourselves back then, when we’d get together. Not the prince and the deposed princess, but just these two kids who grew up together. Remember that time we stole Father’s car?”

“We didn’t steal it, exactly. We brought it back.”

Alessandro’s full lips quirked up. “With the fender all bent.”

“You taught me to drive.”

“You were awful. You… sucked.”

We both laughed at that, because yeah. Yeah, I’d sucked. I’d stripped the brake pads and messed up the clutch, and to add insult to injury, I’d backed into a tree. We’d slunk back all hangdog like any two kids, any dumb teenagers who’d wrecked Daddy’s car.

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