Page 7 of His Highness's Hidden Heir

“You know why.”

A learned cynicism had her wondering if he expected sex in exchange for his help, but she wasn’t sure she minded if he did. Which was a troubling thought.

The elevator stopped and opened, allowing fresh oxygen to rush in.

They had arrived in a laundry room where a guard waited. He nodded a confirmation that seemed to reassure everyone.

Magnus took her hand, sending a zing of electricity up her arm and into her torso. He led her through a kitchen where two staff stopped to nod as they went by.

“Are you hungry?” he asked as they moved through a dining area into a luxurious lounge decorated in shades of gray and ivory with accents of sapphire blue. The drapes were closed and several table lamps glowed.

“No. Thank you.” She wriggled her hand free of his, then closed it into a fist, holding on to the sensation of his fingers woven between her own.

His bodyguards dispersed in all directions, checking behind doors and stepping onto the terrace, then checking beyond the door to the hall.

“Areyouin danger?” she was compelled to ask. “You seem to have a lot of protection.”

“An abundance of caution. The previous king—my father —” his lip curled with irony “—was assassinated.”

“I’m so sorry. That must have been horrible for you.”

“It happened years ago. I never met him.” He shrugged off his tuxedo jacket and removed his sash, handing them to that circumspect fellow who was still giving off vibes of hostility and suspicion. “Sit. I’ll save you the trouble of looking me up.”

Magnus hitched his tuxedo trousers and lowered into an armchair that faced the sofa, instantly turning the chair into a throne with the simple act of lounging his magnificent body upon it. He pulled his bow tie free and discarded it on the side table, then released the button at his throat, shoulders relaxing.

She lowered into the corner of the sofa, sparing a moment for how surreal this was, sitting to converse with a prince. The force of his undivided attention was like a spotlight, hot and blinding.

“Isleif was on the brink of financial collapse and King Einer was living high. I mean that literally as well as figuratively. He was a fan of party drugs and places where they’re offered in abundance. He had built a network within the government that was helping him cut inside deals for offshore drilling. In exchange for greasing those wheels, he was given anything he wanted. I’m not telling you anything that isn’t in the six-part documentary series.”

“He sounds...” She cleared her throat. “Larger than life.”

“Corruptis the word most use. It’s a wonder he only had the one illegitimate child.”

“You?” She widened her eyes.

“Yes. And believe me, I’ve looked for more. So has Queen Katla, his legitimate heir. She took the throne when he died, but she has never been able to conceive. There had long been rumors in the palace that the king had fathered a child with a commoner, after he lost his son, Katla’s older brother. She found me and I was brought to the palace as her successor.”

“That sounds like a fairy tale.”

“Written by the Brothers Grimm, perhaps.”

The grumpy assistant returned. He carried an ice bucket and two wineglasses. He showed Magnus the label on the bottle and Magnus nodded.

“No wine for me, thank you. I don’t drink alcohol,” Lexi said.

“What would you prefer?” Magnus asked.

“Soda with lime?”

He held up two fingers and the other man disappeared with the wine.

“I don’t mind if you drink,” she said. “My teetotaling is for PR purposes.”

His brows lifted in a command for her to elaborate.

Since she was rarely given a chance to tell her side of things, she did.

“When I was sixteen, one of my brother’s friends put drugs in my bag. It was hard stuff that I never would have touched. My father managed to keep me from being charged, but I did a stint in rehab, then a year of community service.”

---