Page 5 of The Prince

A man at the podium called the guests back to their seats, and the emcee stood to begin. The man from the beach started to make his way toward her and the open chair at her side. She tried to look away, but it became more awkward to avoid his gaze than to meet it head on. The eyes of the man behind him sparkled with amusement. The mysterious, though intrusive photographer looked gentle, intent, sincere. His eyes were depths of green, like the deepest parts of the forest where the filtered light shone through the trees. And his mouth was quirked up in question.

She crossed her arms and faced the front. She would not be taken in by a couple of handsome men. She had a cause to support and if it put her on the opposite side of beautiful wealthy people, then so be it. She was used to it.

He pulled out his chair. “Looks like I’m sitting by you.”

She nodded to him and then faced the front.

The man behind him reached out his hand, but the announcer began and she said, “Oh good, they are about to begin.”

A low chuckle sounded in her ear and the depth of his voice made her want to lean closer to him so their shoulders touched. It was a strange urge, one which she squelched immediately. He was the one who took pictures. Beautiful pictures. Images that spoke to her soul, that made bare her deepest desires. She shivered.

A whisper made her jump. “Are you cold?” he moved to take off his jacket.

The old fashioned gesture touched her. So many guys she knew were jerks. When she turned to him, his eyes were sincere. He showed concern. But she put her walls back up, and shook her head. He was a charmer. She knew how to deal with them.

And she wasn’t cold. But she wasn’t about to tell him what the sound of his voice did to her.

“We are pleased to note the attendance of two representatives from the crown, Prince Thad and Prince Daniel. We will have the pleasure of hearing from Daniel later on in our program.”

Everyone in the room turned in her direction and cheered. Confused, she didn’t know how to respond to the attention until the two men at her side lifted hands in the air and nodded. Her stomach dropped. The man on the beach was a Prince of Torren? No wonder they looked so familiar. And then her anger rose. She had heard the crown was assumed to support the new resort. Of course they would. He was a crazy stalker guyandanti-environment. Figures. Both those negatives were plenty to counter her new fascination with a pair of green eyes and a talented artist.

She angled her body away from them as much as she could and tried to pretend they weren’t in the room.

But he leaned closer. “Now that you know whoIam, might I have the pleasure of knowingyourname?” His breath on her neck sent another round of shivers through her.

“How could you!” She hissed.

He leaned back, “What have I done now?”

“You know what? Never mind. I have no interest in sharing words with such an environmentally blind person.”

He opened his mouth to respond when they called her name. “We are so pleased to have one of our own, a famous Torren international model who has long championed the cause of keeping Torren green, support us today. She put her next shoot on hold to make time for this event and has promised a percentage of her proceeds to support Cliff Bluff Park. Melodia Harper.”

She swallowed. Too intent on being angry with the princes, she had been taken by surprise that her slot had come up so quickly. She cleared her throat and stood, cameras flashing all around. In the pause when she smiled in all directions, her training taking over, she breathed slowly and calmed her heart. She was ready. She knew what she wanted to say.

Her feet moved of their own accord and she held herself confidently. Inside she reviewed the main points while she made her way to the front. At last in front of the microphone, she ignored the princes and began. “I’ve been swimming in the calm pools of Cliff Bluff Park since I was a little girl…”

She bore her heart to the audience, reminded them of the festival they held every year near the water, told them of historical legends regarding the bluffs, and appealed to their patriotism as the top of the cliff lookout had served as a bulwark against enemy invaders all these years. She tried everything she knew, even going so far as to call the park a symbol of everything good in Torren and the destruction of it, a symbol of the same.

When she finished, two thirds of the room stood in energetic applause, some clapped politely and some frowned, but most were supportive. She filled with a deep sense of satisfaction as some of the holes in her heart began to heal. They appreciated her words. Their support may have begun with her fame as a beautiful woman, but now, they reacted out of appreciation for her words, which had nothing to do with her face or her body. But everything to do with her mind. She felt high off the feeling and she felt her smile grow as she took in everyone. Her gaze followed their smiles in appreciation and stopped on the princes. The man from the beach, she didn’t know if he was Daniel or Thad, leaned over in earnest conversation with his brother. Good. That would give them something to think about, perhaps she had upset their whole campaign.

The support from the room was surprising. Maybe there was hope for the park after all.

When she sat, her smile grew. She was filled with hope.

“Well done.” The prince held out a hand to shake.

She took his hand, and tingles zinged up her arm. She reached back in shock, catching his eyes. His held such an intensity she didn’t want to look away. Irritation that he affected her at all simmered. She arched a brow and said, “Let’s not pretend we’re on the same side. I know your kind.”

The other prince leaned forward, and the amusement on his face frustrated her further.

She was tired of the head patting patronizing she so often came across.

The man said, “You’re a fiery one, aren’t you?” The brother seemed far more amused than he ought.

But the Prince at her side looked only troubled. “Wait, Miss Harper. We need to talk about this. Perhaps, if you have a moment after, we could get some lunch?”

“You’re asking me out?” She shook her head. Now he sounded like the guy from the beach, stealing pictures of her in a bikini. Why did every encounter with a man include a date? “Look, your highness. I’m not looking for a date. And I wouldn’t be seen with you anyway. You trying to get some press for your resort? No way. I’ll be eating with them.” She jerked a thumb in the direction of two old guys with beards. They practically lived at the beach and she had known them since she was younger. But they had no plans with her for anything. Far enough away that they couldn’t overhear the conversation, they nevertheless lifted eyebrows in surprise when she and the two princes looked in their direction all at once.

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