Page 5 of The Princess Home for Christmas

She nodded. “But most of our social group is unaware and I’d like to keep it that way.” Her eyes held a warning which he noted.

“They won’t hear about it from me.”

After a moment of searching his eyes, she seemed satisfied and looked away. “It’s good to be home.” She turned back to him. “How often are you here? Where is home to you these days?”

“Torren will always be home. My father passed away and my mother moved to Greece, though she’s around here more often than in Greece.”

She smirked. “The Greek God.”

His face burned. “You saw that?”

“Everyone’s seen it. I’d think you would want to be known for something else.”

His embarrassment turned to irritation. “We can’t always choose what we’re known for. What are you known for?”

He didn’t even regret his question. How could she accuse him of vanity when she’d known him as long as she had? And what a wrong assumption when she herself hid her humanitarian activities from the press. He closed up his laptop.

“Are you leaving?”

“I am. Your mother and I made plans for the literacy events over the holidays and they asked me to stay since we finished just as you were arriving.”

“But you wish to be gone.”

“Well, no, yes. It’s time. Don’t you think?” She was maddening. He could get no read on her at all.

“Mother did ask you to stay for dinner.”

“Please give her my regrets.”

She nodded, face unreadable.

He turned and left the room, angry and frustrated, suspecting that he would never be on good terms with her no matter how hard he tried. And at the cause of his impatience, simmered his long held fascination with a woman who might never feel anything but annoyance toward him.

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