Page 22 of Once Upon a Royal Billionaire

He nodded, not sure what to say. She was right. Whoever became the queen of Aegira would just have to accept some of that. Most women he knew welcomed the opportunity.

“And then there’s the press. I’m a private person.”

Most women he knew also welcomed the attention. But Emily had her own press to handle and was famous in her own right. And she had a daughter she would want to keep out of the public eye.

Some of the reasons he himself had doubted their suitability came back to him, shrinking his hope that Emily could ever be in his life. “Thank you for sharing your concerns. They’re valid.”

A flash of hurt moved through her eyes, but before he could respond to it, she turned away and stood, stretching. “I’m getting stiff.”

He peered outside. The rain was a trickle, but the clouds were green and dark. “It still looks bad out there, but let’s see if I can get some bars. The team just needs one ping on my location.”

He stepped outside and welcomed the cool wind. He hoped it would bring some clarity, wash some sense into his clouded brain, but it just made him yearn to be close to Em again. And she’d said no. No. Without even a second’s thought. Hurt welled up inside him, and then his phone rang.

“Yes?”

“Your Highness! Are you well?” Bart, his man over security, sounded unreasonably anxious.

“Yes, we’re well. Do you have a ping on my location?”

“Got you. Wow, near the top of Nepo?”

“In a hole in the rock. If the lull holds, we’ll come out. But if the storm picks back up, I’ll be inside the cave—we’ll come out when we hear the chopper.”

“Excellent. And might I ask who else we are rescuing?”

“Emily.”

The silence spoke much louder than any words. “We should inform Kenworthy and the press team.”

“I don’t think we need to get PR involved.”

“When it’s Emily, PR must be involved.”

He suddenly felt tired. And he remembered more clearly why they’d allowed things to fizzle out between them. It had just been easier to let it die.

“Okay, hanging up.”

“As long as the weather holds, we’ll be there in five minutes.”

“Got it.” He hung up. When he turned, Emily was standing right behind him.

“Everything okay?”

“Yes, they found us. Should be here any minute.”

She watched him, waiting perhaps for him to say why he felt all pinched inside when just moments ago he had been happy and hopeful.

But he remained silent, and a great awkwardness settled over the both of them. Until she rested a hand on his arm.

He covered her hand with his own. They stood on the ridge, the wind whipping around them, when Emily said, “Quick, lets climb the ridge while we can. We didn’t make it to the top.” She raced past him and up the rocky incline. She was skipping the switchbacks, like they had as kids, but the way was treacherous in the rain.

He couldn’t blame her, though. Something about her open rebellion against the elements, against their safety, against even his own common sense, appealed to him—it called to him and made his heart excited and hopeful when moments before it had felt heavy and drab.

He raced after her, staying close behind, trying not to throw caution entirely to the wind that whipped around them.

The helicopter blades sounded in the distance.

Emily yelped. “Hurry, they’re coming!”

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