Page 54 of Some Like It Royal

“You can’t know that.” She frowned.

But what if he was right?

What if Danielhadwanted to kiss her? At Napa, they’d been alone in their bedroom and again in the limousine. They’d escaped into Big Bear alone.

Of course, by then they were already kissing and he was a man. Men had needs. God knew, she’d had them after those soul-scorching kisses.Never mistake sex for love.She had no idea which of her foster mothers told her that, but it was right about the time she’d reached sixteen and asked to go on the pill.

“Of course I can.” Victor pushed the cloth back to her eyes. “Keep that on there. Your eyes are already looking better and we want all that puffiness gone.”

“How can youknow?”

“The same way I knew you really were a princess the first time I saw you. You possess an elegance and regal bearing that can’t be taught. You needed some guidance and to believe in yourself and yes, the protocol lessons.” He tweaked her pride, but the humor in his voice gentled any possible insult. “But all I did was polish what existed, brought out the diamond and made it shine.”

“And you think Daniel wanted to kiss me?” She crossed mental fingers because she wanted so much for that to be true.

“Absolutely. From the first moment I met you, he hovered there, protective, but not intrusive. He took to touching you far easier than you did to being touched. He followed you with his eyes and enjoyed the kissing lessons. As, I am fairly certain, you did too. When you became lovers, I’m certain that was a choice on both your parts and it had nothing to do with the business deal. No matter what you might tell yourself, the two of you make a delicious couple and it was visible to all who watched you.”

“Do you really think so?” She wasn’t fishing for compliments or pushing further, she just couldn’t escape the horrible certainty that she’d mucked everything up. Even worse than all of that was she’d taken their affair to heart and then fled rather than just confront him there. What if he’d told her she was right? That would have killed her.

“Well, if you want to finish what you started, Princess, take the negotiation to him publicly, then court him with a battle—if it is about you. He will fight for you. If it’s just about the deal, he will avoid the scandal.”

“What do you mean? Tell the world about the contract?” She wiped at her eyes.

“No, repudiate him. If you break up with him in public, make it a real fight—he’ll either fight for you becauseyouare who he wants or retreat to avoid that scandal that might hurt his business…”

That sounded really manipulative.

“I can’t do that.” She shook her head. She could never put Daniel on the spot like that. Not after everything else. Real affair or not, he’d been so damn kind to her. Maybe too kind, but she liked to think they were friends, and she didn’t screw over her friends.

“Then you put on your prettiest face, you stand up there and meet your family and you remember—Daniel Voldakov or not, you are the Grand Duchess Alyxandretta and you have a family and a position and friends all your own that have nothing to do with any deal.” He squeezed her shoulder. “Remember, Princess, in fairy tales, the darkest moments come before the prince can rescue the princess.”

More fairy tale shit?

The pain in her chest receded and she sat up slowly, giving him a wry smile. “But what if I turned my prince into a toad because I didn’t think about what I was doing?”

“Then you must choose to risk your heart and decide what it is you want and then fight for it.” He offered her a hand and she took it. “And that, my darling princess, is the end of our friendship time. We must usher you along if you are to be presentable this evening.”

The smile that curved her lips this time felt genuine and lacked any waterworks. “Thank you, Victor.”

He bowed, stern eyes relaxing with a hint of a twinkle. “It is my honor, Princess.”

After that, he let the cosmetics and hair women back in. They made no exclamations over the wreck of her complexion or the muss of her hair, but bustled about getting her ready. She concentrated on breathing, staring at the necklace with the royal crest waiting for her to don it when the ladies were done.

She made acquaintances, but not friends. She committed to short-term projects and she always left before they could ask her to go. Rhonda called her adventurous—but it wasn’t adventure, it was running away.

She never called her college roommate.

Or her foster mothers.

She’d focused on forgetting her foster siblings, particularly the younger ones—the hardest ones to say goodbye to.

If she didn’t get close, she couldn’t be hurt.

When Daniel took her to Sacramento, she’d stared at that strip mall where her house used to be and felt the devastating loss of that night all those years before. It was a lot like losing her parents all over again.

Only she didn’t go home with a stranger.

She went home with Daniel. And no matter how much she rejected him, he didn’t walk away from her. He gave her space, but he didn’t abandon her. He fought with her, he challenged her and he backed her up against Victor.

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