Page 21 of Royally Knocked Up
But she had been contracted for this. She was obliged to continue.
It wouldn’t hurt him. After all, if she wasn’t here, King Edoardo would find another way to ensure that Enzo lived the life he was expected to. It wasn’t just happening because of Hailey’s presence in his life. What she really felt guilty about was the fact that she had convinced him that she was his friend. She wasn’t being a friend to him.
But did that have to be true? They could be friends in spite of all this. They did like one another, after all. They had a good time together. She was someone he could safely confide in — she wasn’t going to report these things he was saying back to his father or anything.
And yet, she knew perfectly well that if he had been aware of the circumstances that had brought her here, he wouldn’t have been speaking to her about any of this. He would have regarded it as a betrayal.
She turned to face him, not knowing what she was going to say, knowing only that she had to say something.
There he stood — right next to her, right above her, gazing down into her eyes. And for a moment, she forgot everything.
She forgot the beauty of the sunset behind her. She forgot that she had drunk a glass and a half of champagne. She forgot that she was here to do a job.
Even her guilt seemed to slip away as she stared up at him — as he returned her gaze with something that seemed to Hailey like longing.
“It would be nice to be selfish,” he murmured. “My father thinks I’m a selfish man. I’m not. But sometimes… sometimes I would like to be.”
“Sometimes I feel that way too,” Hailey breathed.
He leaned closer to her.
Their lips were inches apart now. She knew where this was heading, knew that it was almost too late to stop it.
She didn’t want to stop it.
No. I can’t. I can’t let this happen.
She stepped back quickly, turning away, forcing a distance between the two of them.
“I should get some sleep,” she said. “It’s getting late.”
He regarded her for a long moment. “If that’s what you think is best.”
Hailey had no idea what was best.
But as she hurried away from his room, she couldn’t help feeling as if she had dodged a bullet.
She didn’t know whether she would have the strength to do the same thing if she found herself in a similar situation again.
CHAPTER 9
ENZO
“You two have developed quite a rapport,” Isla said, passing by the table where Enzo and Hailey were eating lunch a few days later.
Hailey looked up at her and grinned. “We have more in common than I would have guessed,” she said.
“Well, that’s good,” Isla said with a smile. “I’m thinking of pairing you two up to work on a project together, if you’re willing.”
“Sure,” Enzo said, realizing only afterward how quickly the word had left his mouth. He glanced at Hailey, wondering whether she had noticed too.
“I want to put together a calendar of events to try to draw more high-profile guests and large groups of people to the resort,” Isla said. “We had such success with the football team the other day that I think there is a niche to be filled, and I’d like to see what we can do about it. I want you two to work together on brainstorming a list of ideas this weekend, and bring them to me at the beginning of the day on Monday.”
“Sounds good,” Hailey said.
Isla smiled and walked off to speak to some of the other members of the team.
“Looks like we’re going to be spending the weekend together,” Hailey said.
