"Would your parents object to me?" He asked as if it was a foreign idea that her mother night notapprove.
She sipped her wine and explained, "Absolutely, but I really liked that your mom came to see me tonight. I have a history of caving into my parents, when I shouldn't. Her questions about that hit mehard."
He stiffened on the blanket. "I'm curious, why wouldn’t they likeme?"
Those sexy brown eyes of his made her forget everything else. She sat across from him, and wished she could stay lost, but she blinked and stared into her wine glass. "You'd not show up at the Jupiter Country Club socialevents."
"They could come to a few royal events with my parents." He refilled her glass. "I promise I generally behave myself at socialgatherings."
She laughed and put her glass down. "I'm sure you do. I made my parents sound like snobs, but they just want me to be happy. Their kind of happy. Golf three times a week, tennis, and Sunday brunch at the club. Jupiter is beautiful but it isn’t this." She gestured toward the forest with the river through it that if she listened close enough, she could hear the sound of moving water. "As a prince, you would have a home here, and social obligations that might not allow us to have a home in Jupiter, which means that you won’t match mylist."
His left eyebrow quirked upward. "Yourlist?"
She counted down on her fingers. "My list: buy the house next to them, throw the family barbecue and visit all the neighbors with some dish Icooked."
He put his glass down and placed his hand on her knee. "Oh, youcook?"
She shook her head but felt a smile growing on her face. "No, not really. Kristin and I survived ontakeout."
"So, you marrying a prince would be the worst news for them?" He stroked her knee in a gentle motion. "I'd actually like to meet them morenow."
"No." She covered her mouth after her shout,embarrassed.
Marco pulled his hand off her, fast. She reached for his hand and put it back on her knee. "I want you, but I don't want my father's voice in my head making me question everything. My mother knows it’s his voice that gets inside my mind. I can't drown out stupid sayings like ‘a man’s golf swing can tell a lot about hischaracter.’"
"I can play golf. I’m reasonably good." His laughter came from his belly and it caught her off guard. She peeked at him, her head tilted to the side as he explained, "Tonight is going the opposite of how I’dplanned."
Her eyebrows arched but the tension left her shoulders. "How?"
He bumped shoulders with her and pointed to the golden, round moon shining bright against the midnight sky. Stars twinkled like jewels. "See that?" Marco turned to her with a sensual smile. "I intended to seduce you uphere."
"Now that is still possible." She giggled and guided his hand to herchest.
He pulled away and leaned back on his elbows, eyes to the glittering sky. A dark lock of hair brushed the top of his ear and she gently smoothed it down. "Not with talking about our parents like this." He then lifted her knee and placed it on his lap. "Renee, I have to say my mother has the right idea aboutyou."
His touch sent off a bolt through her that felt warmer than dipping into a hot spring. She sighed. "What idea isthat?"
"That you're a keeper." He traced herthigh.
Her lips tingled for his kiss and her body began to heat up despite the night chill in the air. "And here I thought we were just going to be a one-nightstand."
He took her hand. "Would you wantmore?"
More time with Marco would allow her to know him better before making any life-long decision. Her heart skipped at the idea, but she answered honestly. "I can't take anymore bombing or assassination attempts, but if we can avoid those, then yes. I like spending time withyou."
He kissed her knuckles and what looked like a comet sped past them in the sky. "Renee, will you be mygirlfriend?"
Nice and slow—he understood her and that mattered. "Yes." She lifted her chin for his kiss. Tonight, it was just the two of them and no one else in the worldmattered.
13
Renee,secure in Marco’s arms, danced at Kristin’s wedding. Her best friend's ceremony had been a blur of activity. Renee pretty much did whatever the queen commanded, and it wasn’t until they were all at the altar that she’d finally met the other brother, Lucio. Antonio was too severe for her taste. Lucio seemed too brooding. Marco with that smile of his that made the room illuminate was the most handsome one in the family, byfar.
He twirled her around the marble dance floor, music from a quartet on stage playing, a crush of local royals as well as special friends of the family in attendance. The slow song ended and he swept her into a darkalcove.
A sigh escaped her lips and she kissedhim.
If only every day could be as perfect asthis.