Page 32 of Forbidden Prince
"I like history, though it was never my favorite subject. But we are surrounded with ancient ruins and legends. You would be perfect for putting together interesting facts in a funway."
She nodded. It would be bringing history to life, and that did appeal toher.
He kissed her beneath the moonlight. "You can handle the whole project if you like. I'm sure my parents would be thrilled someone in the family took aninterest."
Well, she’d asked for it. The thrill of creating something new made her smile. "Okay, I'll look intoit."
"Now come." Marco led her to the other side of the ferry where an older man smoked a cigarette. He lowered it when they walked over to him. Marco said, "This is Jack, a localfisherman."
The older man’s bright smile showed all his crooked teeth. "Your bride is even more beautiful than the television made her out to be, YourHighness."
"I agree," Marco answered withpride.
She wasn't a bride. They weren't in love. Lust wasn't love, but the yearning inside her to be with him was more than just casual. She wasn't sure what to say. With a nod, she replied, "A pleasure to meet you,Jack."
Marco brought her back to his motorcycle as the ferry docked. He handed her a helmet. "The people on the ferry were nice." As soon as they had privacy, she would make him promise to start correcting people. There was nothing wrong with her being agirlfriend.
The final heave of the ferry caught their attention and she quickly put on herhelmet.
"Climb on." Marco slid onto his motorcycle and held out his hand for her to join him. His touch ignited immediate lust. How was she supposed to separate feelings from desire? He started his engine. "I want to take you to where we'll spend the rest of ourlives."
"If we get married," she said quietly while he rolled off theferry.
"I like the wordwhenbetter in that sentence." He revved the engines to gofaster.
"Marco..." He raced down the empty dock and onto the street. No more conversation was possible, so she held tight, memorizing every ripple of muscle in his sculpted chest while he sped faster up a never-ending hill that must end at the castle in the distance. Desire grew as she held ontohim.
Finally, he rode into a driveway, past the metal gates that closed behind them. He slowed down and said, "I can hear you thinking. Wait until we getinside."
She dismounted and gazed up at the medieval castle with white walls and blue slanted roots and the cliff they were on that overlooked the Mediterranean. In the morning, this view would be breathtaking, but the moonlight on the dark waters already stirred her imagination. He came behind her and she turned to walk beside him. "This is yourcastle?"
He wrapped an arm around her waist. "Mine, when I get married technically, so it would be ours. Every so often I come and visit the South Castle. Here we're surrounded by water and everyone who lives here knows eachother."
"I see that." She listened to her heart that whispered it was okay to believe in love at first sight and to trust in Marco’s affection. If she truly belonged with Marco, then everything should be natural andgood.
He took her hand and guided her toward the edge where they could look down at the Mediterranean far below them. She resisted so close to the ledge, and he tugged her arm. "Come see theview."
"It's spectacular." She held her ground. Heights weren't her thing and her gut told her if she looked down, she'd freeze. He must realize she was not the best candidate forwife.
He returned to her side without pressing further and they walked toward his castle door, arm-in-arm. As the doors opened, she hugged him closer and tugged him into the side room, to have a private conversation. The moment they entered, she squared her shoulders. "Marco, I'm sorry I ran scared. The moment I was on the plane, I realized I made a huge mistake. I was so happy you came for me. I didn't want togo."
He closed the doors. A fireplace roared and she felt the tips of her fingers and toes began to lose the light frost of the nightair.
Marco knelt down. "Renee, we can live here, together, and be happy, if you’d have me. I want you in my life forever. Marryme."
Her limbs shook and it wasn't from the slight cold because electricity coursed through her. She tugged his arms for him to stand and he did. "I know I shouldn't care about anything other than you and me. Along the way I fell in love with you and I can't shake the feeling. All it does is grow and this feeling scares me slightly when I try to ignore it. I want to believe in happily-ever-after, love at first sight, and not care what anyone thinks orsays."
"What is keeping you fromthat?"
On the golf course, her father scuffed his heel and told his friends that she was never going to be a success like Neil. "I wish my parents for once gave me theirblessing."
"Consider it done," hesaid.
She shook her head. There was no way he understood the magnitude of his task. Blood drained from her face as she imagined poor Marco being cut down by her parents. "You don't knowthem."
He winked like he had everything under control. "I'll have them meet my parents tomorrow, and they will get the royaltreatment."
"I don’t know…" She wondered if she wanted the wrong thing. Perhaps it was best to keep Marco's world separate from her parents. The last thing she needed was for Marco to lose face over this and her parents were like statues that never changed their minds. But with him, she’d have to get married without theirblessing.
