Page 4 of Raul
His father smiled with a glint in his eyes. “Communing with nature is good for the soul. And you won’t have to worry about hiding the beer cans now that you’re of age.”
“You knew?” Raul shouldn’t have been surprised.
“I noticed you and Gabriel had trouble navigating the palace stairs when you returned from your rides,” Luis said dryly.
“And we thought we were rock steady on our feet,” Raul said with a grin. “Thank you for not stopping us.”
“Ay,you were just being teenage boys,” Luis said. “But back to the present.” The king pulled out his phone to tap at the screen. “Your assistant, Yvette, will organize your expedition. You depart in three days.”
Yvette would be happy to pack him off to the wilderness, while canceling or rescheduling all his meetings with glee.
Luis slipped his phone back into his suit jacket pocket. “Now, I’ve asked Marta to make all your favorite tapas, and they’re waiting for you in your dining room. There are also several more gallons of electrolyte-rich beverages, all in truly repulsive colors.”
Raul had noticed a tantalizing aroma wafting through his living room. Remembering his earlier nausea, he said, “I’m not sure I can eat much, but I promise to drink.” When he took a swallow of the blue drink, his stomach grumbled loudly.
His father smiled. “Perhaps you can eat after all.” He glanced at his watch. “Dr. Ibarra will be here in an hour to make sure all you need is hydration and rest.”
Raul sighed in resignation. He should have known that his father would insist on having the royal physician examine him.
“What? No objections?” His father’s lifted eyebrow held both humor and resolve.
“I know when I’m beaten,” Raul said with a half smile.
“A wise man always does.” Luis stood and offered his hand to Raul. The strength of his father’s grip was oddly comforting as he pulled Raul to his feet and held his hand a little longer. “You must take care of yourself,hijo mío. I love you too much to see you suffer.”
“I love you too, Pater,” Raul said. “I promise to be more mindful of my health.”
“Right now, I will make sure of that. I will keep you company while you eat and drink. Once the doctor is done with you, I will escort you to your bedroom and not leave until I hear you snoring.”
“I don’t snore,” Raul said, even as his father’s care for him made his heart squeeze.
Chapter 2
“Ortiz! You have a visitor.” The airport official ducked into the cockpit where Erica Ortiz was running maintenance checks on the jet that she flew for her boss, Gabriel, the royal Duke of Bencalor. The official jerked his thumb in the direction of the ultraprivate lounge where traveling VIPs waited—usually quite briefly—for their flights. “An important one, so you should hustle.”
Erica set her tablet on the copilot’s seat and followed the manager into the plane’s cabin. “Who is it?”
“I was asked not to reveal that,” he said in a stuffy tone before he relented. “I will tell you that your visitor is royalty.”
Since she piloted the royal duke’s jet, that didn’t impress her as much as it did most people. Except for the king. She had met him once, and he was intimidating as hell. In any case, she glanced down at her teal-green T-shirt, khaki trousers, and running shoes and wished she were wearing her pilot’s uniform instead. At least she had pulled her long dark hair into a neat French braid that morning, mostly to keep it out of her way as she and the mechanics peered into all the inner workings of the airplane that would carry the duke and his new wife, Quinn Pierson, on their honeymoon in two weeks.
“Which generation royalty?” Erica probed as she trotted down the plane’s steps behind the manager.
He gave her a tight smile. “Older.”
Mierda!She really didn’t want to face the king dressed in a T-shirt. Hopefully, it would be some other royal.
Erica mentally braced herself as they crossed the tarmac to the lounge entrance. The manager swiped her in through the door with his security badge and departed. Erica stepped ontothe thick green carpeting and took a deep breath as a red-haired woman rose from one of the leather sofas.
The new queen!
Queen Eve wore an elegant blue suit with matching pumps and a cream silk blouse. Her hair fell in polished waves over her shoulders. What struck Erica most was the queen’s warm smile.
“Ms. Ortiz,” the queen said, walking toward her.
Erica sank into a curtsy.“Su Majestad.”
“No need for all the ceremony.” The queen waved a hand in dismissal. “It’s just the two of us here. And I have a favor to ask of you. Come sit with me.”
