Page 11 of A Royal Disaster
The prince seems to think so.
No. She slammed the door on that line of thinking.
It didn’t matter what he thought. If it wasn’t for him, she wouldn’t even be in this mess.
Which was irrelevant, since she couldn’t very well turn back the clock. She’d painted the prince and this was her punishment. She was going to be dragged online until she went out of business…or until she did something about it.
But fake dating a prince? That hardly seemed like a solution.
Certainly not a practical one.
Then again, what did she have to lose?
Only everything.
Which was also what she stood to gain if this bananapants idea worked. EVA had never been booked out months in advance—they were always scraping by—but if Liam could deliver the kind of positive press he’d described? It would be a game changer.
And, really, how hard could it be to pretend she was in love with the handsome royal?
“All right,” she said, determination warming her chest. “I’ll do it.”
Liam’s blue eyes sparked with triumph and he grinned, clearly pleased she’d agreed to this ridiculous farce.
She wasn’t sure which one of them it said more about that they were willing to fake a relationship in front of the whole world, and she didn’t care to find out.
“Splendid,” Fin said, pulling a folder from his bag. “We’ll just need you to sign this NDA—that’s a nondisclosure agreement—stating you won’t ever speak to the press or anyone else about your relationship with Liam.” Elena opened her mouth to protest, and Fin held up a hand. “All press releases will go through me, so all you have to do is smile for the camera and have fun.”
She stared at the papers, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. Did she need a lawyer to look this over before she signed? She certainly couldn’t afford one, but for all she knew of legalese, they could be asking for her firstborn.
Or, worse yet, Jinx.
“It’s standard procedure when entering into a relationship with a member of the royal family,” Liam said, apparently sensing her hesitation.
Lena flipped the pages of the contract. “There’s nothing standard about thirty pages of gibberish.”
“Touché.” He flashed a disarming smile. “The crown prefers to keep its affairs private. I’m sure you understand.”
Unfortunately, she did.
Yesterday’s headlines had made it crystal clear.
Fin pulled a pen from the breast pocket of his jacket and handed it to her. The prince watched her carefully as she skimmed the first page, the words blurring before her eyes.
Why was she hesitating? If signing the NDA was what it took to get her out of this mess, she had to do it.
She gave a brisk nod and signed the agreement with a flourish. When she looked up, Liam was studying her, surprise etched on his face. Which made zero sense. If he hadn’t expected her to sign, why had he come? Had he been hoping she’d say no? Heat flooded her cheeks at the possibility, but she lifted her chin and forced a smile. “I guess we’re officially dating.”
“Fake dating,” Liam corrected as she slid the paperwork toward Fin.
“Yes, well, don’t expect me to make it too easy for you,” she said as Fin tucked the papers into his bag. “It seems to me Your Royal Highness is far too accustomed to getting everything you want. Fake relationship or not, it’d do your ego some good to work for it.”
“Duly noted.”
She smiled up at him sweetly. “I’ll just be over here waiting for you to ask me on a proper date.”
Chapter Four
Lena stared at herself in the mirror, stomach churning with nervous energy. What had she been thinking? Dinner with… What had Fin called him? Oh, right. His Royal Highness, Prince of Valeria. She laughed, the sound coming in short awkward bursts, like the hum of the kiln when it was first fired up.
