Page 46 of A Royal Disaster
“Actually, that’s not a bad idea. You might have better luck getting past his assistant than I have. A real bulldog, that one.” Fin sighed. “I’m half convinced she thinks your overtures are a prank. Short of parading you before her desk in person, I don’t know what else I can do to convince her that I do, in fact, represent the crown’s interests.”
Liam paused. It was unlike Fin to admit defeat. If he was having that much trouble getting past the gatekeeper, it wasn’t for lack of trying. “Get me the number. And get me an appointment with the Minister of Economy. I have some ideas I’d like to run by him before I meet with Spartan.”
“Yes, sir.”
Rain pelted the hotel window, an unwelcome reminder that the day was as bleak as his mood. He’d have to get creative with the Spartan proposal. He wasn’t about to let this deal slip through his fingers. Not when it could mean the difference between success and failure for the crown. Head of State and figurehead. Power and pomp.
Fin cleared his throat. “Is Elena confirmed for dinner at the Caridoso embassy next week?”
“Haven’t asked her yet.” Liam jerked his gaze from the window and met Fin’s disapproving stare. “Formal events make her nervous. I want to ensure everything is arranged so she doesn’t have to worry about a thing. Speaking of which, can you set up an appointment at Bergdorf’s with that personal shopper? I’d like Elena to choose her own dress for this event. She’ll be more comfortable that way. Not that you didn’t do a wonderful job before,” he added hastily, feeling obliged to throw his friend a bone.
Fin sniffed. “Of course I did. I have impeccable taste, as evidenced by your own wardrobe. You don’t think they named you World’s Most Eligible Bachelor for your good looks alone?”
Liam grinned. “Fair point.”
Fin shifted his weight and Liam could sense his friend had something else on his mind. It wasn’t like Fin to hold back, which meant the news—whatever it was—wasn’t good.
“Is there something else?” Liam asked.
“As your friend, I feel obliged to point out that the situation with Elena isn’t going to end well. You’re getting too involved.”
Liam waved Fin’s concerns off. It was his own fucking business and he wasn’t about to let the crown dictate his choices. Even if Fin was right.
He was getting too involved with Elena. It was impossible to deny after the night they’d spent together. The line between business and pleasure had been incinerated.
Completely. Irrevocably. Orgasmically.
And he wasn’t about to bloody apologize for it.
“Liam.”
He sighed. “What do you want me to say, Fin? Elena isn’t like any woman I’ve ever known.”
“Which is exactly why you shouldn’t lead her on.” There was no judgment in his tone but neither was there approval. Not that Liam had expected it. They both knew how the world worked.
“What would you have me do when her presence, her sass, the utter rightness of our connection is like a lifeline amid the chaos and stress of my daily life?” He closed his eyes and exhaled. “When I’m with her, I feel more myself than I have in ages. I don’t have to put on royal airs or pretend to be anything other than who I am.”
Elena didn’t expect him to behave like a prince, or put the well-being of the masses before himself. She only expected him to be himself.
It was fucking amazing.
He’d meant everything he said to Elena. He cared about her, and he wasn’t about to give her up. Not now.
“You aren’t like other people, Liam.” Fin at least had the decency to look apologetic. “You don’t get to have a fling. The whole world is watching. The crown is watching. Christ, it was bad enough when you were pretending, but now…”
Liam’s temper flared. “Don’t you think I know who and what I am? My whole life is about obligation.” Liam clenched his fist, his knuckles going white with tension. How the hell did Fin know he’d slept with Elena anyway? Were Jack and Ethan reporting in to him or had he done something to give it away himself? Not that it mattered. It was none of Fin’s—or anyone else’s—business. “I love my country, but what happens in my bedroom is private.” Fin opened his mouth to argue, and Liam silenced him with a glare. “I want to explore this relationship with Elena. Maybe fate put her in my path for a reason.”
“Yes, well, your parents aren’t content to wait on the hand of fate. They sent this.” Fin pulled a file from the stack in his arms. It was thick and black and entirely ominous. The file landed on Liam’s desk with a loudslap. “This portfolio contains dossiers on every eligible woman—Valerian or otherwise—who would be an appropriate match.”
The meaning was clear. Only the women in this file would ever gain the crown’s approval. And Elena’s name would never appear in this file. It didn’t matter that she was kind and compassionate. Or that her gentle heart and endless humor were the perfect complement to his own jaded spirit, because she lacked the pedigree expected of a future queen.
It was absurd. Antiquated. Outrageous. He didn’t need to open the file to know that not a single woman on the list could hold a candle to Elena. He didn’t give a damn if she could trace her family tree back five centuries or five decades, she was the one he wanted. No one else.
Liam blew out a breath. His mind was made up. His parents might not approve of his relationship with Elena, but he was going to see it through. All his life he’d put the needs of his people, of the crown, before his own.
No more.
He wasn’t going to give Elena up without a fight. He deserved a chance to explore the first honest thing in his life. And his relationship with Elena, despite its unusual beginning, was pure. Their attraction, their chemistry, the way he couldn’t stop thinking about her even now. It was like nothing he’d ever experienced, and he had no doubt that if he yielded now and chose a bride from the file, he’d never experience it again.
