‘I’ll be in touch about the land, Your Highness,’ Caras said, his expression rigid, and unreadable, but his tone pragmatic. ‘When you’re willing to negotiate in good faith.’
Her father glared, his grip on her arm tightening. ‘You do not know the meaning of good faith, Caras.’
If he had meant to insult the Greek billionaire, it seemed to have no effect, because Caras simply sent them both the cynical smile Freya had come to hate. ‘I’m willing to top my brother’s already generous financial offer for the land.’ His gaze glided over her, the heat making her shiver despite the warm night. ‘But however tempting the inducements, marriage is off the table.’
She struggled not to wince as her father’s fingers dug into her flesh hard enough to bruise.
‘The deal is off,’ her father announced. ‘As I no longer believe a marriage with my daughter would be enough to prevent your seed from polluting the royal line.’
Freya flinched, her father’s statement was so unhinged—and insulting to both her and Caras. Nausea rose up her throat.
But Caras only laughed. ‘Point taken,’ he said. ‘We’ll see how you feel about that in a few months’ time, Your Highness…’
She had no idea what that even meant, but she decided she didn’t care as her father marched her out of the event, his hand digging into her biceps so hard it hurt.
All she knew was that her plan was in tatters now. Her father would never trust her again. And she was going to have to do some serious damage limitation in the next three months toconvince him not to punish her brothers, as well as her before she got away from him.
In some ways, though, Theo Caras had done her a favour by taking marriage out of the equation. But when she glanced over her shoulder one last time, to see him standing proud and indomitable, silhouetted in the moonlight, and felt his gaze sear her skin, it wasn’t gratitude she felt… But anger and humiliation and hurt, and that deep pulsing ache for something more—which made no sense at all, because Theo Caras had proved himself to be an even bigger bastard than her father.
CHAPTER FIVE
Three months later…
‘Themotorbikehasbeen unloaded, Mr Caras. Will you be residing the night in Galicos, or would you like us to arrange departure for this evening?’
Theo zipped up his leather jacket in the airport hangar at the private airfield a few miles outside the principality, aware of the scattering of snow outside. He swore under his breath, then turned back to the pilot.
‘Not sure, Nico. I don’t want to stay any longer than necessary,’ he said, tugging on his gloves. The last thing he’d wanted to do was come traipsing back here, but Prince Andreas wasn’t playing ball. After three months spent letting the man stew—and troubleshooting a crisis in the Suez Canal with one of Caras Shipping’s container ships while also having to take the helm at the company as his brother awaited the birth of his child on Parádeisos—he couldn’t ignore this problem any longer.
He’d hoped he wouldn’t have to set eyes again on the woman who still haunted his dreams. Because there was no getting around the fact she’d done something to him, that night in September. Something that had complicated his usually straightforward libido, because every woman he’d dated since—or, rather, attempted to date—hadn’t come close to exciting him the way she had that night… And they hadn’t even made love. Plus, she’d tried to trick him—with that refreshing honesty that was anything but. But what he hated even more than the fact shekept entering his dreams uninvited, and had royally screwed up his sex life to the extent he hadn’t wanted to bed a single woman since that insane encounter, was that this obsession was now screwing up his business interests, too.
He should have come back here a month ago, to force Andreas’ hand, and finalise the land deal. But he hadn’t, because he’d been avoidingher. He’d convinced himself it made good business sense not to contact Andreas, to let the man come to him, that the longer he left Andreas to sweat, the better his negotiating position would be. He’d planned to hold out so he could make the deal from his place in Greece when Andreas got desperate, then hand the reins to Xander on the cruise business as soon as the baby was born. But Andreas had chosen to play hardball. There were only a few weeks to go now before the prince had to settle his loan payment, and Theo had got intel that someone else might be in the frame to buy the land now the prince was so desperate for money.
The first thought that had sprung into his head, once he’d heard about this new investor, was even more lowering, because it hadn’t been about securing the land, but about whether or not this investor was offering to marry the woman Theo had made come in the moonlight.
Possessive heat had swept through him, and he’d demanded his assistant ensure he received an invitation to the Galicos Winter Ball.
When the embossed invitation had arrived—to the annual Christmas event in the principality’s calendar to mark the start of the festive season—he hadn’t been surprised. So much for Andreas’ insistence he didn’t want to make a deal with Caras Shipping. Theo doubted this new investor—whoever the hell he was—would have the same financial clout as Caras, because no one did. But again, it wasn’t the deal he’d been fixated on whenhe’d had his bike loaded onto the jet in Kefalonia and flown back here.
The truth was, he’d been keeping tabs on Freya for three months—aware she had not been seen outside the palace since their meeting in September. She hadn’t even attended a single event in Galicos. The press had put out some story that she was so heartbroken at getting thrown over by Xander she had been in seclusion. But he knew that wasn’t true… So he’d become convinced she had been busy lining up a new fiancé. News of this new investor had confirmed his worst fears. But why did he even care when he didn’t want her himself? All he wanted was the land.Right.
He grabbed his helmet from the bike’s saddle box, then climbed aboard the sleek black machine. After kick-starting the expensive racing bike, he lowered the helmet’s visor and headed out across the snowy airfield.
As he powered along the cliff road towards Port Gabriel, he gritted his teeth against the freezing wind. He hated the cold, and the snow even more.
Twenty minutes later, the palace came into view, its belle époque splendour perched on the hills above the port town. Glittering lights festooned the ornate frontage, and an enormous Christmas tree decorated in red and white welcomed the guests as they were ushered into the building. The whole scene had a romantic festive glow that made Theo tense. He didn’t care if it was three days till Christmas, he’d never celebrated the damn season.
He showed his ID to the palace guards manning the gates and was ushered past the line of chauffeur-driven limos queuing to enter the grounds.
Damn Freya, and her father. He was here to finally settle this deal. Who cared if she had decided to seduce some other guy?
All it did was confirm what he’d always known. That the innocent act had been just that—an act. That even if their livewire chemistry had been real, she’d tried to use it against him. And he was not the kind of guy to get led around by his cock.Ever.
He parked the bike at the bottom of the wide sweeping marble staircase—already full of guests in tuxedos and ball gowns making their way inside, many of them wearing expensive faux fur and designer coats to ward off the chilly wind. After hooking the helmet over the handlebars, he tugged off his gloves and stuffed them in the bike bag. Then he stripped off the leather jacket to reveal the tailored tux he’d donned on the plane. He threw the coat to one of the uniformed valets standing by the entrance.
‘Keys are in the pocket—I want to get it back fast when I leave.’
‘Yes, sir. I’ll put it in the garden car park. It’s by the East Wing exit and will be the least busy. Just ask for Stéphane,’ the valet said. Theo tipped the kid a hundred-euro note and bounded up the steps.
