Ella Jamison would do almost anything for her job.

After her boss, architect Chase Bryant, rescued her from a humiliating situation, Ella devoted herself to his firm. But now he's asking Ella to escort the layboy rince around !ew "ork City. Ella des#ises arrogant, self$centered men like hili##e %ontvidant. But the firm needs his account, and the firm comes first. hili##e knows all about duty. &is #layboy act has given his tiny country much$needed #ublicity. 'oo bad the #ress and #eo#le like Ella only see the headlines, and never get to know the true man. And for some reason, hili##e des#erately wants Ella to know the real him. But if he manages to o#en her eyes, will she like what she sees( )elated 'itle Beneath the *eil of aradise Browse +nsideBrowse +nside Beneath the *eil of aradise by ,ate &ewitt &arle-uin resents Classic )omance 'he Bryants. owerful / roud 0ist rice. 12.33 4ur rice. 15.33 "ou 6ave. 17.88 Cha#ter 4ne Cha#ter 'wo Cha#ter 'hree Cha#ter 9our Cha#ter 9ive Cha#ter 6i: Cha#ter 6even Cha#ter Eight Cha#ter !ine Cha#ter 'en Cha#ter Eleven Cha#ter 'welve Cha#ter 'hirteen Cha#ter 9ourteen Cha#ter 9ifteen Cha#ter 6i:teen Cha#ter 6eventeen Cha#ter Eighteen Cha#ter !ineteen Cha#ter 'wenty 4nline )ead 0ibrary Community Cha#ter 4ne rint this age rince hili##e %ontvidant was e:actly the kind of man Ella Jamison des#ised. !ot that she'd actually met him. Even so, a -uick scan of the tabloids told her all she needed to know about him. )ich. ;omani<ing. 6hallow. And all too attractive. 9our reasons to hate him. 6he knew all about

men like him, men who took and used and didn't care. 6he had no desire to make his ac-uaintance, but unfortunately it was a #rofessional necessity. 6ighing, she leaned back against the seat of the limo that was taking her to J9, Air#ort and fli##ed through the file of information she'd com#iled on the #rince for her boss, architect Chase Bryant. &e had submitted a bid to design a lu:ury hotel on %ontvidant's uns#oiled %editerranean coast=and he was the one who was su##osed to meet the royal at the air#ort and take him out to dinner. But earlier today, Chase had called Ella at the office. >+'m tied u# this afternoon, Ella. "ou'll have to meet rince hili##e yourself.> >'ied u#( &e's your biggest #otential client=> >+ know that.> Chase's usual easy humor had been re#laced with a sur#rising curtness. >6omething came u#. "ou'll have to do it.> >+ could arrange a limo service=> >Every major firm in the city wants this bid. + can't risk giving any of them access to the #rince. "ou need to be on him, Ella.> >4n him,> she re#eated, disliking the images those words called to mind. >4n him. 0ike a tick on a dog.> >0ovely.> >+ try.> 6he smiled, glad to hear her boss's good humor briefly restored, even though she was still uneasy about acce#ting this assignment. 6he'd rather not get too close to a man like rince hili##e, but she was utterly committed to her job. After all, it was #retty much the only thing she'd had in her life for the #ast four years, the only thing she felt she'd made a success of. >"ou're still on for dinner at the %andarin at eight, right(> >"es,> Chase said after a second's #ause. >Just get him to his hotel.> 'hat should be sim#le enough, Ella told herself as the limo #ulled u# in front of the terminal and she ho##ed out. 6he was sur#rised that the #rince was traveling by commercial airline. 'rying to #rove to the masses he was just like everyone else, she thought cynically. 'he #lane from aris=there were no direct flights to %ontvidant=had only just landed, so Ella knew she had a few minutes to wait, even if the #rince got s#ecial treatment and was hustled through Customs and Baggage Claim. 6he glanced dis#aragingly at a rack of news#a#ers, and saw a #hoto of rince hili##e with not one but two bodacious blondes on his arm as he stood in front of a glittering casino. 'he layboy rince *isits the Big A##le?, the headline gushed. A stream of #eo#le was emerging from Arrivals, and her ga<e <eroed in on a tall, lithe man in an elegant gray suit, two burly dark$suited men walking three #aces behind him. rince hili##e and his security detail. @uickly=and more nervously than she would have liked=Ella ste##ed forward. > rince hili##e(>

&e sto##ed midstride, -uirked an eyebrow. >"ou are not Chase Bryant, + think.> &is voice was low and faintly accented, his ga<e both assured and assessing. >!o, +'m afraid %r. Bryant has been delayed. %y name is Ella Jamison, +'m his assistant.> 6he stuck out a hand for the #rince to shake, not sure if that was #ro#er #rotocol, and he shook it. 'he warmth of his hand as it encased hers almost made her dro# his hand and ste# back. Awareness tingled from her fingers, s#reading a treacherous heat through her whole body. 6he determinedly ignored the sensation. Basic bodily reaction, that was all. All she had to do was deliver this man to the hotel, then Chase would take over. 6he'd have done her job as successfully as she always did, and she wouldn't s#end any more time with the layboy rince. 6im#le, she told herself as he finally released her hand. +t had to be.

Cha#ter 'wo rint this age hili##e slid his hand from Ella's with a faint, knowing smile, and she reali<ed she'd been standing there clutching at him like a com#lete dolt. Clearing her throat, she nodded toward the e:it. >+ have a limousine waiting.> >E:cellent. "ou travel in style.> >As + am sure you do, rince hili##e.> &is smile dee#ened, revealing a dim#le. >4f course.> &e followed her to the limo, and Ella's ga<e was hel#lessly drawn to his lithe yet #owerful figure, encased in what had to be a very e:#ensive suit. >;hat about your men=> 6he gestured to the security detail waiting behind them. >'hey can take a se#arate car. 'hey are only for high$#rofile functions=> &is smile twisted slightly. > =and of course my image.> 'he one thing she really hated, she thought as she climbed into the limo, a man obsessed with his image. And yet there had been something rather self$de#recating about hili##e's remarkA almost as if he'd been making fun of himself. 6he didn't understand it, and didn't want to. hili##e slid into the limo ne:t to her, and des#ite the acres of leather, his thigh nudged hers. Awareness flared again. > ardon,> hili##e murmured, his eyes glinting mischievously. Ella flushed. Bid he reali<e how he affected her( 4r did he just assume he affected everyone, that women fluttered around him like moths to a flame(

+t didn't matter. 6he wouldn't let it, she was a #rofessional. Clearing her throat again, she turned to the #rince. >;e have a suite reserved for you at the %andarin. +'ll take you there now, and then %r. Bryant will meet you for dinner in the restaurant at eight.> >E:cellent. 'hank you for being so efficient.> hili##e smiled at her again, and Ella gritted her teeth. 6to# being so charming. >+'ve heard the restaurant has a wonderful view of Central ark.> >"es=> >'his is my first time in !ew "ork, you know.> Ella said nothing. But in truth, she was shocked. 6he would have e:#ected a #layer like the #rince to have visited every major city in the world, or close to it. >9irst time to the Cnited 6tates, actually,> hili##e said, sounding wry. >+ ho#e you enjoy your visit,> Ella answered, her voice stilted and stiff. 6he could not talk naturally to this man. &e reminded her too much of her own #ast, of the terrible mistakes she'd made. >+'m sure + will. + ho#e + have time to see the sights.> >4f course.> 'hough that would be Chase's job, not hers, she thought with relief. 6till she figured she needed to make some conversation. >;hat are you ho#ing to see in #articular(> >'he ier#ont %organ 0ibrary interests me.> >+t does(> Ella blurted. !ot what she would have e:#ected from the layboy rince. &is eyebrow -uirked u#ward. >6ur#rised(> >A little,> she confessed. >+t's not usually one of the to# ten tourist attractions.> >&ave you been there(> >"e$es,> she confessed reluctantly. 'he library was one of her favorite #laces in the city. 6he went there when she needed a sanctuary. > erha#s you could show it to me,> hili##e suggested, and Ella didn't hear any flirtation in his voice, just sincerity. 6he didn't know how to res#ond, so she just nodded toward the window. >'he traffic's not too bad.> !either of them s#oke again during the rest of the ride. As Ella climbed out of the limo at the %andarin, her #hone bu<<ed with an incoming te:t. +t was from Chase. Can't make dinner. 'ake my #lace. Cha#ters. 7 D

Cha#ter 'hree rint this age Ella grimaced at her reflection. 'he black silk cocktail dress was sim#le and elegant, but she couldn't hel# wondering if it looked like she was trying too hard. 0ike she wanted to im#ress the #rince, which of course she didn't. &e'd been sur#risingly amenable to the change in dinner #lans. >%r. Bryant is a busy man,> he'd said, a teasing lilt to his voice, and Ella had bristled. >+'m afraid it's an emergency,> she'd said, although she had no idea what was kee#ing Chase from wooing his client. 'his sudden absence was utterly out of character for him, and she was starting to get worried. >+n any case, + shall look forward to having dinner with you,> hili##e had said, and Ella had smiled tightly. 6he couldn't say the sameE although, really, the #roblem was that she could. 6he didn't want to like rince hili##e, but so far he wasn't what she'd e:#ected. Cnderneath that easy veneer of arrogant charm he seemed sur#risingly easygoing, sometimes whimsical. ;hich was the real man( 6he knew men could #ut on two very different facesAand she had #roven herself inca#able of telling which one was real. 6he turned away from the mirror and headed for the %andarin's restaurant in Columbus Circle. +t was only a short walk from her a#artment, and the early Becember night was glittering and cold. 'he #rince was waiting by the maFtre d's desk when she entered the restaurant, on the thirty$fifth floor of the hotel with a one$hundred$and$eighty$degree view of the city. > rince hili##e.> 6he just ke#t herself from clicking her heels as she sto##ed to stand in front of him. &e smiled. > lease, call me hili##e. + don't stand on formality.> ;as he flirting( 6he didn't think so, but it still seemed like a line. &e was just too smooth. &e made her both sus#icious and stiff. 6he nodded, and the maFtre d' led them to the best table in the restaurant, a #rivate alcove with dee# chairs and a view of Central ark, now shrouded in darkness. Ella busied herself with the menu, not sure what to do with her hands, or even her face. 6he was trying to look coolly #rofessional, but the intimate, romantic atmos#here of their #rivate table was making that e:#ression feel like a mask. &er heart was beating far too hard. hili##e leaned forward to get a better view of the city, Columbus Circle visible just beyond the #ark, glittering with neon lights. >Ama<ing.> >;hat is your first im#ression of !ew "ork(> >9renetic.> &e sat back, his smile turning wry. >+ must admit, + #refer a -uieter life in %ontvidant, but as many have said before me, it's nice to visit !ew "ork.> >A -uieter life(> Ella heard the ske#ticism in her own voice. >But your life is far from -uiet, rince

=> >Just hili##e.> &e arched an eyebrow. >+ didn't reali<e you knew so much about my life.> >+ don't,> Ella said -uickly. >Just what +'ve seen in the news#a#ers.> >Ah, the news#a#ers.> &e nodded, his eyes flicking away from her. ;hat was he saying( 'hat what the news#a#ers re#orted wasn't true( >"ou seem to have a rather jet$setting lifestyle,> Ella said carefully. >4f course + do.> &e shrugged carelessly and reached for his wine. >+'m a #rince.> Ella glanced at him uncertainly, for she'd heard something dark and unfathomable in his tone. 'hen he looked u#, his e:#ression clearing, although for the first time his smile didn't seem -uite sincere. >Enough of that,> he said lightly. >!ow shall we order(> Cha#ters. 7 D 5

Cha#ter 9our rint this age hili##e ga<ed at the woman across from him, her face now flushed from the two glasses of wine he'd convinced her to have, her hair falling a bit out of its too$tight chignon so that a few auburn tendrils framed her heart$sha#ed face. Ella Jamison was lovely, and he'd been both intrigued by and attracted to her from the moment she'd a##roached him in the air#ort, looking like she'd rather have been meeting anyone else. +t was obvious she believed everything she'd read about him in the tabloids, and he could hardly blame her. By all accounts he should be glad. +t was e:actly why he'd #osed for those #hotogra#hs, solicited the interviews and articles. &e wanted #eo#le to believe he was the layboy rince. Judging by the way Ella Jamison glanced at him when she thought he wasn't looking=with chilly disdain=he was succeeding. 'oo bad, in that moment, it felt like failure. 6till he'd managed to draw her out a little this evening, asking about !ew "ork, a fairly innocuous subject, and then moving on to herself=clearly not innocuous to Ella. 6he had deflected the #ersonal -uestions, determinedly steering the conversation back to architecture. >Chase Bryant always uses local, renewable materials in all of his buildings. And he strives to blend his design with the natural landsca#e.> >Admirable,> hili##e murmured. &e knew this already, and it was why he'd already decided to go with Bryant. >Are you interested in architecture, Ella(>

'he seemingly innocent -uestion caused a lovely blush to tinge her cheeks #ink. >4f course,> she said after a second's #ause. >+ work for %r. Bryant, after all.> >+ mean #ersonally. Bid you consider training as an architect yourself(> 'he blush dee#ened, the sim#le reaction making hili##e shift in his seat as desire streaked through him. >+ did,> she said, glancing away. >But + only com#leted one year.> +ntrigued, he leaned forward. >;hat ha##ened(> >0ife,> she said flatly, her ga<e on him once more. >'he reality is you can't always have everything you want. But since you're a #rince, maybe you wouldn't understand that.> 6he was going on the defensive, a tactic he was very familiar with. >Actually,> he murmured. >+ do.> All too well. &er mouth twisted cynically. >+t's hard to imagine what dreams you've had to sacrifice.> >+'m sure it is.> 6he took a si# of wine, met his ga<e over the rim of her glass. >6o tell me.> >'ell you=(> >;hat dream did you sacrifice, rince hili##e(> hili##e leaned back in his seat. 'his conversation had just become a great deal more interesting. And dangerous. >+ asked you,> he reminded her, >to call me hili##e.> Cha#ters. 7 D 5 2

Cha#ter 9ive rint this age 6he was flirting with danger, Ella knew. ;ith disaster. ;hy had she asked hili##e such a #rovocative -uestion( 6he didn't want to get #ersonal with the #rince. 6he didn't want to know him. 6he just wanted to do her job and do it well, as she always did. +t was what gave her a sense of both #ur#ose and ha##iness, and the last thing she needed was rince hili##e u#setting both of those. 'he trouble was, the man ke#t confounding her. 4n the one hand, he'd as good as admitted everything the tabloids said about him was true. "et on the otherAhe didn't seem like a #layboy. A #layer. 4r was she just being naGve, because #art of her didn't want him to be that man( >%y dreamA ;ell,> hili##e said, setting down his glass, >it was never my wish to be the heir to the throne of %ontvidant.> >But you must have known=>

>!o. %y older sister, Christina, was to be -ueen. +n %ontvidant the firstborn, no matter what the gender, inherits.> >*ery forward thinking of your country.> &e inclined his head in acknowledgment. >But my sister abdicated three years ago so she could #ursue a career in #hysics.> > hysics(> 6he didn't remember reading that in the tabloids. +n fact, now that she thought about it, she didn't recall reading anything about %ontvidant before rince hili##e had strode onto the scene, being #hotogra#hed in all of Euro#e's hot s#ots with a gorgeous woman on either arm. >6he took a 9irst in #hysics at Cambridge. 6he wanted to #ursue research, and with my mother's health beginning to fail, her royal duties would have had to come first. 6o she abdicated, making me the heir a##arent.> >And how did you feel about that(> Ella asked, des#ite her earlier resolution not to get more #ersonal with the #rince. hili##e shrugged. >+ agreed.> ;hich didn't tell her very much. &e smiled, leaned forward. >!ow, on to more im#ortant -uestions. ;ill you go to the %organ 0ibrary with me tomorrow, Ella(> Ella tried to ignore the flush of warmth caused by the sound of her name on his li#s=and the fact that the #ros#ect of going to the library with him held far too much seductive a##eal. >+'m sure %r. Bryant will want to meet with you=> >And + with him. But + also want to sightseeAwith you.> Ella's heart took a free fall to her toes. hili##e's blue$gray ga<e was intent on her, and she could not look away. >;hy with me(> she asked after a moment, her voice little more than a whis#er. >'he easy answer is that you're the only #erson + know in this city,> hili##e re#lied, his ga<e still steady on her. >But the real answer( + want to s#end more time with you.> Ella had no res#onse. &er heart hammered and her throat dried u# and still she couldn't look away from the #rince's mesmeri<ing eyes. >And what about you, Ella(> he asked, his voice low, his accent faint but audible. >Bo you want to s#end more time with me(> Cha#ters. 7 D 5 2 H

Cha#ter 6i: rint this age Ella swallowed, stared. 6aid nothing. Bo you want to s#end more time with me( +t was such an o#en, honest -uestion, and he'd said it with such sincerity. +t discomfited her, made her want to answer just as honestly. 6he was intrigued by this man. +ntrigued and interested.

But she couldn't answer that -uestion honestly. 6he couldn't answer at all, because this was getting too dangerous. 6he didn't flirt, or have casual dates or even relationshi#s. 6he worked. +t was the only thing that was safe, with guaranteed success. Ella cleared her throat. >+ think we should kee# this #rofessional.> hili##e smiled faintly. >;hat's not #rofessional about you showing me around the city(> !ow she blushed. &ad she misunderstood him com#letely( >+ meanA %r. Bryant will want to meet with youA> >Even so, +'m -uite sure there will be time to see a few sights.> >;ell, yes=> >And +'d like to see them with you. Aren't you su##osed to be kee#ing me ha##y(> &is eyes glinted knowingly, and Ella felt a futile flare of anger. &e was #ractically blackmailing her. &ow could she say no, when so much rested on this bid( 6he couldn't let Chase down, not after all the chances he'd given her. And the truth was, annoyingly, she didn't want to say no. >;e'll see,> she said finally, and hili##e smiled in what could only be called trium#h. &e knew he'd won. ;as he just toying with her, Ella wondered. A girl in every #ort( ;hat else could it be( >+t's getting late,> he said, taking his na#kin from his la# and tossing it on the table. >0et me escort you downstairs and find you a ta:i.> >+t's not necessary,> Ella said -uickly. >+ live close enough to walk.> >'hen +'ll walk you to your door,> hili##e said, and Ella couldn't hel# but think she'd asked for that one. 'hey didn't talk as they left the restaurant and entered the elevator=after hili##e had #aid the bill, des#ite the fact that Ella knew Chase had intended to host the royal. 'hey soared down thirty$five floors, alone in the small s#ace, the tension suddenly seeming to coil and stretch between them. Ella snuck a glance at hili##e, taking in the hard line of his jaw, the vivid blue of his eyes. &is hair was the color of sunlight on oak. 4utside, the air was cold and cris#, and Columbus Circle had em#tied out e:ce#t for a few ta:is streaking by in a yellow blur. hili##e turned to her with a smile. >;hich way(> >!orth.> 'hey started walking u# Broadway. >Bon't you need your security(> Ella asked. >+ didn't think royalty could just walk around unescorted.> >+t's a risk + like to take once in a while,> hili##e said with a shrug. >Before my sister abdicated, + went around as + #leased. +t's been hard to let that go.> >+'m sure,> Ella murmured. 6he'd assumed the #rince was #am#ered, that he wore his #rivilege with la<y entitlement. !ow she wondered. 'hey walked in silence for a few more minutes and

then Ella sto##ed in front of the res#ectable walk$u# she called home. >'his is it.> 6he turned to him with an awkward smile, her heart #ounding although she refused to wonder why. hili##e smiled and lifted his hand. Ella held her breath. &e brushed his finger through a tendril of hair that had esca#ed from her chignon. &er breath came out in a rush. > hili##e=> >6nowflake,> he said, still smiling. &e #ointed u#ward. >+t's snowing.> Ella felt her cheeks heat. 6he'd thought he was going to kiss her. And she wouldn't have resisted. hili##e dro##ed his hand. >Ioodbye, Ella,> he said, and walked away into the night. Cha#ters. 7 D 5 2 H J K

Cha#ter Eight rint this age hili##e watched a tendril of Ella's auburn hair sli# from her oh$so$neat chignon as she bent over one of the illuminated manuscri#ts in the %organ 0ibrary, and he felt a shaft of desire bla<e right through him. 6he was so lovely, so refreshingly honest and o#en, her gray$green eyes hiding nothing. 6he was also incredibly sus#icious of his #layboy re#utation, but he thought she was beginning to thaw, just a little. 4ne day, he told himself. 4ne day to enjoy himself, to be the man he wanted to be, the man he truly was. !ot the reckless #layboy who sold news#a#ers and was res#onsible for bringing tourism to his country. Ella glanced u#, her eyes widening. >;hat's wrong(> >;rong( !othing's wrong.> >"ou sighed.> >Bid +(> &e was ama<ed at how attuned she was to himAand he to her, right from the beginning. >+ was just looking at this %o<art com#osition.> >Ama<ing, isn't it(> 6he moved to join him at another glassed$in dis#lay cabinet. >+ love this #lace.> >Bo you(> &e wasn't sur#rised, just #leased. 6he nodded. >+ love feeing like +'m a #art of so much history.> >+ know what you mean.> +t was how he felt about his own country, #art of the reason he hadn't #rotested his sister's abdication. ;hen you reali<ed that you were #art of something much greater than yourself, it made any #ersonal concerns seem #etty.

>And the roomsA> 6he glanced u# at the frescoed, vaulted ceiling. >+t's as if +'m ste##ing into another world. But + su##ose you're used to #laces like this.> >+ su##ose + would be, if +'d grown u# in a #alace.> &er eyebrows rose. >"ou didn't(> >+ grew u# in our country house in the mountains. Admittedly it was a very nice home, but it wasn't #alatial. 'he #alace in %ontvidant is ke#t for state ceremonies and occasions.> 6he stared at him, and he could almost see the gears in her mind turning. Another assum#tion destroyedAor so he ho#ed. >And where do you live now(> she asked as they moved toward another dis#lay case, this one housing a Iutenberg Bible. >+ have a flat in %ontvidant's ca#ital city, Amarne.> >But when you're king( "ou'll live in the #alace then, right(> &e shrugged. >%y mother s#ends most of her time in our mountain home, but she does reside in the #alace when she has to come to Amarne for state functions. 6o yes, + will live in the #alace on occasion.> >Are you looking forward to that(> Ella asked, and before he could censure himself, hili##e answered honestly. >!ot really.> 6he cocked her head, her eyes dark with sym#athy. >;hy not(> >Because + never wanted to be king. But + acce#t my duty.> &e smiled, knowing he'd said too much and wanting to lighten the moment. >&ave you seen enough( Because +'d like to treat you to lunch.> >CmAsure,> she said, her voice a little breathless, and hili##e reached for her hand, threading her fingers through his. &e felt a #ull dee# inside him at the slide of her soft skin against his, and he watched her #u#ils dilate. 6he was as attracted as he was. 'he -uestion remained, howeverA would they do anything about it( hili##e knew what he intended the answer to be. Cha#ters. 7 D 5 2 H J K L

Cha#ter !ine rint this age 6he was enjoying herself too much, Ella knew. 0etting down her guard, rela:ing, laughing. After visiting the library, hili##e had taken her to an elegant and e:tremely e:clusive restaurant=just a handful of tables and chairs off %adison Avenue. 6he hadn't resisted when he'd #oured them both wine from a very e:#ensive bottle, even though it was only a little #ast noon. 6he didn't su##ress the telltale flutter of her heart when hili##e leaned back in his chair, his eyes glinting ice$blue, and said, >6o tell me about yourself, Ella.> 6he took a si# of wineE it was rich and velvety. >'here's not much to tell.> >'here's always something.> >;hat do you want to know(> she asked, hearing a flirtatious, #rovocative note in her voice. 9rom the silver flare in hili##e's eyes, she knew he'd heard it, too. >;here did you grow u#(> >Connecticut.> >&ow old are you(> >'wenty$eight.> >Boyfriend(> 6he hesitated only a second, her heart starting to beat hard. >!o.> hili##e smiled faintly and took a si# of wine. >;hy did you only com#lete one year of university(> 6he nearly choked, sur#rised by the sudden switch in the direction of his -uestioning. >%y mother got sick,> she said after a moment. >And my dad wasn't around. 6o + left school to take care of her.> 6he saw the shadows gather in hili##e's eyes, the downturn of his mouth, and she knew he sym#athi<ed. +n different ways they'd both obeyed the call of duty, and #aid its #rice. >+'m sorry,> he said. 6he just nodded, her throat tight. >;hat about you, rince hili##e( ;hy didn't you ever want to be king(> &e shrugged. >+ su##ose because + never thought + would be.> >;hat were you going to do instead(> >'each history at the 6orbonne.> 9or a second she thought he was joking, but then his mouth twisted wryly and he said, >6ur#rised you again, + see.> >"ou did,> she admitted. >"ou're an academic(>

&e shrugged, the movement drawing her ga<e to his #owerful shoulders. >!ot anymore.> >Bo you regret it(> &e didn't answer for a long moment, just swilled the wine around in his glass. >+ see no #ur#ose to regret,> he said finally. >0ife is what it is.> >"es, but=> >Come.> &e threw his na#kin on the table, a smile #laying about his mouth. >Are you finished( Because + have always wanted to go skating at )ockefeller la<a.> >6kating=> >Bo you skate(> >A little=> &e held out his hand and she took it, his fingers closing around hers. >'hen let's go. +t's time for #art two of our date.> 6he felt a jolt reverberate right through her. >'his isn't a date?> hili##e's smile turned #ositively wolfish as he drew her from the table. >4h yes, it is.> Cha#ters. 7 D 5 2 H J K L 3

Cha#ter 'en rint this age +t was a date. &ow could Ella deny it, when hili##e held her hand as they walked toward )ockefeller la<a, when he'd #oured her wine at lunch and asked if she'd had a boyfriend( 4f course it was a date. A wonderful date, a date that had her heart beating hard and her mouth drying and nameless ho#es welling u# inside her. And yetA +t wasn't going to go anywhere. +t was just one day. 4ne date. And by this time tomorrow Chase would have returned and hili##e would be all about business, and then she'd never, ever see him again. ;hich was good, she told herself -uickly, because no matter how charming hili##e was now, the tabloids didn't lie that much. 'he #hotos she'd seen were real. &e was still a #layboy with a woman on each arm, fre-uenting the casinos and clubs of Euro#e's most glamorous cities. !ot the kind of guy she should ever fall for. !ot to mention the whole royalty thing, which #ut him right out of her league anyway. >;hy are you frowning so much(> hili##e asked. 6he heard laughter in his voice as she turned to him, and she frowned all the more. >+'m not.>

>"es, you are.> &e touched his thumb to the middle of her forehead. >And you have a little indent there. A worry mark.> >+ was just thinking,> she said, and he shook his head. >"ou'd better sto#. 'hinking is dangerous.> >6ays the academic.> >Bangerous at least for today. 0et's just enjoy ourselves, Ella.> 6he nodded slowly, reali<ed he was setting down the rules. 'oday was about enjoyment, #leasure, fun. 4f course he didn't want anything else from her. 6o why should she worry about tomorrow( >4kay,> she said, and he s-uee<ed her hand. A few minutes later they were both on the ice. Ella hadn't been ice$skating in years, maybe even decades, so she was wobbly until hili##e slid his arm around her waist. 6he felt the warm strength of him against her, and with the su##ort of his arm she matched his long, easy glides. >"ou skate like you've been doing this forever,> she said. hili##e grinned. >)emember that mountain home + grew u# in(> >"es=> >+t had a lake.> >Ah.> >"ou're not bad yourself, though,> he said, and before she could res#ond he'd s#un her in a neat circle, and she let out a little scream. > hili##e=> >+ think that may have been the first time you've willingly said my Christian name.> >+ wasn't thinking,> she confessed. &e laughed softly, drawing her to him so she had to tilt back her head to look u# at his smiling face. >!ow you're getting the idea.> >+s thinking really so bad(> she asked, and heard how breathless she sounded. >6ometimes.> >0ike when(> &er li#s #arted as she waited for his answer, and his eyes darkened to a stormy gray. &e reached u# and touched her chin with his finger, angling her head below his. >0ike now,> he said, and kissed her.

Cha#ters. 7 D 5 2 H J K L 3 78

Cha#ter Eleven rint this age &is li#s were warm and soft on hers. Ella o#ened her mouth as he dee#ened the kiss, his arms coming around her as his tongue slid into her mouth. 6he trembled, not from cold, but from the overwhelming desire that washed over her in a tidal wave of sensation. 'oo much. 6he #ulled away and hili##e smiled down at her. >;e shouldn't=> >;hy shouldn't we(> he asked, sounding amused. Ella just shook her head, her brain on overload. ;hat was she doing( 9orget the whole one$day, one$date thing, because that wasn't what she did. ;ho she was. Es#ecially not with a man like hili##e. 6he #ulled away and started skating toward the e:it. &e caught u# with her easily, taking her arm as he drew her to the side. >0et go of me=> >Ella, what's wrong(> 6he shook her head again, and hili##e frowned. >+t was just a kiss.> >E:actly.> >;hat do you mean(> >+'m not= + don't=> 6he felt ridiculously #rudish, yet she couldn't hel# who she was. Couldn't kee# herself from knowing that a fling=or even a kiss=with a #rince was not in her nature. Iently hili##e #ut his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. >"ou don't what(> >+ don't do the not$thinking thing,> she blurted. >+ can't switch my brain off and just have fun with you, acce#ting that's all it is. +'m sorry, because you're charming and handsome and + have had fun, but + think it's time we called this all to a halt.> hili##e ga<ed down at her seriously and Ella stared back, feeling ridiculous yet determined. >"ou're lovely when you're all worked u#,> he said, and she #ulled away from him. >Bon't #atroni<e me.> >+ wasn't.> >+'m serious, hili##e=> >6o am +. +'ve enjoyed today more than any day in recent memory=>

>Even more than the all$night beach #arty in Cannes(> she sna##ed, hating that she was going there yet needing to at the same time. hili##e's e:#ression fro<e. >+ thought we were going to leave the tabloids and gossi# maga<ines out of this.> >'hat's kind of hard when you're in them so often.> >And you believe everything you read(> 6he lifted her chin. >Are you telling me those stories aren't true, hili##e, at least in #art(> &e hesitated, and she saw the answer in his eyes. >'hey are true,> he said heavily, >in #art. But that doesn't mean + want them to be.> >4h, #oor little #rince who has to go #arty all night long,> she mocked, angry with him as well as with herself for getting drawn in to this ridiculous argument. >"ou don't understand.> >"ou're right. And + don't want to.> 6he shouldn't care what he did, who he was. But it was already too lateE she cared far too much. All those years of guarding her heart and living for work, and then this ha##ened in the s#ace of a single day. 6he turned away and headed once more to the e:it. >'his date is over.> Cha#ters. 7 D 5 2 H J K L 3 78 77

Cha#ter 'welve rint this age hili##e watched Ella skate rather erratically over to the e:it and then stom# toward a bench to remove her skates. 6he looked utterly furiousAand yet also forlorn. 'hey'd been having such a lovely time. &ow had it come to this end, and so -uickly( &e watched her fumble with the laces, her fingers obviously fro<en, and with a kind of e:as#erated sym#athy, he made his way over and sat down ne:t to her. >0et me hel# you.> >+ don't need=> >Ella.> 6he shrugged and stretched one foot out, her face set in stubborn lines. hili##e worked at the

knot, feeling tension thrumming through Ella's body. And he knew with a sudden, shar# insight that this wasn't just about today, or about him. 'heir one day. 4ne date. >Ella,> he said as he sli##ed the skate from her foot, >who hurt you(> 6he glanced u# at him, eyes wide with both shock and alarm. >;hat(> >6omeone hurt you, didn't they( A man. A man, + sus#ect, a bit like me, at least on the outside.> 6he shook her head slowly, her eyes still wide, and he just waited. 9inally she whis#ered, >&ow did you know(> >Because your reaction was, + have to say, just a little over the to#. 'here's more going on here than just our one date.> &e undid the laces of her other skate and sli##ed it off. >6o tell me.> 6he looked down, her hair sli##ing from its chignon and falling in front of her face. But he could still see the smooth roundness of her cheek, her skin flushed #etal$#ink with cold. >+t's not a very interesting story,> she said -uietly, and his heart gave a little lurch. >+t's interesting to me.> >Classic boy$dum#s$girl story, +'m afraid,> she said, trying to sound light and failing miserably. >+t's been told a thousand times before=> >!ot to me.> 6ighing, she looked u#, a tiny smile curving her lush mouth. >"ou are very #ersistent.> >And you're free<ing. 0et me buy you a hot chocolate and you can give me all the details.> &e took her by the hand, gratified when she didn't resist. "et as he led her toward the cafM by the side of the rink, he wondered why he was making such an effort with this woman. ;hy he cared so much. &e'd started today understanding it could only be that. one day. &e was a #rince, about to be king, and he had royal duties. A life elsewhere. 'here couldn't be more between them, and he'd known from the moment he'd met Ella Jamison that she was not someone to be toyed or trifled with, not like the other women he'd dated. 6o why was he still here( Because he wanted to be. Because Ella Jamison was so different from any other woman he'd ever met, and he wasn't ready to let her go yet. Even if, all too soon, he would have to do just that. Cha#ters. 7 D 5 2 H J K L 3 78 77 7D

Cha#ter 'hirteen rint this age

Ella cu##ed her hands around her mug of hot chocolate and wondered where to begin her story. 6he couldn't believe she was telling hili##e any of it, and even more ama<ing, that she wanted to. 6he didn't talk about her disastrous relationshi#=if she could even call it that=with Charles to anyone. 6he'd bottled it u# and #oured herself into work, into #roving herself in a different=and far safer=arena. "et now she wanted to let it out. 'o him. >;e met here in the city,> she began haltingly. >+ was working as a A for one of the larger architectural firms. Chase Bryant was, too=he took me with him when he started his own com#any.> And rescued her from the humiliation of being #ublicly jilted and the endless heartache she'd wallowed in. >&is name was Charles, and he was one of the u#$and$coming architects. Charming, a tad flashy=> >And you think +'m like him(> &e sounded bemused and just a little insulted. Ella cracked a smile. >;ell, you're very flashy. +n any case, he swe#t me right off my feet.> And onto her back, although she wasn't about to tell hili##e that. >;e dated for two years. Everything seemed great at first= and then it began to change. &e changed. ;ith me, he was so fun and charmingA> 6he shook her head in memory. >But with other #eo#le he was someone else entirely. &ard and ambitious. And disa##roving of me. Almost as if he didn't like me.> 6he swallowed, her ga<e swee#ing downward. >'hen he started to try to make me into a different #erson, into someone more like him. &e'd tell me what to wear, what to read, even what to think.> >&e sounds like an ass.> >;ell.> &er smile wobbled as she glanced back u# at him. >+ su##ose he was, and + was wrong to go along with it. + was just so star$struck, so determined to kee# him.> 6he swallowed hard. >6o + changed. + was des#erate to change for him.> 6he shook her head, the memories souring inside her. >+ never want to do that again.> >+ wouldn't want you to.> >Anyway.> 6he let out a sigh and took a si# of hot chocolate. >+t all ended rather abru#tly. + learned he'd been cheating on me the whole time with a variety of secretaries and tem#s. Even then + might have forgiven him=that's how low my self$esteem was at that #oint=but he dum#ed me first.> +f she was trying to sound wry and not hurt, Ella knew she'd failed. >&e claimed + wasn't right for his image. &e ended u# dating another architect, someone who was going #laces, since + obviously wasn't.> ;ith her one year of college and her broken dreams. 6he sim#ly hadn't been good enough for him. >'hat must have hurt,> hili##e said -uietly. &e reached over and covered her hand with his own. Ella felt the warmth and strength of him, knew he understood about broken dreams. 6he never would have e:#ected a man like hili##e to get itAbut then she hadn't really known what kind of man he was. >+t did hurt,> she said -uietly. >But what hurt most is that + didn't see through him. + wouldn't. + wanted to believe in the fairy tale, so + just closed my eyes and ignored every warning sign.> 6he shook her head. >+ will never be that stu#id again.> +n fact, she was never going to risk her heart again=and certainly not with hili##e. !ot, she reminded herself, that he was even asking her to. hili##e was silent, and Ella risked looking at him. &is eyes were dark, his mouth drawn in a

thoughtful frown. >+'m not sure why + told you all of that,> she said after a moment. >+t's not as if it has anything to do with=> 6he stumbled, avoiding that dangerous wordAus. >"ou and me.> >!o(> hili##e raised his eyebrows. >+ mean, this is just one day.> 6he took a dee# breath. >+'m sorry + overreacted earlier. + know it was just a kiss.> >Just a kiss.> >"es=> >;ell.> hili##e brushed his fingers over her #alm, causing s#arks to ignite inside her once more. >'his day isn't over yet. Come with me tonight.> 6he stared at him, eyes wide. >;here(> >'o a cocktail rece#tion at the Iuggenheim.> &er mind s#un. >As=> >"es,> hili##e cut her off with a grin. >As my date.> Cha#ters. 7 D 5 2 H J K L 3 78 77 7D 75

Cha#ter 9ourteen rint this age Ella ste##ed inside the Iuggenheim's famous s#iral tower and her mouth went dry. All around her elegant and well$heeled guests circulated, glittering with jewels, holding glasses of cham#agne aloft. +n her sim#le silver sheath dress she felt res#ectable enough, if only just. 6he glanced at hili##e, who was wearing his formal state dress= white tie and tails with a red sash across his chest. &e looked handsome and dignified and yet somehow remote, and she could believe now more than ever that he was a #rince, on his way to being a king. &is hand slid around her waist, and with his other he #lucked two flutes of cham#agne from a #assing tray and handed her one. >+ sus#ect this will all be very boring,> he murmured in her ear. >;hich is why + asked you to join me.> 6he half turned to him, conscious of how her breast brushed against his arm. >4h( +'m just your entertainment(> >"ou're my salvation,> he answered, and with his arm still around her waist he guided her into the crowd. 'he ne:t few hours #assed in a blur. hili##e was charming with everyone and seemed to know

them all. &e introduced her easily, and Ella saw the s#eculation flare in #eo#le's eyes as they wondered just what her relationshi# to rince hili##e was. Ella didn't e:#lain, and neither did hili##e. ;hat could either of them say, anyway( 'hey'd met just over twenty$four hours ago, and their remaining time together was limited. "et Ella didn't want it to end. 6he wasn't ready to say goodbye, even though she was well aware hili##e would be. And she should be, too, considering her own #ast. Even if hili##e decided he wanted to continue some kind of relationshi# with her, what future could they #ossibly have( 6he wasn't -ueen material=and she wouldn't change herself to fit a man's ideal ever again. 'oward the end of the evening her cell #hone rang. Ella saw it was Chase and she e:cused herself to a #rivate alcove to talk to him. >Chase( Are you all right(> >+'m fine.> &e didn't sound fine, Ella thought. &e sounded e:hausted and even de#ressed. >;hat's going on( Are you going to meet with hili##e=> >+'ll meet him at the ball tomorrow night.> >'he ball=> 6he'd com#letely forgotten about the Bryant Ball, hosted by Chase and his two brothers. 'he Bryants were a #rominent family in !ew "ork City, and the Bryant Ball was one of the highlights of the city's social calendar. Ella always went, at least ever since she'd been working with Chase. >;hat about tomorrow(> >+'m still busy.> >+s something wrong(> 6he'd never known Chase to be absent from work, es#ecially in the middle of such an im#ortant bid. Chase sighed. >!othing's wrong. + just had somethingAune:#ected ha##en. Can you kee# hili##e occu#ied for another day(> 4ne more day. Ella swallowed. >"es.> >'hanks, Ella. + really do a##reciate it.> A few seconds later they said goodbye and Ella stood there for a moment, her mind whirling. 6he felt hili##e's hand on her shoulder. >+s everything all right(> >"es=> >'hen,> he asked, his voice dro##ing to a suggestive murmur, >how about we leave this #arty(> >And go where(> hili##e turned her around to face him. >"ou could come back to my hotel with me.> Cha#ters. 7 D 5 2 H J K L 3 78 77 7D 75 72

Cha#ter 9ifteen rint this age Ella's eyes widened and her li#s #arted. !o words came out. 6he looked so comically stunned that hili##e almost laughed. E:ce#t this was no laughing matter. &e wanted more than anything for her to say yes. &e wanted her to come back to his hotel, and he wanted to make love to her. 9inally her mouth curved in a tiny, trembling smile. >+f + overreacted about a single kiss, how do you think + might react now(> &e laughed softly. >+'m willing to take the risk. + want you, Ella. + reali<e we've only known each other for a few days=> >4ne day=> >But + care for you. + feel more for you than + have for any woman in a long time.> &er mouth twisted. >+'m not sure that's saying much.> hili##e grimaced. Bamn his #layboy re#utation. >Even so,> he said -uietly. >Bo you want to come with me(> Ella didn't answer for a long moment. 'hen she looked u#, meeting his ga<e with her still$wide eyes, and nodded. >"es,> she whis#ered. >'hen let's get out of here,> he said, and without wasting another moment he linked his hand with hers and led her from the museum. &e hailed a cab outside and within seconds they were s#eeding away in the darkness, toward his hotel. Ella's face was angled away from him, and he couldn't tell what she was thinking. 9eeling. >Ella(> >"ou don't act like a #rince.> 6he turned to him suddenly, her voice soft in the darkness. >"ou don't fly in a #rivate jet, you don't have a #rivate car. "our security guys don't shadow your every ste#.> >+ gave them the day off.> >"ou don't live in a castle, and you don't even want to be king. "ou're not what + e:#ected at all.> &e reached for her hand and brushed her knuckles across his li#s. 6he shivered in res#onse. >+s that a bad thing(> >!o,> she said slowly. >!o, it's not. But itAit scares me.>

>6cares you( ;hy(> >Because + don't know who you are,> she whis#ered. >4nly who + want you to be.> &is heart gave a strange and rather frightening lurch. >+'m the man you've gotten to know over this last day,> hili##e said, sincerity making his voice throb. >'hat's e:actly who + am.> !ot the #layboy #rince of the tabloids or cocktail #arties. !ot the man she seemed intent on believing he was, des#ite what she said she wanted. &e needed the world to believe he was that man. Even when he wasn't. But with Ella he wanted it to be different. &e wanted her to know the real himAeven if their relationshi# couldn't go anywhere. 'he cab #ulled to a sto# and hili##e glanced out at the entrance of the hotel. &e s-uee<ed Ella's hand. >;e're here.> Cha#ters. 7 D 5 2 H J K L 3 78 77 7D 75 72 7H

Cha#ter 6i:teen rint this age Ella ste##ed into hili##e's #enthouse suite on the fifty$third floor of his hotel, the floor$to$ceiling windows revealing a glittering #anorama of the city. Behind her she heard the door click -uietly shut, and then she felt hili##e's hands close lightly on her shoulders. >Are you sure about this(> he asked softly. 6he took a dee# breath and turned to face him. >"es, +'m sure.> And she was, ama<ingly sure. 6cared, too, and certainly nervous, but she knew she wanted this. ;anted hili##eAeven if it would all end tomorrow. Even if he was the layboy rince. And yet he hadn't acted like a #layboy #rince in the short time she'd known him. &e'd been sweet, thoughtful, wry and kind. &e'd been the kind of man she could so easily fall in love with, and she was afraid that was e:actly what she was doing. Because what if it was all an act, just like it had been with Charles( ;hat if hili##e was just very, very good at getting what he wanted( And even if he wanted a relationshi#, how could it #ossibly work( 6he wasn't #rincess material, and she didn't want to change. 6he didn't want him to want her to change. >"ou're not looking sure,> hili##e said with a wry smile. Ella #ushed all her thoughts and fears away. 6he was sure about this, about now. 6he wanted him, was more attracted to him than any man she'd ever met. 6miling, she #ut her arms around his neck. +t was all the invitation hili##e needed. &e #ulled her gently to him and then his li#s found hers,

the kiss sweeter and dee#er than the one they'd shared before. Ella let her head fall back and e:-uisite sensation took over as hili##e bla<ed a fiery #ath of kisses down her throat to the * between her breasts. 6he trembled, and he smiled against her skin. >"ou're so beautiful, you know.> And she believed him, believed the sincerity in his voice. +n that moment she believed in this man, the man hili##e had wanted her to know, and not the #rince of the tabloids. 6he wanted this man. 6omehow they found their way to the bedroom, with its huge bed covered in a silk duvet and floor$to$ceiling windows showing %anhattan in all of its electric glory. hili##e #eeled the silver dress from her body and Ella shivered in the cool air. 'hen he was stri##ing himself and covering her nakedness with his own, and all she could think, taste and feel was hili##e. &is dee# kisses, his e:#ert caresses, the way he coa:ed her body to sing with #leasure, the way he encouraged her to touch him, to know him. And when he finally joined his body to hers in that sweet act of total union, he slid his hands along her face and gently o#ened her eyes so she was staring straight into his intent ga<e, his loving ga<e=or so it seemed in that moment, as tears of #ure, raw emotion started hel#lessly in her eyes. hili##e kissed her dee#ly as #leasure finally took them over. Cha#ters. 7 D 5 2 H J K L 3 78 77 7D 75 72 7H 7J

Cha#ter 6eventeen rint this age Ella woke to bright winter sunlight s#illing through the windows of hili##e's bedroom. 6he blinked and rolled over, felt her heart s-uee<e at the sight of hili##e lying ne:t to her, naked and aslee#. Iorgeous. %emories of last night tumbled through her mind in a kaleidosco#e of sensations. &e'd been a wonderful lover. tender, considerate and yet also #assionate and even wild. 6he'd felt treasured and daring at the same time, liberated and yet wonderfully safe. But as for todayAfor the futureAwhat could #ossibly ha##en( 'he answer, she told herself bleakly, was nothing. @uietly she slid from the bed and reached for her dress. 6he should go home, get ready for work. 6he'd s#ent too much time away from the office entertaining hili##e, and she could only imagine the number of emails and #hone messages she would have to deal with. Just the thought that she might have let something sli# made her heart lurch. 6he lived for her jobE that had been her choice. 6he couldn't risk living for anything else, o#ening herself u# to heartache= As if he could sense her thought #rocess, hili##e o#ened his eyes, stretching lu:uriously, and cocked an eyebrow. >;here are you going(>

Ella hurriedly sli##ed on her dress. >+ need to go home and change, get ready for work.> hili##e #ro##ed himself on one elbow. >+ thought your job for the moment was taking care of me.> 6he made a face. >Consider yourself well taken care of.> >4h, +'m not sure about that.> 0a<ily hili##e reached for her. >Come back to bed, Ella. Everything else can wait.> &e #ulled her onto the bed, dro##ed a kiss on her bare shoulder as his hands roamed tem#tingly over her body. And she was tem#ted. 6o, so tem#ted to crawl right back into bed with him and forget everything else. 9orget even her heart, which was already in danger of breaking. ;ith effort she #ulled away and stood u#. >+ can't, hili##e. + have to work. %y job is very im#ortant to me. And in any case, we've had our one day. 4ur one night.> 6he struggled with the <i# of her dress, her hands shaking, and hili##e came out of the bed, gloriously naked, to hel# her <i# it u#. >+s that what you think(> he asked softly, his breath feathering the na#e of her neck. >'hat this is over(> 6he closed her eyes against the sting of tears. >+sn't it(> hili##e didn't res#ond, which was answer enough. 4f course it was over. 4f course they weren't going anywhere. &e was a #layboy, he was a #rince, and she was just a secretary who had been stu#id enough to have her heart broken a second time by a man who didn't think she could ever fit into his life. 6wallowing, Ella ste##ed away. >+'ll see you tonight,> she whis#ered. >At the ball.> >Come with me,> he said urgently. >As my=> >!o, hili##e.> 6he shook her head, her com#osure so close to cracking. >+'ll see you there, but that's all.> And without another word, not trusting herself to s#eak, she left. Cha#ters. 7 D 5 2 H J K L 3 78 77 7D 75 72 7H 7J 7K

Cha#ter Eighteen rint this age hili##e ga<ed at himself in the mirror and frowned. &e wore a white tie and tails for the Bryant Ball, with the royal red sash across his chest. 'he %ontvidant insignia weighed on him heavily this evening after he'd s#ent a wretched day alone wandering through the city and thinking about Ella.

6he'd been right to end it. 0ogically he knew that. Agreed with her. 'heir relationshi#=the few days of it they'd had=couldn't go anywhere. &e was heir to his country's throne, and his mother e:#ected him to marry a woman who would make a suitable -ueenAnot a no$name secretary from Connecticut. %ore im#ortantly, he was -uite sure Ella didn't want the kind of life he could offer. 'he kind of life duty re-uired him to live. 4f course he'd dro# the #layboy antics once he was married, but his life would always be in the s#otlight. ;ould always be about image and what #eo#le thought of him and his country. 9rom what he knew of Ella and her history with the jerk who had used her, she would des#ise that kind of life. And yetA whis#ered a voice=treacherous, des#erate and yet ho#eful=inside him. And yet, what if she didn't( ;hat if they shared something s#ecial enough to make everything else unim#ortant, or at least manageable( ;as he willing to throw away what he'd found with Ella sim#ly because logic told him it was sensible( ;hen was love ever sensible( Bid he love Ella( hili##e s#un away from his reflection. 'he Bryant Ball was his last o##ortunity to talk to her. Convince her= 4f what( 'hat he loved her. 4r at least, that he thought he could love her, if a handful of days wasn't enough time to be sure. But he knew the strength of his feelings, knew he wasn't ready to give this u#. Iive her u#. And he didn't think she wanted to give him u#, either. 'heir circumstances might be challenging, but surely they weren't im#ossible. 'ogether they could make it work. 'hey could work. A smile s#read across hili##e's face and his heart beat hard as he considered what he was contem#lating. ;hat he intended to do. 'onight he was going to find EllaAand ask her to be his. Cha#ters. 7 D 5 2 H J K L 3 78 77 7D 75 72 7H 7J 7K 7L

Cha#ter !ineteen rint this age >Ella, what on earth have you been doing these last few days(> Ella turned from the coat check at the Bryant Ball to see her boss, Chase Bryant, staring at her with a bemused smile. &e looked, she thought, rather awful. 4h, Chase would always be gorgeous, with his blue$green eyes, brown hair and totally toned #hysi-ue, but now his face was

gray and gaunt, and his eyes were bloodshot. >+'ve been entertaining rince hili##e, just as you asked me to do,> she said. >;hat have you been doing, Chase( 6orry to be blunt, but you look terrible.> >!ever mind me. "ou haven't seen the tabloids, have you(> Ella stilled, felt something in her free<e. erha#s it was her heart. >'he tabloids(> &e shook his head with a grimace. >'hey've had a field day.> >!o=> >"ou #robably don't want to see=> >'rust me, + do.> A few minutes later Chase returned with a handful of celebrity maga<ines, the kind hili##e featured heavily in. 4nly now Ella was in them, too. 6he stared at the fu<<y #hotogra#hs, a montage of their day together in !ew "ork. 'he restaurant=they'd sat in the window. 'he very #ublic kiss at )ockefeller Center. 0eaving the Iuggenheim in a cab, very obviously together. But the worst #art was the headline. rince 'ells All. E:clusive +nterview About &is %anhattan 9ling? >+'m sorry, Ella,> Chase said -uietly. >!o, +'m sorry.> 6he thrust the maga<ines away from her. >6orry + was so stu#idAagain.> Clearly hili##e had #lanned it all. Chosen his moments for the #erfect #hotogra#hs. 6educed her=and for what #ur#ose( Bid this amuse him( 4r did he get something out of it( Bid it even matter( 6he gave Chase a rather watery smile. >+'ve been totally un#rofessional.> >!ever mind that,> he said roughly, giving her a hug, which Ella gratefully returned. Chase had often felt like the big brother she'd never had. >Are you okay(> >!o.> 6he sniffed. >But + will be.> 6he was strong. 6he'd recovered from this kind of betrayal beforeE she would again. 6he had to. >+f +'d had any idea this was going to ha##en=> >4h Chase, +'m a grown$u#. +'m in charge of my own life and my own heart. + do a##reciate the big$brother #rotective thing you have going, but this is my fault. + never should have=> 6he swallowed hard, not wanting to finish that sentence. 9allen in love with the layboy rince. Chase smiled down at her and wi#ed a tear that had trickled down her cheek. >"ou will get over this, sweetheart.> >E:cuse me,> a voice suddenly cut in with steely authority, >but #lease take your hands off Ella.> >;hat=> Ella glanced u#, her slack$jawed sur#rise turning -uickly to fury. rince hili##e stood there, looking like he wanted to #unch Chase.

Cha#ters. 7 D 5 2 H J K L 3 78 77 7D 75 72 7H 7J 7K 7L 73

Cha#ter 'wenty rint this age > rince hili##e.> Chase ste##ed away from Ella, though he didn't offer to shake the other man's hand. >;e finally meet. +'m Chase Bryant. + a#ologi<e for my delay=> >!ever mind that.> hili##e turned to Ella. >+ want to talk to you=> >And + want to talk to you,> Ella sna##ed. 6he dashed the tears from her cheeks and reached for the tabloids. >6o this is the true #ur#ose of our little romance, hili##e(> &e stared down at them with a frown, his brows sna##ing together as he scanned the #hotos and saw the headline. >Ella=> >+ think +'ll e:cuse myself,> Chase murmured. > lease, let us go somewhere #rivate,> hili##e said in a low voice, and Ella nodded. 6he didn't really feel like breaking down in the middle of the Bryant Ball. hili##e led her to a -uiet alcove and ga<ed at her for a long moment, his face serious. >"ou look beautiful tonight, Ella. Absolutely lovely.> &is words shouldn't have warmed her, but they did. Ella forced her shoulders back. >+t's a little late for com#liments, hili##e.> >"ou think + knew about this article( 'hat + actually gave this interview(> >;hy wouldn't +( "ou court the #ress, you're the layboy rince=> >!ot this time. !ot with you.> >'hen how=> >'hey must have been following me. Ella, + won't lie to you. 'he #ress hound me and + have encouraged it=for the sake of my country.> 6he stared at him in disbelief. >'he sake of your country(> >%ontvidant has always been shrouded in obscurity. ;hen my sister abdicated, my mother wanted me to bring our country into the limelight, encourage the tourism industry. Everything +'ve done for the news#a#ers has been for that #ur#ose only.>

6he stared at him. >6o it's all been some kind of ruse(> &e smiled crookedly. >%ore or less.> >'hen who,> Ella whis#ered, >is the real you(> hili##e took a ste# toward her. >'he man you've come to know these last few days. 'he man who held you in his arms and kissed you. 'he man who is falling in love with you.> Ella shook her head, disbelief warring with ho#e inside her. >"ou can't love me=> >+ want to. Ella, #lease give me a chance. Iive us a chance. + know it won't be easy, + know my life isn't the kind you've ever wanted, but + believe what we have is s#ecial and rare. lease don't throw it away.> &e reached for her hands. >+ came here tonight intending to tell you that. + had no idea about the news#a#ers.> >+ believe you,> she whis#ered, and reali<ed she did. >And(> hili##e asked, s-uee<ing her hands. Ella ga<ed at him, fear holding her back even as ho#e #ushed her forward. >+A+ don't know. &ow can we have a relationshi#, hili##e( "ou're a #rince=> >4f a small and very forward$thinking country.> &e grinned. &e smiled encouragingly. >'hey'll acce#t you, Ella=> >&ow do you know that(> >Because +'ll make sure they do.> 6till she resisted, out of fear. >;hat about my job( %y life( + won't change for you, hili##e. + won't ever change for a man again.> >+ don't want you to change. + would never ask that of you.> >And + wouldn't ask that of you.> 6he loved him just the way he was. 6till she was silent, caught between old fear and new ho#e. >Ella(> hili##e #rom#ted gently. Ella took a dee# breath. 6he'd lived a -uiet, safe life, #rotecting her heart, focused only on work for so long. 6he was ready to risk again, ready to try. 'o love. >"es,> she whis#ered. >"es, + want to try, too, hili##e. + want to try with you.> 6miling, hili##e drew her to him and kissed her gently, but as Ella #ut her arms around him, the kiss dee#ened into a #romise of forever. 'his, Ella knew, was the best kiss of all. '&E E!B Cha#ters. 7 D 5 2 H J K L 3 78 77 7D 75 72 7H 7J 7K 7L 73 D8