Her Royal Masquerade (Her Royal Romance) (20 page)

“Good for you,” Birgitte said with a smile. “This will be the last time. Promise.”

“No.” Before Mia would have felt guilty, but not anymore.

“Listen,” Birgitte’s voice got softer, more serious. “Vittorio said he’s been trying to contact you. He’s left you messages but you’ve ignored them.”

“I have nothing more to say to him.” Mia took a deep breath. “I’m not going back to Mezzano. And I’m definitely not standing in for you,”

“But I want—”

“I don’t care what you want. It’s time to grow up, Birgitte. Time to take responsibility for your own life.”

“Seriously? You won’t do this?”

“No.” Birgitte looked so lost, Mia almost laughed. But it wasn’t funny. It was sad. This was the first time Mia had ever refused her. Birgitte was so used to getting her own way that she didn’t know what to do when she didn’t get it. Mia hoped Birgitte and the prince could find a way to make each other happy. “Vittorio comes off all big and arrogant, but he’s got a good heart. Give him a chance, okay?”

“Mia…”

“Good-bye, Birgitte. And good luck.” She opened her front door and Birgitte studied her for a moment before she shrugged and strode out the door. As her cousin walked away, Mia called after her. “Have you ever done any gardening?”

Birgitte stopped and turned. Frowned. “Gardening? No. Why?” “The Queen’s Garden. Think about it.”

Saturday morning Mia walked to her grandfather’s bakery as was her habit when she wasn’t playing mistress to a man who would become a king. Vittorio continued to leave her messages and she continued to delete them unread, unheard. The weather was finally growing warmer. Certainly not like the Mezzano weather, but it was warm enough today that she was comfortable without her hat pulled over her head. There was a sweet hint of spring, of new beginnings, in the air.

She’d be going with Annika to the city this afternoon. Mia wished she could be looking forward to her date with Emil. Wished the scrambling in her stomach was excitement. She feared it was more like dread.

But this would be her first date since leaving Vittorio. Surely she would get better as time went on. Surely one day she would look forward to life with another man. She just had to get through this one date first. Each one after would be easier. She had to believe that.

Mia was almost at the door of the bakery when she spied a black car at the curb. Two large men rushed her from behind, grabbed her arms and dragged her toward the car. She drew a breath to scream but one of them clamped a gloved hand over her mouth. She struggled uselessly as they forced her into the backseat and the car sped off.

Terrified, Mia glanced at the men crowded on either side of her. Rico. Tony. Of course.

Her racing heartbeat slowed, then sped up again, this time in fury. How dare he? She punched Rico on the arm.

“Ow.” He rubbed his arm and frowned at her.

She twisted in her seat and punched Tony in his arm too.

Tony winced. “Forgive us, Miss Holmberg. The prince sent us for you.”

She had to fight the foolish hope rushing through her.
Stay mad, Mia.
“Back to kidnapping again?”

“Apparently you wouldn’t respond to his invitation,” Rico replied wryly.

Invitation? Oh sure, to stand in for Birgitte for the press. That wasn’t going to happen, no matter what he did. “I don’t want to go back to Mezzano.” Her heart recognized the lie, even while her head insisted it was the truth.

They were almost to the airport. Tony and Rico shifted uncomfortably in their seats. She knew they’d strong-arm her onto the plane if they had to. They wouldn’t like it. But they’d do it.

She sighed. “What does he want this time?”

“You’ll have to talk to the prince,” Rico said. “Although if you’d listened to the messages from His Highness, you might know what he wants.” Mia had no response to that.

She didn’t fight them as they ushered her onto the plane. Tony sat down beside her. Rico sat across the aisle and immediately made a phone call. Probably letting Vittorio know the kidnapping was a success.

“I hope you got some time off after you finally got rid of me,” Mia said lightly after the plane had taken off.

“I did,” Tony said, “but I would have rather been able to continue looking after you.”

She swallowed. “I missed you too. I’ve missed everything about Mezzano.”

“Things around the palace have been a little boring since you left,” he went on, as if she needed anything else to get teary about. “No one to sing with the musicians. No one to tell the children stories. No one to stop the prince from working day and night.”

“I can’t talk about the prince, Tony.” But she hated the thought of Vittorio working too hard again. He probably wasn’t eating right either.

“Yes, Miss Holmberg.” They flew the rest of the way in silence.

She tried to ignore the crush of tension sitting on her chest as they drove through the ornate gates. There were too many memories here. The palace was the same as she remembered. The chiseled stone. The lush landscape. The warm, moist air. She hadn’t been here that long. It shouldn’t have felt like home.

The car didn’t take them to the main entrance, but drove around the back. “He’s waiting for you in the garden,” Rico said. He and Tony escorted her up the path to the Queen’s Garden. As they rounded the corner of the building, Mia could see several people inside the gate.

What was Vittorio up to? Were they getting ready for the photo shoot? Was he going to force her to pose as Birgitte? Why would he do that?

She couldn’t see Vittorio yet. When she stepped inside the open gate, a surge of happy pride pushed away the nerves for a moment as she saw the brilliant colors and lovely arrangements. The heady scent of the flowers was nearly overwhelming after being away for a couple weeks. The air around her seemed suddenly charged with energy. She froze, unable, unwilling to look behind her.

“Mia.”

She turned slowly to see Vittorio standing there, looking even more regal than she remembered. He was dressed in black trousers and a white buttoned-down shirt, the cuffs rolled up above his wrists. She felt seriously underdressed and overheated in her wool trousers and sweater. His gaze ran over her, as if he were hungry for her. She pulled her eyes away from him before her hunger was apparent as well.

“Still sending your goons to do your dirty work?” She had to hold onto her anger, it was all she had with which to fight him.

“You like them better than me,” he said with a sparkle in his eye. “I knew you wouldn’t give them as hard a time as you would give me.”

“They’re just doing their job. You’re the one giving the orders.” She’d taken another step closer to him before she realized it. “That’s two counts of kidnapping, Your Royal Highness.”

He shrugged, not looking the slightest bit sorry. “You ignored all my attempts to contact you.”

“And that makes it okay?”

He lifted that damn brow, that damn incredibly sexy brow. “You tell me.”

Why was he putting her through this? “Why aren’t you with your future bride, Your Royal Highness?”

“As you can see, I am here.” Vittorio held out his arms and took a step toward her.

She backed away from him. “Let me go home.” She would never survive it if he touched her.

“You are staying.”

“No.” She whirled around. Tony and Rico and a couple other goons stepped out to block her escape. “No. Please. Don’t make me stay. I can’t…” She turned back to Vittorio, saw him approach through the tears welling in her eyes. “Damn you. I told myself I wouldn’t cry any more tears for you.”

“You don’t want to stay, Mia? You don’t want to stay here with me?”

How could he ask that? He knew she would not be his mistress while he was married to her cousin. Unless...

“Tell me you didn’t renounce your title.”

“No. I didn’t renounce my title.”

She would never be able to live with herself if he’d done that because of her. “Good. I just want to go home. Please.” She couldn’t keep the cry out of her voice. “Please let me go.”

He sighed. “I will not hold you against your will. I love you too much for that.” She didn’t want to hear again that he loved her. It somehow made it worse. “I want to go home.”

Tony stepped up to her. “I’ll take you back, Miss Holmberg. If you really want to go.” “If that is what you wish.” Vittorio sounded sad, resigned. How could he be surprised?

“Let her go.” The goons separated to let her pass.

Mia turned slowly to look at Vittorio one last time. “Why did you do this? Why did you bring me back here when nothing has changed?”

“I did not say nothing had changed. You have not given me the chance to say much of anything.”

“But what has changed? I don’t understand.”

“You brought a balance to my life and a joy I’d never known until I met you.” Vittorio approached slowly, the air vibrating around them as he came closer. “I brought you back here because you helped me recognize love. You showed me that to love is a strength, not a weakness. I thought I would never find it, but I did. With you. I love you, Mia, and I dared hope you might love me back.”

“I do love you. With all my heart, but that doesn’t make it any better.”

His bright smile lit his face and confused her even more. “It makes it perfect.”

“I will not be your mistress.”

“I am not asking you to be my mistress.” She watched in shock as Vittorio dropped to one knee before her. “I brought you back to Mezzano to ask you again to marry me.”

“But you said you were still Crown Prince.”

“I am. I will be king. I want you to be my queen.”

She stumbled back. “Queen? I don’t understand.”

“The king has seen the wisdom of having the woman I love at my side. He has overturned the royal marriage decree. I have tried to contact you for several days. I even asked Birgitte to try to get you here. I wanted to tell you in person.” He remained on his knee before her. “I can marry you.” He lifted that brow again. “If you’ll have me.”

Mia’s knees felt weak and she sank down onto the pathway with Vittorio. He opened his palm and revealed a beautiful ring. It had an old fashioned setting and a sparkling solitaire diamond, not too big, not too small. “This was my mother’s ring,” he told her. “Appropriate for a future queen.”

Joy and hope burst in her chest, but Mia wasn’t sure she could trust her emotions yet. She cleared her throat. “You’re big on appropriate, aren’t you, Your Highness.”

Vittorio laughed. “I’ve missed that sassy mouth of yours.”

Mia looked at Vittorio and her heart swelled with her love for him, with hope and joy and happiness. “I assume Birgitte knows about this?”

“The princess is very relieved,” Vittorio said with a grin. He drew Mia close and cupped her cheek. The rest of the world fell away. “I haven’t heard an answer yet, Mia. If you agree to marry me, it means you also take on the role of princess and you will eventually be queen of Mezzano. It is part of the deal. I can’t separate them. I admit there will be some grandiose royal dinners. There will be some horribly ostentatious ceremonies.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the tips of her fingers. “But you can dig in the garden to your heart’s content. There will also be chances to interact with our people and I know they will love you. You can sing with the musicians and tell stories to the children. And raise children of our own.”

Mia smiled through her tears. “Oh Vittorio.”

“I love you, Mia. Will you be my wife and all that it entails?”

“I love you, Vittorio. If you will help me be the queen you can be proud of, yes, I would be honored to become your wife.”

“I am proud of you already,” he said. He slipped the ring on her finger and it fit perfectly. They fit perfectly.

“Now can I get up off my knees?” he asked with a groan.

Mia laughed as they helped each other to their feet. She looked around her. At the colorful garden that was now hers. To Rico and Tony and the gardeners who’d toiled beside her. And to the man she loved, who had showed her she could be more than she thought she could be. Who was strong enough to not let her go. Who believed in her and the life they could live together.

Being a princess might not be so bad after all.

Coming Soon

Her Royal Romance book #2

After almost getting kidnapped, Princess Angelina is swept away by royal bodyguard Rico Santori to a small, secluded village for her protection. Always the good girl, the obedient daughter, the proper princess, Angie’s tired of putting her own desires—her own life!—on hold. She could have been killed in the kidnapping attempt. She could have died and never known the ecstasy of making love with a passionate man. Angelina has had a crush on the strong, loyal Rico for years and while they hide out, pretending to be a newlywed couple, she decides to practice her seductive skills on him

This is Rico’s last job for the royal family. He’s leaving to build his own life, opening his own security firm. Angie is smart and pretty but she’s royalty and he’s just the hired muscle. But as the days go by, her attempts at seduction try the calm patience he’s known for. He warns her they can only share a bed until he returns her safely to the palace.

But when danger strikes again, it may be too late to explore the love they never expected to find.

Natasha Moore fell in love with the written word as soon as she could read. As she grew up, she discovered romance and now enjoys the chance to add some extra heat to her stories. She writes sexy contemporary and erotic romance because she believes that stories of love and hope are important, and that there’s nothing better than a happy ending. She lives in New York State with her real life hero who is happy to tell everyone that he’s her inspiration.

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