Dating the Prince(22)

"Good to see you," the man said with a barely perceptible accent. French, perhaps?

"I had no idea you were attending tonight," Alex said.

"It was very last minute." Nicholas motioned to Libby. "I had rather hoped to meet this lovely lady tonight."

"Of course." Alex grabbed Libby's hand and gently pulled her forward.  "Nicholas, this is Libby. Libby, this is His Royal Highness Prince  Nicholas of Galia. Nicholas is my cousin and best friend."

Libby stared at Nicholas, stunned. She hadn't expected to casually speak  with royalty tonight-well, aside from Alex, of course. She'd read  articles about Alex's exploits in Galia with Prince Nicholas right after  the breakup.

Nicholas held out his hand, grinning. His smile was warm and friendly,  instantly encouraging trust. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Libby."

Libby grasped his hand and did an awkward curtsy. Was she supposed to  curtsy? Her cheeks flushed red as she stood. "It's an honor, Your  Highness."         

     



 

"He gets a Your Highness?" Alex's tone was teasing, and the brush of his lips against her ear made her shiver.

She playfully hit Alex on the arm. "Yes, because he's nice to me."

"Hey, I'm nice, too."

"You're infuriating."

Nicholas laughed. "I already like you, Libby. Someone needs to put Alex in his place occasionally."

"Is Kara with you tonight?" Alex asked, changing the topic.

Nicholas shook his head regretfully. "No, she stayed home with Esmée.  Mother insists it's improper for Kara to accompany me on trips until  we're married."

"So what are you waiting for?" Alex said. "Hurry up and marry the girl before she comes to her senses."

"I'd marry her tomorrow if I could, but Mother insists the country  deserves to watch us wed." He leaned forward and dropped his voice to a  whisper. "To be honest, I think Kara would be fine with eloping, but  since we've finally got Galia on our side, we don't want to rock the  boat again."

"I'm happy for you," Alex said, pulling his cousin in for a manly pat on  the back. This was a side of Alex Libby hadn't really had a chance to  witness-a man with family he loved. She still hadn't met his siblings or  cousins.

"She'll be so disappointed she didn't get to meet you," Nicholas said, addressing Libby once more.

Libby raised an eyebrow. "Me? Why?"

"Someone who isn't from the aristocracy dating a prince?" Nicholas's  eyes twinkled. "I think the two of you will have a lot in common. Plus  she's always looking for opportunities to practice her English. She's  getting pretty good at it."

Libby instantly felt a kinship with this woman she'd never met. "I would have loved to meet her."

Nicholas nudged Alex in the arm. "I can't believe you haven't called and  told me all the details. I'm your cousin, for heavens sake-I shouldn't  have to read about these things in the tabloids along with the rest of  the world. How did the two of you meet?"

So Alex hadn't told Nicholas about their arrangement. He thought they  were a real couple. A pang of longing struck Libby with surprising  intensity. She could almost imagine standing around at some formal  function, Alex's hand at her waist as they laughed with Nicholas and  Kara.

Alex cleared his throat. "Well, Libby was touring the palace."

Nicholas nodded, his expression hinting at intrigue. "A tourist. Perfect."

"Yes," Libby said. Alex reached for her hand, and she gave it to him  willingly. Clutched at it. She was so not prepared for this level of  stress. "I, uh, got into trouble with the guards. Alex rescued me."

Nicholas raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Her cheeks burned. She wished a hole would open up for her to sink into.  Why was she so dang obsessed with lucky pennies? "I guess I tripped a  wire while admiring the thrones."

"She left a lucky penny on the dais," Alex said. "I could see pretty  clearly that a beautiful woman holding a baby wasn't a threat to the  crown, but you know how zealous the guards get sometimes. I thought I'd  better step in and request they back off."

She remembered that day so clearly. The adrenaline as she worried about  her impending arrest. The way Alex's arrival had made her forget all  about the impending danger. The instant attraction between them. She  gazed up at Alex and saw her feelings reflected in his eyes.

Could something that had started out fake turn into something real?

Nicholas threw back his head and laughed. "Palace security must be going nuts with you, Miss Claybourne."

"Please, call me Libby." She tucked a strand of hair behind one ear  somewhat self-consciously. "And I've been a model citizen since then."

"I saw you pushed Alex into a pond."

"That wasn't entirely my fault."

Nicholas shook his head, grinning. "I'm sure Alex deserved it."

Libby smiled up at Alex and his arm tightened around her waist. "Trust me, he did."

"It's good to keep the guards on their toes," Nicholas said. "Keeps their senses alert. Kara would love you."

"You're one to talk," Alex said. "Or should I tell Libby about how you met Kara?"

Nicholas held up his hands. "Okay, okay. I'll stop."

"We'd just ditched our guards for a night on the town," Alex said.  "Nicholas and I were, uh, perhaps a bit intoxicated. So we broke into  Kara's ballet studio-"         

     



 

"So, how long have the two of you been dating?" Nicholas broke in.

"Hey, that sounded like an interesting story," Libby protested, leaning into Alex. "What do you mean you broke into her studio?"

"I'll tell you the story later," Alex whispered in Libby's ear. She  shivered, the promise making her body feel ten degrees warmer.

Nicholas nodded his head at Libby. "I'm sure the story will come out  eventually. But I shouldn't monopolize your time anymore tonight. It was  a pleasure meeting you, Libby." He glanced pointedly at Alex. "We'll  talk later."

Alex nodded, then swept Libby away.

"Are you going to tell him?" she whispered.

"Probably. Nicholas is my best friend. We're as close as brothers."

Libby's hands grew damp as she thought about Nicholas knowing the truth.  He'd look at her differently-like a gold digger. Instead of telling  Kara about Alex's fabulous new girlfriend, he'd tell her about the woman  making a quick buck off Alex's heartbreak.

The heavy art deco ring on Libby's right hand slid around her finger,  and she twisted it back to its proper position. "Maybe this was a  mistake," she whispered. "What happens when we break up? Everyone will  hate me. I'll be the girl who broke a prince's heart."

"Hey now." Alex lifted her chin and stared into her eyes. "That's not  going to happen. I promise. Maggie will spin it in a way that doesn't  hurt either of us."

Libby spun the ring around and around her finger, faster and faster as  heat coiled up her spine. "There's no way to guarantee things will go  down like that. We can't keep up the pretense forever."

"Libby, you're freaking out-"

The ring flew off Libby's finger and clattered to the floor, landing  near her feet. Alex bent down reflexively and grabbed the ring. He  stared at it for a moment, then held it out to her. "This is pretty.  Where'd you get it?"

"A flea market," Libby said, reaching out for the ring. "Sorry-"

A voice cut through the room, dousing Libby with cold water that had her  entire body sticky with dread. A woman pointed in their direction, her  eyes bright with excitement. "His Royal Highness is proposing!"





CHAPTER FOURTEEN



Wait. What? Alex froze at the woman's words: "His Royal Highness is proposing!"

He could feel the cool, hard marble of the ballroom floor against his  right kneecap. Registered the fact that he held a sparkling diamond ring  toward Libby.

Yeah. He could see how the woman had gotten that impression. And now  every person at the prime minister's birthday party thought the same  thing.

"A royal engagement!" someone screeched, their voice clearly delighted. "Oh, how romantic."

"Are you getting this?" Sara murmured from somewhere close behind Alex.  Which meant she must have her cameraman recording the whole thing.

A camera flashed. No doubt it wasn't the only cell phone capturing pictures of this supposedly historic event.

Think! he commanded himself. Libby's eyes were wide and scared-very  deer-in-the-headlights-and he had the sudden urge to laugh. What a mess.  And to think they'd just been arguing about a supposedly complicated  future breakup. Things had just gotten a thousand times more  complicated.

"Well?" Alex said, his voice so quiet he was sure no one but Libby could hear.

Her eyes searched his, probably looking for a way out of this situation.  He stayed on his knee, the ring extended. His hands felt slick with  sweat. What if he dropped the ring? That'd make a fantastic headline.