Dating the Prince(35)

"Yeah, I know-all of Durham saw the pictures. But he was playing a part, Libby. Everyone thought he'd just proposed."

"That's not the kiss I'm talking about," Libby mumbled.

Connie scooted forward on the couch, shaking her head as though not  believing this. "Are you trying to say you're in an actual,  not-for-the-public relationship with His Royal Highness Prince Alexander  of Durham?"

"Well it sounds stupid when you put it like that."

"Oh my gosh, Libby. Are you serious?"

The tears started up again. Libby blinked but nodded. "I don't know when  it happened, or how it happened. Somehow I'm the stupid, naive American  girl who's falling for a prince. But I don't know if I can do it,  Connie. I don't know if I can actually date a prince. Everything I do is  watched and monitored and scrutinized. And it's exhausting."

Connie looked at Libby for a moment, then leaned forward and gave her a  tight hug. "You don't have to figure out anything right now. Take a few  days to think about things. What about the money?"

"I don't know." Libby didn't only need the paycheck to help her parents,  but she definitely couldn't afford the ten million dollar fine if she  broke her end of the deal.

"Be careful, Libby. Don't make a choice you'll end up regretting."

Libby nodded and rose. "Thanks, Connie. I think I'll go to bed and sleep on it. I'm exhausted."

"Sleep tight," Connie said.

But it was a long time before Libby slept at all.





CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO



Alex really wished he was back in Galia. Right now, he desperately  wanted Nicholas around. There was no one better when it came to a night  of drinking and bemoaning the unfairness of life. Getting sloppy drunk  was so tempting right now.

But that hadn't solved any of his problems the last time Isla ruined his  life. He doubted it would work any better this time around.

Alex stripped off his tie and slumped onto his bed. He couldn't get  Libby's luminescent eyes out of his mind. He'd put those tears there.  She was in pain because of him. And now she wanted time to think. What  did that even mean?

He didn't want to give her time to think. Thinking meant she'd realize a  relationship with him was more trouble than it was worth.

By the next morning the story about Libby supposedly pushing Isla down  at the reception was the top trending news item on pretty much every  site. The press was so predictable. It would've been almost funny if  Alex's life wasn't in shambles.

Most of the sources had taken a jealous lovers angle on the story. It  was definitely compelling, but Alex knew it wasn't the whole truth. Isla  was jealous all right, but not of losing Alex. She was upset that she'd  apparently lost the crown to someone else. The fact that Libby was a  middle-class American from an unknown town-could you call somewhere that  only house eighty-seven people a town?-was probably just salt on the  wound.         

     



 

Alex told Dennis to cancel all of his appointments and lay in bed  staring at the ceiling. His head pounded worse than any hangover, even  though he'd only had one glass of wine at the reception.

He couldn't face another firestorm from the media. Wasn't sure the  family could survive it. Maybe he should abdicate and let Stefan take  over the crown. He was always so calm and levelheaded. Stefan would  never screw up this badly.

A soft knock sounded at the door to his private quarters. Alex stared at  it, not sure he wanted to crawl out of bed to see who was there.  Probably his mother, eager to give him yet another lecture on his  shortcomings.

The knock came again, more forceful this time.

Alex rolled out of bed and stomped across the floor, throwing open the  door. He blinked in surprise. Stefan stood there in a gray suit, his  hands resting loosely in his pockets.

"What?" Alex growled. It was like just thinking about his brother had summoned him.

Stefan didn't flinch. "I thought perhaps you could use a sympathetic ear  this morning. The last few months haven't been easy on you."

Alex's shoulders slumped. He shouldn't have snapped at Stefan, who only ever wanted to help. Henry, on the other hand …

"Come in." Alex stepped aside. "Sorry for biting your head off like  that. I'm so used to people attacking me that I've forgotten what it's  like to have someone be kind."

Stefan shut the door behind him. "Libby seems kind. The two of you look pretty cozy recently."

Alex walked over to the wet bar and poured himself a club soda. Today  wasn't a good time to dull his pain with alcohol. "Did Mother send you  to tell me I'm being an idiot?"

A smile quirked up the corner of Stefan's mouth. "I don't think Mother  needs anyone to speak for her. She's pretty good about making her  opinions clear on everything and anything."

"And do you agree with her?" Alex poured another glass and offered the  soda to Stefan. "About Libby, I mean. Her intentions. My dating her. The  whole situation."

Stefan ran his thumb along the rim of the glass, then took a sip.  "Mother is like a bear who sees her cub in danger. She might not always  articulate her feelings in the best way, but she's trying to protect you  from getting hurt again."

Alex snorted. "That doesn't answer my question. Do you think dating  Libby is a bad idea? Do you think she's only in it for the crown?"

"I think it's easy to make poor decisions where a beautiful woman is concerned."

Alex opened his mouth to protest, but Stefan held up a finger.

"I'm not saying Libby is a poor decision. Only you can know that. But I  understand that it's easy to lose your head when dealing with an  attractive female. That's something that Mother will never understand."

Alex took a slow sip of his soda, letting the bubbles glide over his  tongue. "You say that like you have personal experience with the matter.  Did something happen when you were in America?"

Stefan shrugged. "Nothing worth mentioning. Don't try and turn this around on me. We're all worried about you, Alex."

We. That plural could only meant the sibling group-Stefan, Henry,  Charlotte, and of course Oliver and Emma, though they were technically  cousins. "Ah. So you were elected to speak to me about my behavior. I'm  casting the family in a bad light. I'm losing my temper too much with  Mom and Dad. Everyone's tired of The Alex Show."

"I didn't say that." Stefan took another sip of his soda. How did he  always manage to stay so blasted composed? "I'm not here to attack you. I  just want to know how I can help."

Alex's shoulders slumped and he rubbed a hand across his jaw. "I'm sorry, Stefan. I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Most men would crack under the pressure you've experienced in the last few months. It's a miracle you haven't."

"I don't know about that." Alex stared at the clear liquid in his glass,  watching the bubbles run up the sides and pop when they reached the  surface. "This whole thing with Libby has sort of ballooned out of  control. I know that logically she isn't a wise choice, and yet somehow  we're engaged."

"For the press, you mean."

Alex stared at his soda and lifted a reluctant shoulder. "Yeah. But  Libby and I have spent a lot of time together, and she's amazing. I wish  the family could see that."

"Charlotte likes her," Stefan offered. "So does Henry, and so do I. She  holds her own against Mother, which has been enough to earn all of our  respect, I think. We'll have to see if she can teach the rest of us to  do that."         

     



 

Alex gave a reluctant smile. "She's a spitfire. It's one of the things I  find most attractive about her." He frowned as reality hit once more.  "But I shouldn't think about her like that. She's an American, which is  an automatic strike against any relationship we might have. Pursuing a  relationship with her would be completely irrational."

Stefan had a faraway look in his eye, his glass held loosely in one  hand. "I don't think logic has much to do with falling in love."

Love. Alex swallowed hard and looked away. "I'm not in love with her."

Stefan raised an eyebrow.

"I shouldn't allow myself to fall in love with her," Alex clarified.  "Not when she's already questioning whether or not she wants to be part  of my life. Not when we're paying her to date me, and not even that is a  strong enough enticement to keep her in the relationship. She told me  last tonight that she needs a few days to think about things. I think  she might want to call the whole thing off."

"Well, I am sorry about that." Stefan took a slow drink, seeming to  ponder something. "She has a good vibe about her, Alex. Whatever ends up  happening, I don't think Libby's out to use you. But I'd be lying if I  said that being part of the royal family isn't a lot to handle. We've  had an entire lifetime to get used to this, and it's still not always  easy."

"Yeah."

Silence blossomed between them, but it was easy and comfortable-the camaraderie of two brothers.