A Royal Holiday (Royals of Valleria #5) Read Online Free PDF Page A

true, but you weren’t the first boy I kissed.”
     
    “Damn right I wasn’t. I’m the last man you’ll ever kiss.”
     
    “Stop acting so jealous.”
     
    “Stop bringing up the useless boys you knew before me.”
     
    She quirked an eyebrow at him and crossed her arms. “Useless? While they may not be the future ruler of Valleria, they’re actually doing quite well. One’s a doctor, one’s a teacher, another’s a lawyer. Shall I go on?”
     
    “Shut up.”
     
    “Is that any way to speak to your fiancée?”
     
    He growled and Rebecca smiled. “Oh, Alex.” She cupped his face. “You’re the only one I’ve ever loved, too, you know.” She kissed him, long, slow, and deep. His blood was simmering by the time the kiss was done, and he wanted to fire it up to full boil and take her again. He wanted to affirm their love in the most physical and elemental way possible, but there just wasn’t time.
     
    “You’re bound to get a lot of looks and whispers because of this,” he murmured, resignation clear in his voice. “Your parents might, too.”
     
    Rebecca frowned. “I didn’t think about that. I’ll send them a message before we leave for breakfast.” As she slipped off his lap, he felt the loss of her warmth acutely. He watched her tapping away at her phone and rose to change his tie.
     
    ***
     
    Rebecca was nervous as they entered the dining room and found everyone already seated and enjoying a quiet meal. If they had been in public, Rebecca should and would have curtsied to them all; since they weren’t, she and Alex served themselves from the buffet and sat down.
     
    “I’ve just told them about the pictures, Alexander,” Gabriel said as he sat back in his chair.
     
    “I’ve got my people looking into it more,” Marcello said from his seat next to Grace. “If she does still have a copy of anything, we’ll find it.”
     
    Alex nodded. “Thank you. I do want to take this moment and apologize for any grief or embarrassment I’ve caused.”
     
    Rebecca reached over and clutched Alex’s hand, which he promptly lifted to his lips for a kiss. “Things will be hardest for my fiancée, so I hope you’ll do everything to help her.”
     
    “Things will be hardest for you,” Rebecca told Alex. “I can deal with it, so can my parents, and your family.”
     
    Alex tugged her against him. “Our family. There’s no more ‘yours’ or ‘mine’ anymore; it’s ‘ours’, isn’t it?”
     
    She smiled softly. “Yes, you’re right.”
     
    “I’ve been thinking,” Marcello said. “Considering the types of spy cameras they had over a decade ago, she would have needed serious money for anything with halfway decent resolution. They’d need good resolution to prove it was you in the video.”
     
    “Money was the one thing she had,” Alex said. “At least, until recently.”
     
    “You’ll need to address the press,” Catharine, Alex’s twin sister, said. “Is Tavin setting something up?”
     
    Alex shook his head. “Not yet, Cat. Before I speak with them, I want to know who took the photo of Rebecca and me that’s plastered on the front page of every newspaper in Valleria.”
     
    “My people are working on that, too,” Marcello said, then paused. “Did you happen to see the other articles making the rounds this morning?”
     
    Alex gave Marcello a wary look. “What else are we worrying about today?”
     
    “Two things. First, the press is still conjecturing about the secret passageways in the palace.”
     
    “Well, that’s your fault, isn’t it?” Nate piped up. “You’re the one who used one the passages during a live national broadcast.”
     
    Marcello quirked an eyebrow. “I did it to save the life of our father – and you, by the way – from a chemical bomb.”
     
    Gabriel ran a finger over his salt-and-pepper mustache. “For which we are both very thankful, are we not, Nathaniel?”
     
    Nate smiled broadly. “I’m not. I still got shot