The Playboy Prince Read Online Free PDF

to fit a man’s ideal ever again.
    Toward the end of the evening her cell phone rang. Ella saw it was Chase and she excused herself to a private alcove to talk to him.
    “Chase? Are you all right?”
    “I’m fine.” He didn’t sound fine, Ella thought. He sounded exhausted and even depressed.
    “What’s going on? Are you going to meet with Philippe—”
    “I’ll meet him at the ball tomorrow night.”
    “The ball—” She’d completely forgotten about the Bryant Ball, hosted by Chase and his two brothers. The Bryants were a prominent family in New York 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. “What about tomorrow?”
    “I’m still busy.”
    “Is something wrong?” She’d never known Chase to be absent from work, especially in the middle of such an important bid.
    Chase sighed. “Nothing’s wrong. I just had something…unexpected happen. Can you keep Philippe occupied for another day?”
    One more day. Ella swallowed. “Yes.”
    “Thanks, Ella. I really do appreciate it.”
    A few seconds later they said goodbye and Ella stood there for a moment, her mind whirling. She felt Philippe’s hand on her shoulder.
    “Is everything all right?”
    “Yes—”
    “Then,” he asked, his voice dropping to a suggestive murmur, “how about we leave this party?”
    “And go where?”
    Philippe turned her around to face him. “You could come back to my hotel with me.”

Chapter Fifteen
    Ella’s eyes widened and her lips parted. No words came out. She looked so comically stunned that Philippe almost laughed. Except this was no laughing matter. He wanted more than anything for her to say yes. He wanted her to come back to his hotel, and he wanted to make love to her.
    Finally her mouth curved in a tiny, trembling smile. “If I overreacted about a single kiss, how do you think I might react now?”
    He laughed softly. “I’m willing to take the risk. I want you, Ella. I realize we’ve only known each other for a few days—”
    “One day—”
    “But I care for you. I feel more for you than I have for any woman in a long time.”
    Her mouth twisted. “I’m not sure that’s saying much.”
    Philippe grimaced. Damn his playboy reputation. “Even so,” he said quietly. “Do you want to come with me?”
    Ella didn’t answer for a long moment. Then she looked up, meeting his gaze with her still-wide eyes, and nodded. “Yes,” she whispered.
    “Then 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.
    He hailed a cab outside and within seconds they were speeding away in the darkness, toward his hotel. Ella’s face was angled away from him, and he couldn’t tell what she was thinking. Feeling.
    “Ella?”
    “You don’t act like a prince.” She turned to him suddenly, her voice soft in the darkness. “You don’t fly in a private jet, you don’t have a private car. Your security guys don’t shadow your every step.”
    “I gave them the day off.”
    “You don’t live in a castle, and you don’t even want to be king. You’re not what I expected at all.”
    He reached for her hand and brushed her knuckles across his lips. She shivered in response. “Is that a bad thing?”
    “No,” she said slowly. “No, it’s not. But it…it scares me.”
    “Scares you? Why?”
    “Because I don’t know who you are,” she whispered. “Only who I want you to be.”
    His heart gave a strange and rather frightening lurch. “I’m the man you’ve gotten to know over this last day,” Philippe said, sincerity making his voice throb. “That’s exactly who I am.” Not the playboy prince of the tabloids or cocktail parties. Not the man she seemed intent on believing he was, despite what she said she wanted.
    He needed the world to believe he was that man. Even when he wasn’t. But with Ella he wanted it to be