The Royal Affair (The Palmera Royals) Read Online Free PDF Page B

ridiculous. I never said anything of the kind.”
    She was right. She hadn’t. Instead, he’d grabbed hold of any reason to get her to stay one night. One night was all he could manage, though. He couldn’t risk having her around any longer. He’d known inviting her to stay, hell, just about hauling her over here had been a dumb-ass thing to do, because all he wanted to do was hold her, kiss her. Make love to her.
    Spinning from temptation, Jonas strode toward the stables, only to be excruciatingly aware of the sound of Marina’s heels on the gravel underfoot as she followed him.
    “You have a pretty low opinion of me, Wilder.”
    Instead of replying, he glanced up at a window on the second floor of his home—and remembered.
    Suzie. Life was all about Suzie now. “You’re wrong.” He drew hard on his strength of purpose and reinforced his determination. “Because I don’t have an opinion at all.” Liar.
    Just then, Jacques rounded the corner in the SUV they’d followed Marina down in yesterday. He drew up alongside and exited the vehicle. “We are ready to leave, Your Highness.”
    Good job. Maybe then he could actually begin to think again. He turned to face her, holding out his hand. “Well, it’s been nice to ah…meet you again, Your Highness.”
    “What happened to ‘Marina’?”
    “Royalty happened.” Liar. You’re just scared again. Jonas hated the truth. He nodded toward her vehicle and the royal insignia discreetly displayed on the rear bumper, even though he knew it was an excuse.
    “It never bothered you before.”
    “You never asked.” Wimp! If he said her name, he would be lost, and right now it was all about getting her the hell away, fast.
    “So is that why you just upped and left without a word?”
    Jonas scowled, his gut churning as her words sank in. It hadn’t been her fault. Suzie had needed him, and when he’d finally come up for air, it all seemed too late, reinforced when he’d spied her beautiful smile gazing out of the society pages with a Russian oil magnate hanging off her arm. “Didn’t seem necessary since you moved on pretty quick.How is Dimitri, by the way?”
    Her eyes dimmed, and the color that at times matched the blue of cornflowers or the sky on a clear summer day morphed into the darkest of sapphires. “Oh, Jonas.” Hearing the sadness in her voice, the disappointment, he nearly gave in. Nearly…but not quite.
    The sound of tires crunching over the driveway proved his savior, stalling their conversation as a battered station wagon came to a halt several meters away. A car door slammed, and little feet raced toward him.
    Suzie launched at him, and he caught her in his arms. “Hiya, pumpkin, how ya doin’?”
    For a split second, hope surged, only to be shattered all over again. Suzie didn’t utter a sound. Unexplained mutism, they called it, attributed to the accident when her mother and mother’s lover died. Suzie had been tossed like flotsam in the back of the vehicle and awoken to her mother’s unseeing eyes staring at her. Was it any wonder his sweet child wanted to shut out the world?
    Hugging her to him, Jonas shut down his disappointment. No way did he want Suzie to see his distress.
    “Sorry we weren’t here earlier,” his sister Emerald said, closing the jeep door and carrying a small baby as she headed toward them.
    “No worries.” Actually, Jonas was really glad they weren’t there earlier. If his sister knew Marina had stayed the night—the first time he’d had a woman cross his threshold since Talia walked out—he’d never have heard the end of it.
    Unfortunately, Emerald had already spied Marina. With a speculative look in his direction, his sister stepped over to his royal visitor and held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Emerald.”
    Marina’s heart skipped a beat.
    “Emmie.” Jonas’s tone held a distinct warning note. “Your Highness, this is my sister, Emerald. Emmie, this is Princess Marina Palmera from San Torrevna.”