Wedded for His Royal Duty Read Online Free PDF Page B

embarrassment of it would be horrendous for Eva.
    Before he realized it, he was on his feet. “Actually, I think we should pay for the wedding. We’re the ones who called in the terms of the treaty, and said it was time for the marriage to occur.” He licked his suddenly dry lips. His voice slowed as he added, “I’m just saying paying for the wedding seems like our responsibility.”
    Karen visibly relaxed. Eva gave him a curious look. And no wonder. He hadn’t exactly ruined a way to stop this wedding, but he was participating when he should just keep his mouth shut and let it all apart.
    Time slowed to a crawl.
    His father cocked his head, but after only a few seconds he smiled. “You know what? He’s right. We are the ones who said it was time for the marriage to take place. We’ll pay for the wedding.”
    Sally gasped. “But, Your Majesty—”
    “No buts, Sally. Alex is right.”
    Sally wrote something in one of her big black books. “Fine.” She turned to Rose. “I’ll have coffee sent to the living room where we can discuss designers.”
    Rose said, “Great!”
    Rose and Karen began chattering about dresses, but Eva turned to Alex as he sat again.
    “Thanks.”
    He felt color rise to his cheeks. Confusion and anger with himself met and merged into an emotion that made him want to kick his own butt.
    “It means nothing. The way I see it, our kingdom can absorb whatever loss results when we cancel this thing.”
    “Because you know my mom and I have no money.”
    He shrugged. “That’s temporary.”
    She put her hand on the back of his. “Yes, but you saved us from being embarrassed.”
    “Is that enough to earn the payback of you backing out of the wedding?”
    She laughed lightly, obviously relieved, but also the way someone would laugh with a friend. “No.”
    Damn her for being so cute. His mouth tugged upward until he couldn’t stop a smile. “Don’t make me like you.”
    She peeked up at him from beneath lush black eyelashes. “You’d rather hate me?”
    The heat that roared through him nearly stopped his heart. Her magnetic blue-gray eyes held his. Her pretty hair rippled around an even prettier face. Everything inside of him chanted that he should lean forward and kiss her.
    Kiss her.
    Kiss her.
    Kiss her.
    But that was the real problem, wasn’t it? She was pretty enough, tempting enough, that maybe she should be the woman he married.
    And then what?
    Fall in love for real?
    The very thought tightened his throat. He’d loved two women in his life and lost both. Only a crazy man set himself up for that kind of pain.
    “I will talk you out of this.”

CHAPTER THREE
    A LEX WATCHED E VA leave the dining room with her mom and Queen Rose, then exited through the hidden door in the back. Ready to change out of these stuffy clothes and put on riding breeches, he strode through the echoing maze of tall-ceilinged halls, but at his private elevator, one of his father’s secretaries caught him.
    The older man bowed slightly. “Your Majesty, your dad sent me to find you. He wants you in his office now.”
    “Now?”
    The old man’s eyebrows rose, an indicator Alex shouldn’t argue, and that usually meant he’d done something wrong.
    Alex winced. Best-case scenario was that the king wanted to chastise him for suggesting they pay for the wedding. Worst-case, he’d overheard Alex telling Eva he’d talk her out of the wedding.
    Damn.
    Without a word, he motioned for the man to lead him back to his father’s office.
    When they arrived, he entered, but the secretary reached inside to grab the doorknob, and walked out, closing the door behind him.
    His father didn’t look up from the letter he was signing. “You cannot talk Eva out of this wedding.”
    Okay. It was worst-case.
    He fell to one of the velvet chairs in front of his dad’s desk. “I can’t believe you’re forcing either of us to marry when Eva was barely out of diapers and I was pulling a wagon with my bike when that