American operative and knew the wisdom of beginning an affair with her as a means to ending his time as Diego. He would have seduced her regardless, but with Mia what could have been effort had turned into true pleasure. For both of them.
He had even missed her when he’d returned to his life at the palace. Perhaps not as much as he indicated, but more than he usually did. Under other circumstances, he would tell her that and know she would be grateful.
“Let us not be parted again,” he whispered.
Her eyes widened. “Rafael, I-”
He touched her mouth with his finger. “Shh. I think we are done talking.” Then he lowered his head so that he could kiss her.
A heartbeat before he finally claimed her with his mouth, he heard footsteps in the hallway and a familiar and irritating voice saying, “I sure have a habit of showing up at the wrong time, don’t I?”
“Do I need to lecture you?” Joe asked when Rafael had excused himself and Mia had scrambled onto the sofa.
She leaned back against the cushions and sighed. “Maybe. I know it’s crazy to get involved with him and I can’t tell you how grateful I am that you appeared when you did.”
“But?” he prodded.
“But knowing I shouldn’t get lost in the past and
“Don’t take it personally. He’s a professional playboy by career and temperament, Mia. He’s had plenty of practice.”
Not exactly what she wanted to hear. Still, the information needed to sink into her brain. “Keep telling me he’s the enemy,” she said. “Apparently I need help not making a fool out of myself.”
There was something about Rafael. His physical appearance might be different enough to make her nervous, but the chemical attraction between them didn’t seem to care about things like scars and a change in eye color.
Joe slapped down a folder on the coffee table. “The preliminary report on Rafael.”
She eyed the pages inside. “And?”
“He’s who he said. Heir to the Calandrian throne. Not married. Not even a fiancee waiting in the wings. There have been rumors of various arranged marriages, but nothing seems to happen with them.”
“Good to know.” What with the almost kissing.
“He was educated in Europe. Graduated from Oxford. No career, of course, if you don’t count the whole soon- to-be king gig. He partied hard when he was in his early twenties-nothing too kinky. He’s a thrill seeker, but that’s calmed down, too. No dead bodies, no bastard children.”
Mia shook her head. “Oh, there’s at least one we know of.”
“Okay, but aside from Danny, he’s clean. Which means Danny’s the real heir.”
“What if he marries and has legitimate children?” She shook her head. “I can’t believe I’m actually discussing this. Legitimate children. Like we’re in Elizabethan times.”
“There’s nothing like dealing with a royal family to bring up the past,” Joe told her. “Per Calandria law, it’s the acknowledged firstborn son of the crown prince/ king. Whoever he is at the time. So if Rafael doesn’t marry you or he doesn’t officially acknowledge Danny, then there will be no Marcelli rule of Calandria.”
“Gee, and we were all so anxious to expand our winery business. What’s involved in officially acknowledging?”
“Paperwork mostly, and a presentation to the parliament. He’s taken the DNA test, Mia. My guess is he’s going to acknowledge Danny as his heir.”
“Swell.”
“Look on the bright side. If Danny’s a prince, you have to be something too, right?”
“Screwed. I believe I’m mostly screwed.”
“It’s not as bad as that.”
She leaned forward. “In all likelihood my son is going to one day rule Calandria. How long do you think he’s going to be allowed to have a normal life?”
“Whatever happens, you’re his mom. You’ll be there to protect him.”
“I know, but king. Jeez. I better get going on teaching him to tie his shoes.”
5
Maybe he was, but she wasn’t, Mia thought wryly, knowing that dealing with a puppy was exactly enough to push her over the edge.
“We talked about a puppy,” she reminded him. “It will come under consideration when you’re eight.”
Danny sighed. “I know. But that’s so far.”
Twice his life. He was already growing so fast. He would be eight before she knew it.
“What surprise?” he asked again.
“I don’t know,” she told him. Rafael hadn’t been clear. He’d only asked them to meet him at three-thirty and said there would be a surprise.
She knew he’d gone out. The huge limo was gone, as were the ever-present Oliver and Umberto. What a life- trailing after a crown prince, watching him have all the fun. Or did royal bodyguards have groupies who made things more interesting?
Just then the limo turned the corner. Danny squealed and pointed. “I can see the flags, Mommy. Can we have flags on our car?”
She had a feeling that diplomatic flags were hard to come by but might be worth the effort, especially during tourist season in Santa Barbara when parking was impossible to find. No doubt with diplomatic immunity came freedom from parking tickets.
The vehicle pulled to a stop. Umberto climbed out of the front passenger seat and walked to the rear door. When he opened it, Rafael stepped out.
“How nice to see my family waiting,” he said with a smile. “My very handsome son and his beautiful mother.”
Mia reminded herself that it was his job to be smooth on command, but still, she liked the compliment and the way his gaze lingered on her.
“What did you bring me?” Danny demanded.
Mia winced. “How about some manners? You could say hello first.”
“Hello. What did you bring me?”
Rafael walked to the trunk of the limo and opened it. Inside was a fully assembled three-wheeled bike with a horn and flags that matched those on the limo.
“Maybe they aren’t so hard to get,” Mia murmured, wondering if she could borrow them for her car when she went into town.
“Cool!” Danny cried as he raced to the bike. “Can I try it now?”
Mia cleared her throat. “Hmm, what do we say when someone gives us a gift?”
Danny wrenched his gaze from the bike and looked at his father. “Thank you very much.” He turned back to his mother. “Now?”
She nodded.
Danny sat down and immediately started pedaling. The wide tires gave him plenty of traction on the driveway.
Rafael moved next to her. “I considered a real bike, but I knew he would have to learn to ride it. I wanted this to be fun for him.”
“Making up for the scepter?”
