3. Gabriel #2
Well, casual for me, anyway. I left the shirt unbuttoned, the heat and humidity making a buttoned-up look seem like the worst idea in history. But even I knew how uncouth it would be to show up without a dinner jacket.
I’d had this one specially made for the trip.
It was royal blue with gold trim, but lightweight.
It had a high, stiff collar and tails, and when I gave myself a final once-over I couldn’t help but notice…
I looked damn good. Add in the smile, and before long I wouldn’t only be charming the staff but the prince himself—if I ever found him.
When I stepped out of the bedroom, the footman assigned to me—Watson was his name—straightened.
“Good evening, Your Highness.”
“Watson,” I said with a smile. “What’d I tell you? We’re going to be seeing a lot of each other. You can call me Gabriel.”
“Never, Your Highness.”
I chuckled and clapped him on the arm. “Good man. I think I’m going to go and track down some food.”
“I can bring something up for you, if you’d like, sir?”
Interesting. Was I not allowed to venture around? Elena hadn’t said that. But maybe Alejandro had put me up in such an opulent space in the hopes I wouldn’t come out.
Oh well.
“Thank you, but I think I’m going to look around a little. Introduce myself.”
Watson didn’t say anything to that, but the slight rise of his brows let me know his thoughts on that.
Too bad. Since I didn’t have an escort to explore the rest of the grounds, I’d take it upon myself. The last thing I wanted to do was rot away in my room—even if it was a gorgeous space.
I headed down the long hall, where any staff I came across stopped and bowed until I passed, and even when I introduced myself, they stayed tight-lipped. Ah well. They’d loosen up eventually.
I headed outside, where the sound of a fountain bubbling drew me closer. The grand forecourt was even more lush than I’d imagined, gardens and trees filling the large space, birds chirping and flittering above my head, waves crashing nearby.
I took in a deep breath, instantly relaxing, even if this jacket was far too hot to wear in this weather.
If I were an avoidant prince, where oh where would I be?
Nosy as I was, I decided to wander, my eyes roving over the main palace on one side and the path that wound down on the other. Curious where it led to, I headed that way, and once again heard the sound of water spilling out onto a surface.
And then I saw it: the pool terrace, though that was understating things a bit.
The pool itself was enormous, fountains and waterfalls pouring into it, while vivid red flowers climbed up the columns and elegant lounge chairs and cream umbrellas lined both sides of the terrace.
It overlooked the most incredible view of the sea, one I would’ve stopped to linger on…
If I hadn’t caught sight of a certain prince nearby.
He was reclined on a cushioned lounger, sunglasses on and sipping red wine like he’d never had an obligation in his life. And certainly not a royal visitor that he’d pulled out all the stops for…except for actually attending to.
I narrowed my eyes, put my hands in my pockets, and strolled in his direction. He hadn’t noticed me yet, but I noticed him. It was hard not to.
His black hair touched just past the collar of his maroon button-up shirt, loose strands blowing in the breeze as he lowered his glass and stared out at the water.
As I got closer, I saw that he’d tucked in his shirt but hadn’t bothered to button it, leaving it open so his tanned chest was on full display.
Dark hair dusted the space between his pecs, and I couldn’t help but notice the strong lines of his body and the way his abs were prominent as they disappeared behind his shirt.
Barefoot and in cream-colored pants, Alejandro was the very picture of relaxation, a man without any worries at all. In fact, he’d obviously been catered to, judging by the silver tray of grapes and olives and cheese that sat beside two bottles of wine, both opened and nearly empty.
My first thought—the man was damn attractive, and he knew it.
My second was that I had to respect the audacity of a man who gave zero fucks that I was here.
“I thought you had an unavoidable engagement,” I said.
Alejandro didn’t look up. “I do,” he said, before taking a slow sip of his wine. “Avoiding you.”
Ah, there it was, a clear strike, and for some reason, it only drew me in closer.
“And here I thought Solterra was famous for its hospitality.”
“Did you miss the red carpet, Your Highness?”
“I prefer blue.”
“And the trumpets? Were they not to your satisfaction?”
“I would’ve enjoyed a rendition of ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ more, but I suppose it was satisfactory.”
Alejandro hummed around another sip of wine, and then he finally turned his head in my direction slowly. Unfortunately, the sunglasses hid his eyes, but even without the visual, I could feel the way his gaze traveled over me, from my shoes to my open collar…to my face.
“So. He sent you. That’s a choice.”
“I didn’t realize you had an aversion to me.”
“Not you. Your face.” He leaned over then, grabbing the bottle of wine that still had a few drops left in it and turning it upside down over his glass, eking out what was left. Then he set the bottle down, took off his sunglasses, and looked at me expectantly. “Well?”
“Well what?”
“Haven’t you come to apologize on your brother’s behalf? Beg for my forgiveness?”
“Not really my style.”
“No? That’s a shame. I can imagine you on your knees.”
Oh, this prince was feisty. I could definitely work with that. None of the fake chivalrous, overly polite stuff with him. That was a breath of fresh air.
But before I could offer my own cutting remark, Alejandro got to his feet and I became distracted by the perfect fit of his pants over his tight ass.
The man might be a horrible host, but he was damn fine on the eyes—even as he started walking away from me.
“Wait. Where are you going?”
Alejandro turned to look me over with disdain. “To get more wine.”
“For dinner?”
“For myself. If you want wine with your meal, I suggest you ask the staff.”
I took a step toward him, noting the maroon sash at his waist in place of a belt and the way it hung from his left hip. A sudden image popped into my head: my grabbing it and pulling him to me, so I could kiss the scowl right off his face.
It was an unwanted thought, one that would get me absolutely nowhere fast. But the more dissociated he was, the more of a challenge he became.
A sexy, sash-wearing challenge.
“You’re not eating?”
“Not with you.” Alejandro slid back on his sunglasses. “Welcome to Solterra, Your Highness.”
Then, without so much as a backward glance, he walked away from me. The King of Valoria’s brother. The diplomatic envoy sent to clean up a mess not of my making.
It was both infuriating and ballsy as hell, and it did nothing to squash the fantasy that’d just started to play on a loop as the Prince of Solterra left me to fend for myself for the second time today.