By Order of the Prince. Carla Cassidy

heart. He thought about the horrific night of his parents’ deaths often, recognized and never forgot the lesson he’d learned that night.

      “I’m so sorry.” She poured the coffee and carried the cups to the table, then sank down in the chair opposite his. “Was it some kind of an accident?”

      “Actually, they were murdered.” She gasped and he continued, “My father was initially my mother’s bodyguard. He was an American, an ex-mercenary and they fell in love and married. Unfortunately my father had made many enemies in his past and that night those enemies found him and my mother.”

      “So, who raised you and your brother?”

      “My mother’s father, King Omar Zubira.” A whisper of a smile curved his lips as he thought of the stern but loving man who had raised them. “He didn’t approve of my mother’s marriage and never really accepted my father, but he was a loving man to me and Sebastian, although I must admit we sometimes gave him a hard time.”

      “The twin thing?”

      He grinned. “But, of course. Being an identical twin can be quite amusing and Sebastian and I definitely used it to our advantage whenever possible. After grandfather died I was grateful to have Sebastian by my side to share the responsibility of ruling Barajas.”

      “It must be a huge responsibility, to run a nation,” she said as she sliced the cake and shoved a generous piece toward him.

      “Probably no bigger than running the housekeeping staff at a luxury resort,” he replied. “To be truthful Sebastian carries much of the weight. He’s a good man with a knack for politics and he’d do fine without me. But enough about me. What I really want to know is why you don’t have a man in your life. Surely you meet men during the course of your work.”

      He picked up his fork and took a bite of the cake and noticed that her features tightened slightly and a whisper of hurt filled her eyes. It was there only a moment and then gone, but it let him know that at some time in the not so distant past a man had hurt her…hurt her badly.

      “I don’t date hotel guests and besides, I stay busy with my work and I’m not particularly interested in a relationship right now.”

      It was a lie, he could see the deception in her features. “That’s a shame, because you have lips meant for kissing.”

      Her cheeks flushed with a becoming color. “And you’re rather impertinent for a prince.”

      He grinned, enchanted by her. “The last woman who called me impertinent was my mother. I was seven at the time. Now, tell me about your mother.”

      As Beth related moments from her past with her mother, Antoine recognized that Beth was not only beautiful, but loyal to those she loved.

      She told him about having to forgo college to help support herself and her mother, but there was no complaint in her voice, merely a stating of facts.

      He liked that about her. He had no patience for whiners. He and Sebastian hadn’t been allowed to whine after the murder of his parents.

      “So, what did you do before you became one of the rulers of Barajas?” she asked.

      “I was a military man.” He raised his coffee cup to take a drink, hoping a sip of coffee would wash away the sour taste that always sprang to his mouth when he thought of the things he’d done for the sake of his country.

      “And you? When you were young did you dream of being a ballerina? Or perhaps a princess?” he asked.

      She laughed. It was a pleasant sound that wrapped around his heart and momentarily held him captive. “Not at all. I have two left feet and I always wanted to raise horses so I dreamed of wearing chaps and a vest rather than a princess’s tiara.”

      He had a sudden vision of her naked except for her long legs encased in a pair of leather chaps and her full breasts spilling out of a tiny vest. Hot blood welled in the pit of his stomach, spreading warmth directly to his groin.

      He shifted uncomfortably against the wooden chair and reminded himself that he was here with her because he wanted to use her knowledge of the locals to further his investigation, not because he wanted to take her to bed and teach her everything he knew about sexual pleasure.

      “You know horses?” he asked.

      “I started riding at the resort stables when I was little and worked the stables until I got the job in housekeeping,” she explained.

      “You have enough land to raise horses. Why haven’t you already done it?”

      “It took me until six months ago to pay off the last of the medical bills that my mother had accrued. I’m hoping to realize my horse dream in about five years. It’s almost midnight,” she said with a glance at the clock on the wall. “I should get you back to the resort. I have to be back at work around six-thirty in the morning.”

      He leaned back in the chair and smiled. “I’ve already made up my mind. I’ll stay here with you for the night.”