âIâm the one at a disadvantage, if you were hoping I was Will.
âIâm James. The other Rowling. Will is my brother.â
âBrother? Oh,â Bella drawled as it hit her. âYou and Will are twins.â
âGuilty.â His eyes twinkled, sucking her under his spell for a moment.
âThen Iâm doubly sorry.â With no small amount of regret, she reeled back her less-than-innocent interest. âItâs fine, really.â
It was not fine. It was so the opposite of fine, she couldnât even wrap her head around how not fine it was. Because sheâd just realized this sensually intriguing man sheâd accidentally tripped over was the brother of the man her father wanted her to marry.
If that didnât complicate her life a million times over, she didnât know what would.
Her hand was still gripped tightly in his and he didnât seem in any hurry to let her go. But he should. She pulled free and crossed her arms, wishing for a cover-up. Why did that glint in Jamesâs eye cause her to feel so exposed all at once?
* * *
The Princess and the Player is part of the series Dynasties: The MontorosâOne royal family must choose between love and destiny!
KAT CANTRELL read her first Mills & Boon® novel in third grade and has been scribbling in notebooks since she learned to spell. What else would she write but romance? She majored in literature, officially with the intent to teach, but somehow ended up buried in middle management in corporate America, until she became a stay-at-home mum and full-time writer.
Kat, her husband and their two boys live in north Texas. When sheâs not writing about characters on the journey to happily-ever-after, she can be found at a soccer game, watching the TV show Friends or listening to â80s music.
Kat was the 2011 Mills & Boon So You Think You Can Write winner and a 2012 RWA Golden Heart Award finalist for best unpublished series contemporary manuscript.
One
Auwck. Auwck.
Bella Montoroâs eyelids flew open at the raucous and unwelcome alarm clock. One of the pair of feral blue-and-gold macaws who lived in the tree outside the window of her Coral Gables mansion had chosen today, of all days, to wake her early.
Miami was full of wild macaws and normally, she loved them. Today, not so much.
Groaning, she smooshed a pillow over her head but the pressure didnât ease her champagne headache and the barrier didnât muffle the happy squawks of her feathered friend. Fine. It was time to drag herself out of bed anyway.
She sat up. A glance through the bay window confirmed which bird it was.
âGood morning, Buttercup,â she muttered sarcastically, but with the window closed, the macaw couldnât hear her.
She didnât dare open the window for fear sheâd frighten her away. Both Buttercup and her mate, Wesley, were as wild as the day was long, and Bella enjoyed it when they deigned to hang out with her. She watched them groom themselves for as long as she dared since she wouldnât get to see them for a while once she left Miami for the small country of Almaâtodayâs destination.
Bella had always known she was descended from royalty, but a dictator had been ruling her ancestorâs country for ages. Sheâd never expected the political climate to shift. Or for the Montoros to reclaim the throne. But it had happened and though her father was first in line to become king, his divorce rendered him ineligible for the crown due to Almaâs strict laws. Then her oldest brother, Rafe, had abdicated his place so he could focus on the new baby he and his fiancée, Emily, were expecting.
Her other brother, Gabriel, had stepped up, adopting his new role with an ease Bella admired. And while she liked the tiny island country of Alma well enough to go back for her brotherâs coronation as the new king, the promise of bigger and better parties didnât fully make up for having to leave behind the things she loved in Miami.
She was also leaving behind her great-aunt Isabella, who might draw her last breath any day now. Rafe would check in on her of course, and Bella could call. But still. It wasnât the same as having daily access to the woman who always had a kind word and gentle piece of advice, no matter what the occasion. Bella had been named for her fatherâs aunt, and they shared a kinship that transcended age.
Her father owed her for agreeing to this move to Alma. Big time.
Bella watched Buttercup groom her feathers for a moment, and then turned away from the beautiful view of the grounds. She might not see this house again either, and sheâd taken for granted how much she loved living here. Now that the day of her departure had arrived, everything had gotten real, really fast. Sheâd been an American her whole life and while sheâd always enjoyed the privileges of being a Montoro, becoming a member of Almaâs royal family carried heavy responsibilities with few tangible rewards.