âYou canât be mine,â Aristos rasped, his gaze tracking her. âYou want my list again? I donât do relationships, Alex. My affairs are short-livedâcommitment-free in nature. You are off-limits.â
âWhat if I did? Want that, I mean?â
His gaze narrowed. âYou are a princess. Third in line to the throne, in case youâd forgotten. Iâm supposed to be protecting you.â
âThereâs no threat here,â she derided. âThe only thing youâre protecting me from is you.â
âDamn right.â
She took a deep breath. Maybe the deepest sheâd ever taken. Lifted her chin. âWhat you said last nightâ¦â
He gave her a suspicious look. âWhich part would that be?â
âThe incendiary part. I wouldâ¦like that.â
His eyes widened. He set his glass down on the railing. âAre you trying to destroy my head?â
She shook her head. âIâm suggesting, as you said, that we do what we both want to do. Nobody needs to know.â
A long moment passed. âJust so weâre clear,â he ventured in a silky voice. âYouâre suggesting we have an affair? Confined to this island?â
âYes.â
Jennifer Hayward invites you into a world ofâ¦
Young royals in reckless pursuit of passion!
When a centuries-old battle between the kingdoms of Akathinia and Carnelia is reignited the nationâs young royals find themselves on the brink of war. But their kingdoms arenât the only thing at stakeâ¦
Soon these young monarchs are facing an unexpected royal baby, the appearance of a lost princess and an alliance with the enemy.
Can love conquer all?
Find out in:
King Nikandros and SofÃa Ramirezâs story
Carrying the Kingâs Pride March 2016
Princess Aleksandra and Aristos Nicoladesâs story
Claiming the Royal Innocent May 2016
And look for:
King Kostas and Princess Stellaâs story
Coming soon!
JENNIFER HAYWARD has been a fan of romance since filching her sisterâs novels to escape her teenage angst. Her career in journalism and PRâincluding years of working alongside powerful, charismatic CEOs and travelling the worldâhas provided her with perfect fodder for the fast-paced, sexy stories she likes to writeâalways with a touch of humour. A native of Canadaâs east coast, Jennifer lives in Toronto with her Viking husband and young Viking-in-training.
CHAPTER ONE
âTHE COUNT AND Countess of Agiero.â
A soldier in ceremonial uniform announced the exquisitely dressed couple queued in front of Aleksandra Dimitriou in the foyer of the Akathinian royal palace ballroom, his booming voice with its perfect elocution sending her heart plunging to the marble floor. She had hoped arriving late for Princess Stellaâs twenty-fifth birthday party would mean the introductions would have been long concluded.
But then again, what did she know? She had never attended a high society party before, let alone an official royal function. The blue silk gown she wore was rented from one of those designer dress services that mailed the couture creation to you in exchange for an exorbitant amount of money, her shoes were those of her fashionable friend Kira, her jewelry unearthed in a knockoff boutique in the city. In fact, not even the invitation belonged to her. She had stolen it with the intent of slipping in unnoticed.
The furor in her head, gathering momentum by the minute, suggested her ploy was about to be revealed to the hundreds of people gathered to celebrate the princessâs birthday. Not to mention the dozens of paparazzi who stood poised like a flock of vultures behind the stanchioned-off red carpet waiting for a money shot.
Her palms went sweaty. A shot of her in handcuffs, a royal intruder caught red-handed during a time of high security for the country, would be great fodder for them. She could just see the residents of her small, sleepy coastal village waking up to her face splashed across the front page of the daily newspaper. Picture them doing a double take, their bemusement quickly turning to horror...
Her heart pounded madly against her ribs. There was no way she was going to pull this off. She should turn around and go back to Stygos and forget sheâd ever had this stupid, foolish need to know a piece of herself. To right a wrong that had long since been undoable.
But it was too late to back out now. The palace official was reaching for her blue and gold-embossed invitation, an expectant smile on his face. She handed it to him with frozen fingers. He checked his list. Frowned. Ran his finger over the names again, then looked up at her. âLypamai, despoinis, but your name doesnât seem to be on the list.â