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Reasonably telling himself that exercise would help his mindset, he’d bribed his brother out of his marital bed for a game of tennis, but instead of the usual outcome where a five match set between them would go down to the wire...
Damn it! He couldn’t even blame it on Clara’s blatantly biased umpiring. He’d been useless.
Amadeo hated losing, but not as much as he hated losing when it was his own damn fault.
Elsbeth’s jitters were regaining strength. The clock was ticking to Duty Night hour. Amadeo would be here in three hours.
She hadn’t stopped thinking about him all day, and it was much worse than his usual crowding of her head. A long walk in the castle’s woods hadn’t helped and nor had a swim in the family’s private indoor pool. Thank the Lord they had a week free from engagements coming up. No being stuck in a car with him for hours each day and glued to his side for hours more.
Fed up with pacing her quarters and resisting the urge to go back outside and loiter in the garden—she didn’t want to look as if she was hoping for his company—she decided to take another shower before her dinner was brought to her from the castle kitchen, but that didn’t help either. Lathering her naked body only brought home how badly her skin craved Amadeo’s touch.
Oh, this was madness!
Stomping to her wardrobe, she yanked a green maxi dress off the rack—no point putting on a virgin nightdress this early—and had just slipped it over her head when there was a tap on her bedroom door.
‘Come in,’ she called.
One of her domestic staff entered. ‘His Highness is here.’
Her heart slammed against her ribs. ‘Amadeo?’
‘Yes.’
‘What does he want?’
The maid gave her a look that clearly said it was not her job to question him.
Panic clutched her like a vice and she immediately began to pace.
He was two and a half hours early! She wasn’t ready! How could she receive him like this, with her hair all wet and not even any moisturiser on her face?Lookat her face! It was all red from the heat of the shower!
It was catching sight of the sweet maid waiting patiently at the door that calmed her.
She couldn’t help that she wasn’t ready for him, and she could at least take consolation that her dress was perfectly modest, if a little more colourful than the clothing she endured on their engagements.
With the butterflies all loose again in her belly and her heart beating like a hummingbird’s wings, she found Amadeo in the dayroom looking at the latest picture she’d had hung there.
Her hummingbird heart rose up her throat. She didn’t know if she would ever get used to the thrill that shivered through her whenever she set eyes on him, her internal reaction the same whatever his state of dress. That evening, he was wearing his usual attire of shirt, this one a pale blue, and trousers, but had abandoned the tie and jacket he would usually match with it. His thick black hair was tousled and swept to the side, and...
Oh, was it any wonder she couldn’t control her pulse around him? Justlookat the man. She defied any woman not to get all hot and flustered around him.
For the first time in her life, Elsbeth was grateful for her upbringing. At least she’d long ago had to master the art of self-control, and she channelled everything her mother and the other senior ladies of the House of Fernandez had taught her to contain the turbulence and keep it hidden from her face and outer body.
He turned his head, a lazy half-smile forming. ‘Nice painting.’
‘You like it?’ It occurred to her that she’d not had the slightest concern whether he would or would not.
It wasn’t just words from him, she realised with a jolt. Amadeodidn’ttry to control her.
‘I’m sure I’ll like it once you’ve explained whyyoulike it. You can explain while we eat.’
Eat?We? Was he saying...?
‘I thought I would join you for dinner. Unless you have other plans?’ he added with a knowing smile and a raised brow.
Her hummingbird heart expanded and rose so quickly that she almost threw it up.
Elsbeth took a moment to compose herself before attempting to mimic his nonchalance, but as her only plans had been to eat her dinner then probably have another shower to calm her nerves and get herself ready for his appearance in her bedroom, the only word that came out of her mouth was, ‘Okay.’
