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Jasmine forced herself to glance down at the shortlist she’d compiled at four a.m. when she’d finally conceded sleep was a pipe dream. She rattled off the names, watching his face for a reaction. His features remained blank.
‘I’m going to call their representatives. Arrange for us to meet them in Paris next week. Shall I arrange to send your private jet for them or do you want them to fly commercial?’
‘I don’t micromanage. Liaise with my head of security on modes of transport. And we’re not flying to Paris next week. We’re leaving tomorrow, and then on to Santo Sierra at the end of the week.’ He slid his chair closer to his desk and opened a file.
‘What?’ Her heart thumped harder with a mixture of desolation and anxiety. ‘I’m good at my job, but I can’t find you a bride in twenty-four hours, Your Highness.’ Pressure built in her head with the knowledge that she needed to find out once and for all whether she carried his child.
‘Have you seen the news today?’ he enquired.
‘No. Should I have?’
His fists tightened on the desk for a moment before he relaxed. ‘There was a riot in San Domenica last night.’
‘Santo Sierra’s capital?’
He nodded. ‘Several people were hurt, including women and children, in the main square. Thankfully, no one was killed. My people are growing restless. Their anxiety is being fuelled, no doubt by Mendez’s people. I have to return soon or things will get worse.’
The throb of worry in his voice was unmistakeable. For the first time she accepted that his councillors were right. Santo Sierra needed a good news story to bolster the people’s confidence in its monarchy.
Caught in the quandary of having her feelings ravaged in the process of finding Reyes a wife, while suspecting she was carrying his child, and doing what she could to fix the damage she’d caused, Jasmine took a deep breath and gathered her composure.
‘I’ll make sure the candidates are in Paris for when we arrive.’ She picked up her tablet and headed for the door.
‘Jasmine?’
Her heart stuttered at the use of her first name.
‘Yes?’ Her answer emerged shakier than she would’ve wished.
‘Cross Petra Nikolova off your list. We dated briefly once. She’s been known to take certain banned substances on occasion. The last thing I intend to foist on my subjects is a drug-dabbling queen. And you can also delete Sienna Hamilton.’
Every single good intention fled out of her head. Her anxiety ramped up, along with a buzzing in her head and a sick feeling in her stomach she shockingly diagnosed as writhing jealousy. Coupled with the suspected extra hormones raging through her body, Jasmine had to lock her knees and count to ten before she could speak.
‘What’s wrong with Miss Hamilton?’ Her voice trembled in a way she detested.
When his eyes locked on hers, his expression was far from mocking. ‘She’s a serial cheater. She’s discreet about it, but I prefer not to wonder in who else’s bed my wife has been when I return home at night.’
She stared at him, dying to ask why pain clouded his eyes when he talked about adultery. But, unwilling to drive the knife that seemed to be wedged in her chest further, she wiped the question from her mind. Realising she hadn’t taken a breath since Reyes mentioned kissing other women, Jasmine forced herself to breathe.
‘You realise that leaves me with just three candidates?’ she said around the knot in her throat. It was three more than she wanted to deal with, but she couldn’t see any way around this harrowing task.
He cracked a hard, sad smile. ‘Then you need to make doubly sure they are right for the job.’ His tone said she was dismissed.
Which was good because Jasmine couldn’t get out of there fast enough. Except she couldn’t leave just yet.
Reyes raised his head when she retraced her steps to his desk. ‘Can I help you with something else?’
‘I need to go into town this morning.’
He frowned. ‘Why?’
Because I need to know whether my life is about to change for ever.
‘I need stuff.’
He looked down his nose at her. Waited.
A blush warmed her cheeks. ‘Women’s stuff.’
Her tiny hope for him to feel a little bit of her embarrassment died a quick death when he returned his attention to his papers.
‘Reyes? Can I get one of your men to drive me into town?’
‘No,’ he replied.
‘Come on—’
