Chapter 2

Paris, France

Viktor stood at the window of his darkened suite, studying the barely perceptible form scaling the courtyard wall for the second night in a row. The little princess had been very fortunate his men had discovered her identity before capturing and interrogating her as a security threat, which they’d been ready to do when he’d spotted her scaling the walls the night before.

After learning her identity, he’d found himself equally impressed by and angry at the little fool for risking her beautiful neck. A four-story drop from the luxury hotel could have ended in death. He’d been only slightly mollified after Ivan had found her safety cable dangling against the wall.

He’d allowed her to keep her secrets the night before, instructing his men to follow her without her knowledge. After all, she was a princess, and he enjoyed knowing the secrets of powerful people. He’d been more than intrigued. She’d likely secreted off for an illicit affair with someone her family wouldn’t approve of or had taken a trip into the seedier parts of the city, where young, sheltered princesses weren’t supposed to venture.

His instincts said there was more to her escape. Her actions seemed too planned and cautious to be simple rebellion.

She’d done this before.

He’d wager she’d done this several times considering her forethought in wearing white clothing and equipment that blended with the wall. It would have been highly effective had he not been standing in the dark room looking out last night. If he hadn’t been, he’d likely never have seen her, especially considering his man Pavel had assessed the layout of the grounds and pointed out that all the trees in the courtyard blocked any view of her from all other guest rooms. It seemed she’d also managed to climb within a narrow blind spot in the security cameras, which spoke of even more planning.

If her guard hadn’t lost his men on the streets of Paris, he’d already know her secrets.

The beautiful little princess had drawn his attention with her antics and challenging little toast without realizing how dangerous his attention was. She’d spent the last several years enticing him with her lust-filled glances. He found himself inclined to take the young princess up on her naïve offer, regardless of the trouble it would cause. He lifted the cool glass of vodka to his lips, watching her graceful descent.

Her movements were full of skill he wouldn’t have believed she possessed. He’d noted through the years that she obviously had no control over her security. They watched her as much as they monitored her surroundings. If they’d been in his employ, he’d have fired them. Instead, she kept her head high, apparently heedless, while those paid well to protect her likely reported her every move to her family. Those were the rumors, anyway, and he found the best rumors held at least some form of truth. Her climb seemed to prove them correct. If she ruled her own protective detail, she wouldn’t be climbing down courtyard walls in the dead of night.

It seemed the proper, elegant princess the media favored was more than just a beautiful figurehead for charities. More than a pampered, naïve socialite whose chocolate eyes had the power to tempt even the most pious of men. He’d never been a man to seek out innocence, preferring his bed partners’ desires to match his own.

Until Princess Sophia Loredan.

The media called her “prim,” a little princess who played by all the rules and never made a scandalous move. Her brother was conservative, preferring to keep his monarchy’s rule in the dark ages, which could’ve explained her reserved behavior. Her sexy glances at him had been anything but sedate.

He saw nothing cold in her, though her reputation with men seemed to speak otherwise. It was a mask. For a man who loved secrets, he planned to find out just what else she hid from the world.

For years, she’d tempted him, but scaling walls with the skill of a thief was what had sealed her fate.

He looked through the binoculars he’d gotten from his men and spotted the shape of her waiting guard hidden in the shadow of the trees, the same female guard who’d escorted her to and from the wall last night as well.

“Why does she do this?” Ivan asked as he moved into the room.

Not bothering to answer, Viktor watched as Sophia edged her supple body to the right, maneuvering into the blind spot before descending again with ease and agility.

Her toast at the club had shown spirit. Already, he hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her, seeing her through a new lens. Her black dress had been simple and short, showing off long tanned legs while loosely sliding over the rest, hinting at the curves beneath. Her silky brown hair slid down her back, those waves long enough to wrap around his fist, and the strappy gloves and high heels prompted thoughts of bondage.

Viktor had sent his brother, Feliks, to the same secure boarding school as the princess. A quick search confirmed that information, an added advantage he’d exploited as his brother had ridden to the nightclub with him. He learned only enough to pique his curiosity further. Some of Feliks’s information tracked with what his men had learned, but some hadn’t. He hadn’t realized she’d be at the nightclub, but he’d stayed far longer because of her. The only thing that hadn’t pleased him was her seeming familiarity with France’s minister of foreign affairs. The Frenchman was not a fit companion despite his pedigree.

Ivan’s words broke into his thoughts. “Pavel says she is rich, but she acts like a thief.”

“Maybe.” He found the possibility amusing. Not all countries and monarchs were wealthy, but Ivan’s information was correct—Porenza was very wealthy. Yet he couldn’t completely discount his man’s theory of her being a thief after reviewing the financial information they’d uncovered. It seemed all the princess’s money was controlled by her brother. Her stunt could be merely a form of rebellion or something else.

She was nearing the ground now. “Don’t let them lose her again, but they are not to be seen.” After having lost her last night, they’d discovered the GPS in her car had been disabled, which had been wise of the guard. Using a tracking device would have been an option had he realized she would be escaping again. Though if the female security guard used the latest detectors or was half as skilled as her résumé claimed, he wasn’t willing to risk detection. He wanted to know where she went.

He tilted his head, watching Sophia.

A moment later, Ivan stepped silently from the room. Viktor heard him on the phone, directing his men.

He took a drink from his nearly forgotten glass of vodka before glancing back through the binoculars. He was gifted with a much clearer view of her tight curves stretching and flexing on the way down. One long leg stretched down to the next foothold, splitting those sexy thighs wide, which was enough to make his dick twitch. The way the tight material pulled over her round ass made him grip the binoculars a fraction tighter.

He wanted her, regardless of the trouble she’d be. Her brother would ensure she never had contact with a man like Viktor, not publicly. That left only slightly more challenging options.

His eyes hadn’t left her for more than a second, not since she appeared on the balcony. Now that she had reached the ground, he watched as her female guard tossed her a bag. Sophia whipped off the snug white shirt and turned it inside out, changing it to gray. For a split second, she’d been in only a sport bra, so he could trail the curves of her small waist and full breasts. Too fast, she was covered again and dealing with her footwear before tossing things into the bag. A blond wig finished her disguise. She shouldered the bag as her female guard slipped from the shadows to walk at her side.

His mind was still replaying the image of her in the sports bra. It hadn’t been sexy or revealing, yet he imagined peeling the material from her flushed skin and sliding his hands all over her body.

He looked forward to what the rest of the night held.