The next morning, Renee woke up naked and in Marco's arms. Outside the window, the brightness of the day bloomed.

And they were truly alone, in a place that was almost too big to be her future home. Her body ached from where he’d touched her last night, and she was tempted to stay in bed.

Her mind wouldn’t rest, too curious about this place in the daylight. She sat up slowly, so as not to wake Marco, and studied the room.

The white sheets, white furniture, and white marble floor made everything gleam with elegance. It would be too bright, but the sea blue trim on the walls and frescoes brought warmth.

Marco woke up, stretched, and asked, "What's going on?"

"Good morning." She glanced at him and how casually he lay naked on the bed. His slight scruff that he’d shave off soon just made her heart beat a little faster. He was so sexy in the morning. She quickly stood, comfortable now in her own nudity. "I'm curious about your castle."

He followed her, his hand brushing against her bare skin, igniting a spark of desire. Marco said, "Let me get dressed and give you the tour."

"Perfect." But part of Renee wanted nothing more than to return to their bed, again. Every second they were together, the feeling of desire and raw lust inside her grew, which was funny because until she’d met Marco, she wasn't ever this needy.

Instead of sharing her feelings, she hopped in the shower. Marco followed her into the bathroom, and goose bumps raised on her skin as she wondered if he'd take her again. He walked into the shower and turned on another shower head above his head, less than a foot from her.

She turned and watched the water cascade down his hard, muscular body. If she stayed here, right now, she'd be the one to drag him to bed and have her way with him. At this rate, she’d never see the castle…she caressed his trim abs and left the shower to dress.

Waiting for Marco, Renee straightened the sheets and comforter on the bed, humming as she worked.

Marco joined her and made no mention of servants.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yes, tell me about your palace." She took his offered hand and they went into the hall.

"The South Castle was built as a family retreat in the fourteenth century, though we renovated it a few times to add things like running water over the years."

"I loved the shower." And him, in it. As they walked, she noted more blue-green trim.

He opened the next bedroom and showed her one that was similar to theirs. "We have sixteen bedrooms and four tower rooms that can be used as bedrooms or anything else you like."

Naturally the castle might house multiple people, or even families. She shrugged though her stomach flipped. "And the ballroom?"

"Smaller than my parents’. It holds about three hundred, though we only open that at Christmas here for the locals to have a celebration."

He walked her to the massive stairs where blue-green carpet runners covered polished redwood. At the top of the stairs hung a massive crystal chandelier.

This castle was out of this world, gorgeous. All of this could be hers. She clutched her stomach as they descended the stairs. "So, why do you get this place when you marry?"

They stopped near a huge window. He opened it and she stared out at the Mediterranean Sea, entranced by the blue richness of the color. "Lucio gets the mountain castle to raise his family, which is fine by me. I've always loved the ocean." Marco tugged her chin so she looked at him. "You'd be safe here."

On an island, they'd know everyone's name, even those just here to visit, but it wasn't the logic of his words that caught her attention. It was his arm that stayed on her shoulders. If she stayed, he'd hold her, forever, and that felt good. She sighed and met his gaze. "Marco, you don't have to call my parents. I'll marry you without their approval."

He massaged her lower back. "Don't worry about this. I promise they will give you their blessing though when I called to arrange their flights here to meet them in person, they said they needed a month."

He had no idea what herculean task he took on. Her parents never changed. She felt her heart thump in her chest. "I know them. If they don't..."

"Relax and enjoy." He interrupted her negative thoughts. "We can stay here for a month and when they’re ready, we'll head back to the mainland, and deal with parents and relatives. We’ll consider this a pre-honeymoon, if you like, because for right now, it's just the two of us."

"Okay." She prayed she could just have fun without the threat of seeing her parent’s reaction to his flashy, lavish lifestyle.

He walked her down the stairs and threw open the veranda doors. She imagined herself sitting on the ledge and taking in the sea air while she relaxed in the shade.

Marco guided her down the cliff, the steps leading to the docks and to what must be his yacht. "Now, at this country club of yours, did they have you host anything?"

In her parents’ circle, they still thought of her as the poor unfortunate girl with bad judgment. In Miami, she was at least seen as capable. She shook her head. "Not really. But I learned management skills in my classroom." She turned to face him and the sea air tossed her hair around wildly. "So what hosting do you need me to do?"

He winked at her. "Well it would be nice to give the locals a more upscale pageant when you're the princess."

Princess sounded like they were discussing a job in the newspaper that morning and not her future. She laughed. "Sometimes, I think we're talking about someone else, someone who is not me."

He crossed his arms. "Why?"

Right. This was too new, but she swallowed, stopped laughing and placed her hand on his heart. "I feel like two separate people and part of me wonders when I'll wake up from this dream."

He put his hand on top of hers to keep her with him and turned, like they were dancing. "So you do want to marry a prince?"

She nodded and followed his lead. "Since you asked so nicely, yes. But before I met you, I was sure I was going to turn out just as my parents expected."

His gaze still had the incredible, he didn't believe her blink. Soon he'd see for himself. "And a princess is a bad choice for them?"

She closed her eyes, smelled the fresh sea and listened to her heart while she mimicked her father's tone. "It gives them a false sense of entitlement for the family."

"Hmm." He spun her around and caught her off guard. "I might have to go to this Country Club of yours and see it for myself."

"It’s not mine." Her parents were unique and not the same as the other members. She shrugged, placed her hand on his shoulder and danced again. "I'm sure every other member and their families would love you. Mine are the special ones."

"And what does your brother do for a living?"

Neil was the perfect son. He did everything just the way they liked and never made a mistake. She hugged Marco's shoulder closer to her head so she could lean on him. "He's an accountant, like my father."

A shadow passed over them and they stopped to look up. Renee leaned against the marble stones of the ledge and stared higher to see what was now on the balcony they’d just left. "What's Henri doing up there? I thought he worked inside the castle."

"Let's go find out." Marco took her hand. "Anise, your maid in my parent's house, is his sister. I was having her background check run after yesterday."

"Good, because she was tied up in my room and then wanted to clean everything."

"She never mentioned that."

There was no way Anise tied herself up in her room, but Renee kept her lips sealed. Perhaps there was a connection. Henri had a smooth smile had made her suspicious—though he was probably not guilty of anything more than being a player.

As they made their way up the marble steps, Renee told Marco, "I believe that love knows no boundaries or class system. But I know from research that Europeans who grow up in England can be more strict when it comes to class and rank. What’s the score of that in Avce?"

"People are class-conscious, but since you’re foreign born and best friends with the new princess, it’s not a problem for you."

"I can't wait to marry you."

"Good, because I love you too," Marco said.

She didn’t get tired of hearing that. They turned the corner and Renee saw a breakfast table set up for the two of them, complete with hot coffee and tea. Renee shook her head. She shouldn't have suspected Henri. Her feelings were known to be wrong in the past.

She followed Marco to the breakfast table and relaxed. Today was a perfect day. Nothing could go wrong now.