As soon as Marco brought Antonio to Father, he'd go and find Renee Brown again. He walked faster than he probably should, but his mind was on the woman in white capris and sunglasses.

Marco opened the door and instantly his mother, Queen Anna Camilla, rose from her chair while she wiped her eyes with a tissue. Antonio walked past him and Marco closed the door to give them a few minutes without interruption. He stood in the hall, alone.

Walter would have brought Renee and his brother’s bride to the South Wing that overlooked the river. It was set aside for important guests and a future queen would be that.

Renee Brown's warm brown eyes and her fearlessness when she introduced herself caught his attention. He wanted to continue the conversation.

Marco folded his hands behind his back and headed down the hall. He stopped when he reached the two neighboring doors, assuming Renee had the chamber with the smaller balcony. He knocked and she came out with a cautious smile. Her light brown hair had sprinkles of sunshine mixed within the strands and her skin seemed dewy and pure, despite flying all night. She leaned against the door and asked, "Is everything okay?"

"I hadn't introduced myself." He motioned to come inside her room.

She opened the door wider and he spotted the gold and cream bed in the corner though he ignored it.

"I know who you are."

"Who am I then?" He turned and winked at her.

She crossed her arms, but came toward him. He smelled the air around her and it was like a spring morning full of flowers in bloom. "Prince Marco Aussa, playboy and unrepentant about it."

Not quite true, but he’d play along. He leaned closer and she lowered her arms. "Does that offend you?"

"Not at all." A smirk crossed her expressive face suggesting a sense of humor. "I wondered how you would affect me, an American woman."

He wanted to claim her, right here, right now. Lust hadn't been part of his life for a while and certainly not this urgently. He held still. He didn't want to push too fast. "And?"

She stepped even closer. "You're everything I'm not supposed to want."

He wanted her too. He caressed her arm and she didn't pull away. "Can I kiss you, Renee?"

"Yes." She half-closed her eyes and lifted her face in expectation.

His lips brushed against hers and he felt burned by the flares of an eclipse. He deepened the kiss, his body hardening from her innocence. Despite her flirting, Renee tasted too sweet to be anything else. He forced himself off her, and leaned against the wall to ensure there was distance.

Once she was steady on her feet and opened her eyes, he cupped his palm against the softness of her cheek. "I have to get back to my brother and parents, but tonight, after dinner, can I take you out?"

"Absolutely." She took his hands in hers.

Fireworks were tame compared to how her touch felt. He let her go because if he didn't, he'd throw her on the bed and forget himself. He circled past her, then stopped. "For now this will be our secret."

"I like secrets." She winked at him, as he’d done at her.

Saucy and sweet. Renee blew his mind.

He left and returned to his father's sickroom. His mother, her gray head bent, leaned on his arm, gesturing toward his brother. "Half of the country doesn't have the same value."

Marco had obviously missed something. He patted his mother's hand, Renee's kiss lingering on his lips.

Antonio said something about the small rebellion against capitalism. "We're in trouble if the communist agenda becomes the reality again," Marco agreed.

"We'd go into exile without a penny." His mother straightened and clutched his arm tighter.

Marco glanced at his brother. How in the world had a computer program led to a proposal? Though he had to admit Kristin and Antonio seemed to fit. He shrugged. "Exile wasn’t bad the last time. I liked England."

"Marco, this is our home." Their mother scolded him as he walked her toward Father's bed. Antonio backed away to let Mother have his spot.

Marco returned to the door and stared at Antonio as he leaned on the frame. "I saw your Kristin. I must say she's quite pretty. Was that one of your factors after all?"

Antonio looked at him with his mouth slightly open. "I wasn't going to marry just anyone. She had to be nice enough to look at."

So Antonio wasn't just about a computer program finding him a wife without physical beauty too. The moment his brother came closer, Marco patted his back. "Well, I can't wait to have a full conversation with her, at dinner."

"Take care what you say." Their parents spoke in hushed voices.. Antonio admitted, "I still have to convince her to marry me."

"She hasn't agreed?" Renee was either for or against his brother and the marriage, though perhaps he could convince her to help Antonio win Kristin over. "So, why is she here?"

"I'm giving her the tour of Avce before the ring goes on her finger for life. Now that Dad is awake, we can get married in the church where Mary had it snow instead of a rushed ceremony."

Marco rocked back on his heels. The great miracle supposedly blessed his family thousands of years ago when they’d built a church in the Virgin’s honor. The story had always made him feel guilty rather than holy. He lifted his chin and refused to let that thought bug him. "So you figure one trip around the rose garden and a dinner in the east wing tower and she's yours."

Antonio rubbed his chin. "Dinner in the tower, alone. Thanks for the tip!"

Tonight, he'd keep Renee out of that tower. Perhaps he'd show her the maze in the garden, though part of him wanted to simply show her his bed. "Wait. The playboy prince is actually trying to seduce this woman?"

His father's weak voice carried across to them. "She must be pretty then."

Antonio turned red. "Father, we should not be having this conversation at all. You need your rest."

Marco shook his head. Their father was always more lenient with him than Antonio.

His mother made a tsk sound and pointed them to the door. "Your father is still in danger, but the doctors agree that it's much more likely he'll have a full recovery so long as nothing upsets him, or causes him undue stress."

Marco would ensure nothing happened.

Antonio said, "Father, I'd prefer to remain the Crown Prince for a while and not King—rest, please."

Good. They were all on the same page. Lucio, his middle brother, was taking care of foreign issues for them and Antonio had done his part. He would do his as well. His father yawned. "Bring the American to meet me."

"Yes, sir," Antonio said and the brothers left.

If he knocked on Renee's door again, would that be too presumptuous? The image of the golden white bed behind her while she looked at him with doe eyes after that kiss haunted him. They went down the blue hall. "Antonio?"

"Marco." Antonio walked by his side, his hands at his back.

He intended to keep his seduction of Renee private, but he was curious. "The other one you brought with Kristin. What's her deal?"

"Renee Brown, Kristin's best friend. She's a teacher out for her summer break."

A teacher matched the innocence he'd tasted. Marco crossed his arms. "Well, I'll be sure to keep her busy so you can win over your computer date."

Antonio paused. "About that..." He massaged his neck, his face slightly paler than normal. "Please do not mention the search I ran to find Kristin."

Hmm. He'd find a way to avoid the topic with her friend. "Does that mean you didn't tell her?"

"No."

Now, that wasn’t the best idea. Secrets had a way of exploding, but he kept the thought to himself. At the door to the grand hall, where ancestors had thrown elegant galas and the paint was embedded with specks of gold, Marco tried to understand the full picture. "Then why does she think you flew across the globe and asked her to marry you?"

"Because she applied for a job. Secretary. She knows I actually required a wife."

None of this sounded like much of a secret. Perhaps his initial instincts were off the mark. Marco shrugged and wondered what color bra her friend wore under that turquoise top. He nodded. "I'll keep your secret, but you must tell her the truth."

"I will, when the time is right. When I'm alone with her..."

Marco didn't move and wondered why his brother's voice trailed off. Finally Antonio turned toward Kristin’s door. "Never mind."

"Never mind what?" Marco wasn’t budging until his brother answered.

Antonio backed up. "She's nice. I like her."

Laughter built up in his chest. "You like her. Well, that is an improvement. I hope she says yes then," Marco said. "Maybe Mom won't demand you marry Sophia."

Antonio's face soured. Marco got it. She'd been in the castle and chasing his brother since Marco could remember. Antonio asked, "Sophia?"

Marco nodded. "Didn't they tell you? She's in the castle, staying with us and still available."

He channeled his mother in that last sentence. Hopefully, his brother found a nicer option than Sophia Venko. Antonio shouldn't marry the daughter of a woman that their father had skipped over in favor of their mother. He should get his own choice too.

Antonio shuffled in place. "I'm sure she's hanging out with Victor Amadeus. They seem like close friends now, and besides, she's the last person I'd ever marry."

"They are still friends." Marco answered in the affirmative, recalling how often he’d discovered Sophia and Victor whispering together. "But she's been a possibility since you were thirteen. You must have realized that Mother would bring her here now in desperate times."

Antonio patted his arm and passed him toward the hall that led to the women's rooms. "I'm going to see Kristin and tell her about this dinner, and then we’ll be out for the rest of the day. What do you intend to do with Renee?"

"Have fun. I'll entertain her friend." Marco winked and nodded. "Because I'm the good brother."

"It doesn't hurt that Renee is very pretty." Antonio continued, "I'll summon both women to the great hall. Meet me there if you mean it."

"I always keep my word." Marco made his way to the hall at the front of the palace. He'd gladly arrange for his brother to court Kristin and soon he'd seek out Renee. It was healthier to let the physical attraction flame bright. He knew desire but the sweet taste of her kiss hinted that perhaps there was more… Physically Renee had all the right curves and he'd uncover every single inch of her tender flesh.

He couldn’t wait to see her again.