Mack couldn’t remember the last time he’d had such a perfect, relaxing day. Unless it was the day before, which he’d also spent with Gloria, and the day before that. He didn’t know what he’d do when she flew home to England, although taking her to meet Carl had been about more than just treating her to a ride in an antique plane. Carl was looking for a new instructor, someone with military experience. Mack was hoping the old airman would put two and two together and make Gloria an offer. He had his fingers crossed.

“This side of the island is so rural that I’d never know there was a major city just over those hills,” Gloria commented, awe in her voice, as they rounded a grassy knoll. An exquisite view of the sea stretched out around the knoll, complete with an old lighthouse.

“Aegiria has a fish-based economy, as we like to say,” he told her with a grin. “But there’s also a fair amount of agriculture on this side of the island. There are a lot of historic sites around here, including some Viking rune stones.”

“I’d love to see those,” she sighed, gazing out the window. “I want to see everything about this country.”

“We can see a lot of it from the lighthouse,” Mack said, nodding ahead of them as he turned onto the lane that wound toward the structure.

He parked, and once again tried to be a gentleman and help Gloria out of the car. She was far too eager to get out and explore to wait for him, though.

“When was this built?” she asked as they walked up the gravel path to the lighthouse door.

“Originally? In the late 18^th century. Although there have been lighthouses on this promontory for hundreds of years. It was updated in the mid-19^th century and again after World War II, but a couple years ago, I oversaw a complete renovation.”

He finished his explanation by opening the door into what was now a spectacularly modern apartment. Gloria gasped as she looked around at the updated furnishings, appliances, and electronics. Mack couldn’t help but smile.

“I spend weekends and holidays out here sometimes. It’s a great place to get away from it all.”

“I’ll say.” She glanced around at everything, eyes wide.

“Come on. Let’s go up top and I’ll show you the view.”

He took her hand. It felt so right in his. There was strength in her grip that matched the strength of her character. He led her up the curved staircase that wrapped around the outer edge of the lighthouse. It took them up past an open living room area, then on to the next floor, which was a cozy bedroom, and finally to a trapdoor that opened onto the deck. The old, cut-glass lantern that had warned sailors to steer clear of the rocky coast sat in the center of the deck, but it was the view in all directions that captured Gloria’s attention.

“Wow,” she said, raising a hand to her forehead as she gazed out at the sea. “This is magnificent. I can see why you come here to get away.”

“I first got interested in the lighthouse because of fishing.”

She turned back to him with a grin so teasing he wanted to sweep her into his arms. “Why am I not surprised.”

Mack chuckled, stepping forward to stand next to her along the railing. Their arms brushed as she faced out to the sea again, which sent a spike of longing through him. “I know. I’ve got a one-track mind.” They exchanged smiles. In spite of the breeze blowing off the water, heat rushed through him. “No, the connection is that the wives of fishermen used to come up here after a storm to keep watch for their husbands.”

“Oh,” she said, full of sentimentality.

“As soon as they spotted the fishing fleet, they’d light the lantern, showing them the way home, reminding them that their families were waiting for them, and letting everyone else on shore know that their men were safe and sound.”

“That’s beautiful.”

There was something warm, and at the same time longing in her voice. She wasn’t watching the waves or the sky anymore, she was watching him. He couldn’t resist the urge to act on everything he’d been feeling for the last few days.

He turned to her, taking her in his arms and kissing her. She accepted him with a soft sigh, molding her body to his. Everything about her was soft and lovely, and yet also pulsing with strength. He tasted her lips, grazing his teeth across her bottom lip and sliding his tongue along the seam of her mouth. She leaned closer, slipping her arms around him and opening her mouth to deepen their kiss.

He couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have a woman as wonderful as Gloria think he was special enough to be with. It made him question what he knew about his life and filled him with the motivation to do more, to be more.

“Was that a bedroom I spotted one floor down?” she asked in a breathless voice, sliding one hand down to grip his backside.

The jolt of lust that hit him instantly changed the hazy contentment he’d been feeling into a full-fledged conflagration. “It is,” he said, kissing her lips lightly and brushing his hand over her hip, then up under the loose fabric of her shirt until it rested against the skin of her side.

He felt her tense, felt her breath come in shallower gasps. “It would be a shame to come all this way not to make use of it,” she said.

“Are you sure that’s what you want?” he asked, praying it was. “How are your injuries?”

“They’ll be fine as long as we go slow.” She treated him to a mischievous grin. “This is what I’ve wanted since you whisked me out of the hospital and into a dream.” She touched her lips to his, then pulled back to say, “Did I say dream? I meant palace.”

“Dream works too.” He backed toward the stairs, bringing her with him. “It’s a dream I don’t want to wake up from.”

She laughed deep in her chest. The sound tickled him and sent his blood pounding to all the right places. He led her to the stairs, then down to the bedroom. They were both already peeling their clothes off by the time they reached the side of the bed. Mack hadn’t planned for any of it, but he thanked his lucky stars that he kept the lighthouse prepared in case of just this sort of event.

The sheets were clean, and as he tugged back the bedclothes, a faint scent of lavender filled the air. He pulled Gloria into his arms as soon as he had his shirt off. She was just finishing up unhooking her bra, which he took from her and dropped to the side. She had magnificent breasts which filled his hands. She hummed as he stroked and squeezed them, then brushed his thumbs across her hardening nipples.

“You’re so beautiful,” he said, kissing her neck, her shoulder, and then bending to close his mouth over one of her nipples. “I don’t think I’m ever going to be able to get enough of you.”

She made a sound that wasn’t quite words but encompassed everything she could have said. She reached for the waist of his jeans, unzipping them and pushing them down. His erection sprang up, and he caught his breath as she closed a hand around him and stroked. The sensation was so amazing that he was in serious danger of everything ending far too fast if they didn’t pace themselves.

He pulled away gently, pushing his jeans off along with his shoes. She followed suit, and within seconds, they were sinking into the sheets together, bodies wrapped around each other. He paused long enough to reach for a condom from the small stash in the bedside table, rolling it on in the hope that being sheathed would help him last longer. Gloria purred in approval, reaching for him and kissing him with complete openness.

He’d never felt so joyful making love to a woman. And taking care because of her injuries somehow made things that much sweeter. It wasn’t just about getting off or being satisfied. There were things going on between the two of them that words couldn’t communicate, only their bodies. He loved everything about her body, from her curves to the salt of her skin. She had long legs that felt perfect wrapped around him. Her skin was as soft as wispy clouds over the sea on a summer’s day. The way she reacted to his touch with full sensuality encouraged him to stroke her and explore every part of her with his hands and mouth.

When his efforts to give her pleasure finally reached their climax, she came with such passionate force, crying out and writhing as her body shuddered with release. He was so carried away by the freedom of her pleasure that the need to be one with her swallowed him whole. He plunged into her, reveling in the way she encompassed him. He was wild with need, pouring everything he had into filling her, until the rush of his own orgasm pulled him under. He shouted wordlessly as everything he had shot through him and into her, like lightning in a storm at sea.

It was so good that after the intensity of the storm passed, the two of them simply lay there like two pieces of driftwood washed up on the shore. The urge to sleep was almost overpowering, but he managed to dispose of the condom and fold her into his arms before they gave in to it. The last thought that Mack had before falling into sweet oblivion was that he would have to move heaven and earth to keep Gloria in his arms. He couldn’t let her go now.

Gloria awoke after a short snooze to the sound of a cell phone ringing somewhere on the floor beside the bed. At first, she thought it was a large, angry bee. She was too blissed out and her body felt too much like it’d been poured into bed for her to give it a second thought, though. Mack was a dream between the sheets. He’d given her every pleasure she could possibly have wanted, and the longer she could stay snuggled against his side, the better. He was just as fit as she’d remembered him to be when he rescued her, and he had nothing to be ashamed about in the manly department.

She was just beginning to contemplate asking how many condoms were in the bedside table when the phone buzzed again. This time, Mack stirred, growled, and shifted to hang off the side of the bed long enough to grab the phone.

“Yeah?” he said, his voice groggy, as he held the phone to his ear. There was a pause before he let out a long, irritated sigh. “Can’t it wait?” Another pause, then, “It really doesn’t seem important for me to—” He went quiet again before his jaw clenched. He rubbed a hand over his eyes. “All right, but we’re clear on the other side of the island, at the lighthouse. It’ll take about an hour to get back. Yeah. Yeah. Goodbye.”

He touched his phone’s screen, then put it aside before turning to her. In spite of the aggravation of his call, he smiled at her. “You look amazing.”

Gloria chuckled. “I look like I’ve had a tumble.”

His grin widened. “Exactly.”

Her laughter grew, and she rested her head against his shoulder for a moment before sighing and sitting up. The sheets pooled around her waist, and his gaze shot straight to her breasts. Which she kind of liked. “I guess whatever that is means the dream is over for the time being.”

“I wish it didn’t have to be,” he said, curving a hand around one of her breasts. Shoots of pleasure zipped through her, coalescing in her core and making her hate whoever had just called Mack. “But yeah, apparently I’m needed back at the palace.”

“Are you sure?” She rested a hand on his chest, feeling his heart pounding.

“Wedding stuff,” he grumbled, then sat up with her. “Some sort of interview or press thing.”

“Too bad,” she sighed.

They managed to climb out of bed, although not without a lot more kissing and touching. There was a moment when Gloria was certain they’d change their minds and go back for a second round of hide the sausage, but in the end, Mack proved himself to be as responsible as she knew he was. They took turns tidying up in the lighthouse’s small bathroom, made the bed—although Mack hinted that he’d have someone come in to change the sheets soon—and made their way back to his car to head home to Solrighavn.

Home. Again, Gloria was filled with the deep sense that Aegiria could be home. Now more than ever.

They took a slightly different, more direct route back to the capital city than the winding, sea-view route they’d driven to the lighthouse. There were plenty of things to see inland as well. Not only were there farms and hillsides dotted with sheep, but a few massive, old houses stood out against the scenery as well. One in particular struck her.

“Who lives there?” she asked as they neared the city and passed an imposing house built in a 19^th century style.

“That?” Mack glanced out the window. “Earl Herman Lindqvist. And my brothers, Viggo and Johan—who just have to be rebels and not live in the palace like the rest of us—share a house just beyond Lindqvist’s estate.”

“Estate?” Gloria’s eyes went wide.

“Lindqvist is a member of Aegirian nobility. We’ve got the same structure of dukes, earls, and counts as the rest of Europe used to have. Lindqvist is an earl.”

“We’ve got a couple of those hanging around at home ourselves,” she said with a smirk. “They usually just attend posh garden parties and horsey events.”

Mack chuckled. “Our dukes and earls have a bit more to do with the government.” He frowned as he took a second look at the estate. “Lindqvist in particular. He’s been vocally opposed to a lot of Mother’s policies. And his daughter was supposed to marry Alek.”

“Supposed to?”

Mack sent her a sideways look. “He, uh, kind of threw her over for his bodyguard.”

“I thought Toni was a sweetheart when I met her the other day,” Gloria said.

“Marcia, Lindqvist’s daughter, is nice too. Although a little closed off, if you ask me. I always feel like she’s hiding something behind those innocent eyes of hers.”

Gloria laughed. He was probably just reading the woman wrong.

But Mack went on with, “Lindqvist used to date my Aunt Marina ages ago too. I can’t remember why they split up, but I have this weird feeling like there was a lot of bad blood after the fact.” He paused, frowning in thought. “Lindqvist is bad blood personified.”

“Is he?”

Mack smirked. “You have no idea.”

Their conversation was cut short as they reached the first traffic light at the edge of Solrighavn, and Mack’s phone rang once more. Again, it was whoever had called him the first time, urging them to get a move on. The call left Mack in a grumpy mood, and Gloria more than a little put out on his behalf.

She was even more put out when, the moment they reached the palace, one of the palace staff who Gloria had met the day before, Ivan, swooped in to march Mack away.

“What’s all the hurry about?” Mack asked the man, glancing to Gloria and motioning for her to come along.

Ivan didn’t seem to mind her presence. “Princess Marina wants the entire family present for this particular interview. She wants the family to stand united behind your mother.”

“Does she?” Mack sent her a flat look over his shoulder.

Of all things, that look swirled through her, making her feel lighter than air. He was including her in family business, letting her know his thoughts. Considering everything they’d been up to that day, it left her tingly and hopeful.

The feeling was quickly squashed by the chaos of the press conference. Mack was dragged to the front of a room full of reporters to sit with his brothers while the press grilled the queen and Dr. Hayes with mundane questions about flowers, venues, and honeymoon plans. As interesting as Gloria found the whole royal family and the political situation in Aegiria, within minutes, she found herself drifting to a gilded chair at the back of the room. She sat, exhausted.

“It gets like this.”

No sooner had Gloria closed her eyes to entertain the possibility of a vertical cat nap when Tracy sat in the chair next to her.

“The royal family,” Tracy went on. “The way the Aegirian press hounds them. It gets like this.”

“You’ve been here covering news stories in Aegiria for a while now, haven’t you?” Gloria forced herself to sit straighter.

“Several weeks now.” Tracy shrugged. She glanced toward the table full of princes, a slight blush on her cheeks. “I think I might stick around for a while.”

Gloria tried to follow the line of Tracy’s sight to see who she was zeroing in on, but couldn’t quite tell.

A thought struck her, and she sat straighter. “So, if you’ve been reporting on all things Aegirian recently, have you learned anything about the fishing industry or the oil rigs out in the Baltic?” It felt as though her flight with Mack and Carl was ages ago, even though it was just that morning.

Tracy grinned sideways at her. “You’ve been hanging out with Prince Mikael, haven’t you?”

She answered with a guilty grin. “We went for a flight over the sea this morning.” She’d leave out the afternoon at the lighthouse for now. “While we were out there, we spotted an oil rig that neither Mack nor Carl seemed to know about.”

“There are literally hundreds of oil rigs in the Baltic Sea,” Tracy said. “I’m surprised Prince Mikael didn’t go on and on about it.”

“He did, a little,” she said. “It’s a shame that he wasn’t allowed to go into a career in fishing or environmental science.”

Tracy’s expression opened. “If you want to know more about fish or conservation around here, you should really talk to Dr. Hayes.”

“Mack said he’s the absolute authority about the environment in Aegiria.”

“He is.”

Their attention was yanked to the front of the room as the press conference broke up, the royal family stood behind their table, and the reporters and photographers began to move away or speak to the queen. Gloria and Tracy stood, heading closer to the family themselves.

Gloria had to wait for Mack to finish, though. The press seemed intent on getting as many photographs of the princes as possible and on getting quotes from them. She was surprised to watch Dr. Hayes whisper something to the queen, then duck away from the reporters. She didn’t think they’d let him go, but within moments, he’d snuck over to the windows where Gloria and Tracy stood.

“I’m never going to get used to press attention like that,” he told them, shaking his head and making a dramatic face. “Besides, I look terrible in photographs. Some people were born with the right face. I was born with this one.” He made a strange face to prove his point.

Gloria laughed. In spite of what others had said about him, she thought Dr. Hayes was charming and refreshing. “I’m sure you look fine in any pictures,” she said, resting a hand briefly on his arm.

“It’s nice of you to say that.” He smiled “Even if you’re wrong.”

They shared a companionable chuckle.

“Dr. Hayes, Gloria here was just asking me about an oil rig she and Prince Mikael spotted out in the Baltic on a flight today,” Tracy cut in.

Gloria wasn’t sure whether to be embarrassed by the comment or grateful that the topic had been broached. Especially when Dr. Hayes made an irritated face and snorted.

“I appreciate mankind’s desire to improve technology and advance mechanics, but we really need to stop doing it at the expense of our environment,” he said, giving Gloria the impression of a grumpy activist.

“I hear if they’re managed well, those oil rigs are fine,” she said.

He shook his head and growled. “It’s too easy to cut corners. As a result, the world’s fish population is in dire straits.”

“I guess there’s more money in oil than in fish,” Tracy said.

“That’s the problem,” Dr. Hayes went on. “Greed will end us all if we’re not careful.”

In spite of the topic of conversation, Gloria smiled. “Dr. Hayes, you don’t strike me as the pessimistic type.”

“I’m not, normally,” Dr. Hayes answered.

A cluster of reporters whisked past them, forcing Gloria to squeeze closer to Dr. Hayes to let them through. She grabbed his arm for support, and like a gentleman, he reached out to steady her. Tracy waved to them before hurrying off to join the reporters’ conversation.

“Is there a way to keep track of all the oil rigs?” Gloria asked once she and Dr. Hayes were alone.

“There’s supposed to be,” Dr. Hayes said. “I keep pushing for more in my role as advisor to the queen. Maybe once we’re married, I’ll have a little more clout.”

He said something else, but Gloria barely heard it. She glanced across the room to find Mack smiling at her. His face was still sun-kissed from all the time they’d spent driving and flying, although the faint blush he wore hinted at their other activities. He was obviously happy. His mood was so clearly good that even his sour-faced aunt, who stood next to him with her arms crossed, staring hard at Gloria with narrowed eyes, couldn’t dent his happiness.

Gloria turned back to Dr. Hayes, still feeling the glow of everything Mack made her feel.

“Maybe you can get some help from Mack,” she told Dr. Hayes, sure she was grinning like a fool.

“I think that’d be an excellent idea.” Dr. Hayes grinned back at her. He must have picked up on her mood, because he looked as content with life as either she or Mack did.

“Dr. Hayes, can we get a statement?” one of the reporters in the group that had nearly flattened them moments before asked.

Dr. Hayes sighed. “Duty calls. But I’d be interested in telling you so much more about all this later.”

“I’d like that,” Gloria said. She stepped away, allowing Dr. Hayes to take the spotlight again. Her eyes drifted to the door. She was ready to find her way back to her room for a nap. Better still, she was ready to retire to her luxurious palace suite with Mack by her side for something that would sap even more of her energy.

At the other end of the room, Mack was still fielding questions. He kept glancing in her direction with an apologetic look, though. Finally, Gloria took her cell phone out of her purse and held it up for Mack to see. She mouthed, “Call me,” and when Mack nodded that he got the message, she gave him one last, dazzling smile, before heading out off through the palace as if she belonged there.