Crowning His Unlikely Princess (Mills & Boon Modern) Read online

  And then suddenly that reprieve was shattered when she felt the air shift behind her. Knowing that it could only be her boss, she gripped her jacket-wrapped parcel tighter and turned, letting out a short gasp when she was confronted by the sight of him. Sweat-soaked in a singlet top that did little to disguise his wide shoulders and ripped torso and tiny gym shorts that hugged his strong thighs, he was a spectacular display of blatant male power and vitality. He had earbuds inserted and she could hear the pounding music from where she stood.

  For a moment she couldn’t speak, her body frozen by the impact of over six feet of bronzed, honed muscle glistening with athletic prowess. Of course, she’d guessed that he was well built beneath his custom-made business suits but her imagination hadn’t even come close to the real thing.

  Logan’s eyes did a slow perusal down her body and she was so out of sorts she felt her insides start to heat up, her heart pumping hard again as if she was still outside, rushing to get out of the rain.

  She swallowed heavily, horrified to note that her body was reacting to the sight of him in a way that transcended the professional boss-employee relationship. It had been the same reaction she’d had on first meeting him behind his big desk in a tailored suit and a very bad mood. He hadn’t smiled at her then either, testing her mettle by reading her every reaction to his questions with thickly lashed deep blue eyes that were dangerously intelligent.

  It was the same look he was giving her now, only this time she didn’t feel half as successful at hiding her emotions, something she generally considered one of her superpowers after a childhood fraught with upheaval.

  A superpower she had employed within the confines of his office that very first day to hide how attractive she’d found him, concentrating instead on how fortunate she had been to even have the chance at such a prestigious job, and how desperately she had needed the money. It had also helped that there was the somewhat minor—but pivotal—point that a man who already had everything the world had to offer would not give a woman such as herself a second glance.

  A bead of water rolled from her forehead down her nose and onto her top lip. Her tongue sneaked out to capture it and Logan’s blue eyes darkened, his nostrils flaring as his gaze lingered on her lips. Cassidy felt a surge of sexual awareness so deeply within her body it shook her to the core.

  She was like a startled impala facing a hungry lion, with nowhere to run, and she suddenly felt less annoyed at the women who regularly called his office, trying to win a second chance with him, and more sorry for them. If he ever swept her up in those massive arms she wasn’t certain she’d want him to let her go either.

  Fortunately the scowl that crossed his face was a timely reminder that the chance of him ever sweeping her up into anything was less than zero.

  Squeezing her soggy jacket tighter against her chest, she knew that she had to do something to sever this strange connection between them before she embarrassed herself.

  But before she had the chance, Logan reached into his pocket and killed the music on his phone before yanking the earbuds out of his ears. ‘What are you doing here, Cassidy? And why are you dripping all over my floor?’

  They had started using their first names after about six months of working together when he had complained that he felt like she was always about to deliver bad news when she addressed him as Mr de Silva, but now her name sounded strangely intimate on his tongue.

  ‘I...’ She crushed the moment of madness she’d just experienced and lifted her chin. ‘I need to give you the prospectuses for your meeting tomorrow morning.’ She unwrapped the jacket in her arms and held out the package but he didn’t move to take it.

  ‘I already have the prospectuses for tomorrow.’

  Cassidy grimaced and with her free hand brushed at the rivulets of water rolling down her neck. ‘Actually, you don’t. You have the wrong ones.’

  ‘Wrong...’ His eyes scanned her from head to toe again, a scowl darkening his blue eyes. ‘You’re drenched.’

  ‘Sorry.’ She glanced down to find that her blouse was so wet she might as well have not been wearing one. With a squeak of alarm she crossed her free arm over her breasts, only then realising how terrible she must look in general.

  His scowl deepened as he plucked her sodden jacket and the package from her hand and disappeared down the hallway, returning a moment later with a towel.

  ‘You know where the bathroom is,’ he bit out, keeping his eyes above her neckline. ‘Use it.’

  ‘Actually, I don’t,’ she said, rubbing her arms from the chill that was either coming from him or the air-conditioning. ‘I’ve only ever dropped things off before and left.’

  Clearly annoyed to have his peaceful night invaded, he strode down the hall, impatience evident in every taut line of his hard body. ‘Here.’

  He pushed open the door to a bathroom and Cassidy gratefully disappeared inside.

  She nearly let out another squeak at seeing blotches of mascara pooled beneath her eyes and straggly bits of her hair sticking to her ears and neck.

  The ruined woman in the mirror was not the impeccably presented one she had turned herself into since leaving Ohio and it was yet more confirmation that she should not have got out of bed that morning.

  Taking a deep breath, she skimmed the towel beneath her eyes and wiped her face and neck. Then she unpinned her hair and searched in her bag for her hairbrush. Not finding it, she had a vague memory of Amber asking if she could borrow it the night before. Cursing her beloved niece, she finger-combed the mass of tangled waves and tried to re-pin her hair. Unfortunately the rain had made it curl in every direction so she gave up, letting it hang past her shoulders. She shivered in the air-conditioned bathroom and groaned anew when she realised that her bra was visible beneath the downlights.

  Terrific.

  She pulled her blouse away from her skin and wondered if it would look odd if she walked out holding it like that.

  Deciding that she’d have to brazen it out, she tilted her chin and exited the bathroom. She’d get her coat, wish her boss goodnight, and head off to face the next disaster. It couldn’t possibly be any worse than this one.

  Peeking into the living room, she caught sight of her boss outlined against the New York skyline, his hands on his hips. The clouds had parted and late sunbeams shone down on the newly washed buildings, gilding them in gold and silver.

  But it was the gorgeous view inside the room that held her attention more. Tall, broad-shouldered and lean-hipped, with long, muscular legs and dark blond hair that gently curled against his strong neck, he was the epitome of sleek male power in the prime of life. He might be a cold-hearted workaholic but he was pure perfection to look at.

  Against her wishes her heart rate quickened once again and, unwilling to get caught staring at him a second time, she turned away to hunt for her jacket.

  Logan turned to find Cassidy scanning the room and looking more like something the cat would drag in than his usual efficient EA. All day she’d been off and now she even looked it. Her usually perfect up-do a cloud of chestnut waves, her wet blouse the texture of tissue paper, and just as revealing, and her face clean of make-up. The only thing familiar about her was her glasses, ones she’d adjusted further up her nose with her little finger when she’d caught him staring at her. A nervous gesture he’d only ever seen now and then.

  His office ran like clockwork thanks to her. But the woman standing in front of him looked like she should be about to do a strip tease before ending up in his bed.

  Wondering when his libido had regressed to the point that a woman in a wet shirt could turn him on, he strode out of the room and returned with one of his sweatshirts. ‘Unless you’re planning to enter a wet T-shirt competition after you leave here, you’d better put this on.’

  Her eyes didn’t quite meet his as she took it from him and slid it over her head, her thanks muffled by
the fabric.

  The sweatshirt was miles too big, falling midway down her thighs and draping over her hands, but it did the job of turning her from shapely to shapeless as required.

  He didn’t know what had happened today but it had all started when he had arrived at his office to find that Cassidy wasn’t there. Always on time, and with his morning coffee ready for when he walked in, she had been noticeably absent. Not only had he been required to make his own coffee but he’d had to field two visits from junior staff asking for information he didn’t have. Then his COO’s assistant had stopped by to make an appointment for him to meet with her boss and had tried to linger.

  When Cassidy had finally arrived, blaming the subway, she’d been harried. At first he hadn’t noticed because she’d appeared as well groomed as always in a black suit and white blouse, her auburn hair pinned back into a French twist. She’d worn it like that on her first day and had never deviated from the style. It had annoyed him at first because it was always the same, but then he’d come to appreciate her consistency. Not to mention her efficiency.

  But she hadn’t been efficient today. Following up one unexpected mistake with another and another until he’d almost asked her what was wrong.

  He hadn’t because the last thing he wanted to do was to encourage personal interactions in the office. He did not want to give her any ideas that might change the nature of their working relationship. Something that had happened with more than one EA in the past.

  In his experience people were rarely as they seemed on the outside and yet he was sure that his EA was exactly as she seemed: an intelligent, quiet, sensible woman who had incredibly sultry lips. And vivid, velvet-green eyes. He’d noticed both right away, and nearly hadn’t hired her because of his reaction to them, but his HR manager had convinced him that she was perfect.

  And she had been.

  Perfect.

  Until now.

  She glanced at him and adjusted her glasses again. ‘I know you’re busy so if you tell me where my jacket is, I’ll get out of your hair.’

  ‘Not before you explain why I left the office with the wrong information, you won’t.’

  She sighed heavily, her chest rising and falling with the effort. ‘I was hoping you wouldn’t ask.’

  Logan raised a brow at her evasive response, another clue that his EA had left the building and had been replaced by a woman he didn’t know.

  ‘Relying on hope is a waste of time and since we don’t always get what we want I’ll ask again.’

  She glanced at her hands before raising her little chin as she looked at him. ‘I gave you the draft of the prospectus that was the one before the final copy.’ She opened her hands in front of her in a conciliatory gesture. ‘I’m not sure how it happened. I did text you to let you know I would be stopping by but clearly you didn’t get it.’

  ‘Clearly.’ He tried not to be annoyed at her incompetence but he was. ‘But I could have collected them from the office in the morning.’

  ‘You have an early flight to Boston and I didn’t want to put you out.’ She gripped her fingers together. ‘It’s been a horrible day and I’m really sorry for mucking up.’ Her hands lifted in a helpless gesture. ‘I’m not myself right now.’

  She could join the club. If his unwanted physical reaction to her was any indication, he wasn’t himself either. Which was why he needed to retrieve her jacket and send her on her way. About to do exactly that, he frowned when his phone rang. Pulling it from his pocket, his frown deepened when he saw his brother’s name flash up on the screen.

  Given that it was the middle of the night in Arrantino, it couldn’t be good news and he pressed the answer button.

  ‘What?’

  His blunt greeting was met with a touch of humour. ‘Have I caught you at a bad time, brother? You’re not with a woman, are you?’

  ‘Yes.’ Before he could think better of it his eyes raked over Cassidy again. She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and the innocent gesture sent a raw bolt of primal lust roaring through his blood. Closing it down with ironclad self-control, he turned away from her and corrected his answer. ‘No.’

  ‘Good. Have you got a minute? I have...something to tell you.’

  Hearing the hesitation in his brother’s voice sent an icy shiver of dread down his spine, driving all thoughts of his EA’s legs from his mind. ‘What is it? Have you been to the doctor? Has—?’

  Logan stopped, unable to voice the fear that his brother’s teenage leukaemia had returned. Leo had fought the illness bravely but Logan doubted he would ever fully recover from seeing his brother so weakened by the disease. Neither would he forget how powerless he had felt in the face of something he couldn’t control.

  ‘No. It’s nothing like that,’ his brother assured him. ‘Well, not entirely. It’s just that...’ The pause on the end of the phone took ten years off Logan’s life. ‘I’ve decided to abdicate. Which makes you the next King of Arrantino.’

  CHAPTER TWO

  LOGAN’S EYES NARROWED on the darkening sky that stretched for miles outside his window, not sure he’d heard his brother correctly. ‘Abdicate?’ He ploughed his hand through his sweaty blond hair. ‘What the hell are you talking about?’

  ‘An...issue has arisen.’ His brother sounded pained. ‘It wasn’t supposed to be like this, to be splashed across the news, but... You know how this works. We live in a goldfish bowl. I wanted it to come out differently but that opportunity has passed.’

  ‘You’re not making a bit of sense,’ Logan growled. ‘Cut to the chase and tell me what’s going on.’

  ‘The long and short of it is that Anastasia and I have formally broken up and I’m stepping down.’

  ‘Divorcing your wife is not a reason to abdicate,’ Logan said. Especially when divorcing that scheming little predator was the best thing Leo could ever do for himself and his country. The woman had played both of them like a finely tuned instrument five years ago, latching onto the brother who would make her Queen in the end. She had caused a rift between the two of them when Logan had tried to warn Leo against marriage. But her beauty had blinded Leo, and Logan suspected that his brother had also been heavily influenced by his duty as King. Their mother had been in Leo’s ear about the need to produce an heir for months before Anastasia had turned up on the scene and the notion had taken root. Unlike Logan, Leo had always tried to do the right thing, rarely questioning his royal duties. Until now, it seemed.

  ‘No, it’s not,’ Leo agreed. ‘But having an affair that has made headline news around the world is.’

  ‘Damn.’ Logan swore under his breath. He had never had any hard evidence of Anastasia’s affairs, but perhaps she had gone too far this time and finally shown his brother her true colours. ‘What has Anastasia done now?’ he asked, not even trying to mask the disgust in his voice.

  ‘It’s not Anastasia. It’s me. And strictly speaking I haven’t had an affair because I haven’t consummated the relationship yet, but I was photographed kissing another woman and the press are playing it that way, so what does it matter? Mother has hit the roof. The world’s press are trying to draw comparisons between myself and Father and are desperate to know who my new love interest is... It’s bedlam over here.’

  Still processing the fact that his brother was seeing another woman, Logan braced a hand against the window, his muscles rigid. He had no doubt that his mother had hit the roof.

  They had all lived in the shadow of their late father’s damaging affairs and she had been hurt the most. Both he and his brother had hated his father for it so the fact that Leo had let this happen was shocking enough. The fact that he wanted to abdicate unthinkable.

  ‘Just keep a cool head,’ he advised, already working out how he was going to handle the crisis. ‘And don’t do anything rash. Like abdicate!’

  ‘Too late,’ Leo stated without any humour in his voic
e. ‘And actually it’s not a rash decision. I made it a month ago. I’ve just been sitting with it to make sure it’s the right one to make.’

  ‘A month ago? Why the hell didn’t you call me earlier?’

  ‘Because if it wasn’t right I didn’t want to bother you. And I knew you’d try to talk me out of it.’

  ‘Damn right I’d have tried to talk you out of it. I wasn’t born to be King, you were. And I don’t want the job!’

  ‘I had a feeling you’d say that but if you really don’t want to do it then we can pass the throne to Ped—’

  ‘Do not even go there,’ Logan warned, his throat burning with fury. ‘Pedro wouldn’t know the first thing about running a country and we both know it.’ Their cousin was a surfing maniac who preferred the beach to the boardroom and little else. Except maybe women.

  ‘Yes. But I can no longer fulfil the role. The woman I’m in love with is a single mother who hates the spotlight and—’

  ‘In love?’ Logan pushed away from the window, suddenly conscious that Cassidy was still standing in the middle of his living room, nibbling on her lower lip. Dragging his gaze away from those even white teeth, he refocused. ‘Are you serious?’

  Leo laughed self-consciously. ‘I know you think love is little more than sentimental tripe, but it’s not. This woman is wonderful. Amazing. I had no idea I could feel this way and all I want to do is protect her and her daughter.’

  All Logan wanted to do was stop his brother from doing something stupid. Like abdicate. Because there was no way he wanted to be King. He’d never overly enjoyed the pomp and ceremony and the constant attention that went with royal life, and he really hated the comparisons that were made between him and their late father. As the son who looked most like the old man he’d always borne the brunt of that kind of attention and he’d hated being likened to a man he didn’t respect. A man who had chosen to put everything in life—his job, his passions, and his baser instincts—ahead of the welfare of his family and country.