Wrong Prince, Right Lover by Glover Christine

Author:Glover, Christine
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-01-21T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

Shadows and light played on Santiago’s handsome face. He pressed his lips together and his nostrils flared. Her stomach dipped and rolled, but Ilsa wrapped her courage around her like a cloak and raised her chin. “Well?” she asked. “What gives? Because from where I sit, you let them define you when you’re so much more than they gave you credit for.”

Santiago shrugged. “I got tired of trying to gain their approval,” he said matter-of-factly. “And you can’t change reality. They didn’t want the changes I’m bringing to Valdoria. I did shirk the traditional duties. Call it my minor act of rebellion.”

“You weren’t rebelling.” She scooted higher up his body until her mouth was scant millimeters from his. “You brokered a potential deal with Pinnacle after you mopped up the mess your father left behind in the wake of his sudden death.” Though they’d never spoken about it, she knew his father’s mistress had contacted Santiago after the King collapsed in her bedroom. In addition to the tabloids and gossip e-zines, Javier had given her the heads up by giving her talking points for the press should they contact her.

“If I’d known my brother would use my father’s affairs as a reason not to approve the incentives package, I’d have stopped trying.” He caressed her back until he reached her waist to hold her. “Far less frustrating.”

Santiago’s hands were ice-cold despite the warm Mediterranean breeze wafting into the cabana and the heat of blankets cocooning them. “You’re lying.” She kissed his taut, stubbled jaw. “You love Valdoria so much you fought to bring a top-rated tech company here despite your brother’s objections. I heard you tell Javier you’d do anything to salvage the deal. And you married me to stop a war.”

“You made the same choice.”

“Exactly. But you didn’t have to do anything. You could have abandoned Valdoria,” she said. “But you didn’t. Let me in, Santiago. I’m your wife. Your lover. Your friend. You do trust me, don’t you?” God, if he didn’t her heart might break a little. And she’d barely repaired the recent damage.

He wet his lips again, gave her a too-quick smile which didn’t reach his eyes and glanced away before returning it to hers. “I’ve spent my entire life living in my brother’s shadow as his spare.” He swallowed hard. “Hell, being Javier’s replacement part is the only reason I exist.”

A sudden cold feeling expanded in her core and spread into all her limbs. She couldn’t imagine growing up with that belief. Nor could she imagine a world without Santiago in it. “Your mother definitely played favorites,” she said softly while feathering her fingers over lips. “But I never understood why.”

A muscle jumped in his jaw and he inhaled a deep breath. “My parents loathed each other,” he said after he exhaled. “Mother adored Javier and would have stopped having babies after he arrived. She didn’t want to be with my father unless they had a formal occasion to attend.”

His voice was devoid of emotion.

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