Part of His Royal World, page 2
* * *
“Well, look who’s finally up and about.”
Riko didn’t bother to stifle a weary sigh as his brother approached him from the other side of the terrace. For a set of identical twins, they were different in as many ways as they were similar. Whereas Manny kept his dark hair straight with the use of two different products, Riko preferred his natural waves. Manny’s style of dress was completely different also: he preferred casual shorts and T-shirts even in cool weather whereas Riko made sure he was dressed appropriately in the way the occasion called for.
Now, Manny was no doubt about to pepper him with the same questions about what had happened to him the other day. He appreciated everyone’s concern, he really did.
But he was getting a little tired of the attention and the constant concern for his well-being. Mama in particular was bordering on obsessive, checking on him constantly, trying to pamper him like a toddler. It was bad enough she’d had the family physician move into Riko’s personal wing in the palace. And everyone had so many questions, lobbed at him from every direction.
It wasn’t as if he could remember the details clearly. Aside from a pair of haunting bluish-green eyes and fiery red hair in his mind’s eye, he couldn’t recall a thing about the accident. It was a blurry vision, dreamlike. A vision everyone assured him he must have imagined.
“How’re ya feeling?” Manny asked, pulling out a metal wire chair and sitting across from him. A server immediately appeared with a steaming pot of coffee and a fresh mug.
“I’m fine,” Riko answered. “No different than last night when you asked.”
Manny grinned, taking a large swallow from his cup. “And we’re gonna keep asking you until all of this becomes a distant memory.” He set his beverage down. “Speaking of memory...”
Riko shook his head. “Nope, all I remember about the accident is what I already told you and everyone else.”
Manny lifted an eyebrow. “Still sticking to that story, huh?”
“I know what I saw.”
“Except you don’t, big bro.” Riko hated when Manny called him that. They were identical twins, for heaven’s sake. Just because he happened to be delivered first hardly made him Manny’s big bro.
His brother knew exactly how much it perturbed Riko to be referred to that way. Which was why Manny insisted on doing so.
“Somebody got me out of the water,” Riko argued.
Manny nodded once. “Right. We’ve established that. The palace is trying to locate the person as we speak. The incredulous part is you seem to think your rescuer was a girl wearing seashells with fiery red hair. Who appeared out from the churning waves and swam you back to shore.” His brother didn’t bother to hide his disbelieving smirk.
“That’s right.”
Manny gave him a mischievous wink. “You sure you haven’t been fantasizing about mermaids, big bro?”
Riko ignored the silly question. But it irked him enough that he wasn’t going to let the nickname slide this time. Though he wasn’t sure why he even bothered. Not like Manny would be deterred. “Don’t call me that.”
“You know I will.”
Riko groaned out loud but decided to let it go. Again. “What’s the latest about finding her?”
“Your mermaid?”
His brother could rile him like no one else on the planet. It was no wonder half the physical scars they both sported were a result of all their fisticuffs as children. The rest were mostly due to the two of them trying to outdo each other with reckless stunts like climbing the highest tree in the royal gardens or riding their bikes too fast downhill in the wooded area behind the palace.
“My rescuer,” Riko corrected. “I’d like to make sure she’s properly rewarded.”
Manny’s lips thinned, suddenly growing serious. “As would we all. Mama and Papa are very grateful.”
Riko wasn’t one to pass an opportunity to tease his brother, even about a matter this serious. “What about you, huh? Are you grateful that your twin brother didn’t perish in a tumultuous sea? How badly would you have missed me?”
The mischievous grin immediately reappeared. “As if.”
Riko leaned back in his chair, not ready to let his brother off the proverbial hook. “Huh. I seem to recall you arriving at my hospital bed before anyone else and looking rather concerned.”
Manny shrugged. “I just knew Ramon and Tatyana would have been upset to lose their only uncle,” he answered, referring to his six-year-old son and four-year-old daughter respectively. “I was concerned on their behalf.”
“Right.”
Manny rubbed his jaw with such exaggerated seriousness that Riko could tell without a doubt he was about to receive some more ridicule. “You know, it occurs to me that maybe we’re looking for this person in the wrong places.”
He knew better than to ask but couldn’t seem to help himself. “How so?”
“Rather than on land, maybe we should be searching for her under the sea.”
He’d been right. “Ha ha. Very funny. Don’t you have a pregnant wife to tend to instead of sitting here hassling me?”
A shadow darkened his brother’s eyes. Any hint of humor left his features. “What is it?” Riko asked, alarm churning in his gut.
Manny’s lips tightened. “We didn’t want to say anything so as not to worry anyone. Especially after...” He gestured in Riko’s direction. “We swore the obstetrician to secrecy.”
His alarm tripled. “Obstetrician? Is Isabel all right?”
Manny rubbed his forehead. “She’s been experiencing some pain. Some other symptoms that aren’t normal.”
“You don’t want to tell Mama?”
Manny shook his head. “We don’t want to tell anyone.” His brother didn’t have to say aloud what they were both thinking. Riko was the exception. There’d never been any secrets between them. If it wasn’t for his accident, Riko would have known that something wasn’t sitting right with his brother.
Manny continued. “Not yet. Not until we know a little more. You know how Mama can get. Look at how she’s reacting to your accident.”
“Overreacting might be a better term. She needs to stop hovering.” Riko took his brother’s words as what they were, a desire to change the subject. When Manny was ready to talk more about his worry for his wife, Riko would be there to listen. He just hoped his sister-in-law didn’t have anything serious to contend with during her pregnancy.
Manny was a strong man, but the love he had for his wife and children was definitely his soft spot. A weakness Riko understood but couldn’t quite relate to himself.
He didn’t know if he ever would.
CHAPTER TWO
ELLE WASN’T MUCH for cursing. But she was silently going through every expletive in her vocabulary as she collected her few belongings.
What in the world was she supposed to do now? As of an hour ago, she had no job, no place to stay, and very little money.
Of all the nerve. Diego had been looking for an excuse to get rid of her. And she’d handed him one on a silver platter by leaving the children with Señora Rita. Never mind that she’d done the only thing any sane person would have done in the same situation. What had Diego wanted her to do instead? Let the poor man drown?
Her phone buzzed on the wooden tableau across the room. No doubt her sister Lizzie calling. Again. She ignored it. As much as she loved her three sisters, she wasn’t ready to talk to anyone in her family just yet about her latest disappointment. Though the word Mom and Dad would use would run more toward “failure.”
Damn it. This last one was not her fault. The buzzing of her phone stopped finally. But it was immediately followed by several texts. Her sisters could be pretty demanding. One could hardly blame them. They didn’t have time to waste trying to get hold of their younger sibling. They all had important careers and big responsibilities. Unlike her.
Striding over to the device to shut it off, Elle glanced at the screen.
Haven’t heard from you in two days. If you don’t call me back right away I’m sending the Spanish army after you.
Elle sighed. Being a prosecutor, her sister Lizzie saw her fair share of alarming crimes. As a result, she could be a bit overprotective. Annoyed but resigned, Elle plopped onto her stripped mattress and hit the call back button. She’d tell Lizzie just enough to get her off her back. For a while anyway. Her sister wouldn’t relent until she knew the whole story.
And when she did, out of her misplaced concern, she would tell their parents. That was the last thing Elle needed.
Lizzie answered before the end of the first ring. She didn’t so much as bother with a “hello.” “Where have you been? Are you all right?”
Elle rubbed her forehead then mustered the cheeriest voice she could. “I’m great. Everything’s great. But I’m a little busy right now. Can I call you back?”
She realized her mistake immediately. How stupid of her. She’d overdone the enthusiasm. Several seconds of silence passed before Lizzie let loose. “Spill it, Arielle.” Uh-oh, her sister was even using her full name. “What’s the matter?” she demanded to know. Elle tried to hold strong, she really did. But the concern and worry behind her sister’s voice had her undone in seconds.
She found herself blurting out the whole story while utterly failing in her attempt not to cry.
This was a disaster. Lizzie was going to go straight to her parents. Then either Mom or Dad, perhaps both, would be on the next flight to Barcelona then onto a ferry straight to Majorca. She wouldn’t even get a chance to try and fix her predicament on her own. Never mind that Elle had no idea how exactly she would have done so. That was beside the point.
Surprisingly, Lizzie’s next words had no mention of notifying their parents. Instead, her sister did some colorful swearing of her own, outrage on Elle’s behalf clear and strong in her voice. “Do you mean to tell me that SOB fired you for saving a man from drowning?”
“I’m afraid so,” Elle answered. “He said I should have figured out a way to help the drowning man without leaving the kids with only a little old lady to watch over them.”
“Wasn’t that the guy who kept asking you out and you kept turning down?”
“One and the same,” Elle answered, stifling another sob.
“Of all the... Clearly, he had ulterior motives.”
Be that as it may, it still left Elle without a job or a roof over her head until she could think of a solution to her predicament.
“He’s lucky I have no jurisdiction overseas,” Lizzie added.
A hiccup escaped her throat. “Do you think he was right, Liz? Maybe even a little?” After all, she had left the children entrusted to Señora Rita’s care. They hadn’t been in any kind of danger, but what if one of them had wandered off and Señora Rita hadn’t noticed?
“Absolutely not,” her sister answered right away. “It was an impossible situation, and you used your best judgment. At the least, your creep of a boss could have given you a verbal warning or some other kind of slap on the wrist. Instead, he fires you.”
The tension she hadn’t even known she was holding in her center loosened. Up until she’d asked the question aloud, Elle hadn’t even realized how much the notion that Diego might have been right had been bothering her. Her sister’s reassurance had her feeling better, if only slightly.
“It’s okay, Lizzie. I’ll figure this out. Just promise me you won’t tell Mom and Dad. I don’t want them to worry.” Or worse, show up in Majorca, she added silently.
Another long pause. Elle could practically see her sister debating internally about making such a promise.
“I’ll come up with a plan. I just need some time,” Elle pressed.
“Elle... I don’t know. You don’t even have a place to stay. Your room and board were a part of your employment at the resort.”
A faint rustling sound from outside her door drew Elle’s attention before she could answer. “I’ll have to call you back, Lizzie. Just give me some time before you say anything to Mom and Dad.”
She hung up the call before her sister could protest.
* * *
He could hear the distinct sound of someone crying behind the door. A child? No. It was a most definitely a woman. Riko paused midknock, unsure what to do. This was the correct resort and the correct room number. The palace guard had been very thorough in its investigation. He was here to personally express his gratitude to one Miss Arielle Stanton, American, originally from Chicago, Illinois, for having saved his hide from drowning two days ago. Not that he could remember it all that clearly.
Maybe this wasn’t a good time.
Before he could make any kind of decision, the door was suddenly flung open. A startled pair of hazel-green eyes met his over the threshold. Eyes that turned instantly hostile. She looked him up and down then literally huffed before speaking. “If Diego sent you down to accompany me out of here, I assure you there’s no need. I’m almost done packing.”
Riko took a moment to process her words, trying to make some sense of them. Clearly, she’d mistaken him for someone else. Who was this Diego? A boyfriend perhaps? Had she been crying because of a recent breakup? The thought sent a wave of irritation over him, a feeling he couldn’t identify. He was no doubt simply feeling protective of the woman after what she’d done for him the other day.
Though said woman was now shooting daggers at him.
Then she gave an exaggerated eye roll. “Look, I’ll be out of here in no time. Tell Diego he didn’t need to send a goon to try and intimidate me.”
A goon? Intimidate her?
What kind of relationship had she been in anyway?
“I beg your pardon?” he asked for lack of anything else to say.
She began to shut the door. Reflexively, Riko stuck his foot out to stop her from closing it all the way. The action earned him a withering look. Somehow this interaction was escalating into some kind of strange confrontation.
“Who are you?” she demanded to know. “I haven’t seen you on the grounds as part of the security detail.”
Riko cleared his throat. “Señorita Stanton. Clearly, you have mistaken me for someone else. Allow me to introduce myself.”
Her eyebrows furrowed with curiosity.
“My name is Eriko Rafael Suarez. I’m the man you rescued from nearly drowning the other day.”
Her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh! I didn’t recognize you! You’re so...” She trailed off.
He nodded. “Yes, I imagine I looked quite different. For one, I’m a bit less unconscious now.”
As far as jokes went, it was a rather bad one. Still, the corners of her mouth lifted ever so slightly. His attention fell to her lips, full and rose pink. Her hair was a shade of red he’d be hard-pressed to describe. Arielle Stanton was a looker by half. Riko didn’t know what he’d been expecting, but he hadn’t been prepared for the jolt of awareness coursing through his core that hadn’t relented since she’d opened her door.
“Also, drier,” she said. “You were much wetter when we first met.”
He rubbed his chin. “Apologies. I should have thought to use a spray bottle on myself before approaching your door.” Another terrible one. He so wasn’t one to quip and joke with women he’d just met. What had gotten into him?
The slight smile turned to an all-out grin, and Riko wanted to pat himself on the back for putting it there. But it was short-lived. Any hint of humor suddenly left her eyes and the grin turned to a frown the next instant.
“So, I don’t mean to be rude. But why are you here? This is not really a great time for me.”
“I’m here to personally thank you. For myself and also on behalf of the king and queen.”
She gave her head a shake. “The king and queen?”
“Of the kingdom of Versuvia. It’s a small island nation a few nautical miles from Majorca to the east and the Spanish coast to the west. We’re known as the Monaco of the Spanish world.”
Her brows furrowed once more. Again, she eyed him up and down. “Right.” She dragged out the word, pronouncing it as if it were three syllables. “Listen, I don’t know how to break this to you, but I think you might have suffered some type of head injury during your accident. Probably wanna get that checked out.” She began to shut the door again.
“Please wait. I know it might be hard to believe, but it’s the truth. I’m Eriko Rafael Suarez, heir to the Versuvian throne. Firstborn son of King Guillermo and Queen Raina. My friends call me Riko.” He tilted his head, waiting for her reaction.
She stuck her hand out. “Pleased to meet you. I’m Arielle Trina Stanton, the duchess of Schaumburgia. Daughter of King Alfred III and Queen Tammi, MD.”
He simply stared at her, completely at a loss for words.
“See how that sounds?” she asked with a kind smile, humoring him apparently.
For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why he was still standing there. He’d felt obliged to thank her in person, and he’d done so. Anything else could be handled through his advisers. But something kept him planted in place where he stood, unable to walk away just yet.
So he decided to play along. “What a surprising coincidence, Your Highness.” He performed an exaggerated bow slash curtsy.
The performance earned him a small chuckle. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Look, this has been entertaining and all. And I really am glad you’re doing okay. But, like I said, I’m kind of in the middle of something. Packing up my apartment that I have to leave. And besides, I’ve run out of the Earl Grey I usually serve to other royalty.”
