Chapter Twenty six

Massimo nodded and then, very deliberately, reached

out and put his hand over Toyin's, Had he done that

to hide the sudden trembling of her fingers from her

brother? she wondered.

I completely understand your reservations, Your

Majesty' Massimo said. Because Toyin is your sister

and you love her and care about her welfare and, ob-

viously, I'm not the prospective husband you would

have chosen-mainly, I suspect, because I am not

royal. But I have a vast fortune at my

disposal as well

as the ways and the means to protect the Princess as firm. 'Toyin will bring to

Nothing of such.' Massimo's voice was firm, ' she will bring only what she wishes to bring, Some

sentimental trinkets or the like, but nothing more

than that."

Some sentimental trinkets?

For the first time since she'd accepted his proposal,

Toyin felt a shimmer of apprehension as Drake 

stepped down from his throne and she watched as the

two men shook hands, almost as if they were sealing

some kind of business deal. And the thought which

had taken root in her head was now stubbornly re-

fusing to shift, because wasn't that exactly what they

were doing? The shimmer became a shiver. What

she'd just witnessed had been a kind of battle between

two very alpha men who were both used to getting

their own way.

She realised now that if Rafe had backed down

or buckled underneath the weight of her brother's

arrogant royal power-or greedily accepted a re-

ward-then the marriage would never have taken

place. Somehow, Drake would have put a stop to it.

He might have threatened to destroy Massimo's company

or found an area of his life to target, an area which

was ripe for exploitation. She would put nothing past

him, for he had been furious when Prince Damian 

had announced that he could no longer marry her. He

had been angry on behalf of his jilted sister but there

was no denying that he had seen the move as a slignt

to the royal house of Antiochda.

But Massimo hadn't buckled. He had shown himself 

to be powerful and indomitable. He had stood up to

Drake in a way she'd never seen anyone do before.

Toyin glanced up at Massimo, expecting him to say something as well. To a man with his healthy sexual

appetite it would seem old-fashioned and hypocriti-

cal to be put in separate rooms. But to her astonishment, he simply nodded.

'That sounds perfectly agreeable,' he said.

'Good. And I should be honoured if you would be

my guest at the New Year's Eve ball we hold here in

the palace each year. It will be a good time to intro-

duce you to the great and the good of Antiochda, We

can announce your engagement on New Year's Day', 

 looking straight into Massimo's eyes.

 'If that also

meets with your approval?"

'Absolutely' answered Massimo. I should be honoured.

But as the King swept from the throne room Toyin couldn't shake off a distinct feeling of disen-

chantment remembering the way the two men had

talked about her as if she were nothing but an object

to barter. Suddenly, it felt as if she had been slotted

straight back into her familiar restricted role of prin-

cess. As if the stiff mantle of being a royal had settled

over her shoulders and was threatening to stifle her.

The woman who had shovelled snow and beaten eggs

while wearing a silly little Santa outfit now seemed

as if she belonged to another life.

She accompanied Massimo and a small convoy of ser-

vants through the maze of palace corridors to the

luxurious Ambassadorial suite and when they were

alone at last, and the servants dismissed. 

He took her

in his arms. It should have felt like heaven to be this

close to him again, but Toyin couldn't shake off the

notion that it just didn't feel right 

'Now,' he said, his thumb grazing over her breast

and the warmth of his breath fanning her lips. What

shall we do next? Any ideas?

She swallowed. "We'll have to get ready for dinner

and my rooms are at the opposite end of the palace to

yours, ,so... '

'Dinner can wait,' he murmured as he ran his other

hand down her spine to cup the curve of one buttock.

This was the point when she normally began to

dissolve, when her blood would grow heated and her

skin sensitive as she anticipate him.

But

all Toyin could feel was an acute self-consciousness,

the easy familiarity all but gone. She felt as if peo-

ple were watching. Listening.

 Wondered if the ser-

vants were hovering in the vicinity, eager to know if

the Princess was being intimate with the commoner

she had brought into their midst. She froze. Massimo's

fingers felt alien against her skin as he popped the

buttons on her shirt and it flapped open. She felt as

if this were all happening to someone else as he un-

clipped the front fastening of her bra and her breasts

tumbled free.

'Dinner can't wait.' She swallowed as she stared

down at his fingers lightness against her darker

Skin as he stroked her breast-but for once her knees

Weren't growing weak and her nipples weren't tin-

gling. For once she could feel nothing. "That's some-

thing you'd better get used to,' she added. 'It is always

served on the stroke of eight and to be late will be.

Seen as an insult to the King.

So? That gives us a couple of hours...'