car, he helped her fasten the seat belt. Too much bodily contact within the elegant leather confines set her trembling.
“My parents will tell you I was born a hellion and will probably go out of this world the same way.” As they sped away from the palace, she acknowledged he drove like one.
Every woman loved a bad boy. Wasn’t that the collective opinion?
Alex had to admit, it was Lucca’s wild side that made him the bigger-than-life, exciting male who’d overcome every obstacle to get her on that plane. No ordinary man could have managed it.
She still couldn’t comprehend how it had happened. All she knew for a certainty was that in a little over two days she’d fallen hopelessly in love with him.
“I met Regina in the hall and asked her to come with us, but she declined.”
“Smart girl,” he quipped.
Alex smiled to herself. “She’s such a natural person. I like her very much.”
“So do I.”
They wound up the hillside behind Capriccio and on through a town called Savono. With every kilometer the traffic thinned until they came to a tiny hamlet nestled beneath a mountaintop. It looked ancient, almost untouched by time. Forgotten even.
Lucca pulled to a stop in front of a stone church in partial ruin. No one was about. His bodyguards were doing an amazing job of keeping the paparazzi at bay.
“This is Dirupo. The word means crag, the northernmost boundary of Castelmare. Historians say it came into being in the twelfth century. There’s one grocery store with a bank and post office inside. The inn only has twelve rooms.”
“This place has a lonely feel, doesn’t it, yet that’s the reason for its charm,” Alex murmured. She got out of the car to look around. There was a plaque on one of the church’s stones with an explanation in four languages. She read the English version with interest. He joined her.
“I thought the same thing when I first explored up here as a boy. Right now it’s on a long list of things to be discussed at the cabinet meeting tomorrow. Several of the ministers want to allow hotels and restaurants to be built up here to bring in more tourism. Because of the mountain streams they’re talking of creating a spa. Yet others argue it will destroy the watershed.”
She drew in a deep breath. “The view of the Mediterranean is unmatched, Lucca. Tourists would kill to vacation in a spot like this. You could charge a fortune for a one-night stay.”
Alex continued to look out at the spectacular view. Being with him filled her with feelings of euphoria. “On the other hand it could be overrun and lose the bit of history that makes it so unique. There aren’t many untouched places like this left in the world. …”
Lucca’s gaze wandered over her features. “I knew if I brought you up here, I’d be able to resolve it in my mind.”
For no good reason her heart rate sped up. “What have you concluded?”
“I’m going to suggest we put a moratorium on any building, but we’ll restore the church and any existing structures needing repair work.”
She smiled at him. “Two hundred years from now your country will praise you for your vision.”
He cocked his head. “You think I want praise?”
“In the best sense, yes. If I were a monarch, I would like to think I’d left a legacy that preserved a vital slice of the country’s origins. Otherwise what would people in the future have to look forward to?”
Lucca seemed to ponder her comment before he said, “You’ve just helped me write the essence of my coronation speech. For that gift I’m going to take you inside the inn and buy you a lunch of fresh brook trout that will melt in your mouth.”
By now she was famished. “How do you say trout?”
“Trota di fiume.”
“Do you mind if I order for us?”
He reached for her hand and they started walking toward the entrance. “I’m planning on it.”
“I promised Tomaso I would take advantage of every opportunity.”
His hand seemed to tighten around her fingers before he let it go long enough to open the door for her. “After we eat, we’ll stop by the cathedral to visit with the archbishop. The banns have to go out for our marriage. Then we’ll buy you some clothes for tomorrow.”
She gulped. “Why? I thought we were going to wait until my belongings arrived.”
“There’s no time. My father has already put things in motion. In the morning before the cabinet meeting at ten, the journalists from the major American and European television networks will come to the palace to broadcast the official news of the upcoming coronation and our marriage. I’ll be at your side the entire time and field any difficult questions.”
Her jaw hardened. “You mean, about me following in my mother’s footsteps.”
He lifted a wayward curl off her forehead. “Love is no respecter of persons past or present. Everyone has an equal right to it with whomever and wherever they find it.”
Except for a prince who must do his duty.
Two hours later his words were still revolving in her head as they entered an exclusive boutique in Capriccio where, Lucca told her, his mother and sister often shopped.
The clerk who waited on them recognized him, of course. When Lucca explained what they wanted, she told him she had the perfect outfit for Alex, who was still replete from their delicious meal.
Within seconds the woman produced a knee-length dress of woven lightweight silk in a heavenly shade of oyster. The diamond pin would look fabulous against it. As soon as Alex slipped it on, she had to admit the jewel neckline and tiered short sleeves suited her tall, softly rounded figure.
Lucca said as much when she left the fitting room and modeled it for him. His searching gaze started at her feet and made a slow, intimate perusal of her body. By the time it reached her face, her cheeks were on fire.
“The color of the material matches your eyes.” His gaze flicked to the clerk. “We’ll take it and some other outfits for day and evening. She’ll need shoes and lingerie.” On that note he refocused his attention on Alex. “Take your time, bellissima. We’re in no hurry.”
When Alex was a child, she used to pretend she’d been let loose in a store and could have anything she wanted. It felt like that now. After agreeing to marry him she couldn’t keep going around in the same two outfits. The clothes being shipped might not arrive for weeks and probably wouldn’t be appropriate for many future occasions, anyway. Naturally he wanted to be proud of her.
For once she decided to take him at his word. Unfortunately, she had so much fun they didn’t get out of there until it was close to 6:00 p.m. The clerk told her the packages would be delivered to the palace by eight. It was embarrassingly late already and Lucca had been sitting there for hours!
So much for letting him have time alone with his lover this
