path led her up a rise. She heard the sound of waves crashing against the shore. At the top, she stopped, mesmerized by the sight of the sea. The beach had to be below her somewhere, but she focused on the water. Light from the full moon shimmered like silver on the crests of the waves.
Jules’s breath caught in her throat.
So beautiful.
As she descended the path toward the water, she noticed a light shining. A lone lamppost stood on a short dock with a sailboat moored at the end.
Her pulse rate quadrupled, as did her excitement. She’d found the place without getting lost or caught.
Jules hurried down the path, eager to hop onboard and set sail.
A figure stood in the cockpit of the boat. A man. Alejandro. Her heart gave a little lurch of pleasure.
He waved.
Jules waved back.
Alejandro reached below deck. The running lights illuminated—red on port, green on starboard and white on the stern.
Exhilaration shimmied through her. She could forget about duty and obligation tonight. She could be herself and sail on the ocean like a bird set free from its cage.
With Alejandro.
He motioned for her to join him in the boat.
Shoulders back. Chin up. Smile.
This time it came naturally. No effort required. Jules turned off her headlamp. She no longer needed the light with the lamppost on the dock.
Tingles filled her stomach. She couldn’t imagine sharing tonight with anyone else.
As Julianna walked along the private dock with a clear spring to her step, the tension in Alejandro’s shoulders eased. He’d planned her escape from the palace with the precision of a military operation. His efforts had seemed to work. With one foot in the cockpit and the other on the rail, he waited for her to come to him.
She stopped two feet away from the boat. “Your map was spot-on, Alejandro.”
He liked the way his name rolled off her tongue. She might sound like the same elegant princess he’d met yesterday, but she looked nothing like the woman who had stared down her nose at him, cried in his arms on the beach and prompted him to rename his cat. The disguise had completely changed her appearance.
He looked beyond her to the path leading up to the cliff, but only saw a few trees. Anyone who ventured out here on this late night would be trespassing. He’d picked this secluded spot for that reason. “Were you seen?”
“Not that I know of,” she said. “Though I doubt anyone would recognize me if they saw me.”
A satisfied smile settled on his lips. “You’re right about that.”
Baggy clothes covered Julianna’s feminine curves and round breasts. A short, brown wig and America’s Cup baseball cap hid her luxurious blond hair. With all the makeup scrubbed from her face, no one would mistake the fresh-faced kid for fashion icon Princess Julianna of Aliestle.
“You look like a teenager,” he added.
“A teenage boy,” she clarified. “You picked an excellent disguise for me.”
She sounded appreciative, not upset. That surprised him a little. Most women wouldn’t want to look like a boy. But then again, she hadn’t wanted to get caught. A good disguise had been necessary.
“I had no problems, except Ortiz might want to reconsider his claim about no rats in the palace. I saw mice, and something … larger in the tunnel.”
“Ortiz doesn’t know about the tunnels. Only the royal family knows of their existence and an architect long dead,” Alejandro explained. “The tunnels were built by pirates to hide treasure. When the king had them attached to the palace, a hand-selected crew was used. They were blindfolded and had no idea where they were working.”
“How did the royal family find out about the tunnels?”
He grinned. “Supposedly my great-great-great grandfather was a king and pirate.”
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
