Falling for the Secret Millionaire (18 page)

She was looking almost as wary as she had when he'd offered his hand to help her along the track and suddenly—to his horror—Raoul realised it might be better if she declined the invitation. He could feel the smile on his face freeze as he discreetly tried to pat the pocket on his shorts. He might have enough loose change to cover a bus fare for them both but it was highly unlikely that he could pay for a meal.

He was still smiling but Mika seemed to be reading his mind. A furrow appeared on her forehead.

‘Your wallet
was
in your backpack, wasn't it? You don't have any money, do you?'

‘Ah...'

‘What about your passport? And do you even have a place to stay?'

‘Um...' The echo of the ‘I told you so' vibe that he would very much prefer to avoid made him straighten his spine. ‘I'll find somewhere.'

He found himself nodding. A short, decisive movement. Maybe this unfortunate occurrence was actually a blessing in disguise. Exactly the kind of challenge he needed to find out what he was made of. Whether he could cope with a bit of genuine adversity.

‘Do you have any friends around here?'

The nod morphed into a subtle shake, more of a head tilt, as the question unexpectedly captured Raoul on a deeper level. He'd never lacked for people desperate to be his friends but experience had taught him that it was all too often due to his position in life rather than any genuine personal connection. He was probably as wary of making friends as Mika was about letting someone offer her assistance. Of letting someone touch her. It was impossible to know, in fact, whether he had any real friends at all because he'd never been in this position before.

Being ordinary.

Meeting someone who was judging him on who he
really
was—as a man and not as a prince.

‘Doesn't matter. You've got one now.' Mika's face lit up with that impish grin but it faded quickly to a much more serious expression. ‘You saved my life, mate.' There was still a gleam in her eyes that didn't match her sombre expression. ‘I'm afraid I can't subscribe to the Chinese tradition of becoming your slave for life to repay the debt but...' Her face scrunched into lines that suggested serious thought. ‘But I can buy you dinner.' The grin flashed again. ‘I might even splash out on a cold beer.'

Raoul couldn't take his eyes off Mika. Witnessing the confidence that was returning now that her frightening experience was over was like seeing a butterfly emerge from its chrysalis. The way her expressions changed so quickly, and the lilt of her voice with that unusual accent was enchanting, but perhaps the most extraordinary thing was the effect that smile had on him.

He wanted to see it again. To make her laugh, even...

And she'd declared herself to be his friend. Without having the faintest idea who he really was.

Oddly, that made him feel humble. It gave him a bit of lump in his throat, if he were honest.

‘Come on, Raphael.' The pocket rocket that was his newest friend was already heading down the cobbled street towards the arched entrance to the restaurant. ‘We'll eat and then we'll figure out what you're going to do. If you're starving, it's impossible to think about anything but food, don't you think?'

‘Mmm...' But the lopsided grin—almost a wink—that had accompanied her use of what she thought was his real name made Raoul smile inwardly.

It was a rare experience indeed for him to be teased. He had no siblings, and apparently it hadn't been the done thing for others to tease a prince, even in childhood.

He liked it, he decided.

He liked Mika, too.

Copyright © 2016 by Alison Roberts

ISBN-13: 9781488003172

Falling for the Secret Millionaire

Copyright © 2016 by Pamela Brooks

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