ROYAL BRIDE (A Billionaire Bad Boy Romance) (12 page)

She tried to tell herself she didn’t care what he thought. His comment the other night had sparked her engine to get going, but she wasn’t going to do all the hard work she had coming her way just because of a careless comment. She told herself that, but even she didn’t fully believe it. For whatever reason, she wanted his approval. The few times she’d caught him staring at her while she talked with someone of political power, she’d seen the glimmer of approval in his eyes, and she wanted more of that.

“Your Highness, we must get back to the hotel soon if you are to be ready for the banquet this evening,” one of the babysitters informed her. She glared at him for daring to approach her, and his use of her title in public sparked her irritation.

She looked around to see if anyone had heard him, scowling. “You are to remain over there.” She pointed to the other men sitting. “Not to come over here and bother me, and certainly not to announce to everyone on the damn dock that a member of a royal family is sitting here.”

“Pier,” Elisabeth interjected with a grin. “It’s Navy Pier, not dock.”

“Do forgive me.” Isabella flashed a toothy smile at her friend then wiped it away to glare at her security guard. “Pier.”

“Your husband.” The shortest man of the team, but not the least muscular, she noticed, approached her with a cell phone in hand. She met his brown-eyed gaze momentarily, long enough to see that she was about to be irritated by whatever Antonio had to say.

Not wanting to give the man the satisfaction he seemed to crave at her humiliation, she thanked him for the phone and held it to her ear with a grin. “Yes, Antonio?”

“Why are you still out? You should be back here.” He didn’t sound overly upset, more frustrated than anything. She could hear him shuffling around.

“I was just saying my goodbyes.” She smiled at the guard, who watched her with interest. She wondered if he was waiting to see if she would throw a fit and toss the phone into the lake. Although the thought had merit, she didn’t want to embarrass herself or give the guards the show they seemed to be waiting for. “Why didn’t you call my phone?”

“I did,” he ground out. “Three times. You must have it on silent.” Sure enough, she found the phone in her purse and it was on vibrate. Three voicemails had been left from him.

“Sorry about that.” She clenched her teeth slightly when giving her apology. “I thought the banquet was later this evening.”

“It is, but we have a quick stop to make before going there. Please say goodbye and get in the car. And please, don’t give the guards any trouble.”

She swept her eyes up to the one in particular still standing over her and wanted nothing more at that moment than to raise her foot and kick him in the groin. It would serve the pompous ass right to learn a thing about how to treat her. She was a damn princess, not some bratty toddler he was looking after. How dare he glower at her and stand over her as though she were intruding on his time.

“Of course, Antonio. I’ll be home straight away.” She smiled wider, letting the stretch of her grin be her punishment for behaving like such a prim rose.

“O-okay.” His hesitation was enough to make her smile more genuine. He wasn’t sure what to make of her new behavior. She hadn’t argued or given him a snotty retort. He seemed to be a little caught off-guard by the change. She would have to remember to keep that in mind for the future.

“See you soon.” She clicked off the phone and handed it back to the guard. She waved him away and turned to Elisabeth. “I have to go.” She let out a slow breath.

“You’d think you’d be used to all this royal stuff.” Elisabeth stood from the table with open arms to embrace Isabella.

“Father never made me do all of these appearances. Rafe handled those things. I was just a decoration when absolutely necessary.” Isabella noticed the guard who had been studying her with such disdain earlier furrowed his brow at her comment.

“I think Antonio will be good for you,” Elisabeth said sincerely. She tilted her sunglasses up a bit. “You have more worth than your father ever shone a light on.”

Isabella just nodded. What was there to say to that? Growing up, she had thought her father just didn’t know what to do with her after Mother died. He had left her in the care of nannies and teachers. Rafe was the only real male authority figure she looked up to, and her father kept him from enforcing too much discipline. Which included her studies. She learned quickly and wasn’t by any means a stupid woman, but no one ever pushed her to be more than she was. And to her father, she was the pretty princess he could one day barter for political gain. What she had thought of as uncertainty on his part when she was young, she understood to be complete apathy once she was grown.

“We’ll see. First, I’ll play the doting wife at tonight’s fundraiser.” She noticed the security team getting restless and wrapped up her goodbyes. “Maybe I’ll run away from home and stay here in America where women have more control over their futures.”

Elisabeth gave her another reassuring squeeze. “It will all work out. You’ll see,” she whispered in her ear before giving her a little shove. “Now get going. These men are getting irritated and starting to piss me off.”

The lead guard shot Elisabeth a hard glance but quickly dropped his gaze. Isabella motioned for him to lead the way to the car and walked behind him as the other two men trailed after them.

***

Isabella had listened to her brother talk about many of his causes over the years. As the main fundraiser for his country’s hunger and healthcare problems, he had taught her the need smaller countries had for such advantages.

The fundraiser Antonio took her to was raising money to build a new children’s hospital in a less advantaged part of the city. She found his interest in helping the Americans commendable, whereas she could see that others would take exception. Why spend his money elsewhere instead of on their own issues at home?

She decided not to ask him about his view on the subject just yet. When she returned to the hotel and changed quickly, he had looked curiously at her. When she announced that she was ready to go, having decided on a simple gown that covered every part of her, his gaze had grown suspicious. Thankfully, he hadn’t made a comment to spoil her good mood and thus made her abandon her new plan for getting along with him.

More than likely, he wouldn’t approve of her attending a Chicago-based university, online or otherwise, and she wanted him to be completely at ease with her by the time she approached the subject. It wasn’t that she needed his money for the tuition. She had plenty in her own accounts from her father, but it would make things less hostile for her if she didn’t have to fight with him to get what she wanted.

The car pulled up in front of the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital after having maneuvered through the streets of the city carrying two completely silent passengers. Isabella could feel Antonio glance at her several times, but he never made a move to speak. After several minutes of being in the car, he did scoot closer to her, his thigh brushing hers, but still made not a sound.

“You’re in for a fun evening.” Antonio finally broke the silence once the driver had closed his door and rounded the car to open hers. “I’m told there will be an acrobatic show.”

Although he spoke in a neutral tone and smiled a gentle smile, she wasn’t sure if he was teasing her or simply making conversation. She decided it best to simply nod. If she opened her mouth, she feared something defensive would pop out at him. Thankfully, the door opened, and she was saved from having to fill the silence.

Isabella walked at Antonio’s side as they entered the building. The lighting in the front vestibule was bright. Balloons cascaded around every archway of the entrance to the building as well as many of the hallways inside.

A man dressed in a red and white pinstriped carnival suit walking on stilts made his way through the crowd in the front entranceway, stopping to speak to anyone who looked interested. The summer night did not require a shawl, but knowing Antonio would find it more appropriate, she had worn one. He slipped it from her shoulders, letting his fingers linger over the skin of her neck as he did so. He handed the shawl to another man, probably one of the security team—she hadn’t bothered to memorize all of their faces as Antonio continually changed who was with her, probably out of fear that she would learn to manipulate them.

A bubble of laughter exploded from the far corner of the room, and without thinking, she began walking toward it. She could make out several rubber balls, all of different sizes and colors, being thrown up into the air. A juggler. She had loved watching the performers at the carnivals her mother had taken her to as a child.

As Isabella found a place among the crowd, she could make out the brightly dressed clown with his white face and different geometric shapes drawn around each eye. She giggled when he started to sashay to the music playing behind him while still keeping the four balls aloft in the air. When he started to bop up and down, wiggling his backside almost crudely when a new song began, she let out a loud laugh, joining the others in the crowd.

Hands slipped around her waist, and Antonio’s chin rested on her shoulder. “You are so beautiful when you laugh.” His whispered compliment lingered between them. Unsure how to respond, she leaned into the length of his muscular body. “There are at least half a dozen speeches we need to sit through this evening,” he warned her, his lips brushing against the side of her neck. She was suddenly very aware of the tender spot just behind her ear. “I prefer this, though.”

The clown finished his routine, and the crowd applauded. Isabella hated to break away from Antonio’s embrace, but she didn’t want to be rude either. He seemed to sense her indecision and released her, taking a step to her side, and began his own applause. Through her peripheral vision, she could make out his smile. The man was quite handsome when he wasn’t being an ass.

As the crowd dispersed, Antonio slipped his warm hand into hers, leading her down the main hall of the venue toward the event rooms. Carnival music pumped through the building, making the perfect background for the other clowns and sideshow acts to entertain the attendants.

The sign outside the door he led her to listed the names of the doctors giving speeches as well as their topic: childhood obesity. That wasn’t so grim. She had feared she’d have to listen to lectures about pediatric cancers and horrible stories of children ripped from the world much too soon.

Antonio led her to a table that was already full. She noticed Silver and Maria right away and smiled in greeting. At least she would know someone. Antonio made his way around the table, greeting those he knew, introducing her, and meeting the other guests. It seemed that almost everyone knew her husband, or at least had heard his name before. Apparently, he shared the same taste for charity as her brother.

“It is so good to see you here.” Maria almost clapped in her excitement. “I didn’t think I’d know anyone. I tried to get Silver to forget this whole thing, but he was extremely stubborn.” Maria opened her clutch and pulled out her compact, opening it to check her make up before snapping it shut and tossing it back in her small bag.

“Antonio didn’t mention you’d be here. I’m glad to see you, though.” Isabella took a seat beside her and turned to thank the man who had helped her into it. Antonio grinned back at her.

“I am capable of scooting my wife’s chair for her.” He winked at her and took the other chair beside her.

“Well, thank you.” She inclined her head toward him. “Don’t you find it a little ironic to serve such a rich dinner during this speech?” she whispered into his ear, not wanting anyone to hear in case they found her comment offensive.

“Perhaps a little,” he agreed and leaned back in his chair. A waitress stopped at the table to take their drink orders, and Antonio ordered her a glass of wine and a brandy for himself. She only smiled at him when he looked back at her. “We don’t see much childhood obesity on my island.” He continued the conversation.

“Raphael told me of the food shortage your island suffered after the tropical storm last year. Has there been much improvement since then?”

Antonio’s eyes widened just a bit before his lips broke into a wide smile. “Yes. The farmers have been able to start growing crops again, but many of the smaller villages have suffered great losses in livestock.”

“Maybe I could speak to Raphael and we could organize some event that would raise money to replenish the necessary livestock.” Isabella removed the napkin from the table setting before her and placed it in her lap, needing something for her hands to toy with to cover up the nervousness she felt at continuing their conversation.

Over the short course of their relationship, this was the most substantial conversation they’d had, and she was suddenly afraid she would say something to make herself—and more importantly, him—appear naive or uneducated.

“I don’t think we’ll need your brother’s assistance, but perhaps something more can be done. When Carmen arrives, I’ll discuss it with her.” Their drinks arrived at that moment, cutting off her opportunity to respond to his dismissal. She had only suggested her brother because philanthropy was right up his alley, although Isabella had to admit that Antonio seemed to do just as well. Why would he discuss the matter with his sister but not with her? He probably thought she wouldn’t be up for the task, and her shoulders slumped slightly.

She accepted the glass of sparkling wine Antonio handed her and sipped it while he struck up a conversation with others at their table. The dinner service began, and Isabella was grateful for the chance to hide behind her fork.

Maria made pleasant conversation throughout the meal, making sure to include everyone at the table. Isabella watched her with some unease. At one point in the past, Isabella had been able to hold the attention of a small group, but her audience usually did not hold such esteemed positions in politics or the medical world. There weren’t too many overly educated people at the beach, and when she had been forced to one of her brother’s events, she usually spent her time with friends who weren’t any more concerned with the world than herself.