Alexander & Rebecca (Royals of Valleria #1)

Chapter 2

Alexander plastered what he hoped was a convincing smile even while he spoke low and with a bite. "What is wrong with you?"

Catharine's face, also covered with a similar smile, registered surprise at his tone. "What do you mean?"

"Why did you berate Rebecca in front of everyone?" he asked as he slipped her hand into his arm and walked them slowly towards the waiting car. With their backs now to the crowd, his false smile was replaced by a scowl.

"Didn't you see the cameras in the crowd? The press will be all over her by nightfall. It's no wonder she wanted to get away from both of us." His anger was not only on Rebecca's behalf, but a majority was directed clearly at his sister. Alex had been looking forward to seeing Rebecca—perhaps a bit too much—and Cat's actions had prevented it.

Cat gasped, dropping her false smile as well. "I didn't see them. I'm sorry, but I didn't." Her eyebrows folded into a frown. "She only tripped. Do you really think things are all that bad? It was such a small thing, and I wasn't really upset at her."

"Yes, but she tripped into me." He didn't think he'd ever forget the way her long, slender fingers had felt against his chest. "The photos will look compromising even though they're innocent, and no one in the crowd could know you were worried and not upset at her. They'll think you were telling her off for throwing herself at me."

Alex sighed as the life of a royal weighed heavy on his shoulders. "I just hope you don't have to fire her because of it."

"Fire her?" she asked, astonished, before stubbornness took over. "I'll never fire her. I'll go straight to the press and defend her, if need be. She's my friend."

While Alex admired Cat's loyalty, the politician in him knew the outcome may not be realistic. "I'll give Tavin a call. He's got some contacts at the papers and news stations; he'll let us know if anything comes up."

"Papa won't stand for Rebecca getting fired, either," Catharine said as Alex helped her into the car. After Alex slid in as well, she continued. "He looks at her almost like a daughter, since he's so fond of her father."

"I'm aware of that," Alex said, and hoped one day that their Papa would also accept her as daughter-in-law and future queen. Liking someone for their father's sake was one thing, but liking them as part of their own family and legacy was something else entirely.

Cat sighed. "Well, I'll make it up to her. She'll ride back to the palace with us after we've had tea, and I'll apologize."

"That may not be enough," he said as a man who'd wanted an afternoon with the woman he loved, not just a two-hour car ride back to the capital.

"Well, it will have to do. I'll message her to meet us at the café when she's done with whatever she had to do."

"Don't you know what she had to do? She is your chief of staff. Presumably, she was doing something under your direction."

"Rebecca rarely needs direction," Catharine said as she sent Rebecca a message and waited for her reply; Rebecca was always quick to answer, day or night. "She knows better what to do than I do most of the time. I'd be completely lost without her."

As would I, Alex thought and sighed as he again recalled the feeling of her pressed against him. He had felt her curvy hips under his hands, and her lavender scent still haunted him. He had never been so physically close to her before, as propriety had never allowed otherwise. These few moments on a sunny beach had only made him want more moments with her. Truthfully, he wanted a lifetime with her.

"She's not answering," Catharine said, frustrated. "What could she be doing?" With a look of worry on her face, she asked Alex, "You don't think she was really hurt when she tripped, do you? Maybe she hurt her ankle?"