Not-So-Perfect Princess (14 page)

Everyone searched for the boat. The sails and waves got in the way. The mast must be in the water or someone would see it.

“Does it look like they are going to recover?” Alejandro’s voice sounded strained.

“I see them,” Sam shouted.

“Me, too,” Mike yelled. “They are knocked down.”

Jules inhaled sharply, but held the course.

“Has the boat righted itself?” Phillipe, who was nearest to her, asked.

“No,” Mike said.

The answer sent a chill down Jules’s spine.

“Man overboard,” a voice called over the radio.

“Trimming up for beam reaching,” she said without a moment of hesitation.

Alejandro jumped off the deck and grabbed the radio. “
La Rueca
is responding.”

The energy level tripled. A sailor was in the water. A life was at stake. The race no longer mattered. Every able-bodied vessel was required to offer assistance.

He looked at Jules. Confidence and affection shone in his eyes. “You can do this.”

She nodded once.

As she turned the boat from the starboard side, the mainsail and jib trimmers went to work. No one wanted to waste any time, but they had to be careful. They didn’t want to broach as well.

“Get a fix on the person in the water,” she ordered Phillipe. With the race on hold, he needed another job. Jules needed to make sure she didn’t run the sailor over.

“I’ve got the beacon,” Alejandro said, moving toward the stern.

She knew he was clipped in, but she bit her lip, worried about his safety out there. And the other boat. They’d been fighting the waves all day.
If he went overboard…

Don’t think. Just steer.

“I see him,” Mike yelled.

Jules heard the collective sigh of relief, but the sailor wasn’t safe yet.

Alejandro threw the overboard buoy toward the sailor in the water. The buoy was state of the art with a lighted pole, life ring, flotation jacket and location beacon.

“Sailor has the beacon,” Phillipe said. “You’ve sailed past him on the aft side.”

“Coming about,” she ordered. “Trim up.”

Jules gave the second order even though it wasn’t necessary. They knew what to do. She sailed over the waves. Tacking back, she guided the boat toward the buoy.

Alejandro stood on the bow, clipped into the jackline. Sam was nearby, too. They looked out at the water. Alejandro was too far away for her to hear him so he directed her with hand signals.

She slowed down, luffing leeward of the sailor in the water. The wind against the loose sails sounded like thunder. The crew shouted. The noise level kept rising. She must be getting closer.

Jules focused, pushing the boat to its limits to reach the sailor as quickly as possible.

A helicopter flew overhead.

Mike used a recovery hook to grab the buoy’s line, pulling the buoy and the person toward them. Cody grabbed the buoy pole and dragged it back toward the stern.

“The other boat’s righted,” he said.

Thank goodness, but she couldn’t celebrate yet. She kept the sails luffing so the boat wouldn’t drift into the person bobbing in the water. Mike and Phillipe hauled the man onboard. His face was pale, but he looked relieved to be aboard. Water poured from his foul weather gear.

“We’ve got your sailor,” Alejandro radioed. “But due to the weather conditions an exchange isn’t possible.”

“We’re dropping out to recover,” the voice replied.

Bummer, Jules thought. But two other boats were still racing. Her questioning gaze sought Alejandro’s. He smiled at her, sending her heart into a pirouette.

“We’ll keep going,” he said over the radio.

“Thanks and good luck,” the voice replied. “Tell your newest crew member to enjoy the ride.”

“Will do,” Alejandro said. “The extra weight will come in handy with these waves.”

The guy on the radio laughed.

“Time to finish the race,” Alejandro announced to the crew.

Everyone took his position with a cheer.

“We can win this.” The confidence in Alejandro’s voice kept her focused. “J.V.”

“Coming about,” she said.

It was as if the rescue had never happened. If not for their extra passenger it might have all been a dream.

But as they sailed toward the finish line, Jules knew it was real. Like Alejandro’s kisses.

The bow crossed the finish line.

The crew cheered. Jules laughed.

They’d won.

Won!

La Rueca
would be in the finals tomorrow.

Excitement rocketed through her. She stared at Alejandro. A grin lit up his face. So handsome. So dear to her heart.

He gave her a high-five. She would have preferred a hug, but being able to touch him was enough. For now.

“I’ve never seen anyone sail like you did today,” he said. “Awe-inspiring.”

“You’re the best, J.V.,” Sam said.

“Thanks for the ride.” The sailor they’d rescued, Robert, shook her hand. “We underestimated you, kid. You’re one helluva a helmsman.”

Jules smiled, but didn’t say anything. Her voice would give her away. She couldn’t fake a deep tone now. Not with delighted joy exploding like fireworks in her chest.

The boat docked. People were waiting for them. A medical crew stood in front of the crowd.

“Looks like you’ll need a checkup,” Alejandro said to their guest.

Robert had changed into spare dry clothes down below. “I’d rather hit the bar and wait for my boat to arrive.”

“Maybe there’s a pretty doc or nurse to keep you company, mate,” Sam said.

“One can hope.” Robert saluted Jules and the rest of the crew. “Thanks again. Good race, but watch out for us next year.”

Alejandro laughed. “We’ll have our eyes open looking back at you the entire way.”

Robert grinned wryly. “With this kid driving, you might be.”

As he left with the medical crew, people pushed forward.

“Look at all these fans, mates,” Sam said. “Smile. The media is here, too.”

Jules’s heart slammed against her chest. A horrible sense of dread replaced the wonderfulness of the moment. The press took pictures, asked questions, followed up.

So not good.

She ducked her head and pulled her cap lower.

“You may find yourself a pretty girl out of this, J.V.,” Sam teased with a slap on Jules’s back.

Jules forced a smile. Anything would be better than the truth coming out.

“Don’t worry,” Alejandro whispered so only she could hear.

She appreciated his words, but she was worried. Terrified. Her future, her country’s future and her children’s future were all at stake. The press circled like a school of hungry piranhas. She swallowed around the spinnaker-size lump in her throat.

The sea of people standing on the dock grew larger. Some held cameras. A few shouted questions in a variety of languages: Spanish, German, French, Italian and English. She understood most of the questions, but she pretended not to hear them.

Her insides trembled, but she maintained her composure. A teenage boy would relish the attention after winning a race, not run away. Still her feet were itching to take off.

Who was she kidding?

If she could jump into the water and swim away without drawing attention to herself, she would.

“We need to get you out of here,” Alejandro whispered.

“I can swim.”

“So can the sharks.” He tried to lead her away from the mob, but the crowd pushed closer. “It’ll be okay.”

She clung to his words even though her doubts multiplied by the seconds. Camera flashes blinded her. Reporters shoved microphones and digital recorders in her face. Arms reached for her.

Jules cringed. Bodyguards never let crowds get so close. She wasn’t used to being touched like this. Her anxiety level spiraled.

Someone touched her cap.

“Please don’t.” She held it on her head with both hands. “Alejandro.”

He tried to help her. “Leave the kid alone.”

Another person grabbed the cap off her head. The wig went with it, leaving her wearing a nylon cap.

People gasped. A horrible silence fell over the crowd.

“It’s a girl,” a man shouted.

“A woman,” another yelled.

“Hey,” a woman said. “Isn’t that the princess who’s going to marry Crown Prince Enrique?”

The air rushed from her lungs. Her worst nightmare was coming true. Everyone would know her true identity now. Including Enrique and her father.

Her heart and her head felt as if they might explode.

Hundreds of people surrounded her, but she’d never felt so alone. And she had only herself to blame.

Life as she knew it was over.

Had it been worth it?

She glanced at Alejandro. He’d removed his sunglasses. The warmth in his eyes drove her goose bumps away.

“Do not worry,” he said softly. “I’m here. You won’t have to face this alone.”

His words gave her the strength she needed. She knew sailing with Alejandro had been worth it. No matter what the consequences.

Shoulders back. Chin up. Smile.

Jules fell back into the training that had been ingrained in her since she was a little girl. She removed the plastic cap hiding her blond hair.

Goodbye J.V., hello Princess Julianna.

She answered the questions being shouted at her. Alejandro stood next to her the entire time. He downplayed the situation by answering questions as well. She appreciated his efforts. The rest of the crew stayed by her, too, though they looked confused. Phillipe’s brows furrowed. Mike’s mouth gaped. Cody scratched his head. Sam stared at her as if she were a ghost.

But Alejandro’s presence gave her strength. Courage.

A good thing, too. When her father and her fiancé discovered what Jules had done, she was going to need all that and more.

CHAPTER TWELVE

B
ACK AT THE PALACE,
Jules couldn’t stop shaking. Not even a hot shower helped. She put on a conservative pink dress, befitting a princess and future queen. With trembling hands, she applied makeup and styled her hair in an updo.

What was her father going to say? Do about her disobedience?

Yvette fastened a strand of pearls around Jules’s neck. “You look like a proper princess, ma’am.”

She hadn’t been acting like one. “Thank you.”

A knock sounded on her door. Jules’s heart pounded in her ears. She wasn’t ready.

Yvette answered the door. “It’s Prince Brandt, ma’am. He’s here to escort you to the sitting room.”

As soon as Jules stepped into the hallway, her brother hugged her. “Father requests your presence.”

She stepped out of Brandt’s embrace. “Yvette said he arrived like a bull from Pamplona. Snorts and all.”

“I’ve never seen him so angry.” The concern in Brandt’s voice matched her own. “I’m worried what he’ll do.”

She wanted to ease Brandt’s concern even though she was apprehensive, too. “Don’t worry. Father will be…fair.”

At least she hoped so.

“I screwed up.” Brandt hung his head. “Klaus is beside himself for leaving you alone so much.”

Jules touched her brother’s shoulder. Love for him filled her heart. “Neither of you are to blame for this.”

Only her.

She descended the stairs, mindful of each step so she didn’t stumble.

“But if I hadn’t been partying so much—”

“Please, Brandt.” Straightening, Jules composed herself. She couldn’t duck for cover now. “Don’t get in the middle of this.”

It would be bad enough without dragging him or Alejandro into this.

Alejandro.

His name brought a welcome rush of warmth through her cold body. She’d survived the onslaught of questions on the dock with him at her side. If she had the same help tonight…

No, that was too much to ask of him. Her father was too rich, too powerful. He could destroy everything Alejandro worked so hard to build.

The sitting room loomed in front of her like a black hole. She entered with Brandt at her side.

A tense silence filled the air. Alejandro, Enrique, King Dario and her father rose from their seats.

Compassion filled Alejandro’s eyes. He’d shaved, removed his earring and pulled his hair away from his face and secured it at his nape. He looked regal and princely in his suit, dress shirt, tie and leather shoes. Respectable. Her heart squeezed tight. She missed the pirate.

Enrique had dressed similarly. The two men had never looked as much like brothers as tonight. Enrique glared at Alejandro with accusation and a frown on his lips.

She hated knowing she would push the two men farther apart.

Concern clouded King Dario’s face. He pressed his lips together and clasped his hands behind his back. Sweat beaded on his brow.

Her father’s gaze burned with fury. His lips thinned with anger. “How dare you disobey me, Julianna Louise Marie!”

Shoulders back. Chin up.

No way could she smile. Jules looked him in the eyes. She wanted to be strong for Brandt’s and Alejandro’s sake, as much as her own. “I apologize for my actions, sir. I didn’t mean to cause any trouble.”

“Trouble?” Alaric’s features hardened. “You have brought disrepute onto our family and country. Pictures of you looking windswept and wild, hardly the way a princess should appear in public, are everywhere. Papers, television, the Internet.”

Jules felt everyone’s eyes on her, especially Alejandro’s. She tried not to cower, but she’d never seen her father so full of rage.

Enrique sneered. “You looked like a boy.”

“It was a disguise,” she explained, cutting him with a quick glance.

“The fact you needed a disguise should have been the first sign this was a mistake.” King Dario patted his forehead with his handkerchief. “You’re the future queen of La Isla de la Aurora, Julianna. This kind of behavior is unacceptable.”

“I’ll say.” Enrique glowered at her. “Your father and I told you not to sail. You’re supposed to be a conservative princess. Not a…wild child.”

Her temper rose. “I wasn’t—”

“You were.” Her father’s voice boomed like a thunderstorm in November. “I watched a tape of the race on the flight. You not only disobeyed me but put yourself in danger. You could have been killed sailing the way you did today.”

Heat stole into her face. Her breath burned in her throat.

“Jules is fine, Father. She saved a sailor’s life,” Brandt said bravely. He’d never stood up to their father before and she was proud he’d found the courage to do that. “It’s my fault Klaus wasn’t with Jules. I partied too much, and he was with me.”

Her muscles tensed, nervous what her father would say.

“This has nothing to do with you, Brandt,” Alaric replied sharply. “Your sister knew what I expected of her. She must accept the consequences.”

Dread shuddered through her. Jules knew what her punishment would be—to spend the rest of her life in Aliestle.

She glanced at Alejandro. Her heart cried. She would never see him again.

“King Alaric.” Alejandro stepped forward. “I am Prince Alejandro Cierzo de Amanecer. King Dario’s second son.”

“You mean, the spare.” King Alaric’s curt voice lashed out. “You’re the idiot who put my daughter’s life in danger.”

Jules drew in a sharp breath at the insult. She couldn’t stand the thought of her father taking out his anger on Alejandro.

“Yes, but Julianna’s safety is of the utmost concern to me, Your Majesty.” The regal air emanating from him made him seem more like a future king than second in line for the throne. “I take full responsibility for what’s happened. Julianna disobeying you was one hundred percent my fault. I took her sailing. I asked her to be part of my crew and race in the Med Cup. I’m the one who should be punished, not her.”

Jules stared at Alejandro, full of pride and…love.

I love him.

Love was the only explanation for her feelings, ones that went far deeper than friendship and future familial bonds. She couldn’t stop thinking about the way he looked at her, kissed her, stood by her side and wanted to take the blame for all of this.

Alejandro had to have feelings for her. Otherwise why would he be standing up for her now? Her heart wanted her to go to him, but too many things needed to be resolved first.

Jules couldn’t allow Alejandro to take the blame. She hadn’t been a dutiful princess. She’d disobeyed. She needed to stand up and be accountable for her actions, not let a wonderful, giving man suffer consequences meant for her.

Joy provided strength. Love gave her courage.

Alejandro embraced his role as a prince tonight to protect her. She needed to embrace her role as a black sheep to accept her punishment and protect him.

“Thank you, Alejandro.” An unfamiliar sense of peace rested in her heart. “But I can’t allow you take the blame for my actions.”

His eyes implored her. “It’s my blame to take.”

Her heart melted. She allowed her gaze to linger, longer than what was considered proper. She loved the gold flecks and the concern she saw in his brown eyes. “No.”

“Yes,” Enrique countered. “All this is Alejandro’s fault, King Alaric.”

“It’s not. I knew what I was getting myself into, Father.” Jules stared up at her father, who towered over her with a face full of contempt. “I was so desperate for a taste of freedom, I allowed my desire to override everything else. Alejandro’s not to blame. It’s my fault. But I have no regrets over what I have done.”

The affection and pride in Alejandro’s eyes made her heart want to dance and sing. Whatever consequence she faced would be worth it. If she hadn’t disobeyed, she would never have gotten to know him, kiss him and fall in love with him.

“Your stepmother worked so hard to turn you into a proper Aliestlian princess.” Her father spoke with disdain. “But you have always been too much like your mother.”

Jules smiled. “Thank you, Father.”

His nostrils flared. “It isn’t a compliment.”

Her smile didn’t waver. She would cherish the words no matter what fate had in store for her. “It is to me, sir.”

The wrinkles on her father’s forehead deepened. He stared at her with a look of bewilderment then turned his attention to King Dario. “I trusted you with my most prized possession. You promised she would be safe, yet you allowed this to happen.”

“We had no idea she was sailing.” King Dario sounded contrite.

“Her well-being is our number one priority,” Enrique added.

Jules hated how they spoke as if she wasn’t present. “I’m right here, gentlemen.”

Alaric ignored her. “If that’s the case, how come no one noticed she was missing from the palace? Not even her fiancé?”

“I’ve been busy with work and wedding plans,” Enrique answered hastily.

Alaric’s lips snarled. “Wedding plans are women’s work.”

Enrique flinched.

“My brother had no idea because he works nonstop as crown prince. He would have no reason to suspect anything was amiss because Julianna didn’t allow the sailing to affect her obligations as his fiancée,” Alejandro explained. “There was no harm done.”

“No harm?” Her father’s ruddy complexion reddened more. “Her blatant disobedience has thrown Aliestle into chaos. A small feminist movement has taken her participation in the race and run with it. They are holding rallies across the land and protesting for equal rights. It’s disgusting.”

No, it was progress. The kind of change Jules wanted to influence in her country. Satisfaction flowed through her.

Approval gleamed in Alejandro’s eyes. He knew what this meant to her.

She smiled at him.

He smiled back.

“This situation is completely out of hand and unacceptable,” Alaric announced. “I’m canceling the marriage contract.”

Panic clawed into her heart. Jules didn’t want to return to Aliestle. She wanted to stay on the island with Alejandro.

What now? Did she dare defy her father again?

As the king’s words echoed through the room, Alejandro stared at Julianna. The distress on her face twisted his insides.

Emotions clamored in his heart, demanding to be acknowledged. Not respect or attraction or friendship. Deep feelings. Intense feelings. Ones that scared him.

Not love. He knew better than to fall in love. This had to be…something else.

Still his hand itched to reach out to take hold of Julianna. He wanted to protect her from the fallout and make everything better.

Brandt cleared his throat. “Father, please—”

“This does not concern you,” Alaric said through clenched teeth.

But it concerned Alejandro. He wanted to punch King Alaric in the nose and free her from this tyranny. But that wasn’t what Julianna wanted him to do. And it certainly wouldn’t help her with her father. In fact, acting out the fury balling in his gut would cause more trouble for his own family.

Alejandro’s frustration rose.

If she returned to Aliestle, her sense of duty would lead her to marry whatever nobleman her father picked out.

Alejandro couldn’t allow that to happen. She had to stay on the island. No matter what. “Your Majesty, if I may…”

King Alaric glared at him. “Haven’t you done enough already?”

“Sire.” The old-fashioned word felt weird coming off Alejandro’s tongue, but perhaps it would resonate with the misguided and medieval King Alaric. “Julianna needs to remain on La Isla de la Aurora.”

“Why?” Scorn laced King Alaric’s word.

“Because I want to stay here, Father,” Julianna said.

She smiled softly at Alejandro.

His heart turned over. And that hurt like hell because to do the right thing, he had to let her go.

“The people are wild about her, sire.” Alejandro had been in his brother’s shadow his entire life, but this time he belonged there. Only Enrique could give Julianna the kind of life she was raised for, the kind of life she wanted. She wanted to use her position as the crown prince’s wife to influence change and give her people a better future. She could accomplish all she desired and more as the future queen. “Julianna has touched their hearts with her compassion and friendliness. They’ve embraced her as their princess, and one day they’ll love her as their queen.”

“My daughter was raised to be a queen,” Alaric admitted.

“Everyone can tell she has received the finest training.” Alejandro fought the desire to claim her for himself. But too much was at stake. He could never give Julianna what she wanted and make her happy, even if she wished to be with him. He swallowed around the lump of emotion in his throat. He had to push aside his own desire and do what was best for her. “You say her actions have caused chaos, sire. But her countrywomen see someone they can relate to and rally around. A respected and beloved leader. As the future queen of La Isla de la Aurora, Julianna will be able to do that for women not only in Aliestle and here on the island, but all over the world.”

“Please consider my youngest son’s words.” Appreciation gleamed in Dario’s eyes. “Alejandro may not be a conventional prince, but he is wise for his age and speaks the truth.”

That was the first compliment his father had ever given him. And the words couldn’t have come at a better time.

“Julianna has enchanted the entire island,” Enrique added. “And all of us.”

Especially Alejandro. But his feelings didn’t matter. Julianna would get what she wanted and by default, so would he. He wanted freedom from the monarchy, not a princess bride who dreamed of happily ever afters.

His thoughts tasted like ashes in his mouth. But he had to be realistic. He didn’t want to be a prince. He avoided romantic entanglements like the plague. It would…never work.

King Alaric looked at each one of them, but his assessing gaze lingered on Alejandro. “So it seems.”

“I stand by the marriage contract,” Enrique announced. “I want to marry Julianna.”

Her face showed no change of emotion, but his brother’s words crushed into Alejandro like a left hook. He resisted the urge not to carry her off to his boat and sail away. But he was the second son, the spare. He wasn’t what Julianna needed.