Pursued (The Diamond Tycoons 2) (17 page)

“That’s how it was for me. I worked out of Miami and New York,
but now, Alma will be my permanent home. My duty is here and I will adjust. The
country is beautiful, so it won’t be a hardship.”

“Excuse me, Your Highness,” said a voice from behind the
bench.

“Yes?” Juan Carlos turned around.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but Chancellor Benoit has been called
away and insists on saying his farewells to you personally. He is waiting in the
antechamber.”

“All right, thank you. Please tell the chancellor I will be in
to see him shortly.”

The man gave a curt nod and walked off.

“Well, looks like duty calls. I’m sorry.” He rose and extended
his hand. “Please save another dance for me tonight, Portia. There’s more I want
to learn about…
art advising
.” He smiled.

Her heart hammered. She didn’t know what to make of the
cocoon-like hold he had on her. She’d only just met him and already he was
wrapping himself around her thoughts with his silent compliments and easy ways.
“I will.”

She rose and he walked her back to the ballroom, depositing her
exactly where he’d found her, beside Maria and Alex.

“I will be back,” he said.

Portia’s throat hitched and she nodded.

“Looks like the king is smitten.” Maria kept her voice low
enough for only Portia’s ears. She was sure Maria, a public relations expert and
friend, had been instrumental in her receiving an invitation to the coronation
and gala.

“He’s being gracious, Maria.”

Maria seemed to ignore her comment. “He’s a good man.”

“Perfect for Alma. But not for me.” She was attracted to Juan
Carlos. Any woman with blood running through her veins would be, but talk about
high profile. You couldn’t get much higher, and that’s the last thing Portia
needed in her life. It had taken her three years to climb out of the hole she’d
dug for herself by getting involved with the Duke of Discourse, Travis Miles,
LA’s favorite talk show host.

Charming, debonair and controversial, he’d dragged her into his
limelight from the start of their love affair to the bitter, heartbreaking end.
Her career had suffered as the details of his neglect and wandering eye came
into play. She’d almost lost all credibility with her clients. Luckily, she’d
managed her way out of that situation, vowing to keep a low profile, stay in the
small circle of the art world and not allow another high-profile charmer to get
to her. And that included the king of Alma.

“I don’t know about that,” Maria said, matter-of-factly.

“I do,” she said, convincing herself of that very thing. “I
have an important meeting in Los Angeles with a client in a few days.”

“A lot could happen in a few days, Portia.”

But the conversation ended when a nice-looking gentleman
approached, introduced himself as Alma’s secretary of defense, and asked her to
dance.

Portia accepted, and as she was being led to the dance floor,
shot an over-the-shoulder glance at Maria.

Only to find Juan Carlos standing there, his gaze following her
every movement.

He had indeed come back for her.

* * *

Gnashing his teeth, Juan Carlos ran a hand down his face to
cover the tightness in his jaw. Princess Portia had danced nonstop with three
men since he’d returned from seeing Chancellor Benoit off. Every time Juan
Carlos thought to approach, he was interrupted or summoned into a conversation
with a group of dignitaries. He couldn’t fall short of his duties on his
coronation day, yet the beautiful snow queen consumed his thoughts, and as he
spoke with others, he kept one eye on Portia.

Finally free from conversations, he had an aide approach the
orchestra and suggest that they take a five-minute break. The music died
instantly and Juan Carlos strode over to the table where Portia had just taken a
seat. “Hello again.”

Those startling blue eyes lifted to him. “Hello.”

“I’m happy to see you having a good time.”

“I am,” she said. “Would you like to sit down?”

“I have a better idea.”

Her eyes twinkled. “Really? What would that be?”

He offered his hand again, hoping she’d take it. “Come with me
and find out.”

Her hesitation rattled his nerves. “Where?”

“Trust me and I’ll show you.”

She rose then, and as they walked out of the ballroom again
with her hand in his, she watched him carefully. She had no reason not to trust
him. He would never steer her wrong.

“In here,” he said.

He tugged her into a spacious office and shut the door. It was
black as coal at first, but the light of the full moon streamed in and his eyes
adjusted so that he could make out Portia’s silhouette. He took her gently into
his arms and overwhelming sensations rushed through his body. Silently, with a
look, she questioned his actions, but with his eyes he assured her she had
nothing to fear. Then the orchestra began playing and as music piped into the
room through the air ducts, he began to move her along to the beat. She tossed
her head back and laughed. “You aren’t serious.”

He grinned. “It’s the only way I can assure us not being
interrupted again.”

“You are resourceful, Your Highness. We have an entire dance
floor all to ourselves.”

“What would make it perfect would be if you’d call me Juan
Carlos.”

“But you’ve earned the right to be called king.”

“Tonight, for now, think of me as a man, and not a king.”

“I’ll try, but you have to understand, after all the adoration,
the photos and parades and galas in your honor, it’s not easy for me.”

He did understand, but pressed his reasoning a little further.
“Think of it this way. How would you like it if everyone you knew called you
Princess Portia?”

She gave it some thought and nodded. “I see your point.”

He drew her inches closer, so that her sweet breaths touched
his face, but he didn’t dare do more. Though he wanted to crush her against him,
feel her body sway with his, he couldn’t rush her or scare her off. These
feelings pulsed through him with near desperation. He’d never been so…besotted.
Such an old-world word, but that’s exactly how he felt.

“How long will you be in Alma?” he asked.

“I leave for the States in two days. I’m due back at work.”

News he didn’t want to hear. “Are you working with a
client?”

“Yes, he’s someone very influential and I’m thrilled to have
the chance to meet with him for the first time. He’s new to collecting, and I
have an interview with him to see where his tastes lie.”

“I see. It’s a good opportunity for you. I would imagine being
Princess Portia of Samforstand carries some weight in your line of work.”

“I’ll admit, using my royal heritage has helped me attain
clients, but it’s my expertise that has earned their trust.”

“Trust is important,” he said.

“You have the trust of the entire country right now.”

“Yes,” he said, sighing. “It’s a big responsibility. I’m sure
you take your responsibility seriously.”

“I do. My reputation earns me that trust and I guard it like a
mother would her child.”

He smiled at the image gathering in his mind, of Portia, mother
of his child.

Dios.
He was in deep. How was it possible? He had
known her less than a day.

And already, he was naming their first-born child.

Copyright © 2015 by Harlequin Books
S.A.

ISBN-13: 9781460386798

Pursued

Copyright © 2015 by Tracy L. Deebs-Elkenaney

All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical,
now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and in other countries.

www.Harlequin.com