The Crown Read online

  The Crown

  Billionaire Royals Book Two

  Sophia Summers

  Copyright © 2018 by Sophia Summers

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Billionaire Royals

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  Billionaire Royals

  The Crown

  1

  Warm wind whipped through Jo’s hair. Nico’s boat raced across the water and Jo ‘s breathless energy heightened with their speed and her nearness to Nico. They were draped across the front, watching the coming shoreline in a lazy sort of summer way.

  Nico adjusted his hips and pulled Jo up closer to him. He nuzzled her hair. “This could have been our summer in Shady Lakes.”

  She turned to him, surprised. “Do you regret coming home?”

  His gaze went distant, out over the water. Then he shook his head. “No, how could I? Father and everything…”

  She knew what he didn’t say. Now that his father was taking a respite from his duties as the king, Nico was swamped with more to do than any human should have on his plate: matters of state, press concerns, and complaints over his suitability. She snuggled closer. “I’m so glad we have this afternoon.”

  His hands tightened around her. “Me too, Jo. I need you to help me have fun. I need this or I might go insane.”

  His stress concerned her. She tried to swallow the fact that though newly engaged, she had seen him only for a few minutes each day since she arrived. She ran a hand through his hair, mussing its thickness. “Dance party?”

  He chuckled, then raised an eyebrow wickedly. “You’re on.”

  Jo angled her engagement ring so it caught the sun. She sent an array of sparkling light patterned out from the center all around them.

  Nico grew quiet, running his hand along her arm. Goosebumps rose, following the trail of his fingers. “Do you like your ring?”

  She nodded. “I love it. Still can’t believe it.” She smiled up into his face. “I wake in this gorgeous room, looking out over the valley and off to the ocean, engaged to you.” She shook her head.

  “No regrets?”

  His eyes clouded with a worry she hurried to ease. “Nico, no. Not at all! How could I? Everything in my life found meaning when I met you. The easiest decision I’ve made.” She scooted closer and found his lips. After a quick kiss, she waved her hand around. “And look at us. We are out in the middle of a gorgeous lake on one of your many yachts, doing my favorite thing ever. I have a personal tailor and more clothes than a girl could ever wear. My father and best friend are here with me. I’m marrying the best looking guy I have ever seen and I’m madly in love with him.” She ran a hand down his arm and chuckled. “Some of those reasons matter more than others.”

  “Oh, do they? I wondered when you would use me for my yachts.”

  “It was bound to happen. Look at this beauty.”

  He brought her left hand up to his mouth and kissed her ring. “I love you, Jo. Thanks for saying yes.”

  She rested her head on his shoulder. “I’ve never been happier.” Everything in her life dimmed, lackluster in memory until he became a part of it. Although she joked about the wealthy perks, what she most loved about Nico was the way he grounded her. He was a solid force in her life. And he felt the same for her.

  Jo stood as they approached the dock. Laughing, she waved. Three of Nico’s five brothers waited, skis and boards in hand, towels draped over shoulders, wearing swimsuits. She laughed. “Now that’s a sight.”

  “What?” Nico turned. “Oh.” He frowned.

  “What’s this?” She stood on tip toes to wipe a finger across his wrinkled forehead, smoothing the lines.

  “Nothing. Someone has to have fun, I guess.” He waved his hand over them.

  “Jo! Come ski with us!” Trane grinned, holding up the newest fad in skis, her favorite brand. Oh, she wanted to. Next to sailing, all of the other watersports sat at the top of her favorite ways to spend an afternoon list. But she couldn’t when Nico had to get back to the house for multiple meetings. It didn’t seem fair.

  She shook her head, waving him off, but when she turned to Nico, his frown had deepened. “Go.” He said.

  “No, it’s ok. I can go back with you. Maybe there’s some way to help…” But they could both tell her heart wasn’t in the offer.

  “Go, Jo. Like I said, someone has to have some fun around here.” He kissed her lips. “Tell me all about it when you get back.”

  He lifted his chin in the direction of his brothers. “Get some good pictures of my woman cutting across the wake.”

  Daniel held up his camera. “On it.” He clicked a picture of them and then scrolled the menu to look. He whistled through his teeth. “You two.”

  Jo blushed. She wasn’t used to all the attention about her looks. Kevin, an old boyfriend, never seemed to notice. Nico and his brothers made reference to how beautiful she was every day. She grinned. It was flattering at first, then amusing. She looked forward to working with them on something serious so they could see her other qualities, but in the meantime it was fun to be admired.

  “So, you’re ok then? If I just stay?” She still worried.

  He was already distracted, thinking about his next meeting, she guessed. So often this same distant expression crossed his eyes, and she knew he was troubled. She placed a hand on his chest. “We will keep squeezing in fun. I promise. Meet me in the dance hall tonight?”

  He nodded, still distracted, but he leaned down to kiss her again. It was meant to be a short farewell, but neither could stop. Electricity zinged through her every time his lips touched hers, and she wanted more.

  When he at last stepped away, she caught her breath. “Wow.”

  “The things you do to me. “ His eyes lingered on her face, studying each feature. “Have fun, Jo.”

  Then he turned to walk up the dock.

  When she faced the brothers, they each wore different expressions of amusement.

  Trane’s one eyebrow seemed to mock her.

  “What?” She laughed. “You could learn a thing or two from your bother.”

  “Ha! She thinks.” Trane stood taller. “Who says I didn’t teach him everything he knows?”

  The others scoffed.

  Daniel hopped in their Mastercraft ski boat. “Nico’s the undisputed conqueror of women.” Then he stopped. “I mean, was.” His face reddened.

  Jo liked him best of all. He was the youngest and still sweet, tended to stumble over his words at times, like now.

  Lucan chucked a towel at his head. “Daniel. Like she wants to hear about all that.”

  She joined them in the boat and climbed to the front. “It’s ok. I read the tabloids.”

  Their mouths opened. And Trane shook his head. “You do? Why would you do that?”

  She shrugged, suddenly self-conscious. “I wanted to know.”

  The others found their seats.

  It was her turn to whistle. “This is some boat. I’ve always wanted to ski behind a Mastercraft.”

  “She’s a beau
t. This is the newest model.” Trane beckoned her over. “It’s all digitized. You can switch from regular skiing to wake surfing. Just push a button.”

  She stopped her squeal. “This is gonna be epic.”

  The brothers laughed and Trane turned to them all. “Our new sister is a keeper.”

  She warmed toward them, feeling a little more like family.

  The boat tore out of the small canal that held their private marina, back out onto the open waters. Daniel shouted close to her ear. “We know the perfect inlet bay, always glass.” He ran his hand through the air, palm down as if over a smooth surface.

  “I can’t wait to hear that hum.” She tapped her foot in anticipation. There was nothing like it. Skiing, being out on the water. It felt like flying. She even loved the smell of the gas in the motor, and the rainbow swirls it made on the water’s surface.

  “The hum. She even knows about the hum.” Trane shook his head in appreciation. “Are all Americans like you?”

  She shrugged and laughed it off.

  They slowed and pulled into a small opening between two cliff faces, as if following a wider tributary. She moved to the front, taking in the multicolored beauty on each side. Layers of rock, and dirt, made an earth-toned rainbow on both sides. “Stunning.” The boat had slowed to no-wake speeds, and she craned her neck, to take in as much as she could. She tried not to blink and miss the unique beauty of this place.

  After a short time, the water opened up into a pristine space, mirror images of the forest on all sides lining the edge.

  “Is it deep?”

  “Our depth counter puts us at 10 meters almost all over, even close to the edges.”

  “Wow.”

  They crept into the inlet, trying not to ripple the smooth surface. Then Lucan brought her two skis. “Ladies first.”

  She looked from one to the other. “Are you sure?” The opportunity to ski on completely glassy water didn’t come every day.

  “Of course. It’ll calm. There’s a beach area on the opposite side that consumes the waves.” Trane pointed to the far side. The inlet was huge, plenty of room for their purposes.

  “Ok then.” She didn’t wait to be told twice. “But I’m gonna need that one.” She leaned around Lucan to point to the HQ on the ground.

  He turned to her with a wide grin. “You got it!”

  As she pulled on a life jacket he said, “It’s wobbly, difficult to get up if you aren’t used to it.”

  “Ok thanks,” was all she said. She couldn’t wait to get out on the water.

  She lowered herself in, rippling the mirror image. It felt nice against her skin. Even in April, the hot Mediterranean sun was beaming down on them all. The boat took up the slack in the rope and when it was pulled taut, she shouted, “Hit it!”

  With a burst of speed, the boat tore forward, and lifted her seamlessly out of the water, droplets spraying all around her as she at last planed on the opened glass. Tearing across the wake to the smooth silk off to the side, she found it. The hum. And it filled her. For a moment she just listened, and took in the beauty that surrounded them. The water was crystal clear. Even though 10 meters deep, she could see the bottom. Such a precious resource. Such a beautiful part of the earth. But enough admiring, it was time for some fun. She dug in hard and cut across the wake to the other side, rounding to the left, to turn sharply back across the other way. A huge wall of water sprayed out behind her. Cheers erupted from inside the boat and she grinned as she tore back the other direction at thrilling speeds.

  When at last she couldn’t hold on any longer, she let go. Pulling out of the water, she lifted her wobbly limbs into the boat.

  Trane turned off the engine and the boat rocked over the remaining waves from her turn.

  She took off her dripping life jacket and pulled on a sweatshirt. Nico’s. She had borrowed it once and never gave it back. She never would. While she snuggled up inside of it, Daniel sat beside her. “I got some excellent shots. Some of these are print worthy. Do you mind if I mess around with them a little bit?”

  She looked at the images as she scrolled through them. “Those are stunning.” Some featured the back drop of the steep cliff. Others displayed the thick forest, the mirror image on the water, her prone body - almost horizontal to the water, and even individual droplets clear from a massive rooster tail spray. “That’s pretty amazing work, Daniel.”

  He blushed. “Thank you.” He scrolled forward, “But look at you. I don’t think even Trane can get that close to the water.”

  It was an amazing shot. If she had lowered her arm, her elbow would have touched the water; that’s how close she was. “Could you send a few of those to me? I’d love to show Sierra.” She grinned. “And Nico.”

  “He’ll never live it down. His fiancé kicks his butt on the water.”

  “Oh, I doubt I’m any better than he is.”

  Trane pulled on a life vest. “Who’s driving? After that awesomeness I’m itching to slay a bit myself.”

  Lucan took the wheel, everything about this brother looked chiseled, his sharp jawline, his military haircut, even a short cropped beard.

  Then Trane took his turn, diving in after his ski, whipping hair out of his face when he surfaced. Each one of these men would cause every woman she knew to melt. Trane rose out of the water in one smooth motion. As good as they said Jo was, Trane was even better, the power of his weight, the force and strength of his muscles let him do things on the water she never could. Where her spray towered over her height, his arced beautifully for several stories.

  Everyone took their turns. She even wake surfed, throwing the rope to an eager Daniel to catch while she pretended to be on waves at the beach. It was a near perfect day, made only better if Nico could have been there.

  2

  Nico let the disappointment of missing a day of skiing with his fiancé and brothers fade from his mind just as their voices dimmed, the further he walked up the docks. His driver waited. His personal assistant had already dinged his phone five times. Work awaited.

  They weaved through the closest town to their palace. The people in it viewed themselves as family, cousins perhaps, guardians of the crown. They fought back the paparazzi, and often kept royal secrets. As a result, he and his brothers could make appearances in town and not be mobbed. They had many friends in the shop owners, and favorite pastries from the bakeries. The street was decorated for Sant Jordi, a Spanish holiday. His mother had heard of it, and consistent with her literacy efforts, had encouraged the Torrens to participate. Every man was to give away flowers and every woman, a book. Nico found it charming. He asked his driver to pull over in front of Miguel, his favorite flower vendor.

  Warm smiles welcomed him on the street, but the citizens passed on, giving him his privacy.

  Miguel grinned, “Your new woman. She is special, isn’t she?” He began collecting flowers to add to a bunch.

  “She is.” They hadn’t yet announced her as his fiancé, the future queen. “She is also new to this custom. I plan to surprise her.” Thoughts of her learning all of their customs, becoming one with their people, filled him with expectation and a surge of happiness he had never felt before. At last his life had begun to feel complete, hopeful and, he had to admit, purposeful.

  Thoughts of her skiing with his brothers, though tantalizing and tempting him away from his many responsibilities, also gave him a comforting sense of family. He appreciated how well she fit in with them so far, and for the efforts his family made to help her feel welcome.

  His phone dinged. A text from Monique. He couldn’t even call her an old girlfriend, although she was someone his parents hoped might have been. She appeared to have given up on any romantic interests, but she did continue to touch base, to leave supportive thoughts, to give him ideas, and to react to recent headlines. One thing he would miss about Monique was her already existent grasp of his people, the major players, the news moguls, and the issues; all the things that Jo would yet learn. But he knew J
o had other strengths. Thinking of her spunk, her readiness to jump in, and the love she already felt for Torren, he knew she would do just fine.

  Perhaps it would be prudent to remind Monique where his loyalties still remained. “Buying flowers for Jo. Thanks for the update.”

  No reply. Then as he was paying Miguel, his phone dinged with her text, “I hope she appreciates the nuances of the day. Such a special time for Torren.” Then she sent a picture of an enormous bouquet, twice as large as the one he had picked out. “I loved mine last year. Thank you.”

  He grimaced. Curse his parents. They had sent flowers to a few of the women in his circle who they hoped might be on his list of potentials when he was ready. Monique had always topped the list. But thankfully they had stopped pressing that issue as soon as they recognized Nico’s intentions toward Jo.

  “See you tomorrow night?” Her text beeped.

  His groan was loud enough for the driver to meet his eyes in question. Nico waved him on. Time to return to the palace. Monique was invited to most of the same events and would be a large part of Jo’s entrance into society amongst their peers. He didn’t answer her.

  Pulling into the palace, he sat up taller and prepared for all that awaited him. But sitting taller did not have the effect it usually did. Instead of filling him with expectant hope and strength, he felt by measure, unprepared. He pulled up a picture of Jo. It was a selfie they took dancing at her Tiki Rumble marina restaurant and dance club. They had the floor to themselves for a few moments and it was one of the best memories he had of her. He smiled at her image, close to his face, eyes sparkling, daring him to greatness. And he shored up the resolve to move forward. Today his father would transfer a larger portion of his responsibilities to Nico.