Once Upon a Royal Billionaire Read online

  Once Upon a Royal Billionaire

  Sophia Summers

  Contents

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  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

  Epilogue

  Read all books by Sophia Summers

  15. Chapter One: Hiding out with a Royal Billionaire

  Read all books by Sophia Summers

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  Other books in the Vacation Billionaires Series

  Her Billionaire Lifeguard

  Her Billionaire Professor

  Her Billionaire Bellboy

  Her Love and Marriage Brides Series

  The Bride’s Secret

  The Bride’s Cowboy

  The Bride’s Billionaire

  Read all the books in The Swoony Sports Romances

  Hitching the Pitcher

  Falling for Centerfield

  Charming the Shortstop

  Snatching the Catcher

  Flirting with First

  Kissing on Third

  Her Billionaire Royals Series:

  The Heir

  The Crown

  The Duke

  The Duke’s Brother

  The Prince

  The American

  The Spy

  The Princess

  Her Billionaire Cowboys Series:

  Her Billionaire Cowboy

  Her Billionaire Protector

  Her Billionaire in Hiding

  Her Billionaire Christmas Secret

  Her Billionaire to Remember

  Her Single Holiday Romances

  Taming Scrooge

  1

  Rhett thought when he became the king of Aegira, his island country in the Mediterranean Sea, that he would lose some of his close friendships, that he would miss out on anything casual and relaxed, and worst of all, that he would have to give up his place on the world-renowned water ski championship team.

  As he spun the ski boat around to pick up his friend Clint, he smiled. He had stubbornly clung for so long to the water ski team that his assistant finally gave in and scheduled time for him to be out on the water with the team. The boat did a full circle, and as he got close to Clint, he called out, “Did you get a good drink?”

  “Very funny.” Clint shook his head, flinging drops of water all around him. “I only missed that last one. I gotta go again.”

  “Dude, we’re late.” Today he had a meeting to work on his relationship with the princes. They were probably all arriving at his boathouse that very moment.

  “Not yet. Come on, I can’t end like this.” Clint reached for the ski rope’s handle and maneuvered the slalom ski out in front of his body. Once he was in the ready position, he yelled, “One more!”

  Rhett gunned the boat faster than he should to take up the slack.

  “Whoa, whoa!” Clint’s shouts made Rhett laugh as Clint burst up out of the water, spraying droplets all around him. “Yeeeeeeeeeehaw!”

  Rhett rolled his eyes. The man thought he was an American cowboy.

  “He makes our whole team look good.” Enzo, another prince of the island countries, grinned. “I think we’re gonna win this year.”

  “We would if Mountain Blue wasn’t coming.”

  “Is that—”

  “Emily.”

  “We can take them.”

  Rhett didn’t say anything, but he knew it was next to impossible to beat Emily or her brothers in anything to do with the water. “I’m gonna drive Clint in towards the dock.”

  “What time are we meeting the guys?”

  “They should be there already. Upstairs.”

  “Are all the princes coming?”

  “Yeah, the Valdezes will be late.”

  They straightened out so that Clint could take the course one more time. They’d moved the buoys to be competition standard, and they were having a hard time hitting all of them. Their team was composed of a rotation of princes who wanted to participate. Their lives were busy, but they always tried to make sure they had a powerhouse group of five ready to compete. Rhett told himself that’s why he was edgy, not because Emily was coming.

  “Hey, remember when Emily finished this course?” Enzo laughed.

  Rhett grunted.

  “How old were we? Ten?”

  “She did not finish the course when we were ten. It was more like fifteen.” How was Rhett going to handle being with Emily if he couldn’t deal with having a conversation about her?

  “No, dude, you guys were already snogging when she was fifteen. Maybe not ten, twelve.”

  “Do we have to talk about this?”

  “I’m just saying, she did it young. We have to beat her.” The boat sped up. “Why’s she coming anyway?”

  “Vacation? I don’t know. We don’t talk anymore.”

  “Is she fair game?”

  Rhett’s scowl silenced Enzo.

  “Okay. Point taken. You need to lighten up.”

  He exhaled slowly. “I know. I’ll be better in a few minutes.”

  They pulled in close to the dock, turning so that Clint could ski his way in. He plowed in, shooting up spray as he turned. Then he hopped up out of his ski as he jumped up onto the dock. Their dock hands scooped up the ski, and Rhett sidled the boat up against the dock. As if on cue, the music cranked up. He held his hands in the air. “Let’s get this party started!”

  He ran into the boathouse and up the stairs, pushing open the door to his upstairs rec room. “Gentleman, let the first meeting of the Prince Society begin.”

  Everyone had come, as expected. There were eight guys scattered around the room, playing pool or video games. Watching them all brought a rush of nostalgia for the days when all they thought about was girls and waterskiing. The princes raised their cue sticks, drinks, or game controllers to him in greeting. No one sat at the large conference table, each place set with pens and an agenda.

  Rhett groaned. “They look like a bunch of teenagers.”

  Clint stepped in, rubbing a towel through his hair. “Hey, this was our pad. They’re just reliving the mems.”

  “I guess so.” Rhett made his way to the fridge and grabbed a soda before calling on the intercom to his assistant. “Jeff, we’re ready for dinner.”

  Enzo was right. He did need to lighten up. Rhett tried to relax, but having this group here in his boathouse…it just felt empty without Emily.

  And he knew that wasn’t happening any time soon. He’d heard about Emily’s divorce, and just knowing she was unattached did crazy things to his insides.

  Dinner arrived. The staff set it up in the other room on the huge, thick wood table, and the guys dug in. Rhett studied them. They represented a large amount of the royalty whose countries bordered the Mediterranean. Brooks, Enzo, Clint, Donnovan, Zane, Dexter, Arlo, Ryland. Once everyone was settled at the table, Rhett started. “Okay, let’s talk. As you all know, we called you here to start the Prince Society.”

  “Yeah, so what is that exactly?” Brooks, the prince of Roades took a bite of his sandwich. Of all the guys, Rhett hoped he would jump on board. The other guys liked him.

  “A lot of things. First, every Mediterranean prince is included. And that’s important. We’re united on this.”

  “For the ladies.” Donnovan high
-fived the guys near him and pretty much every face at the table smirked.

  Rhett laughed. “The society will have its benefits, like when we have our parties, events, and this water ski competition. But it will also serve a greater purpose—for us to come together on issues and problems that face our united Mediterranean community.”

  “Some of us don’t worry about all that.” Arlo and Donnovan laughed, and Rhett resisted rolling his eyes.

  “Yeah, we’re not unlucky enough to be the heir,” Arlo razzed Zane, who was the heir to a large throne.

  Rhett wanted their attention back. “We’re asking you to start caring. In between the parties, we’re asking that you step up a little. There’s a lot we can do together.” He could tell he was losing them.

  “He’s right. We stand behind Rhett.” Nico Valdez, King of Torren, stood in the doorway, his huge frame filling the space. His five brothers crowded in behind him. They were a commanding presence. And Rhett smiled in gratitude. Nico winked at him.

  “The truth is, there’s a lot going on in our sea that affects all of us,” Nico continued.

  The room fell into a respectful silence. The Valdez brothers often did that to people, but they knew how to party like the best of them.

  “Come in. Take your seats at the table and dig in.” Rhett was glad they’d come when they did. He was happy all of them made it.

  Clint lifted a glass. “Onto more important topics. Like who’s in the boat for the competition and who’s skiing?”

  Donnovan ran a hand through his hair. “I should definitely be in the boat. For the publicity shots.”

  Everyone groaned. They all kind of wanted to toss him into the sea, but he had his moments so they kept him around—that and his father commanded a huge portion of the Mediterranean’s wealth in trade.

  “Two in the boat, three in the competition.” Brooks looked around the table. “We gotta talk about our team. Rhett says Mountain Blue is competing this year.”

  “We are not losing to those guys again. I don’t care if Emily is on the team.” Clint leaned back in his chair. “Dude, is she competing or not?”

  Everyone looked at Rhett.

  “I don’t know. We don’t talk.” This topic was going to get real old real fast. He wished everyone would back off the Emily vibe. “As for who’ll be in the competition, we’re gonna hold tryouts just like we have every year. Starting Tuesday. Best team goes. The rest of us will be there to support and participate in the first Princes Gala.” He pointed two fingers at Donnovan. “This is where we bring the ladies.”

  “Even you?” Donnovan snorted.

  Clint raised his eyebrows. “Yeah, is the bachelor king bringing a date?”

  Rhett ignored them. He might bring a date. If he felt like dealing with the public speculation.

  They all seemed satisfied with the plans. Everyone dug back into their food and talked mostly to the people near them. When everything was wrapping up, Nico and Tripp came to stand beside him. His two favorite Valdez brothers. “Hey, thanks. Good timing today.”

  “Some of those guys just need to grow up. In the meantime, we’ll keep them in line. This was a great idea, Rhett. Good things will come of it.”

  “I hope so. I know we need to talk about hosting another environmental summit, and we should also start discussing unrest in our southern nations. But I thought for today, girls, waterskiing, and food would be enough.”

  Nico clapped him on the back. “It was perfect.” He sipped his drink. “So, Emily?”

  Rhett groaned. “Why does she keep coming up? We haven’t talked, not one word, since our dumb breakup.”

  “The dangerous duo back together. Heaven help us,” Tripp teased.

  “Very funny. But really, we’re adults. We should be able to talk. Say hello.”

  They nodded, overly agreeable, and Rhett regretted the whole conversation. He didn’t want anyone in his business, not even his friends.

  “Okay, okay, we agree. Talk to the woman. Make peace. We miss her brothers.” Tripp and Nico clinked their glasses together.

  Clint joined the three of them. “But we can’t let them win the competition.”

  “That’s not happening. I want that trophy right there, where it belongs.” Rhett pointed to an empty shelf in his main room.

  “Done. We win. We make nice. We party with our friends. Sound good?” Tripp’s smile could charm the most antagonistic among them.

  “Wish it was that easy.” Rhett shook his head.

  Nico shrugged. “You never know. It might be.”

  The other princes started to get up and trickle out. They’d be back first thing in the morning to practice. But Rhett didn’t want them to leave, yet. He’d be left with a silent house, and he knew what thoughts would fill his mind.

  2

  Emily kissed her daughter on the forehead. “I won’t be gone for very long.”

  “I’ll be fine, Mom.” Lily always seemed older than hersix years. But Emily knew Lily was trying to be brave. Her mouth gave her away. The corner turned down for a second before she disguised her frown with a smile. Emily almost cancelled her trip on the spot.

  Lily shook her head. “We’re gonna party without you.”

  “I don’t doubt it for a second.”

  Emily’s father was arriving any minute and would whisk Lily away to their weekend home for three weeks. Lily would have a lake, boats, ducks, a huge yard, and grandparents to entertain her. Emily would be lucky if her daughter checked in once a day as instructed. “Just don’t forget me.”

  Lily laughed, her quivering lip gone. “I won’t.” She held her hand out for a fist bump. “And you don’t forget me either.”

  “Never.” She pulled her close for another hug. “You’re my number one.”

  Emily’s father’s booming voice echoed down the hall from the front entryway. “Where’s my lily flower?”

  Lily’s face lit up, and she took off running.

  Emily was once again thankful that Lily had a grandfather to help fill the holes left by Jackson, Lily’s father, who was thankfully not in the picture.

  Emily kissed her dad’s cheek. He stood tall and strong even though he was well into his seventies. “Thanks, Dad. I’ll contact you when I get there.”

  “You just have some fun. We will be having our own. You can count on that.”

  Lily giggled.

  “Oh, don’t I know it.”

  Her father picked up Lily’s luggage and winked over his shoulder. “Best be going while it’s still light.”

  “See you later, love bug.”

  “Bye, Mom!” Lily waved over her shoulder, but then stopped and ran back, throwing her arms around Emily’s waist, her chestnut curls cascading down around her head.. “I love you so much!” Her new clothes said she was already in school and all grown up, but her sweet hugs revealed the sweet little girl Emily knew was still there.

  “I love you too.” Emily hid her tears.

  Her father winked again. “We’ll call every day if you want.”

  Emily nodded. It was silly that she was getting all emotional about this. She was just going to have fun with some old friends who happened to be her age and attractive and male—and had coincidentally remained single. And even though Emily was also single now, she should be able to spend time with them without calling everything a date. She shook her head. What a complicated mess.

  She would mostly be there on business anyway. The royal princes’ first summit would be the networking opportunity of the century, and she wouldn’t miss it for anything.

  She watched Lily drive away in her parents’ limo until the car turned at the next block.

  Timothy Parsons cleared his throat behind her. Their butler had been a part of the family since before Emily could remember. “Oh, Parsons. Off she goes.”

  “She does indeed, madam. And if I’m not mistaken, you are soon to follow?”

  Emily lifted her wrist to check the time. “Oh my goodness. You are correct.” She rushed
up the stairs. She was mostly packed, but she still wanted to freshen up a bit and go through her list one last time. Her suite of rooms faced the back acreage of their New Hampshire property. There was an old well out there that always made her smile. Rumor had it that Revolutionary soldiers and then Union soldiers had all drunk from their well.

  Her father had installed a grate across the top of it a few years ago. And when Emily and Lily had moved back in, Emily had been so grateful the potential threat of falling in had been taken care of.

  When Emily was younger, she used to roll her eyes at her mother’s reminders to stay away from the well. Did she think Emily was looking to fall in? But once she’d become a mother, she’d finally appreciated her mother’s vigilance.

  Her mother had been right about most everything. Even about Emily’s ex-husband. She’d warned Emily about him but had accepted her decision to marry him and had loved the man through all his faults. Until Emily had come to her, shaking and crying about the hitting. Then she’d been the champion Emily needed, the strong front of resistance to any thoughts of returning to Jackson. Her mother hadn’t mentioned him again after that. She hadn’t mentioned Rhett either—not by name, at least—but the thought of him hovered at the edges of any conversation about her dating life.

  She threw her bathing suit, makeup bag, and favorite heels into her suitcase and zipped it up. “I’m ready,” she called out.

  Parsons paged her on the intercom. “The car is here. I’ll have the driver come up for your luggage.”

  “Thank you. And thank you for always watching over things while we are away.”

  “It has always been my pleasure.”

  When everything was packed up and she was on her way to the airport, she sat back in her seat and closed her eyes. The pilot texted that the jet was ready to go. All she had to do was climb aboard, and she would be off. She smiled. The Mediterranean. Old friends. And new ones. And Rhett. She felt her face frown. What was she gonna do about Rhett? Ignore him possibly. Maybe he wouldn’t come?