The Duke (Billionaire Royals Book 3) Read online

  He swallowed. Again the ache associated with her returned. “I won’t let you down. Let’s go slow.”

  She didn’t respond, but he knew he had an in, tiny though it was. And he would make the most of whatever she would give him.

  When he hopped back in the limo, he felt lighter than he had in six months. Something about Seraphina in his life made everything seem better.

  He turned to their group, “Who’s ready for the after party, party?”

  They cheered, most loudly the little brunette at his side. He winced a little at her shrill sounds but laughed with his brothers. Everything was looking a little up.

  Then he got a text. Seraphina. “Luann? You’ve got Luann on your arm? Forget it Trane. I’m not one of your groupies anymore.”

  “No!” He texted back. “It’s not like that. She’s with Lucan.” He eyed the other girl who completely monopolized his brother’s attention. “Sort of.”

  She didn’t answer.

  He continued. “You know how it is. She just got in. This means nothing. Please Phina. Let me try.”

  She posted a thinking emoji face and he took that as a positive sign. He slipped his phone back in his jacket pocket. A thought bugged him, but he knew he should just get used to it. The gossip chain amongst royals was tight and faster than a human could travel. She heard who he was with that fast. This go round he would try to stay off that radar.

  Chapter 3

  Seraphina finished reading her published article, smiling. “The Duke’s Brother.” It detailed the wedding proceedings, the new couple, and the awesome bride, Jo; but the focus was on Tripp. She loved the picture she had took of Trane and his brother. Trane looked more handsome than any man had a right to look. His hand gripped Tripp’s shoulder and he smiled such a look of support that she warmed every time she looked at it.

  Her boss walked by, the editor of the Gatekeeper, her country’s main newspaper. He tapped his finger on her desk. “A great piece. Lots of emotion. We’re already getting positive feedback, more hits online, all of it. Well done.”

  She smiled until her cheeks hurt. She was building her way up through the paper’s positions. She was still just a junior reporter who had her own cubby space. But, at least she wasn’t running coffee to the board room any more. Right now her assignment included coverage of the royals. She already had access to most of the royal events all over the world. They were a tight bunch, not always friendly, and definitely exclusive, so her inside scoop pleased her editor. As long as she didn’t betray her fellow royals, she was in a good spot. She twirled her pencil before placing it in her hair. But she was after a press association award, and she needed to step away from the fluff society pieces if she had any hope of landing it.

  Thoughts of her work with the oceanic animals, especially the rays, whales, and dolphins shifted through her mind. The Valdez Family was wonderful to curb ocean dumping, to help preserve the environment. She wished other Mediterranean countries could be so like-minded. And then there were the yachts to consider. If tourists knew what those yachts dumped into the sea, just off their beaches, no one would swim in the sea. She was sure of it. They had to suspect though, when trash bags, feminine hygiene pads, old condoms, needles and more washed up on their shores.

  She shook her head. But there was no human interest in a piece about ocean dumping. She snorted, no human interest besides self-preservation. But that’s not what changed lives. A human interest story that pulled at people’s emotions, that encouraged wide spread change, that would win her a Pulitzer. She knew the committee of deciders were partial to the environment but a human element must be involved. She wanted these accolades not just to receive an award, but because that was the kind of journalism she valued. She had begun this writing journey, chasing the job of reporter, because she wanted a voice and sought an audience of readers.

  Trane’s picture showed up on her phone. It was from a dinner a year ago. He was looking at her like he would hold her forever if he could. She picked up her phone. “Hello.”

  “Phina.”

  “Hi.” She breathed out. She couldn’t help it. She became a puddle whenever he was involved.

  “Hi.” The smile in his voice was so obvious she almost giggled like a tween. She and Trane were ridiculous. Their whole situation was ridiculous.

  Her boss waved to call her into his office.

  She held up a finger and mouthed, “Royal.”

  He nodded and went inside to wait for her, she guessed.

  “So, Trane, how are you?”

  “I had a minute so I thought I’d call.”

  She was shocked into silence. Finally she cleared her throat. “Just like that?”

  He laughed, his smooth, deep tones shivered through her. “Yup, just like that. I’ve been watching Nico. He makes it work. He and Jo just carve out time. So now if I have a minute, it’s yours.” He paused. She was too stunned to speak. “So, how’s work? Do you have a minute?”

  “I do. I just told my boss to hold on a minute. Ha. He’ll be fine. He thinks I get all the intel on royals for him so I can chat.”

  “Do you?” His voice sounded wary.

  “Do I what? Oh. Give intel? No. Just like what you saw in my article today.” She hoped he’d read it. She held her breath.

  “I saw that! Well done. Great picture of Tripp.”

  “And you. Thank you. That was a fun piece.”

  They chatted for a couple minutes more and then she heard his phone ding five times in a row.

  “Well you know what that means.”

  “I do. Thanks for the talk, Trane.”

  “You’re welcome. I’ll call you later?”

  She felt her face heat. “Sure.”

  When he disconnected, she sat still, letting herself calm down. She had to force herself to acknowledge that Trane didn’t have time for her, not really, but she could enjoy this effort he was making while it lasted.

  She knocked on Mr. Calloway’s door. “You wanted to see me?”

  He indicated the chair across from his desk. “I do. Come sit.”

  Once she was settled, he eyed her over his folded hands. “I have a long term assignment.”

  She sat forward. Something about his expression made her nervous. His eyes were calculating.

  “This could bring big, international attention if it’s handled right.”

  She pulled out a notepad and the pencil from her hair.

  “I need you to follow the Valdez brothers, their efforts to stop ocean dumping and their yacht activity. Look for all discrepancies in their life that differ from these policies they are fighting for."

  She swallowed. “So wait, am I like, a spy?”

  He lowered his hands. “You are a reporter.”

  She nodded. True. This was what reporters did. “But what are you expecting or hoping to find?”

  He eyed her for a moment. “Let’s just say I have a hunch there’s a story there.”

  Chapter 4

  The Mediterranean Energy Commission left the building, and everyone breathed in a cleansing breath. Nico buzzed Trane on his intercom. He took it on his phone. “They’re gone.”

  “Thanks for dealing with them, brother.”

  “They should be pleased with their audit results. We are doing much better than most other countries. The only ones beating us with lower emissions and better quality of ecosystem are the small islands where no one lives.”

  Nico chuckled. “It is the Torren way, to care for our nation, to leave our children a yet beautiful place to live.”

  “Jo sweet talked them and made a few suggestions to their policy.”

  Jo waved a few fingers as she walked away, all business now, to her own next meeting. Trane was happy yet again she had joined their family. And she brought with her a passion to protect the ocean and its oceanic wildlife. Trane shook his head. Nico won lotteries and struck all kinds of jackpots with her, not to mention the gold at the end of any rainbow. She reminded him of Seraphina. He checked
his schedule. No time to call her yet.

  “Nico, we are completely in compliance with all their listed regulations. But I suggest, and Jo agrees with me, that we should set our own standard, much stricter than is required by the MEC and stick by it.”

  “I will support whatever you come up with if you can convince our corporation owners.”

  That was the trick, ensuring that the efforts made to protect their island country and its resources did not detract from the economic growth of the nation.

  Lucan entered the conference room where Trane still stood and turned on the television. To Trane’s happy surprise, Seraphina’s voice carried over the room’s speakers. “While Torren is ahead of its neighbors in most environmentally concerned areas, the small Mediterranean nation falls behind in a few small, though vital, areas.”

  He flipped off the television and texted her. “Just heard your news segment. Coincidentally just finished an audit with the MEC. What are these small though vital areas?”

  He could see the three dots that meant she was responding.

  “I’ve been assigned Torren and its dealings with the ocean. Your nation typically leads out in healthy Ocean treatment.”

  “Assigned? And thank you.”

  “Yes. We’re doing an eco-friendly segment. I’ll be flying in this week.”

  Trane’s face broke out in a grin.

  Lucan turned the television back on. “I assume from the sappy smile you are texting her right now?”

  He looked up from his phone. “She’s coming, been assigned Torren’s handling of the environment as her next reporting gig.” He smiled even larger. “Maybe we can take her out on the lake.”

  Lucan frowned. “But you did hear what she said, right? She’s not here to paint roses in the press for us.”

  Trane hesitated. True. And she never answered his first question. It didn’t signify. “No matter Lucan. Whatever she tries to dig up will be positive. We’ve been proactive about this for a decade now, back when others were still just barely catching on.”

  Lucan’s frown continued. “Stick close. I don’t want any surprises from her. If she digs up something, I want to be the first to know about it.”

  Stick close to Seraphina? Excellent. “No problem there.” He stood, his grin matching Lucan’s frown in strength. “I think I’ll meet her at the airport.”

  He had so much to do to get ready for a summit they were planning. Torren had agreed to host a Mediterranean country environmental summit to create a mutually agreeable plan to save the waters they all shared. But he couldn’t focus. His steps felt light, brisk, his heart happy. Seraphina was coming to Torren, and he had to stick close. He felt sure she would be covering the summit and everything leading up to it.

  He stopped. Perhaps he should invite her to stay at the palace? Participate in the meetings. His grin started to hurt his face.

  Nico rounded the corner. “What are you so happy about? Should I check my shoes? Or was it my underwear this time?”

  Trane put a hand on Nico’s shoulder. “Very funny brother. The truth is, you and Jo have inspired me. Seraphina is coming this week on assignment to report on the summit and our dealings as a country with the environment and I’m thinking about asking her to stay here in the palace, to sit in on some of our meetings.”

  Nico’s eyebrows lowered. “Trane.”

  “What? She’s one of us, Nico.” A hint of irritation jabbed at him. “What do you think she’s gonna say about us? Come on man, I’m finally finding a way to share my business life with my personal.”

  He looked away. “That’s my biggest concern. She may not be our friend in this. Everything she hears or sees is game for interpretation. She works for Gateway, you know. That Calloway would love a reason to take us down.”

  “But I’m confident she won’t find any dirt.”

  “There’s always dirt, Trane.” Nico’s eyes looked troubled and Trane began to doubt his plan. “Would it be too much work if she stayed with us? Lucan could put a man on her.” He hated to say it, almost bit his tongue while it formed the words, but Nico’s concerns were valid.

  His brother turned to face him fully. “I know the thought of her makes you happy. Sure, invite her here. We will let Lucan know. Give it a real go. If you can find the happiness I have with Jo, I’ll support you in this.” His eyes held a good amount of concern but Trane appreciated his support.

  “Thanks man. Now, I’ve just got to convince her to stay here.” He thought that might be the biggest challenge of all.

  “I’ll give you the same advice you gave me. You know how to sway a woman’s heart, but you’re too close to this one. What would you do if this were some other woman you cared little about?” He raised his eyebrow in a challenge.

  Trane swung his arms around and worked through his shoulders. “You’re right. I got this.” As he walked away, he called over his shoulder, “Let’s put her in the East wing, with the ocean views.”

  “Jo’s old rooms?”

  “Hey, every little bit helps.” Trane winked at him. Though he knew Phina wouldn’t be as affected by the sudden royal lifestyle, being a princess herself. At least he could put her within easy access to himself. He picked up his steps again. Even though he was as busy as ever, life seemed simpler now that he had a plan to make Seraphina more a part of it.

  As he was entering his next set of meetings, a concern about her loyalties surfaced. He tried to push it away but it persisted. He texted Lucan. “Let’s talk.” She wouldn’t welcome being spied on. Hopefully she would never know. But no matter how much he cared for her, he would not let her sabotage his efforts or blacken his family name.

  Chapter 5

  Seraphina stepped off the plane to four dings on her phone. Her heart skipped. Trane was waiting for her. He had called her every day for the last week, sometimes for just two minutes, sometimes longer. His determination to fit her in whenever he had a minute had not diminished. She swallowed her nervous flutterings. The wall around her heart was still up, but the barbed wire on top was slipping off. And through the mortar was the tiniest of cracks. If she and Trane could keep making an effort, they had a chance, or rather if he kept putting her on his list of priorities, they could maybe make something together.

  As she exited security, the private bunker in a separate part of the airport, she saw him through the floor to ceiling windows. The full length of him resting against his Audi. Sun glasses tucked in his shirt, he tried to look cool, casual, but his grin would have rivalled the children on Christmas morning, and she giggled in spite of herself. She loved how easy he was to read.

  As soon as she exited, he jumped forward, taking her bags and placed them in the trunk, then opened her door.

  “No driver?”

  “No way. I want you all to myself.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek, his cologne tickling her senses, making her never want to let go of his hand while it squeezed hers.

  She sat inside his lovely leather interior and waited for him to come around the car and join her. Her invitation to stay at the palace was not unusual. Royals often stayed with each other. The security was better and trained. It gave them some privacy and it was far more comfortable than a hotel. But she suspected the invitation was far more personal than the usual extended to any royal. A pang of guilt reminded her of the assignment from the paper. She could possibly be going to expose Trane and his family. But she pushed it aside. With any luck, she wouldn’t find anything wrong with the Torren handling of the Mediterranean conservation efforts and she would write a different spin on it. Keep her boss happy, keep her heart happy.

  Trane still hadn’t entered the car. She turned around and her heart sank a little. He was on the phone, pacing behind their car. Perhaps she should offer to drive.

  She got out of the car to switch seats.

  “It’s not like she’s going to rat us out Lucan.”

  Her steps faltered. His back was to her. Before she closed her car door and alerted him to her listening
ears, she heard, “I need this. Whatever you have to cover up, do it, because she’s coming.”

  A pit fell in her stomach. Perhaps staying at the palace was a bad idea. If there were things to hide, she didn’t want to know them. She thought about her ethics as a journalist. Or did she want to know them really? If the Torrens were abusing their rights with the Mediterranean, shouldn’t everyone know? She closed her door, and Trane whirled around.

  She kept her face blank, an open smile, and motioned that he could enter and she drive?

  But he shook his head and held up his finger, mouthing. “Sorry.”

  She shrugged and nodded and got back in the car.

  Shortly after, he climbed in and reached for her hand. “That took longer than I thought.” He raised her hand to his mouth. “I cannot tell you have happy I am you have come. What a lucky happenstance you are here on assignment.” His lips moved over her hand and chills went up her arm. These Valdez brothers and their old fashioned gestures.

  “Thank you for your invitation. It will make things much easier while I’m here, and to get first-hand knowledge.” She watched him, but his face remained impassive.

  “Of course, I am thrilled to brag a little bit about our pristine record and the history of our care of the Mediterranean.” He turned the car on and looked behind them for traffic. “But we both know my goal in inviting you is strictly personal.” His eyes turned to her and she saw truth in them. Her breath caught. “Trane.”

  “I’m serious, Phina. I am trying to make this work. It’s new to me. But you are worth it.” His gaze sent shivers again straight to her insides. She swallowed. “I hope so.” She looked away. He was too intense. She had to keep some distance or she would never stop waiting in the hallway for him to possibly walk by. It was too soon to tell if he was all in.