Page 12 of Incognito (Royally Reckless #1)

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D ante dealt with people from all walks of life, from diplomats to prime ministers, kings to blue collar workers. His mother said he had a gift for reading people, for knowing the right thing to say and when.

Somehow, the way the woman sitting next to him reacted every time he opened his mouth, his gift needed some serious rewrapping.

“Come up with anything yet?”

She held up her hand, the grooves creasing her brow creating an adorable studious look. “Give me another minute, then I’ll show you what I’ve come up with.”

“Good,” he said, sitting back to finish his espresso, free to study her.

He couldn’t figure her out.

Natasha had an uptight business persona that she wore with pride, even in her out of work hours. And though she dressed like any other fashion-loving woman in her twenties—he’d had a difficult time tearing his eyes away from the way her cute butt filled out the black denim earlier and that racy red top accentuated every luscious curve—she didn’t act her age.

In his experience, women her age were spontaneous, fun-loving, and flirty, attributes he found irresistible. Yet Natasha didn’t appear to have an impulsive bone in her sensational body. She was serious, fastidious, and solemn.

What would it take to get her to loosen up a little?

He sipped his espresso, studying the way her shiny brown hair hung in a sleek curtain around her face, a deep, rich brown, the colour of Swiss chocolate and a perfect frame for her expressive face. He wouldn’t call her beautiful in the classical sense but there was something about her… the full lips, the slightly elongated nose, the large hazel eyes… striking. Her face was memorable and he could easily spend the next few hours staring at it.

By the serious glare she fixed on him with when her gaze swung up to meet his, he guessed that wouldn’t be happening.

“Okay, here’s what I’ve come up with so far.” She grabbed a pen and started ticking off the extensive list she’d made as she searched online. “We’ve got pony parties, Clarice the clown, roaming reptiles, magicians, ventriloquists, go karts, mobile animal farms, painting parties, fire engines, and the old standard jumping castles.”

She looked at him expectantly, not waiting for a response before snapping her fingers. “Or if Paolo is a new age guy, there are fairies, discos, and belly-dancers.”

Dante shook his head. For a guy who’d hosted world summits and mastered complex budgets, he had no idea when it came to this sort of stuff. “You discovered all that in ten minutes?”

“Uh-huh.”

Her sceptical look said it all. She obviously wondered why he hadn’t gone online and done the same instead of traipsing the city and he’d be damned if he clued her in to the fact he had other people do this type of research work for him all the time.

She already seemed to have little regard for his background, no use emphasising the yawning gap between them.

“Well done. How about we narrow it down to three and screen them tomorrow?”

Her eyebrows shot up. “You want me to interview some clown?”

“No. I need you to make sure the reptiles are docile enough.”

“As if.”

She joined in his laughter, and it took every ounce of his willpower not to take advantage of the shared camaraderie of the moment and ask her what bothered her, why the reticence.

“I want Paolo’s party to be perfect and I have full confidence you’ll ensure that.”

He barely caught her muttered “I’m glad someone has confidence in me,” leaning forward to get a better look at her list, pleased it brought him closer to her.

She wore a subtle fragrance, a light floral with a hint of jasmine, that intrigued him. The smell had lingered after she’d joined in the girlfriend charade, his senses filled with the taste of her lips, the feel of her in his arms, and the unique scent that branded his receptors and enticed him to come back for more.

“Personally, for a two year old, I’d choose the animals or the jumping castle. All kids like animals and have energy to burn.” She rapped the pen against the list, studying it with great attention to detail and avoiding looking at him.

“Let’s consider both possibilities tomorrow.”

He reached out and stilled her hand with his, her head snapping up as she shot him a startled look. However, she didn’t pull away, and in that first, loaded second when her gaze met his, he saw something that surprised him.

Pure, honest, interest. A spark of something more, something bordering on desire.

It couldn’t be. He must be projecting his attraction to the sexy brunette, wishing for something that wasn’t there. Not that he would act on his impulse if there was. He didn’t do dalliances, especially when visiting foreign countries.

He’d made that mistake once before and the ensuing publicity had dogged him for months, before some IT people in high places that owed him a favour scrubbed all trace of it online.

“Can I borrow this? He plucked the pen out of her fingers, wondering if she bought his smooth cover-up for a momentary gaff. Touching her wasn’t a good idea when looking was difficult enough. “I want to make a list of possible gifts before I forget.”

“Sure.” She reached for her lukewarm latte, avoiding his eyes.

Damn. So much for the camaraderie he’d imagined a few moments ago.

“I’m thinking about buying a racing car set, an electric train set, a few computer games, something along those lines?”

She rolled her eyes, just as he’d expected at his ludicrous suggestions but at least he’d achieved what he’d set out to do. She was looking at him again.

“You have no idea about kids, do you?”

“Not much.”

A fact that saddened him. For a carefree bachelor who knew his single days were numbered—Calida needed heirs and it was only a matter of time before he succumbed to his mother’s meddling—he wasn’t so scared of losing his freedom anymore and kids were a part of that.

Not that he’d ever been free in the true sense of the word. He’d had responsibilities from the time of his birth and with the early death of his father, and his mother threatening to abdicate and hand over the reign to him any day now, he’d never been free.

“Okay. Here’s what we’ll do. Tomorrow after work, we’ll check out the animals and the castle, then we’ll hit a department store for some serious gift hunting. Sound like a plan?”

He nodded, enjoying her take-charge attitude. It got tiring making the decisions all the time.

“Are you always this organised and thorough?”

She blushed and fiddled with the list, folding the paper edges into tiny creases. “I try to be,” she said, her tone defensive.

“Relax. It was a compliment.”

“Thanks.”

She didn’t look grateful. In fact, she looked downright uncomfortable, and Dante knew he had to quit while he was behind. Yet another conversation heading south with the woman he couldn’t read.

It was frustrating the hell out of him.

“Would you like to have dinner before we head back?”

He asked out of politeness, but a small part of him wished she’d accept. He never had a chance to eat like this: casually, anonymously, without a horde of people waiting for him to finish his soup or take a sip of wine before touching their own.

“Thanks, but it’s been a long day.” She gathered her papers, laptop, and pens, and stuffed them into a large black satchel that looked like it could carry a year’s worth of hotel bathroom supplies.

“Maybe tomorrow?”

A half-hearted nod in his direction didn’t inspire him with confidence and he knew without a doubt the minute they concluded their business tomorrow night, he’d get the same response.

He couldn’t figure her out.

Which made him want to try harder.

The Prince of Calida never backed down from a challenge.