Page 19 of Incognito (Royally Reckless #1)

19

“ D o I have helmet hair?”

Dante took the helmet Natasha held out to him and stared at her like she’d asked a question in Martian. “What is this helmet hair you speak of?”

She chuckled at his adorable, royal cluelessness. “Is my hair messy from wearing the helmet?”

Realisation made his blue eyes sparkle and before she could move, he reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Your hair looks fine.” His fingers brushed her earlobe as he withdrew his hand, sending a delicious shiver through her body, like every cell had been electrified.

Maybe the last ten minutes being plastered against his body and his heat warming her better than the sun’s rays had made her a little loopy, but she seemed super-sensitised to him.

All he’d done was touch her hair and brush her ear, and her nerve-endings shot into orbit. Time to douse her fever with a reality check: an hour in the company of twenty toddlers and his sister should do the trick.

“You look beautiful,” he said, his sexy trademark smile making her feel beautiful. “Now, if you are ready, it is time to face the firing squad.”

She didn’t need to ask who the firing squad was as a stunning, statuesque woman wearing a white designer suit and a monstrous matching wide-brimmed hat strode towards them.

When she reached them, the stunning woman—who had to be Dante’s sister—held out her hand, and for an embarrassing moment Natasha stifled the urge to curtsy.

The woman studied her with an imperious arch of her brows. “You must be Natasha?”

“That’s right, nice to meet you.” Natasha took the proffered hand and smiled, hoping it didn’t look like a grimace.

“I’m Gina. Welcome.”

Though Gina’s smile seemed genuine enough, Natasha saw the cool, calculating gleam in her eyes, and wished she hadn’t come.

Helping Dante plan a party for his nephew and spending a casual evening over dinner was one thing, getting sized up by his family another.

Dante’s speculative gaze swung between her and Gina, and to Natasha’s relief, he seemed pleased she’d survived the introduction to his sister.

“Now that you two lovely ladies have met, shall we join the party in the rear garden?” He gestured at the house. “I can hear the children squealing from here.”

Dante’s light touch in the small of her back soothed Natasha’s frayed nerves and she straightened, determined to enjoy the party.

Gina pointed at her endless cobbled driveway. “Please enter and I will take you through to the backyard.”

Gina’s formal speech patterns reminded Natasha of Dante at times, yet she noted the differences between brother and sister too. Dante’s eyes were piercing blue and Gina’s almost coal black. Dante had a relaxed gait and Gina strutted like a supermodel. Dante spoke with a casual lilt interspersed with occasional stilted formality, and Gina’s upper class accent screamed status, wealth, and power.

“Paolo hasn’t stopped asking for you since the castle and animals arrived an hour ago, Dante. He’s very impressed.” Gina paused. “And so am I.”

Gina’s praise sounded begrudging and Dante’s brows drew together in a formidable frown, as Natasha pondered the strange undercurrent between brother and sister.

“I couldn’t have done it without Natasha,” he said, his frown clearing as he smiled at her, warming her from the inside out.

“Hmm.”

Gina’s guarded response and sideways stare almost sent Natasha scuttling back to the motorbike, but at that moment a small boy ran around the corner of the sandstone mansion, screamed, and lunged at Dante.

“Hey, Paolo, my little man. Happy birthday,” Dante said, squatting to hug the little boy close, before picking him up and swinging him high in the air, eliciting more ear-splitting shrieks.

Natasha’s breath caught in her throat as she watched Dante and Paolo laughing, before Dante stopped spinning Paolo and their foreheads touched as they rubbed noses.

The joy on their faces, the emotion of a special shared moment, made her heart clench.

She wanted that.

She craved a special connection, the heart-wrenching elation that came with being with the right person, and sharing a family with them.

In that moment, in the waning afternoon sunlight on a clear Melbourne day, it hit her.

She wanted that special connection with Dante.

The realisation made her shiver and she wrapped her arms around her middle, reluctant to acknowledge the startling revelation and determined to ignore it.

Her discombobulation must be a result of the excitement after that damn motorbike ride. The stupid speed machine had rattled her brain. But the longer she tried to deny it, the more her gaze was drawn to the cosy picture of uncle and nephew cuddling and how much Dante affected her.

“Dante is smitten with my son.”

Natasha managed a polite smile for Gina and nodded. “He sure is. Not that I blame him. Your son’s adorable.”

“Spoken like a woman who doesn’t have children.” Gina’s cynical laugh raised the hairs on the back of Natasha’s neck and she wracked her brain for something to say.

“You have a lovely home. Do you enjoy living in Melbourne?”

This time, Gina’s harsh cackle bordered on a snort. “Melbourne is convenient. We’re settled here now and it’s far enough away from Calida to keep me sane.”

The bitterness in Gina’s voice surprised Natasha, and before she could say anything else or make frantic eye signals in Dante’s direction for him to save her from his embittered sister, Gina stepped closer. and dropped her tone to barely whisper pitch.

“Dante’s not like me though.” Her low tone, barely above a whisper, made Natasha uncomfortable. “He is a born and bred Calidian. It is his destiny to be crowned the country’s leader.”

“I’m sure it is,” Natasha said, wishing she’d opted for a quiet afternoon in her room rather than this.

“You know this thing between you and my brother can’t be serious, don’t you? When he returns, he’ll be taking a bride and ascending to the throne, so don’t grow too attached.” Gina made a tsk-tsk sound that annoyed Natasha more than the truth bombs she detonated. “My brother has a duty to our homeland and won’t give that up even for… what you can offer.” Gina shrugged. “After the trouble you’ve gone to for my son’s party, I feel it only fair to warn you.”

Icy dread trickled through Natasha’s veins. Nothing Gina said surprised her. She’d known Dante had responsibilities back home; he’d said as much.

As for what she could offer, it didn’t take a genius to figure out what Gina implied.

But it still hurt.

The cold, harsh reality, that Dante could only be toying with her, hoping for a final fling before settling down, hurt. A lot.

Fixing a brittle smile in place, she nodded at Gina. “Thanks for your concern, but Dante and I are just friends.”

With that, Natasha forced her feet to move and walked over to Dante and Paolo, where the little curly haired cherub took one look at her and ducked his head into the crook of his uncle’s shoulder.

“Paolo, meet my friend Natasha. She helped me bring the animals and jumping castle here. And later, you’ll see what she helped me choose for your present. Please use your manners and say hello.”

Dante winked at her and tickled Paolo, who lifted his head and peeked at her with wonder in his dark eyes.

“Tasha? My birfday?”

Natasha’s heart melted as she stepped forward and gently ruffled the little boy’s hair. “Yes, sweetheart, happy birthday. Are you having fun?”

Paolo nodded, a hint of a grin tugging at his mouth. “Fun!”

“Can I see the animals? Will you show me?”

“Yeah!”

Paolo wriggled in Dante’s arms and they laughed as he placed the strapping boy on his feet and he promptly ran towards the backyard, stopping for a brief second to see if they were following.

“You coming, Gina?” Dante called over his shoulder, while Natasha wondered if she could bolt after Paolo and escape spending more time with Gina.

“I’ve got some things to take care of inside.” Gina waved them away. “You go ahead.”

Natasha’s sigh of relief must’ve been audible as Dante fell into step beside her. “Did Gina say something to upset you?”

“No, why?”

The little white lie popped out. She had no intention of letting him know how badly his sister had rattled her. Bad enough she’d come to the stunning realisation how much he meant to her, closely followed by Gina’s revelations demonstrating how little she must mean to him.

“My sister has a habit of saying the wrong thing and you had a strange look on your face when you walked up to Paolo.”

“Gina didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know,” she said, managing to keep the sadness out of her voice with difficulty.

She’d never been a crier. Sure, she’d cried buckets when her mother died and when Clay showed his true colours, but she’d grown stronger since then. She had no choice.

Then why the sudden, dreadful urge to sink onto the nearest stone bench in the shade of a huge maple and bawl?

“What did she say?” Dante laid a hand on her arm but she didn’t stop.

Instead, she shrugged him off and fixed the best smile she could muster in place.

“Nothing important. Now, we’ve got a party to go to.”

Even if celebrating was the last thing she felt like doing.