Read Online HOW TO MARRY A PRINCESS by Christine Rimmer - Free Book Online

first?”
    “Perfect.” She reached for his arm.
    They turned for the restaurant. It was just a short walk across the plaza.
    He’d gotten them a table on the patio, which jutted out over the water. The food was excellent and the waitstaff were always there when you needed them, but otherwise invisible. The sky slowly darkened and the moon over the water glowed brighter as the night came on. The sea glittered, reflecting the lights of the Triangle d’Or and those shining from the windows and gardens of the red-roofed villas that crowded the nearby hillsides.
    They talked of nothing important during the meal, which was fine with him. He was content right then just to be with her, to listen to her laughter and watch those sweet dimples appear in her cheeks when she smiled.
    After they ate, they strolled back across the plaza to the casino. They played craps and roulette and baccarat. People stopped to watch them, to whisper about them. A few took pictures. Noah had foreseen this and called ahead to speak with the manager so that the casino staff was on top of the situation. They made sure none of the gawkers got too close.
    Alice won steadily and so did he. Around eleven he challenged her to play blackjack, two-handed, in one of the exclusive back rooms.
    She looked at him with suspicion. But in the end, as he could have predicted, she refused to walk away from a challenge. “Am I going to regret this?”
    He simply offered his arm. When she wrapped her hand around it, he led her into the card room in the back, where the table he’d reserved was waiting for them, cordoned off with golden ropes in its own quiet little corner. She eyed the deck of cards and the equally divided stacks of chips as he pulled back her chair for her.
    “I thought we would play for something more interesting than money.” He pushed in her chair and went around to sit opposite her.
    She cast a glance around the big room. Almost every other table was in use. Leaning closer, lowering her voice so only he heard her, she said, “I am not taking off my clothes in a room full of strangers.”
    He laughed. “Clearly, I should have ordered a private room.”
    She tried to play it stern but didn’t quite succeed. Her dimples gave her away. “Let’s just not go there.”
    “Fair enough.” He shuffled the cards.
    She watched him, narrow eyed. “All right, then. If not for money, then what?”
    He looked up into her eyes. “Orion.”
    She stared at him for a count of three before she spoke. “Surely you’re joking.”
    He shook his head. “If I win, you agree to sell him to me.”
    She looked at him sideways, her diamond earrings glittering, scattering the light from the chandeliers above. “At my price, then. You’re only winning the right to buy him.”
    “That’s right.”
    “Think twice, Noah. It’s an astronomical price.”
    “Name it.”
    She did.
    He looked at her patiently—and counteroffered.
    She laughed, glanced away—and then countered his counter.
    “Agreed.” He slapped the deck in front of her.
    Alice cut the cards. “But what if I win?”
    He took the deck again. “Name your prize.”
    “Hmm.” She grinned slowly. “I know. I want you to donate twenty thousand American dollars to St. Stephens Children’s Home. My brother-in-law Marcus was raised there.”
    He gave her a wry smile. “So either way, I pay.”
    She dimpled. “Exactly.”
    He pretended to think it over. Then, “At least it’s a worthy cause. Done.”
    They began to play.
    She was an excellent gambler, bold and focused. And fearless, as well. She kept track of the cards seemingly without effort, laughing and chatting so charmingly as she played.
    He was down to a very short stack at one point. But he battled his way back, winning. Losing. And then winning again.
    It was almost two in the morning when he claimed her last chip from her.
    She leaned back in her chair and laughed. “All right, Noah. You win. You may buy Orion for the price we agreed