Read Online The Keys' Prince (The Royal Heirs) by D. D. Scott - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: D. D. Scott
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them until the next day when we repeat the process.” Stefan made it all sound so simple, but Dario knew what photos like that implied. The impression given would be that he and Stella were a lot more than old friends.
Dario thought about what Stefan and Franco had proposed. Obviously, they’d discussed it and were in full agreement that this was the best way to handle the situation.
It wasn’t that Dario disagreed. He actually did think it was a great idea. It was exactly the kind of plan he would have proposed himself, if it involved any other woman besides Stella. There was no way he could only pretend to be interested in her again. Pretend to want to spend time with her. Pretend to love her.
“In other words, we’re going to be spending a lot of time together the next few weeks,” Dario said looking at Stella and doing his best to make sure his ornery grin took the place of the doubts and concerns swirling inside his head and heart. “That works for me. How about for you, Stella?”
Encouraging her to cooperate with a mischievous expression and what he hoped was a glimmer of challenge in his eyes, he prayed she’d go along with the plan. Perhaps this was exactly what they needed to begin to see their situation in an entirely new light. His mind raced with ideas of where this could lead, some of those ideas bringing heat to areas of his body that hadn’t reacted this strong for a long time.
“Alright. I’m game. But what if we take this a step further?” Stella asked, wiping the stupid grin right off of Dario’s face.
“A step further? How so?” Although intrigued, Dario doubted Stella was willing to take it as far as he was.
“What if we made it appear that the world’s fairy tale has finally come true?” Stella asked, the wicked grin plastered across her lips taking Dario to places he wanted to go more than anything he’d ever wanted in his life.
“I’m not sure I’m following you,” Auntie Elo chimed in, although the twinkle in her eyes suggested otherwise.
Leave it to her to push their buttons even further. Dario made a mental note to do something very special for Elo and to make sure he always kept her on his good side.
“What they all want is a princess for their prince, and you said yourself, Dario, that you desperately need one,” Stella said, looking at him for acknowledgement.
Feeling rather sheepish, which was ridiculous considering that just a few moments ago, he couldn’t imagine anything he wanted more, Dario swallowed and said, “I wouldn’t say that I’m desperate. It’s just that I want to be able to choose—”
“Okay. I didn’t mean to make it sound like that, silly,” Stella said. “What the media also wants, and they’ve wanted it for a long time, is to force me out of hiding and see me back in the spotlight as a jet-setting heiress. You need a princess, or at least a strong hint that you’ve found one, and I need to get out on the international business circuit and settle my business interests once and for all. So what if we made it appear that yes, you chose your princess, and it’s me?”
No one spoke, although several deep breaths were taken. If Dario read her right, Stella was just as unnerved at her own suggestion as he was. Her hands were shaking against the sides of her tea cup making the cup clank and rattle against the saucer. So she wasn’t near as in control and sure of herself as her voice made it seem.
“I say we not only give them what they want, as Franco and Stefan suggested, but that we also add the possibility of a fairytale to the mix. It would help us both,” Stella said finishing off her tea and refilling her cup, her hands still shaking, even though she tried to hide that fact by using both hands to steady the carafe and then her cup.
“Let me see if I’m following this,” Auntie Elo said, scooting up in her chair till she was on the edge of her seat.
Dario didn’t need to change positions on his chair to feel any more
Dario thought about what Stefan and Franco had proposed. Obviously, they’d discussed it and were in full agreement that this was the best way to handle the situation.
It wasn’t that Dario disagreed. He actually did think it was a great idea. It was exactly the kind of plan he would have proposed himself, if it involved any other woman besides Stella. There was no way he could only pretend to be interested in her again. Pretend to want to spend time with her. Pretend to love her.
“In other words, we’re going to be spending a lot of time together the next few weeks,” Dario said looking at Stella and doing his best to make sure his ornery grin took the place of the doubts and concerns swirling inside his head and heart. “That works for me. How about for you, Stella?”
Encouraging her to cooperate with a mischievous expression and what he hoped was a glimmer of challenge in his eyes, he prayed she’d go along with the plan. Perhaps this was exactly what they needed to begin to see their situation in an entirely new light. His mind raced with ideas of where this could lead, some of those ideas bringing heat to areas of his body that hadn’t reacted this strong for a long time.
“Alright. I’m game. But what if we take this a step further?” Stella asked, wiping the stupid grin right off of Dario’s face.
“A step further? How so?” Although intrigued, Dario doubted Stella was willing to take it as far as he was.
“What if we made it appear that the world’s fairy tale has finally come true?” Stella asked, the wicked grin plastered across her lips taking Dario to places he wanted to go more than anything he’d ever wanted in his life.
“I’m not sure I’m following you,” Auntie Elo chimed in, although the twinkle in her eyes suggested otherwise.
Leave it to her to push their buttons even further. Dario made a mental note to do something very special for Elo and to make sure he always kept her on his good side.
“What they all want is a princess for their prince, and you said yourself, Dario, that you desperately need one,” Stella said, looking at him for acknowledgement.
Feeling rather sheepish, which was ridiculous considering that just a few moments ago, he couldn’t imagine anything he wanted more, Dario swallowed and said, “I wouldn’t say that I’m desperate. It’s just that I want to be able to choose—”
“Okay. I didn’t mean to make it sound like that, silly,” Stella said. “What the media also wants, and they’ve wanted it for a long time, is to force me out of hiding and see me back in the spotlight as a jet-setting heiress. You need a princess, or at least a strong hint that you’ve found one, and I need to get out on the international business circuit and settle my business interests once and for all. So what if we made it appear that yes, you chose your princess, and it’s me?”
No one spoke, although several deep breaths were taken. If Dario read her right, Stella was just as unnerved at her own suggestion as he was. Her hands were shaking against the sides of her tea cup making the cup clank and rattle against the saucer. So she wasn’t near as in control and sure of herself as her voice made it seem.
“I say we not only give them what they want, as Franco and Stefan suggested, but that we also add the possibility of a fairytale to the mix. It would help us both,” Stella said finishing off her tea and refilling her cup, her hands still shaking, even though she tried to hide that fact by using both hands to steady the carafe and then her cup.
“Let me see if I’m following this,” Auntie Elo said, scooting up in her chair till she was on the edge of her seat.
Dario didn’t need to change positions on his chair to feel any more
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