The Royal Treatment. Maureen Child

      Even Jade.

      “Besides, my people skills are fine, babe,” he assured her. “It’s my ‘reporter’ skills you seem to be having trouble with. And frankly, if you don’t like ’em, then I must be doing something right.”

      “As charming as ever, I see,” Jade retorted.

      “You used to think I was pretty damn charming.”

      “I used to believe in Santa Claus, too,” Jade said tightly. “Then I grew up.”

      Frustration simmered just below the anger surging inside her. Out of all the men on this little island, why did it have to be her ex-husband standing between her and her goal?

      She stared up—way up—into J.T.’s hard brown eyes and didn’t see a glimmer of hope there. She did, however, feel that slow, sweet surge of want rise up inside her again. From the moment she’d locked eyes with him, she’d felt it. A heady rush of pulse-pounding desire that was so thick it nearly choked her. And she sensed he’d felt it, too.

      It was as if the last three years hadn’t happened. Three long years of not seeing him, not hearing his voice, not feeling his touch, and one look from him and she was going up like a skyrocket.

      “Jade?” Her cameraman’s voice cut into her thoughts and she sent the tall, thin, older man a quick look. “I’m heading back to the van.”

      She nodded, and thought she caught a wisp of a satisfied smirk on J.T.’s face. Irritating, frustrating, completely sexy man.

      Once Harry had moved off, she switched her attention back to the wall of muscle that stood between she and her destiny. She’d tried being nice. She’d tried being commanding. Nothing had worked.

      “Look,” she said, trying yet again, and this time using her patented let’s-be-friends tone of voice, “there’s no reason we can’t come to a meeting of the minds.”

      A corner of his mouth twitched. She thought. It was there and gone so fast she couldn’t really be sure. Still, she latched on to that one small hope and kept talking in the same, gentle tone. “We’re adults. We’re professionals. Surely there’s a way we can solve this…difficulty.”

      He snorted and unfolded his arms, giving her a lovely view of a chest broad enough to star in dozens of female fantasies. As she knew all too well. “You’re really something,” he said, his gaze running up and down her body quickly and yet so thoroughly it was almost as if he’d touched her.

      She squirmed a bit against the flash of heat that briefly dazzled her bloodstream, but held her ground. She hadn’t been intimidated into leaving. She certainly wouldn’t be aroused into leaving.

      “Thank you,” she said.

      “Wasn’t a compliment.”

      She inhaled sharply, deeply, then dug her manicured nails into her palms as she fisted her hands.

      “Jade,” he continued, before she could think of something suitably witty to say, “I’ve told you every day, you’re not getting in here. So why don’t you do us both a favor and go away?”

      “I’m just trying to do my job,” she repeated.

      “So am I.”

      “Fine.” She could be generous. Find some common ground. “I understand that.”

      “See,” he said, planting his hands on his hips, “I don’t think you do.”

      “Your job is to protect the royal family. But I’m not a threat.”

      “Not every threat is a physical one.”

      Jade felt the pulse of anger quicken inside her. “I only want to do an interview with my queen.”

      “And my queen,” he countered, “isn’t interested.”

      “She can’t stay hidden away forever.”

      “She’s the queen. She can pretty much do what she wants.”

      “This isn’t the Middle Ages, you know,” Jade snapped, giving in to the fury goading her into a fight with the bane of her existence. “We aren’t simple crofters huddled around campfires.”

      “Too bad,” J.T. said. “As I recall, you look pretty good by firelight.” Motioning to Lieutenant Gimble to come closer, he said, “Good seeing you again, Jade.”

      “This isn’t over, J.T.”

      “Sure it is.” Then he flicked her a quick glance. “You’ve still got great legs, babe.”

      “You can’t walk away from me like—” She broke off. Pointless to keep arguing when the man whose neck you wanted to wring was already striding away from you.

      The young lieutenant gave her a wary glance and a wide berth. Jade ignored him and stared after J.T., with a look cold and hard enough that, had he been the slightest bit more sensitive, would have sent him to his knees. As it was, he walked through the double doors to the palace and disappeared.

      Disgusted, she gave in to the urge riding her and kicked the iron gate. All she accomplished with that smooth move was to darn near break her foot.

      She limped down the drive to the sidewalk and the van waiting for her at the curb. Amazing. Five minutes with J.T. and her professionalism had dissolved into a sea of raging hormones and temper.

      Sometimes “ex” didn’t really mean a thing, did it?

      Two

      Jade walked into her apartment, tossed her purse and keys onto the narrow hall table and slammed the door behind her. Automatically, she snapped both locks, then slapped the chain into place. She took extra care in turning the new dead bolt.

      Temper, she warned herself, then kicked off her shoes and limped across the room in her stocking feet. Her toes ached. “Darn him, anyway. Why did it have to be him? Thousands of soldiers in the army, and J.T.’s the one I have to deal with.”

      The plush, mauve carpet caressed the soles of her feet as she walked straight across the neat, uncluttered living room to the sliding glass doors. She flipped the lock, pushed the heavy panel open and stepped out onto her balcony.

      The wind slapped at her, made her shiver, but she welcomed the cold, hoping it would put out the fire still burning in her blood. But the chances of that were pretty slim. Like it or not, J.T. could do things to her with a look that any other man wouldn’t be able to accomplish with a touch.

      Jade sighed, reached up and rubbed her eyes with her fingertips, as if by doing so she could wipe away the memory of J.T.’s penetrating gaze. Seeing him again shouldn’t have been so hard. Three years had passed. Three long, busy, lonely years. It should have been more than enough time to get him out of her mind and heart.

      But nothing about her relationship with J.T. had ever been easy. Jade closed her eyes and saw his face again. Those dark, chocolate eyes that seemed deep enough to hold the secrets of the universe.

      She blew out a long, shaky breath. Her hair flew about her face and she reached up to scoop the long strands back. Tipping her face into the breeze, she inhaled the scent of the ocean and listened to the seabirds screeching as they wheeled and dipped in the gusts of wind.

      Her pulse rate slowed and the knot in her stomach slowly dissolved. The sea-damp fall air was just what she had needed to cool off. Worked every time. Well, against her temper. The lust still humming in her veins was something else entirely. Usually, no matter what problem was bothering her, Jade could step out here, let the wind caress her, and she’d feel her troubles slide away. In fact, this wide, private balcony with a view of the bay was the reason she’d rented the apartment in the first place. Wouldn’t you know that J.T. would be the one problem not so easily gotten rid of?

      She leaned her forearms on the railing and stared down at the world below. From her home on the top floor of the three-story