Her Christmas Prince. Catherine Mann

fact, that she’d given up trying.

      How could she claim she wanted nothing to do with him when one touch of his hands or mouth melted her insides like a pot of chocolate fondue?

      He’d discussed the idea for the Dream a Little Dream Foundation with his family, even asking Alandra to draw up an official proposal he could take to them. He’d also done a bit of research on his own into its American counterpart, so he could show them what the end product of such an endeavor might be like.

      Reaction so far had been positive, and she and Nicolas had been working together on a daily basis to plan things in more detail, crossing all the t’s and dotting all the i’s. Once the king and queen approved, as well as the board of Glendovian officials who oversaw this type of thing, she would be given the freedom to get the ball rolling on establishing the foundation.

      Daylight hours were not her problem. She had plenty to do to keep her busy, and managed to make sure she wasn’t alone with Nicolas any more than necessary.

      The door of his office stayed open while they were working, and if for some reason it was closed, she found a way to get it open again. If they were alone and things began to feel too tense, too dangerous, she’d make an excuse to get someone else into the room with them.

      It was nighttime that caused her the most anxiety. After dinner, when Nicolas would walk her back to her rooms…holding her hand, standing too close, leaning into her at the door.

      He kissed her cheek or sometimes her lips. Stroked her hand or shoulder. And always, always his eyes blazed with the clear desire to sweep her up in his arms and cart her off to bed.

      She prayed he’d never figure out how very often she wished he would do just that.

      Obviously, she wasn’t safe around him, and she didn’t know how she was going to make it another ten days without either giving in or going crazy.

      Ten more long, arduous days and she could fly home, fly away to safety.

      For some reason, though, that knowledge didn’t comfort her as much as she would have hoped. In fact, it almost saddened her.

      But that was an emotion she refused to examine. Her entire existence had been turned upside down, and as soon as she arrived home, life would begin to right itself and return to normal.

      She hoped.

      For now, though, it was late, and she’d thankfully managed to survive another day, another dinner, another long, excruciating walk back to her suite. She’d changed into a pair of comfortable black satin pajamas and was ready to climb into bed when a soft knock sounded on the sitting room door.

      A petite young woman in the uniform of the palace’s household staff stood on the other side.

      “Miss,” she said, bobbing a slight curtsy. “Prince Nicolas sends this message and requests an immediate response.” She held out a square envelope.

      It was Nicolas’s official stationery, Alandra saw, with her name scrawled in his expansive script across the front, and a dab of wax sealant pressed to the back.

      Whatever was inside, she suspected, was either very important or very private.

      Running a finger under the flap of the envelope, she broke the seal and removed the folded sheet of paper.

      Alandra—

      Your presence is required at a very important meeting concerning Dream a Little Dream. We fly to the other side of the island tomorrow morning. Pack for at least one night. Be ready to leave at 7:00 a.m. Nicolas

      She wasn’t sure exactly what response he was awaiting, since he didn’t seem to be giving her much choice in the matter. He hadn’t asked if she wanted to go or would be willing to go, or was even able to go…he’d simply told her to be ready.

      Refolding the note, she stuffed it back in the envelope before returning her attention to the servant. “Tell the prince I’ll be in the main foyer by seven o’clock. Thank you.”

      The woman nodded and hurried off, ostensibly to deliver the message. More like announce Alandra’s compliance, she thought crossly as she shut the door and headed back to the bedroom.

      Though she wasn’t particularly happy about this new development, she dragged an overnight bag from one of the closets and began to pack.

      By the time she’d finished, she was truly exhausted. Climbing into bed, she hoped for a good night’s sleep.

      She would need all the rest she could get if she was going to be alone with Nicolas—away from the palace. Overnight.

      She met Nicolas outside the palace at exactly 7:00 a.m. The entire place, inside and out, was decorated to the nines in anticipation of the Christmas Eve party the royal family was hosting in only two days’ time.

      “Good morning,” he said.

      “Good morning.”

      “I’m glad you were able to accompany me to this meeting,” he told her once they were inside the car and heading down the driveway.

      “I didn’t have much choice in the matter, did I?” she replied, avoiding his gaze by staring out the window.

      “You always have a choice.”

      She turned her head, meeting his blue eyes. “Well, your note didn’t seem to ask if I’d like to go with you.”

      “I was afraid that if I did ask, you would have said no,” he confessed.

      “Of course I wouldn’t have said no. As long as this meeting actually does concern the Dream a Little Dream Foundation. Or did you just say that to get me alone and away from the palace for a few days?” she asked quietly.

      A moment passed before he responded. “This trip is about the foundation, and though I could probably handle things well enough on my own, I think it’s important that you’re there. I think you’ll be glad you came.”

      He paused again, letting the silence fill with tension as his sharp gaze bored into hers. “But I’m also quite happy to get you away from the palace and to myself. I think you’ll be glad for that, too—eventually.”

      His voice lowered to a warm, honeyed tone, and it took all of Alandra’s willpower not to suck in a deep breath of air to replace what had gotten stuck in her throat.

      She should be angry. He was manipulating her again, moving her how and where he wanted her in an effort to change her mind about sleeping with him.

      One thing could be said for Nicolas Braedon—he knew what he wanted and didn’t take no for an answer.

      She didn’t want to admit it, not even to herself, but the truth was his single-minded determination to seduce her made her feel…special.

      It wasn’t her intention to play with him, to turn this…whatever it was between them…into a game, but she suddenly realized she was enjoying herself. She enjoyed knowing that he wanted her.

      Instead of arguing or giving in too soon, she merely shrugged and said, “I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

      The flight to the other side of the island was a short one, and they went straight from the small private airstrip to the office where the meeting was scheduled.

      Alandra was stunned to learn that they weren’t simply meeting with a few people about establishing the new foundation, but were meeting with many people to actually get the organization up and running.

      As the morning meetings progressed, she realized Nicolas had been right. She was glad she’d come along.

      She was also thrilled with the amount of progress they were making in such a short time. Over a working lunch she met wonderfully enthusiastic people raring to get started. She had no doubt they would do an excellent job of running the organization, whether she was there or not.

      She and the prince said goodbye to the future Dream a Little Dream staff at