Behind Palace Doors. Jules Bennett

beautiful smile. “You.”

      Stefan waited for her response to his abrupt proposal. Damn, he’d meant to have a bit more finesse, but time was running out and he couldn’t afford to tackle this wedding in the traditional sense. Nothing about this situation was traditional.

      She placed her hands on either side of her temples as if to rub the stress headache away…he’d had a few of those moments himself recently. He’d never pictured himself as a one-woman man. And the thought always sent a shudder straight through him.

      “I’m sorry to pull you into this,” he told her. “I couldn’t trust anyone else right now.”

      He prayed he chose the right words to make her understand. She was, after all, still recovering from an ugly public breakup, and she had always been such a good friend, no matter the distance between them. They’d shared countless phone calls in the middle of the night, during many of which she’d told him her dreams and he’d listened, hoping one day all those dreams would come true. And perhaps he could help that along.

      “Why do you need me all of a sudden?”

      “Galini Isle will go back to Greece if I don’t marry and gain the title of king. My brother isn’t an option because his wife is a divorcée and the damn laws are archaic. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t do everything in my power to keep this country in my family. I won’t let my people down.” He hated being forced into anything. “I want my title, but I do not want a wife. Unfortunately, I’ve looked for a loophole and there isn’t one.”

      Victoria sank to the patio chair. “Again, why me?”

      “I want a wife in name only. And I can’t let my country revert to Greek rule. It’s been in my family for generations. I refuse to be a failure to my family’s name.”

      “This is crazy,” she muttered, shaking her head.

      Stefan stepped closer. “You’ve recently had scandal in your life. Why not show this fiancé who jilted you and the media who exploited your pain that you are stronger, you can rise above this and come out on top? What better way than to marry a prince?”

      “You’re serious?” she asked, looking back up at him. “How could we pull this off? I mean, we haven’t been seen together in public for a couple years.”

      Stefan came over and took a seat directly beside her in the matching wrought-iron chair with plush cushions. “My people don’t know who my bride is. I’ve made sure they only know there will be a wedding. I’ve been very secretive about this, which only adds to the mystery of the romance.”

      Romance. Yeah, that was the dead last thing on his mind right now. Couldn’t he just have the crown? He was the prince, for crying out loud. Didn’t that give him some clout? Why did he need a marriage to claim it?

      “Once they see you, they’ll know why I kept the engagement so quiet,” he went on, knowing he was rambling, but he had to make her see this was the only way.

      Damn, he hated vulnerability and being backed into a corner. Not only that, he hated putting Victoria in an awkward position.

      Victoria laughed. “And here all this time I thought you were letting your romantic, protective side show.”

      “You are one of Hollywood’s most famous single ladies—a bachelorette, I believe your country calls it—and I will simply explain I was protecting you from even more scandal and we wanted to express our love on our wedding day and not exploit it beforehand. Besides, there are all those articles and pictures from when we were in our teens and twenties. The media practically had us engaged at your twenty-first birthday party when I bought you a diamond necklace. The history is there, and the media will eat it up.”

      “Oh, Stefan.” She sighed. “This is such a big decision. You can’t expect me to give you an answer right now.”

      Leaning back against the chair, Stefan nodded. “I’m asking for only six months, Tori. After my coronation I’ll have my title as king and the country will be secured with my family again.”

      “Then what?” she asked, her eyes searching his.

      He shrugged, not really worried about anything beyond getting married and gaining his title. “After that it’s up to you. You can stay married to me or you can end the relationship. The control is yours. Who knows, you may like being queen.”

      True, he may be a playboy, but he could think of multiple circumstances that would be worse than being married to the stunning Victoria Dane.

      She stared out across the estate toward the ocean. Victoria’s beauty was remarkable and surprisingly natural. She came from the land of perfection brought on by plastic surgeons, yet she looked more stunning than the fake, siliconed women he knew. And he was damn lucky she was in his life.

      “This is the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.” With a slight laugh she looked back to him. “You’re taking something as serious as a royal wedding, a wedding that will create the new leaders for your country, and turning it into a…a lie. My God, Stefan, this is really putting the pressure on our friendship. Do you realize how risky this is? I can’t lose you.”

      He sat forward, dead serious. “You could never lose me as a friend. If I thought that was the case I never would’ve asked you. Just think of this as a long, overdue reunion. I need someone I can trust not to back out at the last minute or use me for money in the end.”

      “Why did you wait so long to ask me?”

      “Honestly I thought I could find a way around this.” God knows he’d exhausted every avenue looking for one. “When I realized I couldn’t, I knew I had only one option. You are the one person in my life I’d ever trust with something so personal, so serious.”

      She laughed. “I’d do anything for you, Stefan, you know that, but this is asking a lot. What about the people of your country? Won’t they feel let down if we end the marriage? And how will this work out after your coronation? Will the country still remain yours?”

      “No, my people won’t feel let down,” he assured her. “I will still be their leader. I will still keep control over my country. I just need the title to do so, which is where you fit in.”

      “You’ve really thought this through, haven’t you?” She crossed her legs and shifted her body toward his. “You can’t expect me to put my life on hold for six months. I’m a busy woman, Stefan.”

      He’d always admired her take-charge attitude and the way she matched him in this volley of wills. Not to mention the fact the woman was classy and beyond sexy.

      Just as when he’d been in his late teens, Victoria Dane made his gut clench and still made him want her as more than a friend. But years ago he’d attempted to pursue her into something sexual. She hadn’t taken him seriously, so to keep his ego intact, he played it off like he had indeed been joking. And the second time he’d been ready to take charge, she’d been in a relationship. But now she was free.

      “I know you’re busy, and I’m not trying to take your life away, but I do have something to offer you.” He edged forward, taking her hand in his. “You’ll get to show the world that you are stronger than the poor, humiliated woman they are making you out to be. The woman the media has portrayed as being overshadowed by her brothers and jilted by her fiancé. If you do this, not only will you design your wedding gown for this day, this could help you launch that bridal line you’ve been wanting. Make a play off the fairy tale of being a queen, if you like.”

      Her eyes darted back to the ocean. The sun was just starting to set, and Stefan knew as far as proposals went, this was probably the least romantic. But her apparent inner war with herself only told him that she was indeed considering his offer.

      “I can practically see your mind working.” He hoped she was leaning toward a yes decision. “This is a win-win for both of us, Victoria.”

      “Your way of thinking is not very Greek,” she told him.