Princess from the Shadows Maisey Yates Read Free Page A

Well, if not for Luca her father would have likely arranged a marriage for her years ago. As it was, she had been sort of taken out of the “dynastic union” running when she’d had her son.
    Well, apparently not really out of the running. She was good enough to play second string. Good enough to marry the renowned rebel prince of Santa Christobel. A man who lived dangerously and loved often. Well, not loved . He made love often, according to the tabloids. A new woman on his arm every weekend to accompany him to Europe’s most exclusive parties. Fast cars, fast dates.
    The kind of man who represented recklessness, lawlessness, total disregard for honor. A man who served his own passions. The kind of man she hated. The kind of man she was so easily drawn to.
    “As have I,” Rodriguez said, his dark eyes unreadable, the little curve of his mouth still present, like it had been earlier. It was a kind of ever-present near-smile that made it look like he was mocking her. It made her stomach feel like it was being squeezed tight by an invisible fist.
    She cleared her throat. “So, while I hadn’t really penciled a wedding into my day planner, it’s not a … it’s not a total surprise.”
    What was her other option anyway?
    Well, there was staying in Italy. That was a good thought. Hiding. But she didn’t know if it served any real purpose. The only person it really helped was her. It allowed her to lick her wounds in private. It allowed her to hide Luca from royal life. Something part of her wanted to do, but something she also knew wasn’t fair. He was a Santina. He was a royal. It was a part of him, and it didn’t do him any good to force him to deny that part of himself. No matter how much simpler it would be to just raise him as an ordinary little boy. Who wasn’t tabloid fodder. It wasn’t reality.
    “I don’t suppose you really had other life plans either,” she said.
    “I don’t plan. I live.”
    “Well … I suppose that means you don’t have a woman back home you’re dying to see. Someone you’d prefer to marry.”
    “I’ll be honest with you, Carlotta, I prefer not to marry. But I need an heir. One that isn’t a bastard.”
    She flinched when he spoke the word. She hated that word. One used to label an innocent child, to make them suffer for the perceived sins of his parents. Did Rodriguez know about Luca? He had to know. So, he’d chosen the words to wound her.
    “Why?” she said. “Do you have many? Children, I mean.”
    “Me? No. I always use protection.” Such a throwaway statement. Spoken like a man who never thought about anyone but himself.
    She gritted her teeth. “It doesn’t always work.”
    “True. But in the event that a pregnancy had resulted, you can bet the woman involved would have told me. I’m rich. Titled. She would have wanted her piece.”
    “You would have owed her a piece,” she said. “At minimum.”
    “I’m not arguing that. My point is that, whether I want marriage or not, I need it.”
    “Preferably to me.”
    He looked at her, his dark gaze dismissive. “Because of connection to this family.”
    “I didn’t seek to imply otherwise. It’s the only reason I would marry you.”
    “Because your father told you to. That’s the reason.”
    She felt her cheeks heat. “He has good reasons.”
    “Fine. But you’re still doing it because he asked you to.”
    “And your father has nothing to do with any of this?”
    A muscle in his jaw ticked, the light in his eyes turning black, deadly. “My father can hardly lift his hand anymore. He is weak. What I do, I do for my country.”
    “Same goes for me. But my family is Santina.”
    “Thank goodness mine is not Santa Christobel. Santa Christobel is better than the Anguiano legacy has been thus far. But I intend to do better.”
    “And I intend to … be a part of it.” It was strange, lobbying for something she wasn’t certain she wanted. But she needed it. Everything else aside, her father was right.