The Prince's Devious Proposal - Holly Rayner Page 0,19

when we land.”

“Thanks,” she said, feeling an uneasy sense of embarrassment. What if I snored? Or drooled in my sleep?! What if he can’t look at me the same way now?

It was awkward to think that he’d been awake and just sitting beside her while she’d slept. Ordinarily, that wasn’t something that would happen this soon in a relationship.

Wait. Relationship?

This wasn’t a relationship. Why had she called it that? It was barely even a date.

But there was that kiss. And would he really have asked me to come to Europe with him if he didn’t feel something for me?

Probably not. But she couldn’t be one hundred percent sure. And until she was, she definitely didn’t want to start thinking in terms of relationships.

She didn’t want to let her expectations get too high, only to be let down.

The flight attendant finished remaking her seat. Naomi thanked her then sat down and buckled her seat belt, ready for landing.

Minutes later, the plane was on the ground. Naomi and Petr gathered their things and disembarked.

Their baggage was waiting for them in the airport’s first-class arrival lounge. Naomi was thrilled to skip the stress of waiting for her suitcase to appear on a luggage carousel—that was her least favorite part of travel. They found their bags and left the airport.

Outside, the weather was pleasantly warm. Naomi could see the colorful sprawl of the city off in the distance.

Petr smiled and draped an arm around her shoulders. “Welcome to Barcelona.”

Chapter 7

“Petr, this really is too much!” Naomi said in astonishment.

They were standing in the center of a wide courtyard full of greenery, next to a marble fountain standing four tiers high and trickling a pleasant-sounding stream of water down from the top. The courtyard was surrounded by a patio on the first floor and by a balcony on the second. The entire estate was breathtaking.

“You don’t like it?” Petr asked.

She frowned at him in consternation. “You know perfectly well that’s not what I’m saying,” she said. “I love it. It’s gorgeous. But this must have cost you a fortune to rent. I would have been perfectly happy with a hotel. You didn’t need to do this.”

“Nonsense,” Petr said. “This is my family’s estate. It isn’t costing me a dime.”

Her jaw dropped. “Your family owns this place?”

“I am a prince.”

“You’re not the prince of Spain!”

“True, he said, smiling. “But it’s important for royalty to have a place to stay when visiting other countries. We needed to be able to host dignitaries and heads of state, even while we were staying in Spain. You can’t do that out of your hotel room.”

“I suppose not,” she said. “Is it really okay for us to be here?”

“Of course it’s okay,” Petr said, smiling and nodding his head. “Nobody is using the place right now. We might as well be here if it’s just going to sit empty, right?” He wound his arm around her back. “Come on, stop worrying and let me show you to your bedroom.”

“How many bedrooms does this place have?” she asked as they made their way inside and up the wide tiled stairs to the second floor.

“Nine or ten, I think,” Petr said dismissively. “We can count them later, if you want to.”

He pushed open a thick oak door, revealing a step down from the hall level onto a red-tiled floor. A wide-bladed ceiling fan turned lazy circles above them.

In the center of the room was a massive bed with a white comforter laid over it. Petr led her past the bed and to a set of French doors, which he pulled open to let the air from the courtyard come in.

“The doors lock on the inside,” he said. “So even though the balcony is all connected, you can be sure of your privacy at any time.”

“Thank you.”

“You’ve got your own bathroom—” He pointed to another set of double doors. “And there are extra bed linens and towels in that closet, in case you need anything. But you should also feel free to ask me if anything comes up.”

“What about you?” she asked. “Where’s your room?”

“You want to see?”

She nodded.

He led her down the hall, taking a right turn, then another. The room he led her into was similar in layout to her own, but the comforter in this room was a deep forest green.

He opened the doors to the balcony and pointed out. “We’re right across from one another,” he said. “That’s your room over there.”

Naomi nodded. She had been keeping track of where