Secrets of a Prince (The Princes of New Sargasso #3) - Carol Moncado Page 0,47

and then to a gazebo. He’d always loved the spot.

“This is it.” She dropped his hand and spun around with her arms wide. “What do you think?”

When he didn’t reply instantly because he was enjoying her happiness, her hands dropped. “You hate it don’t you? You pick a spot. Any spot will be fine.”

Joss chuckled. “It’s perfect.” He went into the gazebo and set the bag on the bench. Pulling the blanket out of the bag, he flipped it open onto the ground. “Join me?”

“Okay.” She sounded skeptical but took a seat.

He set the bag on the ground and started to take the food out.

“A picnic?” She sounded intrigued.

“I thought it could be fun.” He set containers on the blanket. “We can’t really go on a date right now, but the two of us having a picnic is pretty close, right?”

“I love it.”

For the next two hours, they munched on the different foods. There were breads, cheeses, sliced meats, bite-sized fruits and vegetables. A veritable charcuterie board without the board.

And they talked about a lot of things. She told him about growing up with a demanding father and spineless mother.

That’s not how she described her mother, but it was Joss’s impression of what the woman must have been like.

He talked about growing up as a prince. His father expected a lot out of them but not like her father. Being the fifth son of a king came with privileges and responsibilities, but his father had always been kind if a little distant for the last fifteen years or so.

When they’d finally eaten their fill, they found a place to sit with their backs to a planter in the garden. Joss had his arm wrapped around her as she snuggled into his side.

They wouldn’t be able to sit there too long - not on concrete.

Dusk started to settle in the distance when Joss heard someone talking.

“Who’s that?” Minnie whispered.

“I don’t know.”

They hurried to the gazebo and threw everything back in the bag. As they started for the main entrance to the area, they heard the voices coming closer.

Joss grabbed her hand and pulled her the other way, practically running toward the other exit.

It didn’t go far, but hopefully it would be far enough.

Around a hedge there stood a small building that likely held gardening tools. Joss tucked Minnie between himself and the door as the voices entered the area where the gazebo stood.

“This is where the royal governor, appointed by Queen Victoria, signed over the islands to Islas del Sargasso,” the voice said.

There must be a public tour of the gardens scheduled.

Stupid!

He should have checked!

Joss knew they happened on a nearly daily basis, weather permitting. Not all of them took the same route through the gardens. If he’d looked, he could have taken her to a different spot, or even had his assistant ask the tour guide to take another route.

“The new governor, this one appointed by the king of Islas del Sargasso, would eventually become the first king of New Sargasso, and is, of courses, an ancestor of King Geoffrey.”

And eventually, King Ezekiel. And every other king or queen that came afterward.

“As the illegitimate son the king of Islas del Sargasso, tensions between the two countries grew. Over the years, relations have normalized to the point where the countries have a peaceful relationship today. In fact, the newlyweds, Prince Gideon and Princess Karsen recently spent their honeymoon in Islas del Sargasso.”

For a few minutes, the tour group looked around the gazebo area then the guide directed them back out the way they came.

The whole time, Joss had been exceedingly aware of Minnie and how close she was to him.

The walkway, such as it was, was only a couple of feet long. To make sure he wasn’t visible to those in the other area, he had to stay close to her.

And when he looked down at her as they started to relax, there was only one thing to do.

Kiss her like his life depended on it.

18

As the kiss surpassed any they'd shared since before the wedding, Minnie found herself clinging to Joss.

Pressed against the wall behind her, she wound her arms around his neck and pulled him closer.

Even though she knew they were in a semi-public location, she found herself wanting to get swept away like she never had before.

They had talked briefly about waiting longer to take their relationship further, but hadn’t specified under what conditions they would be ready to do so. She didn’t think a hot and heavy