wanting to be with you, Francesca. You must know that by now.”
She hesitated. She would have liked to think that she knew it, but sometimes it was hard to believe. After all, he was a billionaire, a prince, and a famous playboy. The fact that he would choose her still felt hard to believe sometimes.
“You can’t keep panicking like this,” Viggo told her.
“I’m not panicking. I’m just nervous. I am going to meet actual royalty today. I know that’s not such a big deal for you, but most people never meet royalty in their lives.”
“They’re just my parents and my brother,” Viggo said. “Besides, you’ve been living with me for almost a year. Surely you’re used to royalty by now.”
“I’m used to some kinds of royalty,” she said.
He laughed. “It’s no different. It’s like meeting a regular person who also happens to hold a prominent political position in America.”
“You don’t think I would be nervous if I was going to meet the President?” she asked. “This is exactly how I would be acting in that situation.”
“Well, try to relax,” he said. “We have a ten-hour flight ahead of us. You don’t want to be completely frayed by the time we land. Would you like a drink?”
“I don’t want to be drunk when I meet your parents,” Francesca said.
“One glass of wine,” Viggo said. “That’s all I’m talking about. It will help you relax, but you’ll be more than capable of presenting yourself to my parents in ten hours when we land.”
Francesca wasn’t at all sure of that. She didn’t feel that she would be capable of presenting herself to royalty under the best of circumstances, and never mind after a ten-hour flight when the royals in question were also her boyfriend’s parents. But it had to be done, and the wine did sound appealing.
Soon her glass was full and the plane was in the air. She sipped slowly, gazing out the window as they flew out over the ocean, heading for the island of Konäs on the other side.
“At least the weather will be a little warmer this time than the last time you were there,” Viggo said.
“Will it? It’s the same time of year,” Francesca said.
“Yes, but we were having a very bad cold snap last time,” Viggo said. “Convenient for you and me, of course, since we would likely never have become close if you hadn’t been trapped in my house.”
“That’s true,” Francesca said. “I would have arrested you if not for that.” She winked.
Viggo laughed. “You wouldn’t have arrested me! I had diplomatic immunity.” He brought his face closer to hers.
“But I’m the top agent in my division,” Francesca said, trying to ignore his attempt to distract her with his chiseled good looks. “Do you think I wouldn’t have been able to figure it out?”
“You would never have become the top agent in your division if not for me,” Viggo said. “I’m the one who got the confession out of Jean Fabron on your first major case.” His lips were just inches from hers now.
“You’ve been trying to give yourself credit for my career ever since I’ve known you,” Francesca said, her voice getting lower. She licked her lips.
“Yes, and you’ve been trying to give yourself credit for the fact that I’m not in prison right now.”
Viggo brought his hand up to cup her cheek, then kissed her passionately. Finally, he broke off the kiss, leaving Francesca breathless.
“Thank you for that, by the way,” Viggo said.
“For what? The kiss or keeping you out of prison?” Francesca asked.
“Both,” Viggo said, giving her a quick peck on the lips.
Francesca grinned. It was common for the two of them to tease one another this way, and it was something that made her feel at ease even more than her glass of wine did. She drained the glass and handed it to the cabin steward as he came by.
“Would you like another one, Miss Bellucci?” the steward asked.
“No, thank you,” Francesca said. “Not just now. Ask me again in an hour or two, please.”
The steward nodded and moved toward the back of the plane.
“I hope they like me,” Francesca said.
“Of course they’ll like you,” Viggo said.
“But how can you be sure?”
“Because I can’t imagine anyone not liking you,” he said. “Besides, you’re right about one thing—you did keep me from being arrested for that hit-and-run. You helped me when I was in a bad spot, and you put your own career on the line to do so. You even got yourself