Wedded for His Royal Duty by Susan Meier

them, who would someday be a queen.
    Still, she was in line for the throne of a rather young king. Her dad wasn’t even fifty yet. Plus, most kings didn’t retire. Mason could rule until the day he died. But if Eva’s dad died unexpectedly or decided to retire, she would be queen of her own country.
    After only a few days with her, he could see it. He could envision her overseeing a parliament, directing the affairs of a country.
    Obviously not pleased, but resigned to their situation, King Ronaldo sighed and walked away.
    Chatting about the imminent arrival of the designer who had been chosen for Eva’s dress, Queen Rose and Karen also walked away.
    With a quick kiss on Ginny’s cheek, Dom headed for his office, and Ginny excused herself to go to her apartment to check on the baby.
    Alex directed Eva to the right, toward the elevator that would take them to the floor for her apartment.
    Eva quietly said, “Your dad is very clever.”
    He laughed. “No kidding. It’s one of the reasons Dom works so hard. He’s got very big shoes to fill.” He stopped talking, waiting for the elevator to reach them. When they were inside, behind the closed door where no one could overhear, he stole a glance at her.
    “I know your dad isn’t abdicating and you’re not going to be taking your throne in the immediate future, but that doesn’t change the fact that you’ll someday be a queen.”
    She straightened, the same way his father did, and Alex laughed again. “Oh, yeah. You’ve thought about it.”
    “Actually, my father and I have discussed it. When Dom married Ginny my dad told me it was a blessing because my entire focus was needed to be Queen of Grennady. And I probably will be for a while. But, honestly, I don’t think I’m made to rule.”
    “Oh, trust me. You are.”
    “I hope to be in my sixties before my father dies. Which could make my oldest son close to forty. And ready to reign. I see myself more in the role of placeholder for a few years to soften the blow of my father’s death, then I’ll turn everything over to him.”
    He tilted his head and studied her. “You really have thought it all through.”
    “Of course I have. Ruling lines don’t think in terms of decades. We think in terms of generations. But you know that.”
    He shrugged. “Sort of.”
    “Which was why I didn’t argue this marriage. I know your bloodline. I know you and I would have produced a wonderful king.”
    He shook his head. “My son would have been a king.”
    She stepped close, straightened the collar of his shirt and then his tie. “Does it make you sorry you’re not marrying me?”
    He looked down, into her pretty gray-blue eyes and at her smiling face. He let his gaze skim her soft black hair. When his gaze fell to her lips, the one kiss they’d shared jumped into his brain. That one really hot, really great kiss.
    For a second he almost was sorry he wasn’t marrying her, but not for the reasons she thought.
    The elevator door opened. He ignored it. “If your dad doesn’t straighten things out before our wedding date, we may still be getting married.”
    “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. But even if it does, we can get an annulment. Far different than a divorce. It won’t preclude me from taking the throne.”
    She took a step to walk out of the elevator, but he caught her hand, stopping her and letting the door close behind her. Trapped in the gaze of her magnetic blue eyes, he saw some problems she didn’t. She talked about this wedding as if it were nothing but a business deal, but he could see a million reasons she could get sucked into it.
    “I just don’t want you to get any ideas while we spend four weeks together.”
    She laughed. “I liked it better when you kissed me to warn me off.”
    More memories of the kiss flooded him. And here she was again, within reach, working her smart mouth against him, filling him with challenge.
    She smiled, put her small white hand on his chest. “Maybe