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PROLOGUE

PRINCE ALEXANDER JULIUS ALBERICI had known change was co to Princess Danielle would require a return to his Mediterranean island kingdo festivities After the ceremony and reception, a teek honeymoon had been planned, and then he’d finally be free to return to Paris with his bride, where he oversaw an international environile ecosystems

His as his passion, and Danielle had expressed support for his work—a positive in an arranged reed at the ti that ultiau as soon as Alexander needed to step into his father’s shoes and ascend the throne

But that day—replacing his father—was supposed to have been years away, decades away, as his father was a strong, athleticOr he had been, until his winter cold lingered into early spring, a nagging cough that wouldn’t clear even with antibiotics And then inBruno Titus Alberici had been given months to live Months

It was unthinkable, unfatho Bruno iving behind closed doors—yet Alexander couldn’t ietic father Now his father was detered his life—without ees in palace life or protocol Alexander’s late-June wedding would not be moved forward Bruno’s illness would not bedate or venue There would be no acknowledg to alarm the people until an announce Alberici’s mind was notice of his death

His reed with the plan because that hat she did—supported her husband It had been her role froe, and she’d fulfilled her responsibilities Noas time for Alexander to fulfill his, which was to marry and have an heir so the monarchy would live on

Alexander stirred restlessly, feeling trapped in his cabin, even though it was by far the largest on the ship He pushed open the sliding door and stepped out onto the balcony, leaning on the railing to stare blindly out at the sea

This trip, organized by his closest friends, had been aon a pleasure cruise when his father was groeaker at hoo, determined that he keep up appearances

The trip was to have been a last hurrah before the wedding preparations began in earnest Princes didn’t do bachelor or stag parties, so instead, Prince Alexander Alberici’s best friend, Gerard, had organized a week cruising the Aegean and Ionian Seas Troubled by his father’s swift decline, Alexander had left the details to his friends, knowing they were far ht indeed be their last adventure—but noished he’d been part of the planning, at least when it cauest list

The yacht itself was ie, new, and the very definition of luxurious, with two different pools, a hot tub, a sports court, a disco, and a movie theater But the luxurious appointments couldn’t make up for the fact that it was a boat, and they were all trapped together—not a probleood terms, but inexplicably Gerard had per his girlfriend, Claudia, along

It wouldn’t have been an issue if Claudia didn’t also happen to be Alexander’s ex-girlfriend, and their breakup six months earlier had been acrimonious at best He’d been stunned and unco Claudia, but to bring her on this trip? Why make it aard for everyone?

Alexand

er’s jaw tightened, his gaze narrowed on the pale rocky island ahead, each island so like the last

The tension on the yacht justas ho to conosis Virtually overnight his father had wasted away, his strong fraly frail The palace staff, sworn to secrecy, were incredibly anxious, tiptoeing around, walking on eggshells And yet no one discussed as happening But that was because they didn’t talk in his fa of feelings and certainly no acknowledgment of emotions There was only duty, and he understood that all too well

The sooner the wedding took place, the better, and Princess Danielle Roulet would be a good match She was lovely and well-bred, and fluent in nuau’s next queen She was also sophisticated and would be a stylish princess, so he knew his people would appreciate It was not a love e because they both understood their duties and responsibilities, and best of all, the wedding would give the people of Aargau so to celebrate, which was sorely needed when the croould soon change hands

Now, if he could only get off this yacht and get back to his faht say, or not say—because Alexander was finding nothing pleasurable in this last bachelor getaway

CHAPTER ONE

JOSEPHINE JUST WANTED the yacht to leave

Why was it still here? The Mediterranean was huge Greece alone had hundreds of islands Couldn’t the yacht go somewhere else? The luxury pleasure boat had been anchored outside the cove of her tiny island, Khronos, for two days, and after forty-eight hours of endless partying, blaring h

The revelers had even come onto the island earlier in the day, their testosterone-fueled speedboat racing them to shore Jo had hidden behind the cliffs and trees above, watching as the dozen hedonists descended on her beach

The young wo—tan, lithe, and beautiful in tiny, barely-there bikinis—and the men were lean, chiseled, and handsoed on the beach, thelike indolent princes They were there to party, too, and there was plenty of alcohol and other things that ust Only one of them didn’t drink, or smoke, or make love on the beach Sometimes he sat on his own, but other tiroup, the one with the wealth, the sun around which all the others orbited

She watched the revelers out of curiosity and with a sprinkling of disdain, telling herself not to judge, but the interlopers on her beach clearly enjoyed a pampered, decadent lifestyle, a lifestyle for those born of privilege, or those lucky enough to be invited into the elite circle Her dad used to say she was critical of such people because she’d never be one of them, and maybe there was some truth in that But she liked to use her brain, and she enjoyed her work assisting her father, as one of the world’s leading volcanologists, which hy they lived in the e of Greece’s volcanic arc

Her work included docus, and she’d proved indispensable to his research He was the first to admit that he wouldn’t have his enormous body of ithout her assistance But late in the day, she’d turn to her passion—drawing, sketching, painting She had run low on paper and canvas again, but her father would be returning in ten days, and he always brought back fresh supplies for her

This afternoon she carried her sketch pad with her to the rocks overlooking the sheltered beach cove, thinking she’d draw the scene beloell, not everyone, but the one who’d caught her attention The oneHe appeared otherworldly with his thick dark hair and straight black brows over light-colored eyes—blue or gray she didn’t know But even from a distance the lines of his face appealed to the artist in her: his jaas square, cheekbones high, his