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Carrying The King's Pride
Jennifer Hayward
A marriage for the monarchOne last New York night with Sofía Ramirez was all Prince Nikandros Constantinides allowed himself before returning to Akathinia after a dreadful accident took his brother’s life. But before the royal rebel is crowned Nik discovers that he didn’t leave Sofía behind alone!In a baby’s heartbeat Nik turns Sofía’s world upside down and whisks her away to his Mediterranean kingdom. Dissolving a politically perfect engagement is not what Nik – or his country – had in mind, but this proud Prince will do whatever it takes to legitimise his new rule… with a wife and child!
His gaze turned incendiary. “You lost your chance to set the rules of the game when you elected to keep your pregnancy from me, Sofía.”
He knew. She swallowed hard and forced herself to stay calm. “I was going to tell you. This week.”
“This week?” Nikandros yelled the words, his iron control snapping. “Do you have any idea what this means?”
Her insides flip-flopped. “Of course I do. Which is why I haven’t said anything yet. Because I knew you would appear just like you have now and start making decisions. And I need to understand how I feel about this first. What I want to do.”
His gaze narrowed on her. “What you want to do?”
Heat rushed to her cheeks. “I didn’t mean that. Of course I’m having this baby. It’s the logistics I’m not sure of.”
“Logistics we should have discussed days ago.”
She stared at Nikandros. Did he think this was any more convenient for her, with her lifestyle? Any less than a disaster for her than it was for him?
Her chin dipped. “We can talk about this over the phone.”
He caught her jaw in his fingers, the rage burning in his eyes making her heart pound.
“We aren’t talking about it on the phone. Akathinian law says this child we have conceived will succeed me to the throne. It’s a huge problem, Sofía. One we will solve now.”
Jennifer Hayward invites you into a world of …
Kingdoms & Crowns (#ulink_654120a0-5ad6-568b-8405-6b6dfd2ede1c)
Young royals in reckless pursuit of passion!
When a centuries-old battle between the kingdoms of Akathinia and Carnelia is reignited the nation’s young royals find themselves on the brink of war. But their kingdoms aren’t the only thing at stake …
Soon these young monarchs are facing an unexpected royal baby, the appearance of a lost princess and an alliance with the enemy.
Can love conquer all?
Find out in:
King Nikandros and Sofía Ramirez’s story
Carrying the King’s Pride March 2016
Look for:
Princess Alexandra and Aristos Nicolades’s story
and
King Kostas and Princess Stella’s story
Coming soon from Mills & Boon Modern Romance!
Carrying the
King’s Pride
Jennifer Hayward
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
CARRYING THE KING’S PRIDE
© 2016 Jennifer Hayward
Published in Great Britain 2016
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.
® and ™ are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Source ISBN: 9780263915952
Ebook Edition © MARCH 2016 ISBN: 9781474043533
Version: 2016-05-09
JENNIFER HAYWARD has been a fan of romance since filching her sister’s novels to escape her teenage angst. Her career in journalism and PR—including years of working alongside powerful, charismatic CEOs and travelling the world—has provided her with perfect fodder for the fast-paced, sexy stories she likes to write—always with a touch of humour. A native of Canada’s east coast, Jennifer lives in Toronto with her Viking husband and young Viking-in-training.
For my mother, who is quite simply the best person I know. Your spirit and love of philosophy inspired this book. Your belief in me has always been such a big part of how I get to ‘The End’.
And for Stella, for your help and for being one of those people you meet once and know it can’t be for the last time.
Contents
Cover (#u990bc813-47d2-5f28-935e-bbe824d6f620)
Introduction (#ua52e8e48-492a-5079-8f8c-f9cd215a4cf8)
Kingdoms & Crowns (#u0d9df71e-8a99-55b0-a1e0-d215b2ba405c)
Title Page (#ue6fc182d-7859-5841-be29-1d3465ee5f3d)
Copyright (#uf59a5ebb-a9d9-5c67-85a4-07fedf24944f)
About the Author (#u36d5aa40-c0a0-5235-a1a8-ae58e916d2ae)
Dedication (#ub639170d-6022-5daf-a657-9a973043ada6)
CHAPTER ONE (#ua30b9ef9-d87e-5e85-98d1-e13ac40fd94a)
CHAPTER TWO (#u18d6b10d-e3df-5a23-a0ec-4068edd81c4e)
CHAPTER THREE (#u6cbc8c4c-18f8-5018-a3e6-e134b00be398)
CHAPTER FOUR (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SIX (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWELVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THIRTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FOURTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
EPILOGUE (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ONE (#ulink_a1ed528a-11f5-5aaa-8426-35c03a6c88ba)
SOFÍ A RAMIREZ PUT a Manolo Blahnik–clad toe out of the classic yellow Manhattan taxi, her shoe meeting pavement still radiating heat from a sultry, steamy New York summer day.
She followed up the iconic shoe with a slim leg that caused a tuxedo-clad male on the sidewalk to turn and watch, a champagne-colored, beaded cocktail dress that accentuated her voluptuous figure without flaunting it and a Kate Spade clutch a shade deeper than her dress.
Suitably assembled on the sidewalk, she paid the driver, ran a palm over her sleek French twist to make sure it was intact and made her way toward the entrance of the glimmering, stately Metropolitan Museum of Art.
As the co-owner of one of Manhattan’s trendiest fashion boutiques, she knew the importance of dressing for the occasion. Overdress in this city and you looked as if you were trying too hard. Underdress and you would be talked about all night by the highbrow crowd.
She thought she’d gotten it just right as she swished through the front doors of the museum, where one of her most important clients was hosting a benefit for the arts. But could any outfit ever really prepare a woman for her other, perhaps more important, task of the evening—saying thanks, but no thanks, to her relationship with one of Manhattan’s most powerful men?
Not just a man. A prince. The sexy, charismatic second in line to the throne of his tiny Mediterranean kingdom, Akathinia, Prince Nikandros Constantinides, in attendance tonight. The untamable one, as the women who had dated him were wont to say in quick sound bites to the press, the slight hint of bitterness to their tone the only outward sign they were in any way chastened at being yet another of his castoffs.
For didn’t they all know their time with the prince was limited to the length of his attention span? That once his interest wandered, the clock was on?
She had known it. And what had she done? Waited for him to call when he’d come back from Mexico, his much-lauded free trade deal in hand, obsessively checking her phone for a message from him every fifteen minutes only to find nothing until tonight when he’d known they would be at the same party.
Her stomach curled with a fresh burst of nerves as she handed her invitation to the greeters at the door of the Egyptian-themed Temple of Dendur exhibit. Getting herself into a state over a man, even one as gorgeous as Nik, was something she’d sworn she’d never do. Couldn’t allow herself to do. So she was going to do what any smart, sensible woman would in her situation.
End it. Cut it off before he broke her heart. Before he made her want things she couldn’t have. Things she’d long ago determined weren’t attainable for her.
Her attendance verified, she wound her way through the glitzy, bejeweled crowd to look for her hostess, Natalia Graham, a well-respected philanthropist who came from one of Manhattan’s historic, moneyed families. Business first, heart-pounding personal matter later.
The Temple of Dendur, a gift to the United States from Egypt in the late 1960s, then bequeathed to the Met, was lit up this evening as the centerpiece of the event. Harkening back to the age of the pharaohs and the gods they worshipped, it was breathtaking.
Several acquaintances stopped her to talk, all of them clients. She spent a few moments with each, summoning the polite small talk she had studiously taught herself over the years, because when you came from the opposite side of town these people did, where this world had once only been a dream in your daily existence, you weren’t equipped with those skills.
“Sofía.” Natalia found her moments later, drawing her into a warm embrace. “I’m so glad you made it.”
“I’m sorry I’m late. It was a crazy day.”
“And you probably want off your feet.” Natalia drew her toward the bar. “No Katharine tonight?”
She shook her head at the mention of her partner. “Her father is in town.”
“And no gorgeous man to escort you?” Natalia gave her a wry look. “I would have thought the men would be lining up to date you. Unless,” her friend said slyly, “the rumors of you and the prince are true?”
“I don’t have time to date,” she said smoothly, sliding onto a bar stool. “You know I’m always working.”
“Mmm.” Natalia gave her a speculative look. “Martini?”
“Please.” A healthy shot of potent alcohol might go a long way toward the liquid courage she needed at the moment.
She and Natalia caught up, working their way around to the joint endeavor they had been planning, a fashion show in support of one of Natalia’s charities. They were discussing the details when the philanthropist’s gaze sharpened on the crowd behind them.
“Speaking of the prince,” she drawled, “he just sat down behind you.”
Her pulse picked up, thrumming a steady beat in her throat. A prickly sensation slid up her back. She didn’t need to turn around to know Nik had spotted her. She could feel the heat of his gaze, eating her up as it always did.
“Well, I guess that answers my question,” Natalia murmured.
Sofía took a sip of her martini. She and Nik had managed to keep their relationship out of the tabloids after they’d met at a hospital fund-raiser, but rumors had been circulating of late. Since their relationship would be dead after tonight, she saw no reason to confirm it to Natalia.
“It’s nothing.” She shrugged. “You know what he’s like.”
Natalia lifted a brow. “If that’s his it’s nothing look, I’d like to see the something one.”
She dug her teeth into her lip. Unable to resist, she swiveled on the stool, directing her gaze toward the group of men populating the lounge area behind them. It didn’t take her long to locate Nik. Tall, dark and swarthy-skinned in a nod to his Mediterranean heritage, he looked...breathtaking.
