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friend.”
    “But in the past few years you’ve scarcely seen each other.”
    Victoria shrugged. “Distance doesn’t matter. Not with us. You know we talk nearly every day, and it’s nice to know I am the one he trusts. We have a bond, Mom. A bond stronger than most marriages, actually. This is just another chapter in our friendship. I was engaged for romantic love once. This time I’m doing it for another kind of love.”
    “That’s what worries me, my darling.” Olivia pulled the veil over Victoria’s face, then placed her hands on her shoulders, giving a gentle squeeze. “As a mother I worry your heart will get mixed up in this. He’s a wonderful man to you...as a friend. I worry that in the end Stefan will come out getting everything he wants and you will have just another heartache.”
    She’d hadn’t told her mother she and Stefan had shared numerous scorching kisses. Opening up about that certainly wouldn’t alleviate any worries. Best to keep some things private...especially until she could figure them out herself. Arousal and confusion combined made for a very shaky ground.
    “I’m not worried at all,” she assured her mother, knowing it wasn’t completely a lie. “He’s given me an open end to this marriage. I may love being queen or I may want to return to my life in L.A. once all this is over. We’ll put in a few appearances once we’re married and this will all seem legitimate. Neither of us will be hurt. We’re both too strong to let this arrangement destroy us.”
    “You’re fooling yourself if you think this will be that simple.” Olivia tilted her head, quirking a brow. “I’ve seen Stefan’s charm, Victoria. I’ve witnessed how he’s looked at you since I arrived here. I’ve also taken notice how he’s looked at you over the years. He’s got an infatuation that I believe is beyond a friendship. There’s no way the two of you can play house and not get tangled up in each other. He’s one very attractive man. Lust clouds even the best of judgments.”
    Intrigued, Victoria wondered just what her mother saw over the years from Stefan. Lust? Desire? This past month had brought to light a deeper side to their relationship. Beyond the steamy kisses, Stefan had been attentive to each and every one of her needs. He’d had her favorite foods prepared, would bring her a freshly picked flower from the gardens as she was working, insisted on breaks to walk along the beach so she could relax. He’d been the prefect Prince Charming...all because he knew her better than she knew herself in some ways.
    Victoria shook off the questions regarding just how deep Stefan’s emotions were and the fact he’d made it perfectly clear he’d had thoughts of her as more than a friend.
    “Mother, his appeal and his charm are nothing new to me. And no matter how you think he looks at me, I assure you we are only marrying for the sake of the country and to help launch my bridal line.”
    Though she knew from his promising kisses and honest words that was false. But since she was still reeling from that fact herself, that was another tidbit she’d keep inside. She had enough “what-ifs” swirling around in her mind without adding her mother’s into the mix.
    “Well, he’d be a fool not to think of you as more,” Olivia retorted. “And since he’s asked you to marry him, he’s no fool. I’ve always wondered if the two of you would end up together. I can honestly say this is not how I’d envisioned it.”
    Nerves swirled around Victoria’s stomach. As if having the title of princess weren’t crazy and nerve wracking enough, she’d be sharing a bedroom with Stefan for months. There was no way to deny they had chemistry and no way she could lie to herself and say she hadn’t replayed those kisses over and over.
    Victoria turned away from the mirror, taking her mother’s hands. “I’m going into this with my eyes wide open, Mom. With Alex I was blindsided, but Stefan isn’t using me.