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woman and her passion were consuming him.
    He was concerned, because passion like that burned bright and fast and usually left burn marks to match. Gui had learned a lot in the last ten years of being relegated to the sidelines of the life of a woman he’d wanted so passionately.
    What exactly had he learned? he wondered.
    “We haven’t picked a date. I don’t know that it’s going to be a big ceremony,” Gui said.
    “Are you kidding?” Christos said, reaching around to pour himself a drink before going back to the couch and sitting down. “Rina’s not going to let her baby sister get married in a quickie ceremony. And I doubt your mother would be too pleased if you didn’t give her a proper ceremony to attend.”
    Christos had a good point. This was getting too damned complicated. If he was going to control Kara and the situation the way he wanted to, he was going to have to sweep her off her feet and have a whirlwind courtship and marriage.
    Marriage, he thought again. To Kara deMontaine? He’d thought to never give his name to a woman. But he knew he’d have to produce an heir, because his older brother’s offspring were heirs to the royal throne and it fell to Gui to produce heirs for his family.
    “We’re not going to let my mother or Rina decide anything about our wedding,” Gui said.
    Christos choked on his drink. “Women look at these things differently, Gui.”
    “Some women might, but Kara isn’t like that. She’s in love with me and will follow my direction on this,” he said.
    “Every woman in love dreams of a big wedding to her man,” Tristan said. “I have a sister, I know this…you should, too.”
    “Some situations are more delicate and require a quicker timeline.”
    Christos put his glass on the coffee table and stood up. “Are you saying she’s with child?”
    “No, she’s not with child. She’s in love and has insisted we get married as quickly as possible.” Gui started to lift the Scotch glass to his mouth but put it down. He needed to stop drinking and start thinking things through.

    Kara was tired by the time the bride and groom left. She’d been careful to keep her distance from Gui when he’d returned to the reception area. He was with the bridal party, so it was easy to keep track of him.
    For one brief moment, as she watched him standing to the side of the other couples in the party, she felt a pang. He looked so distant and alone. And a part of her recognized that loneliness, because she’d experienced the same thing many times.
    Heck, that was the reason he’d singled her out earlier today.
    “Ms. deMontaine?” The man who spoke to her was shorter than she was and at least fifty years old. He was dressed in a very fashionable suit and tie, all black and white, and she could tell just from the way he carried himself that he probably worked for one of the families in attendance here.
    “Yes?”
    “I am Vincent Montez,” he said with a slight bow. “Count de Cuaron has asked that you meet him upstairs.”
    She smiled at the older man. “Please give the Count my regrets.”
    He nodded and bowed once more before leaving her. Kara knew that her time to get gone was shortening. This situation, which had never really been in her control, was close to getting completely out of it.
    She had ridden to the ceremony with Courtney but, when she glanced over at her friend, she noticed that the redhead was in an intimate conversation with a man. Kara took out her cell phone and sent a quick text message to Courtney, telling her she’d call in the morning, and made her way out of the ballroom.
    She’d have a good night’s sleep and then worry about her rumored engagement in the morning. She’d been amazed at how quickly gossip had spread at the reception. Everyone was talking about her and Gui, and Kara wasn’t in the mood to keep her happy smile in place for another second.
    She would hail a cab and go home and then break the box of special dishes that she kept