She’d got the tattoo on her eighteenth birthday—a month after her mom’s death, and the day after their Central Park apartment had been repossessed.
At the time it had been a statement of purpose. Proof that she was a survivor. Right now it would be an even bigger statement she was an imposter.
‘Okay, wonderful,’ Serena said, but she still looked harassed. ‘His Majesty will be so pleased. Could I tell him you’ll be down in twenty minutes?’
‘Sorry? What?’ Juno said, dumping the cup back on the tray.
Leo was still here?
Suddenly swallowing the sugary coffee without vomiting was the least of her worries. The twist of anxiety in her gut was nothing compared to the incendiary buzz of sensation firing over every inch of her body.
‘I’m sorry to rush you,’ Serena said. ‘But he’s been quite insistent. Apparently he has been speaking to Major Garland about your schedule and he wants to discuss a significant change after last night’s events at the ball.’
Last night’s events at the ball?
Juno’s skin began to heat. The memory of Leo’s lips on her breast—so firm, so forceful, so demanding—far too vivid.
The woman laid the papers she had under her arm on the breakfast table. ‘The reaction to the news of your romance has been overwhelmingly positive, by the way.’
Their romance! What romance?
Juno blinked, the heat exploding in her cheeks, and several other places besides, as she scanned the newspapers—her breathing becoming increasingly difficult.
Check Mate: Has the King Finally Taken His Queen?
Is Royal Romance Confirmed at Last in Monrova?
Having a Ball, All Night Long!
Look of Love for King Leo and his Future Queen?
Each headline was illustrated with tons of candid shots... Of her and Leo looking loved up as they flirted during the banquet and danced far too close together. But the worst were the shots taken from a variety of angles as he followed her out onto the balcony, her body swamped by his coat. The anticipation on her face would have put a child who had just been given their very own candy store to shame.
No. No. No.
How had she managed to trash the reputation of Monrova’s monarchy in one night?
Not that she usually gave a damn about the reputation of the monarchy, not since her father had made it clear it was more important to him than she was. But she was giving a damn about it now—because trashing the monarchy’s reputation meant trashing her sister’s reputation too.
She’d messed up. Again. And Jade would be the one to pay the price.
‘While he has been rather impatient this morning, I suppose it is to be expected.’
Serena’s words interrupted Juno’s mental walk of shame. ‘Excuse me?’
The woman’s blush had faded, and her expression had softened. ‘I should have congrat
ulated you, Your Majesty. I really had no idea the negotiations had gone this far. But you do make such a romantic couple. I don’t know why I didn’t see it before. Everyone will be overjoyed when you set a date.’
Negotiations? Date? What. The. Actual...?
Juno slapped her hand on the papers. ‘Right, I see,’ she said, trying to think round the wodge of panic threatening to choke her.
She hadn’t agreed to anything last night. Had she?
The end of the evening, after that clinch on the balcony, had been a blur, her senses still reeling from the shock of discovering Leo was a kiss ninja.
She pursed her lips, the tingle returning full force.