The Broken Prince (Royal Billionaires of Mondragón Book 3) Read online

  Duke’s persistence in shadowing her was getting annoying. Luckily, he didn’t follow her around too much as they swam. He did his own thing, swimming in laps and crossing the channel to a rocky little island and back, making her wonder if he grew up near water. Little details like puzzle pieces were falling in place. She would tell Lee when they got back in town.

  Brooke floated on her back and let her body relax, closing her eyes. This was the life. Wasn’t it?

  But was it enough?

  She opened her eyes and treaded the water, looking around. Oscar was fishing at the far end, but Duke wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

  “Hey, Oscar,” she said. “Have you seen Duke?”

  “I’m here.” Duke surfaced from behind a rock back to their side.

  She tried to cover up her embarrassment for getting caught thinking of him. “I just wanted to make sure Oscar could hook you if you needed saving,” she teased, wrinkling her nose.

  “Are you saying I’m smelly like a fish?”

  “Well…”

  An impish light sparked in his eyes. He was a good ten yards away from her, but he quickly crossed it with those muscular arms and powerful strokes.

  A burst of adrenaline filled Brooke. She turned and started swimming away. What would Duke do if he caught her?

  She was also a strong swimmer, having grown up in the water, but he continued to outpace her. She considered crossing the channel, but that would’ve been too much work. She angled over to the beach and stumbled out of the water. There was only so much sand before the boulders cut off any hope of progress, but she’d just have to outsmart Duke.

  His heavier footsteps sounded behind her. She had nearly reached a boulder when his arms circled her waist. “Gotcha,” he said in her ear.

  She pivoted and tried to wriggle out, but his arms held her like a vise. She faced him now, both of them grinning and panting from the effort, until something changed and his smile withered, as did hers. He was holding her close, and she could feel the warmth of his bare torso against her hands.

  Duke’s gaze fell to her mouth, and she felt the tug of attraction swell within her.

  “I caught one!” Oscar yelled.

  Brooke ducked her head and pushed at Duke, who let her go. Brooke made her way on unsteady legs toward the boat, her brother, and safety. Anywhere but near Duke.

  “I changed my mind,” Brooke announced. “I’m going to fish.”

  “Attagirl,” Oscar said.

  She set herself up next to him, on the far side where Duke couldn’t sit next to her even if he wanted to. If he were to so much as try, she would push him into the lake.

  Chapter Fifteen

  With a pang, Duke sensed Brooke’s withdrawal. Again.

  He couldn’t blame her. He’d wanted to kiss her, and he was pretty sure she wanted to kiss him too. Just three days in, and he was falling for her.

  He couldn’t really blame her for being skittish. He didn’t even know who he was or what the future would bring. What did he have to offer to a woman who filled in the gaps for him and made him feel more complete?

  She was beautiful, capable, and smart, attributes that could make her irresistible to any man. Let alone to Duke. But it was obvious she wasn’t ready for a relationship. She kept pushing him away at every turn.

  He hung back and sat on a rock near Oscar in silence, with the siblings absorbed with their fishing. He wouldn’t sit by Brooke even if he wanted to and if there was room for him. He would respect her boundaries, even though his gaze kept drifting her way as she stood to reel in yet another fish.

  “Smallmouth bass,” Oscar explained as Brooke threw it back into the water.

  Duke sputtered. “You’re throwing it back?”

  Brooke smirked. “Who’s going to eat them? I think nine from the boat is plenty.”

  “Yep.” Oscar started to put away his pole. “And you, buddy, will help me get them ready for dinner.”

  “Meaning?” He thought maybe Oscar wanted him to grill the fish.

  “Meaning whoever catches the fish gets to fillet them.”

  Duke’s stomach went queasy.

  Oscar hefted the bag of fish. “Today’s your lucky day, Duke.”

  Duke braced himself. “Let’s get it done, then.”

  Oscar opened the bag of fish, and Duke tried not to flinch at the slightly rancid smell as Oscar set one on a fish-shaped cutting board.

  “Cut it close to the bones so you don’t waste good meat,” Oscar instructed.

  Duke traded places with Oscar. He held the fish down in all its slimy glory with one hand and the filleting knife with the other, but it was all too much. The fish slid one way, the knife left too much flesh behind on the bones, and the fish spine drew Duke’s blood.

  “Hmm,” Oscar said, surveying the damage. “You’ll live.”

  “Don’t let Oscar razz you too much. You’re doing good,” Brooke said, chuckling.

  Duke wiped the sweat dripping down his face with his arm. From the looks of the pile next to him, she was being too kind, but he appreciated her encouragement. “Thanks,” he said.

  She offered him a little smile that gave him a little zing of hope. “No problem.”

  Oscar grilled half of the fillets over hot coals and bagged the rest in the ice chest. The meal turned out delicious, the skin charred and crisp. Brooke opened a can of corn and fried it until it was slightly burnt and smoky-tasting, a perfect addition to the meal.

  “Very good, Oscar,” Duke said, eating his fish to the last morsel.

  Oscar was stretched out with his arms behind his head, leaning against a rock wall. “Was filleting the fish worth it?”

  “Well, I don’t know about that.”

  Brooke raised her eyes to Duke. He caught an expression of amusement before she glanced off to the water.

  “Makes you want to live this way forever, doesn’t it?” Oscar said.

  “I would be fine not going back to my former life,” Duke said quietly.

  Oscar gaped at him. “What if you’re a millionaire?”

  “I obviously don’t miss the money right now.” Duke grinned.

  Brooke’s gaze narrowed as though assessing if he was telling the truth. Duke kept his expression open to assure her that he meant his words. He could see himself living here, working at the boat shop. Maybe learning a different job if needed. Best of all, he could see himself getting along with Oscar as a brother-in-law.

  Now if only Brooke would be open to even just dating him.

  He smiled to himself at the extreme turn of events in his head. Marriage, huh? He studied his ring finger. There was no obvious sign of a wedding ring, so hopefully he wasn’t already married. Whew. That might cause a little problem.

  Maybe Brooke was right to wait. He could figure out who he was, and then they could act on the attraction they felt for each other.

  The thoughts circled his brain and made it hurt. He gathered the pans. “I can wash up.”

  Oscar lay still except for the flapping of his lips. “Good.”

  To his shock, Brooke piped up. “I can help.”

  They gathered the soap, pans, tin dishes, and utensils. As they crouched at the water’s edge, Duke took care to not touch her. They finished washing within a few minutes, which made Duke sad. He would have liked for them to have a chance to talk. Maybe smooth over the awkwardness.

  Brooke remained silent, and he respected that. She needn’t worry he would crowd her in.

  After depositing the clean camp dishes, he walked off and sat on a rock to watch the red and orange colors deepen on the cliffs facing them. His belly was full, and he had a foam mat for a bed and the company of good friends. Even without the promise of romance, he still wanted to deepen his friendship with Brooke.

  He meant what he said to Oscar. He could live here happily, blissfully ignorant of another life. But he couldn’t help but feel that somewhere, he was failing someone who had counted on him to return. Maybe it was time to face his past an
d be more aggressive in his search.

  Even if it meant eventually losing Brooke.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Brooke was glad Duke had stopped crowding her in. She needed a heart-to-heart with Oscar. He believed the best of everyone but was oblivious to everything else going on around him. That way, he could stop his silly matchmaking. Glancing over, she saw Oscar had fallen asleep. Should she wake him? Yeah, she’d better. Back home, he would be distracted by the shop, and there was never a free moment, it seemed. Besides, there was Duke.

  She sidled over and nudged Oscar’s leg with her toe. “Hey,” she said in a low voice so Duke couldn’t hear.

  Oscar opened an eye. “What did Duke do this time?”

  She sucked in her breath and stared at him. “What?”

  Both eyes opened. “I knew it. He’s got you all tangled up like my fishing line.” ”

  She pressed her lips together. “Why are you always siding with him?”

  “Who says I am? I’m just making an observation.” He sat up and stretched. “What time is it anyhow? Is it time to go to bed yet?”

  Brooke turned away, watching the shadows over the darkening waters. “Never mind.”

  “Brookey.”

  “Ugh. You haven’t called me that in a long time. Don’t make a habit of it.”

  “Rhymes with cookie.” She heard the smile in his voice. “Sorry. Let’s start over. So I was right?”

  “Yes.” She rested her chin on her knee and balled her fists. “Duke has to go.”

  “You mean go potty?”

  “No,” Brooke huffed. “He has to leave our house.”

  “Whyever for?”

  “He and I don’t get along.”

  “Really? You seem to be friends and all.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Come now. You’re not that dense.”

  “Well, I know he kind of follows you around. Love does that to fools…” He waggled his eyebrows.

  Brooke scrunched her nose. “How do you know anything about love, Oscar Hill?”

  He mocked offense. “I’m the expert on love. Next to filleting fish. It’s actually a lot like filleting fish.”

  “I have to hear this one.” Brooke smirked and looked expectantly at her brother.

  “Simple. If you catch a fish, you gotta fillet it. If you catch the eye of a woman, you gotta see winning her to completion.”

  “He hasn’t caught my eye,” she protested.

  He leveled his gaze. “I’m not that dense, Brooke Hill.”

  Brooke refused to dignify his theory with a reply, but her brother plowed on. “The way I see it, you like him, a lot. Why not? The guy looks like one of them reality show bachelors, and he doesn’t swear every other word. He’s not a slob and washes dishes like a champ. What’s not to like?”

  “He could also be married and have twelve kids.”

  Oscar cringed. “Oy. Let’s hope some of them are triplets. Get it all done and over with fast. On second thought…”

  “Oscar. Focus.”

  “I am focused.” He crossed his eyes, making her giggle.

  “Stahhhp. This is serious.” But she kept giggling. “Where was I?”

  Down the length of their camp, Duke was giving them curious glances. Oscar leaned over and waved at Duke. “We were talking about lover boy there.”

  Brooke slapped his hand. “What if he can lipread?”

  “Then hats off to him. One more skill to add to his list.”

  “Anyway. He…he wants to be more than friends.”

  Oscar rubbed his jaw. “He wants you to be the godmother to one of his sets of triplets?”

  “I wish that were the case.”

  “You do?” His eyes bugged out. “Why?”

  “Because then I would know I can’t have any feelings for him. Knowing that he does have a family, I can stop this…this scary feeling. Of falling for him.” She finished with a whisper.

  Oscar nodded without answering right away. “Do you remember when you were, oh, I don’t know, ten, and Dad asked me to teach you to water ski?”

  “You mean how Dad had me kinda-sorta sit on you while you tried to shove me off, but I was never prepared and my skis would jam into the mud and I would face plant? Yes.”

  “You were pretty freaked out, I must say. If you hadn’t been in the lake, I would have sworn you had p—”

  “Hush.”

  “Anyway. You didn’t want to do it. You cried and clung to me. I thought my sister had turned into an ape.”

  Brooke smiled at the memory. “Can you blame me?”

  “Don’t leave me,” Oscar said in a falsetto voice. “But eventually, I did. I think I might have shoved you. But your skis worked that time. You let go, and you were having such a good time that you forgot all about me until after supper time.”

  She slapped his arm. “We didn’t. We came back, too.”

  “You were gone a long time, anyway. You know what, though? I was so happy for you that I forgave Dad for ditching me. But do you remember that feeling, of letting go?”

  “I don’t like the way this conversation is going. I thought I could ask for your help, not have you nag me about following my heart and all that.”

  “The way I see it,” Oscar punctuated his sentence with a finger, “you could fight your feelings for him, or take that as a sign to let someone real into your life.”

  “Did you say real?” she sputtered. “Because he couldn’t be more than a mirage. We don’t even know who or what he is!”

  “Brookey. What if he’s not married?”

  She didn’t answer for a long minute. “Well, okay,” she admitted the possibility grudgingly. “But what if he has a girlfriend? Someone as good-looking as a reality show bachelor probably does.” Her voice turned glum.

  “Yeah, you’re probably right. But what if? Huh? What if you let yourself fall in love? What’s the worst that could happen?”

  “Then we might get serious, and he might take me away from Redding.” Her voice cracked. “From you.”

  “Whoa. I did not see that one coming.”

  She turned to him to see if he was serious. Seeing the glint of amusement lurking in his eyes, she rolled her eyes.

  “So?” he continued. “What ballyhoo. Seriously, girl, you think I need attending to?”

  “You would be eating mac and cheese for the rest of your life, and the house would be a pigsty.”

  “Well, it’s already a pigsty, thanks to me, and I’m sure Phoebe Ekins would be happy to make one of her delightful casseroles.” He pretended to gag.

  “Oscar, you’re so mean. Phoebe is a nice girl. In fact…” She almost said, “I think she likes you,” but didn’t. Not tattling on a girl’s crush seemed like an unspoken code.

  “I’m sure she is. But that still doesn’t make her meatball-squash casserole edible, if you ask me.”

  “No one is asking you.” She sighed. “See? You would starve before you’d eat her casserole. And you wonder why I worry about you?”

  “I can survive without you, Brooke.”

  His words sounded sincere. And made her sad. She thought her brother needed her, but all this time…

  “Brookey, you crying?”

  “No.” She angrily wiped away her tears.

  “I mean,” he said gruffly, “of course I need you. I want you to cook for me every single day of the year, even when I’m married.”

  “Your wife wouldn’t like that.”

  “I’m sure she wouldn’t mind having a built-in sister-in-law cook.”

  Brooke sniffled and gave him a wobbly smile. “I can’t believe we’re talking about you being married. I thought you were a confirmed bachelor.”

  “The way I see it…” He looked out at the lake and trailed off.

  “What?”

  “You’re better off married and happy with someone than sticking it out with your good-for-nothing brother.”

  “I love you too.”

  “Aww, Brooke. Come here and get a noogie.�
�

  “No thanks.” But she leaned on his shoulder for a while and hugged his arm.

  “So,” he drawled, “you still want me to kick Duke’s trash?”

  “No, it’s okay.” She smiled. “I think I can take of myself. Thanks for listening, though.”

  “Anytime. Except don’t make a habit of waking me up from a nap. I can get real grumpy.”

  “Yup, you sure can.” She kissed him on the cheek.

  Thankfully, darkness fell soon. She didn’t have to face the two with her expression vulnerable to interpretation. Oscar built a fire, and they roasted s’mores, after which it was time to go to bed.

  “It seems early to be wanting to go to bed already,” Duke said.

  “That’s the beauty and curse of camping out,” Oscar said. “Nothing much to do but stargaze.”

  Brooke spread out her foam mat on a rock ledge and bunched up her pillow, looking up at the stars. She listened to Oscar’s slow, steady breath and wondered if Duke was already asleep. She raised her head out of curiosity, just as Duke was raising his head also.

  “Good night,” he whispered.

  She swallowed, remembering Oscar’s well-meaning, if scary, advice. “Good night.”

  Despite all her misgivings from the day, their little exchange warmed her insides as she fell asleep.

  Chapter Seventeen

  In the morning, they broke out mugs for a cereal breakfast and then went for a little swim before loading everything in the boat. Breaking boat camp took just a few minutes, and then they were heading back to civilization.

  Brooke cast a quick glance at Duke. He was nicely tanned and looked relaxed, trading jokes with Oscar. With a little lump in her throat, she thought back to how she’d been toward Duke since meeting him. She’d been far more prickly than necessary. She wasn’t about to let down her guard like Oscar suggested, but it might not hurt to be more Christian-like.

  “How about some karaoke tonight?” Oscar suggested once they got home.

  Brooke rolled her eyes as she carried her duffel bag through the door. “You know how much I love going to those.”

  “Well, I just thought it was something to do for Duke here.” Oscar turned to Duke. “You like to sing, bud?”