Becoming the Prince's Wife (Princes of Europe) by Rebecca Winters Read Free Book Online Page A

best friend from his university days to alert him he was coming. Matteo owned the place since his father had died. He would be partying in the bar with a few of their mutual friends now that there were no more customers.
    After the limo turned down the alley behind the restaurant, Matteo emerged from the backdoor and climbed inside.
    “Ehi, Valentino—”
    “Sorry I’m late, but tonight certain things were unavoidable.”
    “ Non c’è problema! It’s still early for us. Come on. We’ve been waiting for you.”
    “I’m afraid I can’t.”
    “Ooh. Adriana’s not going to like hearing that.”
    “She’s the reason I asked you to come out to the limo. Can I depend on you to put it to her gently that I won’t be seeing her again?”
    He frowned. “Why not?”
    They stared at each other before Matteo let out an epithet. “Does this mean you’re finally getting married?” He knew the union had been arranged years ago.
    Valentino grimaced. “Afraid so.” Once he’d gone to his mother’s apartment, she’d forced him to come to a final decision after talking with his betrothed’s parents. “They’re insisting on an August wedding and coronation. The president of the parliament will announce our formal engagement next week.”
    He realized it was long past time to end his brief, shallow relationship with Adriana. For her best interest he should have done it a month ago. Instinct told him she would be a willing mistress after his marriage, but Valentino didn’t feel that way about her or any woman. In any case, he would never go down that path.
    Matteo’s features hardened. “I can’t believe this day has finally come. It’s like a bad dream.”
    A groan escaped Valentino’s throat. “But one I’m committed to. I’ve told you before, but I’ll say it again. You’ve been a great friend, Matteo. I’ll never forget.”
    “Are you saying goodbye to me, too?” he asked quietly.
    His friend’s question hurt him. “How can you even ask me that?”
    “I don’t know.” Matteo drove his fist into his other palm. “I knew one day there was going to be a wedding and coronation and I know of your loyalty. Now everything’s going to change.”
    “Not my friendship with you.”
    “I hope not. It’s meant everything to me.”
    “My father told me a king has no friends, but I’m not the king yet. Even when I am, you’ll always be my friend. I’ll call you soon.” He clapped him on the shoulder before Matteo got out of the limo. Once he’d disappeared inside the restaurant, Valentino told his driver to head back to the palace. But his mood was black.
    After a sleepless night he learned that Max wasn’t any better, so he followed through on his plans to pick up Carolena at her apartment. He found her outside her door waiting for him. The sight of her in jeans and a T-shirt caused another adrenaline rush.
    Her eyes lifted to his. “Is there anything else you can think of I might need before we leave?”
    He’d already taken inventory of her gorgeous figure and still hadn’t recovered. “We’ll be flying to the center in my helicopter. Whatever is missing we will find there.”
    “Then I’m ready.” Carolena shut the suite and followed him down the hallway and out the doors. They crossed the grounds to the pad where his helicopter was waiting. “I hope this isn’t a dream and I’m going to wake up in a few minutes. To see where you spend your time kept me awake all night.”
    Nothing could have pleased Valentino more than to know she was an adventurous woman who’d taken an interest in his research. But he knew in his gut her interest in him went deeper than that. “Perhaps now you’ll understand that after a day’s work on the volcano, I have trouble getting to sleep, too.”
    Besides his family and bodyguards, plus close friends like Matteo, he rarely shared his love for his work with anyone outside of his colleagues at the center. For his own protection, the women he’d had