To Catch a Princess by Caridad Piñeiro Read Free Book Online Page B

served their meals, then returned to the galley. Judging from the clink of forks and china, she and the chef were sharing a bite, as well.
    The filet was perfectly done and seasoned, and accompanied by peas and scalloped potatoes. In a gratin dish set in the middle of the table, the sauce still bubbled around the edges of the cheese-topped vegetarian lasagna.
    “Want some?” he asked, and motioned to the gratin dish.
    “No, thanks,” she said, and judging from the quiet as they ate, she was as hungry as he was. Or maybe still hiding that she was hot for him…hopefully. He refilled their glasses halfway through the meal and when they finished, Kelly returned to clear the table and offer an assortment of desserts.
    “So many tasty ones,” he murmured, his sweet tooth kicking in big time.
    “Let me guess. You’d like two,” Tatiana said with an impish smile.
    He would, but bit back his desire for the sweets. “Actually, I can’t decide between the crème brûlée and the molten chocolate cake.”
    “Both are quite good,” Kelly said.
    Tatiana seemed to settle it for them. “If you could bring both, as well as a bowl of strawberries? A bottle of Dom Perignon, too.”
    “Of course, Princess,” she said, and quickly went to work fulfilling the request.
    “Thank you,” he said, but Tatiana shook her head.
    “I just figure if you’re stuffed and well-lubricated, it’ll help you sleep for the rest of the flight instead of worrying about whether we’re about to crash.” She winked.
    “Or thinking about getting sexy with you,” he teased, bringing a fresh stain of color to her cheeks.
    After finishing both desserts and two glasses of champagne, he was feeling decidedly relaxed and all thoughts of crashing had disappeared. When he yawned, she pointed in the direction of the bedroom. “Why don’t you get some sleep? We’ve got at least six hours before we land in Nice.”
    “What about you?” He would feel guilty taking the bed and leaving her to sleep in one of the airplane seats.
    “Still wide awake. I plan on finishing off the champagne and a good book. Then I’ll stretch out in one of the sleeper seats.” She jerked her head in the direction of another set of oversized seats a few feet away.
    “I’d like to take your notes on the security systems with me. I want to look at them again before we do the walk around tomorrow afternoon.”
    “Not a problem.” She rose and pulled the folder she had been reviewing earlier from her bag, and handed it to him. “Tony will be meeting us and can answer any questions you have. He’s also arranged for you to have a carry permit and weapon while you’re in Monaco.”
    “Thank you. I feel naked without it.”
    She smiled and quirked her lips in a gesture that was becoming a familiar sign of either disbelief or imminent teasing. “Naked, or lacking?”
    He chuckled and rose from the seat. “Lacking, eh. Wouldn’t you like to find out.”
    He chucked her under the chin to close her mouth as it dropped open.
    “Good night, Princess. Dream of me.”
    Her muttered curse chased him into the bedroom, but once he was in there, he wondered if maybe this wasn’t a good time to explain who he was. The teasing and relaxed feel during the dinner and afterward certainly hinted at the fact that she might be in the kind of mood to handle news like that.
    The confined space of the airplane was good in two ways. First, she couldn’t run off anywhere and avoid the discussion. Second, she had to maintain decorum in front of Kelly, the chef, and the pilots up front. Plus, he doubted she’d toss him out of the plane without a parachute. Putting the file on the top of the bed, he took a deep breath to brace himself, and walked back out to where Tatiana had stretched out in one of the sleeper seats, a glass of champagne at her side along with some strawberries. Her head was buried between the covers of a romance novel and she raised her head as he stepped back out.
    She gave