‘A month ago? Why the hell didn’t you call me earlier?’
‘Because if it wasn’t right I didn’t want to bother you. And I knew you’d try to talk me out of it.’
‘Damn right I’d have tried to talk you out of it. I wasn’t born to be King, you were. And I don’t want the job!’
‘I had a feeling you’d say that but if you really don’t want to do it then we can pass the throne to Ped—’
‘Do not even go there,’ Logan warned, his throat burning with fury. ‘Pedro wouldn’t know the first thing about running a country and we both know it.’ Their cousin was a surfing maniac who preferred the beach to the boardroom and little else. Except maybe women.
‘Yes. But I can no longer fulfil the role. The woman I’m in love with is a single mother who hates the spotlight and—’
‘In love?’ Logan pushed away from the window, suddenly conscious that Cassidy was still standing in the middle of his living room, nibbling on her lower lip. Dragging his gaze away from those even white teeth, he refocused. ‘Are you serious?’
Leo laughed self-consciously. ‘I know you think love is little more than sentimental tripe, but it’s not. This woman is wonderful. Amazing. I had no idea I could feel this way and all I want to do is protect her and her daughter.’
All Logan wanted to do was stop his brother from doing something stupid. Like abdicate. Because there was no way he wanted to be King. He’d never overly enjoyed the pomp and ceremony and the constant attention that went with royal life, and he really hated the comparisons that were made between him and their late father. As the son who looked most like the old man he’d always borne the brunt of that kind of attention and he’d hated being likened to a man he didn’t respect. A man who had chosen to put everything in life—his job, his passions, and his baser instincts—ahead of the welfare of his family and country.
Their father had been a master at manipulation and both he and Leo had gone from loving him to fearing him to turning away from him and, finally, to loathing him. Especially when his affairs had become public knowledge, hurting their mother and embarrassing them all.
And now Leo had fallen into the same trap. Being caught with a woman who wasn’t his wife. No matter how innocent it had been, it was still a big deal.
‘Just...’ He heaved out a sigh. ‘Just don’t do anything yet. Don’t make any solid decisions while you’re emotional. And definitely do not put out any statements.’ His mind was already turning, working through ideas of how they could stem the fallout from the scandal his brother had inadvertently created. ‘I’ll be in Arrantino by nightfall. Morning your time.’
‘If I’m not here to greet you, I’ll make sure Margaux is completely up to speed on what’s happening.’
‘I don’t want to speak to your private secretary,’ Logan growled. ‘I want to speak to you.’
‘I’ll try.’ Logan could already hear that his brother was distracted.
Ringing off, Logan took a moment to stare into space. King? There was no way he wanted to become King. It was a poisoned chalice he’d always been glad he’d never had to take on.
Cassidy cleared her throat, her gaze taking in her boss’s flexed shoulder muscles as he steadied his breathing.
She’d never seen him so disturbed before, and she felt an unexpected shaft of compassion for him. She had felt like she’d had her life turned on its head this morning, and now it seemed like his was about to do the same thing.
He turned toward her, his expression steely. ‘How much of that did you get?’
Feeling awful that she’d overheard any of it, she shrugged diffidently. ‘Your brother intends to abdicate and you don’t want to be King.’ You also think love is a waste of time, and you don’t seem to be a fan of your brother’s soon-to-be ex-wife.
‘That’s pretty much it. Throw in a divorce, a woman on the side, and a hungry pack of journalists and you’ve potentially got a national crisis.’
‘Wow. And I thought my morning had been bad. What are you going to do?’
‘Talk him out of it.’
Cassidy sighed. ‘You always seem to know what your next move is. One of the things I admire most about you is your ability to make a decision on the spot. I wish that was one of my superpowers.’
‘Superpower?’
‘Things I excel at.’
‘Your superpower is running my office. Which I’m going to need you to get on top of right away because we need to fly to Arrantino. Tonight. Hopefully we’re only looking at a twenty-four-hour turnaround but you’ll need to rearrange the rest of my week in case it’s not.’
‘Okay, right.’ She frowned. ‘I’ll send an email to postpone tomorrow’s meeting in Boston. Then first thing tomorrow I’ll see what can be delegated and what has to be rearranged. Do you want me to call Ben to reschedule the flight?’
‘I already sent him a text requesting that we fly out as soon as he can log a new flight plan.’
‘Okay, then I’ll...’ Cassidy paused. That was the second time she’d heard him refer to both of them. ‘We?’