Ways To Ruin A Royal Reputation (Mills & Boon Modern) (Signed, Sealed…Seduced, Book 1) by Dani Collins (best ebook reader ubuntu .txt) 📗

Her ears popped and, moments later, they were on the ground, taxiing to a stop outside a private terminal for personal and charter jets.

“I have to speak with my sister,” Luca said, glancing up from his ringing phone. He unbuckled and rose, bringing the phone to his ear as he moved into the stateroom for privacy.

Amy searched wildly out the window as she began gathering her things. A team of trench coats and briefcases came out of the terminal and headed toward the plane. Fresh air came in as the steps were lowered.

Where was Baz? There! She saw the plane with the psychedelic logo on its tail and rudely shuffled her way past the confused faces of people trying to board.

It was raining and she hadn’t bothered to pull on her light jacket, so she felt each stinging drop as she ran the short distance across the tarmac. Stairs appeared as the hatch was lowered on Baz Rivets’s plane.

“Welcome to the naughty side, ducky!” Baz wore jeans, a torn T-shirt, a man bun and a scruffy beard. He opened his arms in welcome.

She ran up the steps, starting to cry, she was so overwhelmed. “I didn’t know how to get home without being swarmed, but I didn’t expect you to make a special trip for me!”

“You flew to Thailand and kept me out of jail. Giving you a lift home is the least I can do.” He wrapped his arms around her. “You messy, messy girl.”

“I never claimed to be otherwise, Baz. I really didn’t.”

“Oh. He doesn’t look happy.”

Amy turned to see Luca had come onto the steps of his own plane. He stared across at her, his dumbfounded rage so tangible she felt a jolt of adrenaline sear her arteries.

Baz kept one arm around her and drew her closer to his wiry frame. He wore the most neighborly of smiles as he waved and spoke with quiet cheerfulness through his clenched teeth, “That’ll teach you, ya royal bastard. Amy should be treated like the queen she is.”

I’m not. I was never going to be.

For a long moment, she and Luca stared at one another. He didn’t call her back or come get her, though. And he turned away first.

It was a knife straight to her heart, one that would have kept her standing there waiting for the rest of her life in hopes he’d reappear to pull it out, but Baz nudged her inside.

“Come tell Uncle Bazzie all about it. Lads, put the kettle on for our sweet Ames.”

Luca was clinging to his patience by his fingernails. His brain kept going back to asking Why didn’t she tell me this could happen?

It didn’t matter why. She hadn’t. Intellectually, he understood that Amy was the victim of exploitation. That wasn’t something she needed to tell anyone unless she wanted to.

But now his sister was in his ear saying, “I appreciate this isn’t something she could control, but it’s time to distance yourself from her.”

“I know.” His goal had been accomplished, and Amy’s connection to him was making things worse for her.

The woman who had leaked the story wouldn’t have been so well rewarded if she’d only been taking down a PR agent who worked with celebrities. No, Amy’s romantic link to royalty had been the gold the story was really mining. It was a vein that would continue to be exploited as long as he and Amy were together.

Even so, when Luca saw Amy darting across the tarmac to the waiting plane, he nearly lost his mind.

He’d hung up on his sister and shoved his way outside in time to see her with—Who the hell was that? Some demigod celebrity, Luca realized as he took in the flamboyant logo that spoke of a live fast, die young rock culture. The jackass wore professionally distressed clothing and a smug grin as he claimed Amy.

Luca hated him on sight.

You made me fall in love with you.

If she loved him, she should have trusted him enough to tell him about her past. Enough to stay.

That’s all he could think as he stared across at her standing in that other man’s embrace, the image like radiation that destroyed his insides the longer he stared.

“Sir, there are people in the terminal getting all this on their phones,” someone said from inside his plane.

Brilliant. His final humiliation was being recorded for uploading to the buffet of public ignominy that was already so well stocked. Outstanding.

He went inside to take his seat, sick with guilt that he’d wanted to right a wrong and it had resulted in yet more wrong.

Everyone stared at him while he settled into his chair.

“Our first step is to make clear to her the legal and financial consequences she will face if she divulges any of this to the press,” one of his lawyers piped up.

“We should make an immediate statement that she was asked to leave. Get in front of whatever photos come out from this.” Another one tapped the window.

Luca had had the team meet him here in Athens in hopes they could find a way forward that wouldn’t destroy both him and Amy. He had expected her to weigh in.

Now he could only stare in disbelief while another backstabbing idiot said, “Given her history, we could reframe the photos and make a case for you to take back the throne.”

Luca swore and waved his hand. “Get off my plane. All of you.”

Neither Bea nor Clare were in London when Amy arrived.

Bea, bless her, said Amy could use her flat. She was deeply grateful and sank into the familiar oasis of Bea’s personal space.

But with both of her friends still away, it fell to Amy to keep London Connection running. She popped an email to her assistant to say she would do it remotely to minimize the disruption she was already causing at the office. She didn’t mention her plan to