The Princess and the Player
Kat Cantrell
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What’s a princess to do when she must marry for the sake of the throne, but falls for her fiancé’s bad-boy twin brother instead?
“Ooof!” Air whooshed from James’s lungs as something heavy landed square on his chest as he lay in his beach chair. Someone. When his vision cleared, he gazed down into the bluest eyes he’d seen in a while. Something shifted inside as the woman blinked back, her beautiful heart-shaped face reflecting not an iota of remorse over their risqué position. Her body had somehow slid into the grooves of his effortlessly and the slightest incline of his head would fuse his lips to hers.
He recognized her instantly. Bella Montoro. Pictures of the new princess had graced every news channel for the past couple of weeks. Reluctantly, he rolled off her and helped her sit up. “S0orry about that. You okay?”
“Totally.” Her husky voice skittered across his skin and he was hooked on the sound of it instantly. “My fault. I was focused on this thing instead of where I was going.” She kicked at a Frisbee he hadn’t noticed lying in the sand two feet away.
“I like a girl who goes for the memorable introduction.” It was certainly a new one. As a now-infamous soccer player, he’d experienced his share of inventive ploys for getting his attention.
“Oh, I wasn’t angling for an introduction.” She actually blushed a bit, which was oddly endearing. “I really didn’t see you there. You kind of blend into the sand. It’s just not how I thought meeting you would go. The picture my father sent painted you as someone very serious.”
“Um, you don’t say?” He’d just completely lost the thread of the conversation. Why would her father be sending her pictures, unless… Of course. Had to make sure the precious princess didn’t taint herself with the latest scandal. Stay away from that Rowling boy. He’s a boatload of trouble.
His temper kicked up, but he smoothed it over with a wink and a wicked smile. “I’m every bit as bad as your father warned you. Probably worse. If your goal is to seriously irritate him, I’m on board with that.”
Her eyes widened. “He, uh, didn’t warn me about you… Actually, I’m pretty sure he’d be happy if we went out. Isn’t that the whole point of this? So we can see if we’re suited?”
This conversation was going in circles. Her father wanted them to date? “He’s a football fan, then?”
She shook her head, confusion clouding her gaze. “I don’t think so. Does that matter to you, Will?”
“Will?” He groaned. This was so much worse than he’d anticipated. “You think I’m Will?”
Her father had sent her a picture of Will for some yet-to-be-determined reason, but it wasn’t so she could flirt with Will’s twin brother on the beach. And this little case of mistaken identity was about to come to an abrupt halt.
What to find out what happens next?
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