Free To Steal a Groom (Royal Billionaire Romance) by Cora Caraway Page A

day.”
    He folds his warm hands over mine. “What can I do to help?”
    “Could you try talking some sense into your brother?”
    “This is Marc, remember.” Damon sighs. “In fact, knowing him, I doubt this was his idea at all.”
    I sink to the ground next to him. “What do you mean?”
    “Rushed wedding, random royal groom. This has Natalia written all over it.”
    “You think so?”
    Damon studies my expression carefully. “I shouldn’t have said that, should I?”
    “No, this is great!” I rise to pace over the gravel path. “We sort of bonded at the party last night. I think I really misjudged her.”
    The prince raises an eyebrow.
    “What?”
    “Once a person tries to surprise you with a wedding when you had never spoken of marriage, you tend not to trust them again.”
    “Come on.” I cuff his shoulder lightly. “Did you see the way she was hanging on Marc? I think she’s over you.”
    “If you say so.”
    I try not to roll my eyes. Sure, Damon was one of the world’s most eligible bachelors; who wouldn’t want to marry a handsome prince? But that doesn’t mean that all of his past love interests will forever pine for him.
    I hold out a hand to pull him to his feet. “Let me talk to her.”
    “If you think that’s … wise, I won’t stop you.”
    “I’ll get everything sorted out. You’ll see.”
    Arm in arm, we head back toward the dining room. The doors stand open, and inside servants bustle to clear the tables.
    “There.” Damon points to the spiral stair. “Marc!”
    His brother turns. “What is it? Everything all right?”
    “Grace wondered if she could have a word with Natalia.”
    Marc looks toward the front doors. “She just left.”
    “For Andova?” My heart sinks. Once she gets her parents involved, it’ll be hard to convince her to alter her plans.
    “No. She’s renting a villa in the city. I can take you there if you’d like.”
    I study Damon’s half-brother for a long moment. For all his charm, I still don’t entirely trust him. “Just the address will be fine.”
    *
    It takes some convincing, but eventually Damon relents and lets me borrow a car. After even more cajoling, he lets me go alone. I don’t think he trusts that I can be unfailingly polite unsupervised. Really, he has nothing to worry about. Natalia and I might not be best friends, but we certainly aren’t enemies anymore.
    Painstakingly, I crawl out of the garage. I don’t want to so much as scuff a Lion car after what I did to the last one. Damon waves me off as I drive through the front gate.
    It’s time to face Natalia.

6
    The car purrs as I turn onto Fief Street. I peer out the window, hunting for Number 18. It doesn’t help that every villa on this street looks identical, right down to the high gates and the guardhouses. I drum my fingers against the wheel. There’s no need to be nervous. I just need to talk to Natalia, that’s all, and tell her it’s nothing personal, I’m simply impatient to be Damon’s wife. Surely she’ll understand.
    At last, I find the right villa. The golden 18 on the gate reflects the sun into my eyes, almost blinding me. As I pull up to the guardhouse, I notice that the man on duty holds the leash of a formidable dog. Its ears flatten as I approach. Even the Lions don’t have guard dogs, at least that I know of. Who is Natalia trying to keep out?
    The guard knocks on my window, and I roll it down halfway.
    “Please state your name and business.”
    I clear my throat. “Grace Sparrow. I’m here to speak with Natalia Fa.”
    He checks his clipboard. “Yes, she’s expecting you. Right this way.” The gate slides open, and he ushers me forward.
    Once I pull through, the gate shuts swiftly after me. I make my way down the long drive, noting the cameras that mark my progress. I’m not sure it would be possible to sneak into a place like this. I laugh, shaking my head. Even a month ago, such a thought never would have crossed my mind. The old me would