Royal Romance_An Older Man Younger Woman Romance Read online

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  A Man Who Knows What He Wants Series

  Royal Romance

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Epilogue

  Upcoming Releases

  ROYAL ROMANCE

  AN OLDER MAN YOUNGER WOMAN ROMANCE

  _______________________

  A MAN WHO KNOWS WHAT HE WANTS, 38

  FLORA FERRARI

  CONTENTS

  Copyright

  A Man Who Knows What He Wants Series

  Royal Romance

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Epilogue

  Upcoming Releases

  COPYRIGHT

  Copyright © 2018 by Flora Ferrari.

  All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  The following story contains mature themes, strong language and sexual situations. It is intended for mature readers.

  A MAN WHO KNOWS WHAT HE WANTS

  Book 1: Baby Lust

  Book 2: Veteran

  Book 3: Built

  Book 4: Bambino

  Book 5: Rescued

  Book 6: Leader

  Book 7: Professor

  Book 8: Burned

  Book 9: Worldly

  Book 10: Pistol

  Book 11: Policed

  Book 12: Driven

  Book 13: Lucky 13

  Book 14: Lumberjacked

  Book 15: Protector

  Book 16: Carpenter

  Book 17: Italian Stallion

  Book 18: Gardener

  Book 19: Budapest Billionaire’s Virgin

  Book 20: Billionaire’s Babysitter

  Book 21: Cocky CFO

  Book 22: Fireman’s Filthy 4th

  Book 23: Mechanic

  Book 24: SEAL’s Secret

  Book 25: Police, Pooch, and Smooch

  Book 26: Fireman’s Fake Fiancée

  Book 27: Billionaire’s Virgin Ballerina

  Book 28: Bitcoin Billionaire’s Babysitter

  Book 29: Veterans Day Daddy

  Book 30: Cowboy’s Christmas Carol

  Book 31: Police Officer’s Princess

  Book 32: Statham

  Book 33: Bodyguard

  Book 34: Greek God

  Book 35: Billionaire Single Dad's Babysitter

  Book 36: Mountain Man

  Book 37: SEAL’s Justice

  Book 38: Royal Romance

  Royal Romance

  FAITH

  I was only here to walk the dogs. Just hired help for the palace. But to me it was so much more. I longed for Prince Alistair. The more the papers bashed him, the more I cried for him...because I knew the truth. He didn't have to tell me. I knew because the pain that ailed him ailed me too.

  But no matter my silly wishes there was no way I'd ever be more than just another royal servant.

  I can't keep going on like this. I have to work up the courage for the first time in my life to let him know what I feel...and what I know. And what I'm saving just for him. Even if it means losing everything.

  PRINCE ALISTAIR

  I've been watching her, but she doesn't know. She's different...unique...one of a kind.

  I see something in her that I've never seen in anyone else except for myself, even though she thinks I don't see her at all.

  But I do. But being a prince means there's nothing I can do about it. I don't believe in superstitions but there really is something special about her name. Faith. Just hearing it reminds me how much I want her more than anything I've ever wanted in life. And faith is what I have to keep for that one day I can finally have her.

  I just need to find a way to show her that I don't care what anyone thinks...anyone but her. And when I do I'll make her my princess. Forever.

  *Royal Romance is an insta-everything standalone romance with an HEA, no cheating, and no cliffhanger.

  CHAPTER 1

  Faith

  Aloof.

  Arrogant.

  Self-righteous.

  The papers, television, and the Internet all seemed to have the same opinion of him. And by him I mean him. Prince Alistair of Belmont. He was second in line to the throne and considered the world’s most ineligible, eligible bachelor. Eligible because unlike his brother he had yet to be married. Ineligible because unlike his brother he seemed to have little to no interest in the opposite sex, or anyone for that matter.

  He was known for suddenly leaving social functions, if he attended at all. He rarely spoke, and when he did even that seemed like a chore. It was as if the only thing he wanted in this world was to be left alone.

  I know the feeling because I feel that way myself. I’m trying to get better and am putting real effort into it, but it’s not easy. Not after what happened. I remind myself it would be hard on anyone, but I can’t use that as an excuse forever. I have to live for myself and move on.

  And when I look into those blue eyes of his I know he’s going through the same thing I’m going through.

  I wasn’t trying to listen, but my ears can’t unhear what’s been heard.

  I guess people think there’s privacy at the royal kennel. I’d think so too. I’m about to admit it, but I talk to the dogs more often than I probably should. They’re always patient listeners and as crazy as it sounds it feels good to get things off my chest, even if my chosen audience has no idea what I’m talking about.

  But I know they do. They may not know the words, but they can read my expressions. They listen and when I’m through they’re always there to try and cheer me up.

  But I guess I’m not the only one who really believes in the idea of our four legged friends as being man’s, or woman’s, best friend.

  He thinks so too. I heard him. He was there. While I was sitting in the hay petting a couple of the dogs I’ve been hired to walk and care for he was two stalls over exposing the real reason he is the way he is.

  I listened and I cried. I couldn’t stop. I did the best I could to not make a noise in between the deep gasps for breath and the sobs and somehow I think I managed to go undetected.

  I wanted to just jump up and go give Prince Alistair a hug, but I can’t. Servants aren’t allowed to initiate interaction with royals. It can only be the other way around. And even worse if he knew I was there listening I
could be fired or even worse. There are laws that I could even be thrown in jail.

  But I couldn’t interrupt him. He has to go through the healing process, just like I did. It was a Catch-22. I didn’t want to listen, but I couldn’t let him know I was there.

  After I heard him leave I waited a full hour before I moved a single muscle. I wanted to be sure just in case he was still in the area.

  After I got up and made sure it was just me and the dogs, I cried even harder. This time I didn’t hold back. My face was a wreck. Even my uniform was wet from all the tears. I managed to pull myself together and avoid everyone the rest of the day.

  When I got home I thought back about how I’d long known he’d lost someone close to him, but just couldn’t tell anyone about it. Being a royal puts you front and center to the entire world, but somehow I knew he had buried a secret deep down inside. Something that no-one was ever to know.

  Until that fateful day. And it was even more fateful that we’d experienced the exact same loss. I’d oftentimes wondered if that was the case, but had tried to talk myself out of it.

  What I was really trying to do was talk myself out of believing that I was falling for the prince. But it was much too late for that. If I had to convince myself I wasn’t in love with him…well…then my heart already knew the truth. The mind can’t trick the heart, no matter how hard it tries.

  But I was just another in a line of women who wanted nothing more than the stunning older man with the jet black hair who lived at the royal palace. His features were almost as dark as the aura he gave off. But his secret was even darker. A secret that no-one knew but me.

  And somehow I had to tell him that I knew. That I understood. That he didn't have to go through this all alone.

  Even if it cost me everything…my job, my freedom, my life.

  CHAPTER 2

  Alistair

  She thinks I don’t even know her name, let alone notice her. But I see everything. There’s no need to talk when I can just watch the world with my own two eyes and my own two ears. I learn so much more when I just observe.

  And I’ve been observing her since the first day she started here.

  I don’t know how she managed to get the job here. She doesn’t fit the type they usually hire. Stuffy, yet somehow subservient. People who can’t wait to bend over backwards in the hope that they’ll get something handed to them for free.

  I wish it weren’t the case, but I can’t say I blame them. Everyone wants something for nothing. Everybody’s searching for something. Even me.

  The one thing I want more than anything is gone forever, and it’s been that way my entire time on this planet. I just can’t let it go no matter how hard I try.

  My family wants me to put on a happy face, but I can’t. It’s not who I am. I believe in being absolutely genuine and honest at all times. As much as I appreciate positivity and happiness, I’m not going to pretend I’m that way when I’m not.

  I see it far too often anyways. Plastic smiles and offers of “help.” People are angling for what my family and I have. We’ve been lucky, no doubt. But sometimes I wonder what it would be like to just be a normal guy. To be able to walk down the street late at night and just pull into one of those American type dinners like you see in the old paintings and photographs. Instead of all this highbrow food, to just order a plate of eggs, some sausage links, and mop up the plate with a piece of toast. I’d even toast it on both sides. Not very English of me, but that’s the point.

  Manners for manners sake are a joke if you ask me. I want something real. Someone real.

  Her.

  I watch her. The way she goes about her day. I sit up in my room and stay back from the window a bit. Just in case she ever looks my way.

  I see a young woman with the enthusiasm and joy of a little girl when she’s out there playing with those dogs. She doesn’t have a care in the world.

  The head of our staff wanted to fire her after her first week on the job. Instead I logged into the system with a secret username and password I have and upgraded her into the system to his same pay grade. Now he couldn’t fire her. I can only imagine how shocked he was when he came in on Monday only to see they were already equals.

  It took her a week to get to where he was at after six years. But that wasn’t the most meteoric ascent she’d taken since she’d arrived. Since day one I’d had my sights set on her. But being the way things are there was nothing I could do about it. Only watch from a distance and secretly do whatever I could to make her job here easier and better.

  I allocated more money for the dogs. More tennis balls that she could throw to them. Higher quality food and water. I wanted those dogs to be as happy as they could, which I knew would make her happy.

  It was only right being how happy she made me.

  But me being a royal and her being one of the staff wasn’t the only problem. She was much younger than me. It’s as if every card in the deck was stacked against us.

  I’d stay up at night trying to think of a solution to how we could be together. The wheels inside my head spinning round and round like the London Eye. But just like the famous and giant Ferris wheel along the South Bank of the River Thames, my journey always ended up right where it started…without a solution.

  And how could I even be so sure she’d be interested. My reputation was so poor most of the daily papers had an entire page devoted to negative things about me. And the age difference would likely put her off even more.

  It was ironic considering the long list of women my family constantly tried to introduce to me. I was never interested. Not one single time. Those women were dying to be a part of the royal family and I was dying to get them out of my presence.

  I don’t think she even cared about any of that. And that’s one of the reasons I wanted to meet her so badly. I just needed a way to do it without tipping anyone off. Even though our staff is excellent who knows what the press offers them. We already know about certain people being approached for information about what goes on inside the gate each day. If word got out that something was going on between us the papers would have a field day more than they already do.

  Not that I care really. But I do respect and honor what my family has built over the centuries. I need to remind myself that I can’t go off being greedy and doing what I want at the expense of our entire family. My older brother will be king one day after all. I don’t want to ruin things for him, and everyone involved.

  But just those words burn me. “Ruin things.”

  How could finally being able to choose what I want with my life ruin anything? Being trapped inside this glass house isn’t ruining my life? I’m certainly not complaining about my good fortunes, but it’s nothing without the right woman to share it with.

  For years I thought there was no such thing as the right woman for me.

  How one moment changed all that.

  After thirty-five years on this planet and meeting thousands of people if not hundreds of thousands, or even billions if you include the people who “meet me” via television, I was sure there wasn’t a woman out there for me.

  And then she showed up and everything changed.

  She flipped my world upside down, and in the process it was like a light switch flipped on inside me.

  I wanted to start living more. To feel. To be with her.

  Food tasted better. Colors were more vibrant. I was excited to wake up every day knowing she’d be just outside my window.

  But the sudden pleasure was turning into a pain. As long as she was there she served as a reminder of what I couldn’t have.

  I had all the money, power, and influence in the world, but I would have traded it all for one day with her.

  But how can I make this fantasy become a reality?

  CHAPTER 3

  Alistair

  I lay in my bed staring at the ceiling. My eyes may be open and facing up, but I don’t see anything in the room…only images of her in my mind.

  I can�
�t believe how clear they are. It’s like a movie playing in my mind. Watching her from my window as she plays with those dogs all day. She makes it look easy, but I know it’s not.

  She has to keep them fit, entertain them, feed them, and care for their health and well-being. It’s a lot of work and I’m glad we found the perfect person who really loves animals.

  Speaking of love…well…I try and tell myself it can’t be, but I definitely have feelings. Very strong feelings. Too strong in fact.

  Almost as strong as the erection that’s pushing up against my silk sheets.

  She’s like human Viagra, not that I needed it. I may be thirty-five, but I workout religious and still have the sex drive of an eighteen-year-old. If I don’t release soon my groin is going to explode.

  But I don’t believe in meaningless sex, nor do I believe in masturbating to the thought of her. It would be a shallow “victory” that would be anything but once the high of the finish wore off.