Royal Order Read online

  He mock-glared at her and she smiled sweetly back. She was practically glowing these days, so close to her due date. He was glad he’d been able to convince her to sit out here and watch him build for a bit. Pen always liked to be at work—if he didn’t keep an eye on her, she’d probably try to climb up after him at any moment, hammer in hand—and had had a tough time taking it easy as the birth of their baby drew near. One thing that had helped her was sending Simon out as her personal ambassador in her stead more frequently, a duty he was happy to undertake, especially when his legal knowledge might come in handy.

  He positioned the ladder just right and then pounded the nails in to secure it. This treehouse was a miniaturized copy of their original prototype, low to the ground and customized for toddlers. He planned to install a slide later, too. Maybe a wading pool at the bottom. Their daughter was going to have a blast with this thing. Maybe someday, he’d have a ring made for her out of one of the nails he was pounding in right now. He smiled at the thought.

  A flash of motion caught his eye and he glanced up. Pen was waddling toward him, and one of the guards who were always hovering nearby darted in to try to gently convince her to sit back down. Simon smirked. He was glad he wasn’t King—if he was, they likely wouldn’t let him build this treehouse with his own hands, or at least, they’d send up a team of structural engineers to evaluate his every move. He’d have to start planning now how to sneak their little Princess out of the castle for midnight playtimes up here once she was old enough, if he wanted to avoid all the hubbub involved whenever the castle staff thought a member of the royal family might get a splinter.

  “Your Majesty, perhaps a cool lemonade,” tried the guard, whose eye had started to twitch by this point, as Penelope was ignoring him completely. The Queen made a shooing motion, and the guard retreated with a fixed smile.

  Simon greeted his wife with a kiss. “How are you doing?”

  She winced and slung an arm beneath her belly. “I am so sick of the penguin waddle,” she admitted.

  “No one makes the penguin waddle look as good as you, babe.”

  She snorted. “Good, because you’re about to have to help me waddle all the way to the driveway. I am not getting in a wheelchair, I don’t care what my royal babysitters think.”

  He set the hammer down and gallantly extended an arm. “Where are we going? Did I forget a meeting?” He couldn’t remember having anything scheduled for today.

  “Nope. We’re going to the hospital. Your daughter is making her debut today,” Penelope said serenely.

  He gawked at her. “You’re—it’s—we’re going to…”

  She laughed, then winced again. “Yes. Baby time.”

  He pumped a fist in the air. “Baby time!” he shouted—which, of course, had every guard in a hundred-yard radius scrambling to the Queen’s side. With judicious use of his elbows and heels—followed by polite apologies, of course—Simon made a niche for himself at his wife’s side as she was led toward the driveway.

  By this time tomorrow, his little family—his home—would grow. It was time to start a whole new chapter of his life, and he couldn’t wait to see what new wonders it would hold.

  End of Royal Order

  Royals Of Danovar Book Three

  Royal Service, May 24th 2018

  * * *

  Royal Treatment, May 31st 2018

  * * *

  Royal Order, June 7th, 2018

  PS: Do you love handsome royals? Then keep reading for exclusive extracts from Greek Billionaire’s Blackmailed Bride .

  Thank you!

  Thank you so much for purchasing my book. It’s hard for me to put into words how much I appreciate my readers. If you enjoyed this book, please remember to leave a review. Reviews are crucial for an author’s success and I would greatly appreciate it if you took the time to review the book. I love hearing from you!

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  About Leslie

  Leslie North is the USA Today Bestselling pen name for a critically-acclaimed author of women's contemporary romance and fiction. The anonymity gives her the perfect opportunity to paint with her full artistic palette, especially in the romance and erotic fantasy genres.

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  BLURB

  Greek banking heir Antonio Rosso is shocked when his late father leaves the beloved family villa to the one woman he never wanted to see again: Claire Bennett. After a hot and heavy fling, things ended abruptly when she was accused of being a gold digger. But now, to hang on to the home that meant so much to his mother, Antonio will not only have to get back into the beautiful American’s good graces, he’ll have to convince her to marry him. When a job brings her back to Greece, voiceover artist Claire should have guessed Antonio was behind it. With his entitled upbringing, she knows he’s learned to use his money to get his way. After the way she was treated though, she wants absolutely nothing to do with him. He may be even more sinfully handsome than she remembered, but if he thinks she’ll agree to a sham marriage, he has another thing coming. Claire is determined to prove she can’t be bought or sold, and Antonio needs nothing more than a temporary arrangement. But when their spark reignites, can they ever get past the ugly history between them?

  * * *

  Grab your copy of Greek Billionaire’s Blackmailed Bride (The Rosso Family Book One)

  from www.LeslieNorthBooks.com

  EXCERPT

  Adeline Peluso tapped her stiletto heel nervously on the rust colored terracotta tile floor as she traced her perfectly manicured fingernail over her plump bottom lip. Blinking, she contemplated the choice before her. She could stay in Sicily or let go of her dreams and move on.

  “Poo,” she said, frowning at her laptop where it lay open atop an ancient walnut desk that was large enough and heavy enough to double as a raft on choppy seas. Between her eyes was a small, pinched crease of consternation that had plagued her with compliments of “adorable” and “sweet” ever since she’d been a young girl. Now at twenty-nine it was no less cute, but in truth, she was actually quite frustrated.

  The beauty of her surroundings, which normally worked wonders to lighten her mood, did nothing for her today. From outside the tall, open windows of her real estate office, the calming sound of waves lapping against the Sicilian shore reached her ears. But instead of making her thankful for the life she lived as it usually did, it made her wistful for the adventures she was missing by remaining on the island of Sicily.

  Moving to Sicily had been a dream come true for Adeline. Its history and heritage were more diverse than even the home she’d left behind in America. It was in Sicily that she had learned how to live with gusto and verve, and she had treasured the summers she’d spent there with her grandparents. Though they were gone now, it was through their happy marriage in this beautiful place that she’d learned what life-long love looked like.

  She had thought that she could capture some of the magic of their lives by moving to Sicily. It had been her childhood dream. She’d thought that she would find love and adventure. Instead, she had an empty apartment to go home to at night and her life was filled with the same bored routine that she’d left behind in America.

  She needed adventure. She needed more from life. It was too amazing to sleepwalk through.

  “I could find love in Spain,” she said. Crossing her legs, she tapped her toe silently in the air as she contemplated her choices.

  After clicking a webpage tab for the Romano del Mare she sat back again, then frowned. Images of the once-beautiful resort hotel filled her computer screen. It was the place where her grandparents would summer every year that she’d come to visit. While her grandparents were who taught her how to live and love life, the Romano del Mare was where she had learned those things. It was a place of wonder and artful m
agnificence. At over 870 years old, the converted medieval monastery was grandeur in an understated old-world style. There wasn’t any glitter, gold, or tinsel. No, the resort was stately and honorable yet charming and inviting. It—and the memory of her grandparents—was what made Sicily so hard to leave. Giving up on the Romano del Mare was like giving up on the dream of finding love, and it broke Adeline’s heart.

  She clicked another tab and a new page full of images filled her screen. They were again of the Romano del Mare, except that in these pictures the grand hotel had crumbling rock bricks, broken windows, and an empty parking lot. The old girl hadn’t seen a customer in nearly a decade. After the hotel’s former owners had gotten too old to handle its management themselves, they’d handed it over to a management company that had been disgraceful in its duties. They’d allowed the resort to become what it was today: a broken down memory of happier times. The Romano del Mare was now an embarrassment and an eyesore to the community, and it was why Adeline had accepted a position with Vero Immobiliare Real Estate eight months ago. They held the account for the Romano del Mare.

  Adeline propped her elbow on her desk, put her chin in her hand, and sighed. A heritage and restoration dispute had been waged for months over the property, but the hotel had finally been approved for sale—and, shockingly, for demolition. Through it all, Adeline had sent email after email to the new owners, pleading with them to restore the hotel themselves rather than let it fall to the sea or to new, big commerce.

  Her eyes stung with tears. She couldn’t stay to witness the destruction of the place she had cherished most. The Romano del Mare was a symbol of everything that was good in life and the love she hoped to someday find.

  It was time to leave. She would accept the position of Real Estate Ambassador in Spain, specializing in Americans buying abroad.

  Clicking the Internet tab that housed the application for the position in Spain, she bit her lip and then clicked send. The application was just a formality. She already had the job. The company had personally reached out to her and asked her to apply, assuring her that they were very excited and interested in the talents that she would bring. After all, she was the most successful real estate agent in Sicily.

  A light rap pulled Adeline’s attention to the door, where a tall man stood leaning slightly in. He was classically handsome with a strong jawline and a strong but flattering nose. His thick, black hair was shorter on the sides than it was on top and was slicked back in a look that was more severe than the gentle kindness of his face. His skin bore the golden touch of the sun.

  “Bon giornu.” The well-dressed man took a step inside Adeline’s office. His voice was a rich tenor in need of a choir. Dressed impeccably in a three piece charcoal grey suit with tiny red pinstripes, he wore it as well as any model could, but everything about how he held himself made Adeline think he was business man.

  I know him… From where?

  Adeline rose and made her way from behind her desk to greet her guest. A greeting of “ciao” was on her lips, but her spinning mind delayed it.

  Then the stranger smiled, the sight charming and disarming, and everything fell into place. Adeline’s deep brown eyes flew wide, and she stopped.

  “Now you come home!” she exclaimed, throwing her hands up into the air and stamping her foot. “What took you so long?” Awaiting an answer, she put her hands on her hips and gave the man a glare that could have melted gelato.

  Grab your copy of Greek Billionaire’s Blackmailed Bride from www.LeslieNorthBooks.com