ROYAL MESS
From award-winning author Jenna Sutton comes the story of two princes who discover that falling in love is messy…
Prince Leo’s icy demeanor has earned him an amusing nickname—the Polar Prince. Unfortunately, the king doesn’t see the humor. If Leo wants to secure the throne of Alsania, he must improve his image. Participating in an organ donation campaign seems like a good start. He expects to donate his organs on his deathbed, so he’s surprised to be matched with a complete stranger who needs his help now.
Tessa Lulach hates to admit it, but she’s a damsel in distress. When a handsome prince offers to save her with a hunk of his liver, she joyfully accepts. She can’t wait to feel like herself again and return to her beloved flower shop. Instead, her identity is revealed, and the quiet life she loves is turned upside down.
As Leo and Tessa deal with the nosy public and ruthless paparazzi, she realizes the Polar Prince is much warmer than he seems—scorching hot, in fact. He willingly gave her a part of his liver, but can he give her his whole heart?
*****
Everyone loves Prince Marco of Alsania, despite his reckless antics … or maybe because of them. So why does sexy schoolteacher Cassie Lulach prefer a boring investment banker over him? Wounded by her indifference, he has an erotic encounter with a masked woman at a royal ball who reminds him of the one he really wants.
After another failed relationship, Cassie is frustrated with immature, inconsiderate guys. Wanting to escape reality, she attends a masquerade ball and finds herself alone with a masked stranger. For the first time in her life, she acts on impulse, only to end up pregnant and absolutely clueless about the identity of her baby’s father.
When Marco learns of Cassie’s pregnancy and her plans to raise the baby alone, he promises to be there for her, hoping she’ll finally see him as more than just a playboy prince. But then he discovers she’s the woman from the masquerade ball and panics. Will the truth destroy his chance to win over Cassie, or will he convince her that they can have their own happily ever after?
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Excerpt
It’d be easy to fall into a
black hole of self-pity, but I’ve managed to stay positive by thinking of all
my blessings. I have a lot of reasons to be grateful. In fact, one of those
reasons is sitting next to my hospital bed.
“You mentioned your sister earlier...”
Prince Leo says.
“Yes. Cassie.”
“Based on my research,
siblings usually are a match for liver donation. Why didn’t she offer to help
you?”
I can hear the judgement in
his voice. He obviously disapproves of Cassie for not sacrificing her liver to
save me.
“She’s not my biological
sister,” I explain. “We’re both adopted.”
“I see.”
“She wanted to help. She
was devastated when she found out she wasn’t a match. She cried so hard she
almost threw up.” My legs are aching from inactivity, so I scissor them a few
times. “A lot of people aren’t willing to help, even when they can. It can
cause huge rifts in families.”
“I can imagine.”
“I wouldn’t have been angry
with Cassie.” I shake my head. “And I definitely wouldn’t have allowed it to
ruin our relationship.”
“Then you’re a lot more
understanding than most people. More understanding than I would be in that
situation.”
“I don’t think anyone
should feel forced or guilted into donating if they don’t want to. It’s their
choice ... their life.”
I watch his face closely,
trying to gauge how he feels about donating part of his liver. “I’m surprised
you’re going to do it,” I say, giving voice to the thought that’s been
ricocheting inside my head. “Isn’t there a provision in the constitution that
prohibits you from taking unnecessary risks ... since you’re in line to inherit
the throne?”
“No.” He huffs out a soft
laugh. “I can skydive anytime I feel like it.”
Intrigued by his answer, I
angle my body toward him. “You’ve gone skydiving?”
“The term skydiving refers
to an activity one does for fun,” he replies in a wry tone. “I jumped out of a
plane as part of my military training.”
“I’ve never gone skydiving.
I try to avoid activities that may result in my death.”
With the word death hanging
in the air, I swallow hard. The fear that I’ve pushed down for weeks abruptly
rises to the surface.
“I’m so afraid. I don’t
want to die.”
I didn’t mean to say that
out loud. I haven’t admitted my fears to anyone.
Strangely, I’m neither
embarrassed nor regretful that I shared my feelings with Prince Leo. I don’t
have to be strong for him, not like I have to be for my parents and Cassie.
“Miss Lulach—”
“Shouldn’t we be on a
first-name basis at this point? Call me Tessa.”
“Tessa,” he says in his
deep, rich voice.
“Are you afraid?”
He leans forward and our
eyes lock. “Liver transplantation has a high survival rate. More than seventy
percent of recipients are still alive after five years.”
Even though I know he’s
right, I’m still scared to go through transplant surgery. But I have no choice.
Without it, my death is inevitable.
“Are you going to change
your mind?” I ask.
“I’m sorry.” Prince Leo
frowns. “I’m not following your question. Change my mind about what?”
“About donating your liver.
Are you going to back out?”
He stares at me, his eyes
steady on mine. “No.”
He says it so firmly, with
such conviction, that I have no choice but to believe him. This prince is going
to save me.
About Jenna Sutton
Jenna Sutton is a former award-winning journalist who traded fact for fiction when she began writing novels. Surprisingly, the research she conducted for her articles provided a lot of inspiration for her books. She’s the author of the Riley O’Brien & Co. romances and the new Trinity Distillery series. Although Jenna calls Texas home, more often than not, she’s somewhere else. Her love’s job takes him all over the country, and she tags along, just like a groupie follows her favorite band.
You can find out more about Jenna and her work on her website http://www.jennasutton.com. Sign up for her newsletter at http://bit.ly/1K8MaCH to access the latest news and monthly contests.
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