From That Prince is Mine by Jayci Lee. Copyright © 2024 by the author and reprinted by permission of St. Martin’s Publishing Group.
Chapter Two
I don’t understand why you insist on staying at a hotel.” Gabriel glanced around the hotel café then shrugged his reluctant approval. “Charming café notwithstanding.”
Michel took a sip of his excellent coffee. The hotel was something of a historical monument, built more than a hundred years ago, with rich wood panels, sparkling chandeliers, and a grand double staircase. But the airy, sunlit café that sat beneath the vaulted ceilings of the lobby was the main perk of staying at this hotel.
The café was the perfect place to prepare for his lectures—and put out the occasional fires with the ministers back home—while indulging in some people watching. The hotel bustled with a variety of clientele, such as tourists dressed head-to-toe in Mickey Mouse paraphernalia to businesspeople in somber, dark suits. Michel relished the luxury of being the one to observe others for once.
“There are many things about me you will never understand, my dear cousin,” he drawled.
“Ah, yes,” his cousin said in a voice that made the Sahara Desert sound humid. “The crown prince of Rouleme is an enigma no one can decipher.”
“Can you say that a little louder in case anyone missed it?” Sarcasm was a talent at which they both excelled, but Michel did feel a trickle of unease as he scanned his vicinity. If his true identity became public knowledge then he might as well return to his country—to a reality he could not accept. He could bear the weight of the crown but he wanted someone he loved by his side. Just as his father had his mother . . . even for a short while.
“Relax. There’s no one close enough to hear.” Gabriel smirked when Michel raised his royal middle finger at him. “How are the lectures going at USC?”
“There was a bit of a learning curve in the beginning—it’s not exactly the same as giving a speech in front of the UN—but I’m getting the hang of it.” Michel sat forward with his elbows on the table, forgetting his momentary ire. “The students seem truly interested in the importance of international relations. How it could impact this changing world. It takes me at least half an hour to get out of the lecture hall because they bombard me with questions at the end. It’s fantastic.”
“I’m sure they’re enthusiastic about international relations . . . among other things.” His cousin’s lips stretched into a sly grin. “Such as—what is it the media always goes on about?—hair spun from the golden rays of the sun and a toe-curling accent that could melt the coldest hearts.”
“That’s rich coming from you,” Michel said with a pointed look.
With his jet black hair and piercing green eyes, Gabriel Laurent looked as though he belonged on the silver screen. No one would guess that he was an exacting philosophy professor at USC, whom his students called the Sphinx behind his back. But to Michel, Gabriel was simply his favorite cousin, childhood playmate—when they’d been allowed to be children—and someone he trusted with his life.
“I’ve heard good things about your class from both the faculty and the students,” his cousin said with obvious pride. “For the time being, I don’t regret sticking my neck out for you.”
When Michel explained his fraught plan to his cousin, Gabriel didn’t laugh his head off. Instead, he arranged for him to come to America as a visiting professor at the University of Southern California. While Michel assured his father that he would also be carrying out his diplomatic duties, his royal status was shared only with the president of USC, citing security reasons for the secrecy. To everyone else, he was Dr. Michel Chevalier, a European expert on international relations. He decided to borrow his mother’s maiden name for anonymity, as well as for the practical reason that royal last names were a lengthy, complicated bore to recite in full.
“It’s a shame I can’t say the same about you.” Michel crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Aunt Celine makes it a point to visit the palace nearly every week to lament the fact that her only son abandoned her to live in America of all places and never even calls her. She likes to point out how I convinced the king to allow you to leave Rouleme.”
“Sorry, cousin.” Gabriel had the grace to cringe in sympathy. “Mother can be melodramatic.”
“It wouldn’t hurt you to call her more often,” Michel pointed out. “She just misses you.”
“You mean she’s hell bent on guilt tripping me back home,” his cousin grumbled.
“That, too.” Michel chuckled. “Even so, call her.”
He couldn’t help but envy Gabriel for his headache. The king’s sister was used to getting her way, but she really did love her children. Michel would give anything to talk to his mother one last time. Maybe she would tell him the secret to finding the woman of his dreams and making her fall in love with him. Tell him what made her fall in love with his father.
“Speaking of home,” Gabriel smoothly changed the subject, “do you plan on returning to Rouleme with nothing to show for your three months here? As I’ve said, a dating app is the way to go.”
“And as I’ve said”—Michel pinched the bridge of his nose— “that is not going to happen.”
“You’ve been in the US for over a month now and you have gone on zero dates.” His cousin brought his hands together to form a circle. “Zero.”
“Thank you for the reminder.” His middle finger twitched on top of the white tablecloth, ready to be sprung. He didn’t need a reminder that he’d used up one month of his three-month reprieve and was no way closer to achieving his goal. A vise was tightening around his chest with every passing day. “I would certainly have forgotten if you hadn’t mentioned it.”
“It’s your quest. Not mine.” Gabriel wiggled his fingers and crooned, “But the sands of time are running out. You can’t keep relying on serendipity.”
“Yes, quite.” Michel arched an eyebrow. His cousin was really in touch with his inner arsehole today. “You’re a tremendous help in all this.”
“Jesus. You don’t have to go all polite on me.” Gabriel shivered. “There’s no need to resort to meanness.”
From That Prince is Mine by Jayci Lee. Copyright © 2024 by the author and reprinted by permission of St. Martin’s Publishing Group.
Library Journal's Romance Pick of the Month
A love-averse Korean royal court cuisine instructor is waylaid by a gorgeous professor—and prince in disguise—who will do anything to prove to her that love and happily ever after can be theirs.
Emma Yoon dreams of opening a culinary school in Los Angeles. To that end, she teaches Korean royal court cuisine to hopeful brides of upper-crust Korean families. Thanks to her godmother, a renowned matchmaker, business is booming. But when rival matchmakers plot against her godmother using Emma’s single status, she must save her godmother’s reputation and her dreams by finding a perfect-on-paper husband—even if she’s not ready for love. Meeting the gorgeous and irresistible Professor Michel Chevalier is not part of her plan.
Prince Michel Chevalier refuses to marry a woman handpicked by his elders. If he must spend the rest of his life in service to his country, he wants to do so with someone he loves by his side. With only three months left until his arranged engagement is formally announced, Michel escapes to Los Angeles to find a bride of his choosing, someone who loves him for himself rather than his crown. Serendipity leads him right to Emma Yoon, who might just be the woman of his dreams.
Romance Comedy | Multicultural African-American [St. Martin's Griffin, On Sale: July 30, 2024, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781250907769 / eISBN: 9781250907776]
Jayci Lee writes poignant, sexy, and laugh-out-loud romance every free second she can scavenge. She lives in sunny California with her tall-dark-and-handsome husband, two amazing boys with boundless energy, and a fluffy rescue whose cuteness is a major distraction. At times, she cannot accommodate real life because her brain is full of drool worthy heroes and badass heroines clamoring to come to life.
Because of all the books demanding to be written, Jayci writes full-time now, and is semi-retired from her fifteen-year career as a defense litigator. She loves food, wine, and travelling, and incidentally so do her characters. Books have always helped her grow, dream, and heal, and she hopes her books will do the same for you.
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