Shayla Pendley looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror and flinched. "Okay, so maybe I can't pull off the dangerous-woman look," she admitted.

"Could you have found this out sooner?" Luca asked as he paced behind her, worry lines marring his boyish good looks. "I need my brother to think I'm caught by a gold digger. We need you to look stunning and sexy this afternoon."

One miracle coming right up… She pulled the hairpins out, and one corkscrew curl sprang against her darkly rouged cheek. "We have tried everything from femme fatale to the trashy tramp look. None of it worked. Do you have anything else?"

Luca stopped abruptly and glared at her. "I don't keep women's clothing in my apartment."

"Good to know, but we could have used some backup." She tossed the pins in her seldom-used makeup bag. She scrunched her hair in her hands. Thanks to all the spray, gel and cream, she had the Medusa look going. Unfortunately that wasn't the kind of dangerous-woman look she was striving for.

Luca leaned against the wall, the back of his head hitting the tiles with a thunk. "I don't know if I can do this."

If he could do this? Shayla rolled her eyes, which felt heavier than usual thanks to the layers of eye shadow and mascara. Luca didn't have anything to do other than stand there and look pretty. "You should have thought of that sooner. Or ask someone else."

"There is no one else," he said in something that sounded suspiciously close to a wail.

"You mean no one else who would agree with this plan," she corrected him as she gently pushed him out of the bathroom.

"And wouldn't go behind my back and sell the story," he added as she closed the door in his face.

Shayla grinned as she shimmied out of the borrowed red dress. What Luca said was true. Here she was, alone with Prince Luca of Tiazza in his apartment. She was half naked, doing him a favor, but money and sex were the last things on her mind.

But she was Luca's tutor at Wolfskill University nestled in the Shenandoah Mountains. She was his friend, too, but at twenty-five years old, she felt more like an older sister always looking out for him. Luca was considered a great catch, or an easy way to make money off of an exclusive tell-all, but she didn't see him that way.

It was yet another sign of what was wrong with her. Money didn't motivate her, and sex was too easy to find anywhere on campus. But romance? Love? That was different.

She was a hopeless romantic and proud of it. A fan of chick flicks, romance novels and slow songs, she had plenty of knowledge to use when matchmaking or helping star-crossed lovers.

Shayla yanked on her worn jeans and oversized college sweatshirt as she remembered all of the couples she had helped. As much as she believed in the power of love, sometimes it needed a little guidance or a mighty shove. Everyone on campus came to her for advice or a shoulder to cry on.

Okay, it was romance and love for other people, but she was happy on the sidelines for now. She hadn't found anyone who made her want to suffer through the messy emotions and uncertainty.

Shayla's favorite heroine said in her beloved Pride and Prejudice, that she wouldn't marry unless she experienced deep love, and Shayla felt the same way when it came to a serious relationship. One day she'd find her Mr. Darcy. And when she did, she'd know how to handle him, thanks to all of her experience.

She balled up the sassy red dress and swung the bathroom door open. Shayla jumped back in surprise when she saw Luca leaning against the doorjamb, barring her exit, his arms stretched across the doorway.

"Okay, let's go over this again," he said wearily.

She ducked under his arm. "Kid."

Luca's squawk made her swivel around. "Don't call me 'kid'!" he exclaimed. "That will ruin everything!"

She held up a placating hand. "Sorry. Luca, darling," she said in a low purr.

Luca shuddered. "Eww."

"There is such a thing as being overprepared," she advised him. "If we even sound rehearsed, your brother is going to smell a rat."

"Wait, wait, wait." He waved his hands for her to stop. "You are accusing me of being overprepared?"

"Shut up." As his tutor, she had met her match. Luca was disorganized and forgetful, and he was far too interested in experiencing life away from the supervision of the palace.

"By the way"—Shayla silently braced herself for the news—"what did you get on the history quiz?"

"That's not important!" he exclaimed as he tossed his hands in the air. "Not when my love life is under attack!"

"I'll hunt down your professor," she warned. A wave of curls fell over her eyes and she flipped them back. "Did you ever think that your big brother is visiting because of your school performance?"

"No," Luca readily dismissed that idea. "The palace doesn't care about that. It's not like I'm the heir to the throne. Rafael must have heard that I have a girlfriend. I tried to keep it a secret. Cathy's the first woman I've been serious about."

Shayla gave him a disbelieving look.

"Well, the first one my family hasn't known since birth," he clarified. "And I really love Cathy. She's wonderful."

Oh, here we go. Shayla liked helping couples—she really did!—but she could do without the way they often listed all the attributes they loved about each other. It could get sickening and a little weird. It also got boring real quick unless it was about you.

"And your family will see that she's wonderful," Shayla agreed, stopping Luca from rhapsodizing about his girlfriend again. "You have to give them more credit," she decided as she stuffed the dress into her duffel bag, which was stretched to the seams with other discarded outfits.

"The palace will try to break us up because she's not from my world," he insisted.

"You know, you could be completely off the mark. Your brother might just want to see how you're doing." She doubted it, though. The visit was unexpected and occurred just when Luca and Cathy were getting serious.

"Oh, Shayla." Luca's tsking made her turn to face him. "You have so much to learn about the world."

Her eyes widened. "Excuse me? This from the man who couldn't find North America on the map?"

"I can find it now, thanks to you. And I promise"—he held his hand up as he pledged—"once Rafael leaves, I will be your best student."

Uh-huh. Right. For about a day, until another drama distracted him. "Promises, promises. Don't worry, Luca. I'm happy to help. And it's going to be fun."

"Fun?" Luca reared his head and stared at her incredulously. "My brother has handled delicate peace-treaty negotiations, and now I'm trying to pull one over on him. How is this going to be fun?"

Shayla shrugged. "I've never played the other woman before, and they always have more fun. All we need is the right outfit."

She was startled at the sharp knock on the front door. There was something imperious about the sound that alerted Shayla. "Are you expecting anyone?" she asked in a low voice.

Luca shook his head, his gaze never leaving the door. "Cathy agreed to keep clear."

He reluctantly walked to the door and looked in the peephole. Luca hurried back to Shayla. "It's Rafael," he whispered fiercely. "He's early!"

A wave of panic crashed through Shayla. "What are we going to do?" she squeaked out as Rafael knocked louder.

"You get it." He pointed at her.

"No, you get it. He's your brother," she reminded Luca in a hiss.

"He's your target."

There was another knock on the door.

Shayla pressed her hands on her cheeks, trying to come up with an idea. She wondered if the crown prince had done this on purpose. It was like he wanted to catch them off guard. Well, he was going to get more than he bargained for.

"Just a minute!" she called out. "I'm naked."

Luca looked like he was going to have an aneurysm on the spot. His legs were frozen as Shayla pushed him into the bedroom. "Strip down to your underwear."

Those words snapped him out of his catatonic state. Horror flitted across his face. "Are you kidding me?"

"Do you want this to work?” she asked as she rushed to his closet and grabbed the first shirt she could find. "Once you get your clothes off, get into bed and roll around," she ordered as she turned her back on him and whipped off her shirt and bra. No need to shock him beyond all reason.

"You…what…I…" Luca sputtered.

"Just do as I say." She pulled his dress shirt on, thankful it hit midthigh. For once she was glad she was so short. She slid off her jeans and panties. "Try not to make a lot of noise. Muss up the hair and then stagger out of the bedroom like you've just woken up from a wild night."

"What…I…" Luca watched with incomprehension as Shayla whirled around, trying to button the shirt as quickly as possible, but his long sleeves were getting in the way. "What are you doing?"

"Making a first impression." She kicked her clothes under Luca's bed. "Wish me luck."

Shayla hurried to the door, her bare feet slapping against the wood floor as another impatient knock echoed through the apartment. "Hold your horses!"

Nervousness swamped her as she reached the door. She closed her eyes and pushed her wild hair back. She took a deep breath, opened her eyes and unlocked the bolt. She swung the door open and her breath snagged in her throat when she came face-to-face with Crown Prince Rafael of Tiazza.

The first coherent thought that came into her sluggish mind was Whoa. Rafael was tall and whipcord lean, but she sensed a restrained power lurking underneath the sculpted muscles. The man possessed a sophistication that she couldn't begin to imagine. His expensive dark gray shirt, black pants and black shoes didn't have to clue her in on that. It was his commanding presence and the way he immediately filled her senses.

He was nothing like Luca. There was a faint family resemblance, but Rafael wasn't classically good-looking. His features were too sharp and weathered. His black hair was ruthlessly short and nothing like the luxurious waves of his brother.

While Luca had the fun-loving boyish look down pat, Rafael looked like a fallen angel. It must have been the dark winged brows or his brown eyes which concealed more than they revealed. No, it was his full, unsmiling lips that made her want to commit a few sins.

about what Susanna's excerpt

Shayla grabbed the doorknob as her world slowly shifted sideways. She blinked as everything inside her went quiet. The truth dropped with a boom. She felt the explosion ripping through her stilled body with a ferocious speed. It took all of her strength to remain standing, but she didn't fight against the invasion. She accepted the truth.

This was the man she had been waiting for all her life.

And she was wearing nothing but his brother's shirt.

End of the excerpt from Red-Hot and Royal.
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"In Carr's world of make-believe countries, there are enough princes to satisfy any modern-day fairy tale. These consecutive stories about three bachelor princes are engrossing; the characters interesting, the sex hot and the happily-ever-afters believable." –Romantic Times (posted May 2008)

"A hilariously fun romantic romp. Red-Hot and Royal is like caramel pudding: silky, sultry, and oh-so-sinful. It won't satisfy you if you're looking for a main-course meal, but as dessert it's delicious!" –Errant Dreams Reviews Read the full review (posted March 2008)

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