As he approached the car, her heart raced at the impact of his virile masculinity. For sheer physical appeal, he made every male she’d ever met before look inadequate by comparison.

Sophie had to be a different species of female not to have fallen for Raoul on sight!

Closer now, she saw him blink when he realized a total stranger was sitting next to Philippe. He opened the door and lowered his head.

Their eyes met in a long searching glance.

In the heart-stopping silence a thorough scrutiny seemed to be taking place on both sides. Lee was so mesmerized she couldn’t look away. This was the man she was supposed to-

“Raoul?” Philippe interjected, causing her to remember why she was here. “This is Lee Gresham, a close friend of Sophie’s,” he explained in English. “Ms Gresham? This is Raoul Mertier.”

“H-how do you do, Your Highness.” She stumbled over the words, feeling as foolish as any starstruck schoolgirl meeting her ultimate fantasy.

“Call me Raoul.” He spoke English with barely a trace of accent in a deep voice she found as attractive as the rest of him.

“Oh-” Her heart was pounding with a fury that made her feel breathless. “Sophie would be here if she hadn’t become n-nauseous on the train and-”

“Why don’t you come inside the chalet where we can talk?” he interrupted smoothly and helped her from the car. By accident their bodies brushed against each other as he leaned inside to retrieve her bag. She felt as if she’d just come up against a live wire.

Without waiting for him, she hurried toward the house, knowing she couldn’t possibly follow through with a plan that had been flawed from the beginning. One look into those brilliant blue depths of his and she’d realized he wasn’t a man to be trifled with.