The Princess's Christmas Baby Read online

  Royal Christmas at Seattle General

  A very royal Christmas surprise awaits...

  As trees go up, snow begins to fall, lights begin to sparkle and gifts are wrapped, the esteemed Seattle General Hospital Emergency Room team prepares for a festive season they won’t soon forget!

  Head ER doc Domenico di Rossi has long kept his identity as Crown Prince of Isola Verde a secret, so when his father is admitted to the ER, chaos erupts and unexpected Christmas miracles are set in motion for everyone in the hospital. Now, with lives on the line, secrets to hide, a throne to be claimed, and hearts to win and lose, it’s clear that this Christmas will be the most dramatic yet for the team at Seattle General Hospital!

  Available now:

  Falling for the Secret Prince

  by Alison Roberts

  Neurosurgeon’s Christmas to Remember

  by Traci Douglass

  The Bodyguard’s Christmas Proposal

  by Charlotte Hawkes

  The Princess’s Christmas Baby

  by Louisa George

  Dear Reader,

  I loved writing this book for the Royal Christmas at Seattle General series! I got to work with some awesome authors and we had such fun brainstorming glamorous settings, beautiful ball gowns and menu ideas for a Christmas ball.

  Princess Gigi and Dr. Lucas Beaufort hadn’t planned on being together in the lead-up to Christmas, or any time at all after their brief fling in August. But fate (and this mean author!) had other ideas...

  Sure, their summer liaison had been hot and intense, but neither of them believed a relationship between a princess who lived on a beautiful Mediterranean island and a trauma consultant halfway across the world in Seattle could be possible. There were too many obstacles. Too many reasons why not...

  But add in a little complication and they had to find ways to compromise. Soon the sparks were flying again!

  I really hope you enjoy The Princess’s Christmas Baby as much as I did writing it. I love hearing from readers, so please do get in touch either via my website, www.louisageorge.com, where you can sign up for all my release news, or on Facebook, louisageorgebooks.

  Happy reading!

  Louisa x

  The Princess’s Christmas Baby

  Louisa George

  Award-winning author Louisa George has been an avid reader her whole life. In between chapters, she’s managed to train as a nurse, marry her doctor hero and have two sons. Now she writes chapters of her own in the medical romance, contemporary romance and women’s fiction genres. Louisa’s books have variously been nominated for the coveted RITA® Award and the New Zealand Koru Award and have been translated into twelve languages. She lives in Auckland, New Zealand.

  Books by Louisa George

  Harlequin Medical Romance

  SOS Docs

  Saved by Their One-Night Baby

  The Ultimate Christmas Gift

  The Nurse’s Special Delivery

  The Hollywood Hills Clinic

  Tempted by Hollywood’s Top Doc

  Midwives On-Call at Christmas

  Her Doctor’s Christmas Proposal

  200 Harley Street: The Shameless Maverick

  A Baby on Her Christmas List

  Tempted by Her Italian Surgeon

  Reunited by Their Secret Son

  A Nurse to Heal His Heart

  A Puppy and a Christmas Proposal

  Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.

  Praise for Louisa George

  “I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This story is a fascinating one. I couldn’t stop reading it. It was enchanting.... I highly recommend this story to anyone.”

  —Goodreads on Saved by Their One-Night Baby

  Contents

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  EPILOGUE

  EXCERPT FROM CHRISTMAS UNDER THE NORTHERN LIGHTS BY ANNIE O’NEIL

  PROLOGUE

  August

  IT WAS HIS idea of hell.

  When Lucas Beaufort had said to his best friend Domenico that if he ever needed any help with anything, just ask, he hadn’t meant he’d be free at the drop of a hat to babysit his friend’s reckless younger sister who made the papers for all the wrong reasons.

  But there it was. Sometimes friendships required going above and beyond. He only hoped he’d manage to get through this weekend unscathed.

  Which he highly doubted. Take one wilful and wayward, spoilt Princess...with a capital P. Literally. Add her ability to make trouble for herself wherever she went. Sprinkle in a rogue weekend in Seattle during which she was expecting to be entertained, and he knew—even though his cooking was generally woeful—that he had a recipe for utter disaster on his hands.

  ‘Hey, Captain Sensible!’ She flung herself at him as he opened the door to her loud hammering. ‘Long time no see.’

  ‘About ten years, give or take.’ And he’d hoped for longer, but there it was. He tried to extricate himself from her hug but she kind of held on. Captain Sensible, eh? Great. He guessed he probably deserved it. He wasn’t exactly known for his witty repartee. ‘Come in, Giada. Welcome back to Seattle.’

  She finally let go and grinned as he took a step outside to grab her suitcase and let her into his house. As they walked through to his living room she flung her floppy sunhat onto his sofa and slipped off her over-sized sunglasses. She was wearing a strappy, white sundress and...well, hell. She’d changed since he’d seen her last.

  Whereas years ago she’d gone through a typical but lengthy rebellious, pale-skinned goth phase, with ripped jeans and black clothes totally unbefitting a royal, she was now a picture of glowing health—all tanned arms and legs with long shiny black hair that cascaded in waves over her shoulders. Her dark brown eyes glittered as she smiled and made him want to take a second look. Her mouth.

  God...it was very bad that he was looking at his best friend’s sister’s mouth.

  She also smelled exactly how he imagined her home, the Mediterranean island of Isola Verde, would smell: fresh, flowery, warm. Weird that he’d even notice.

  ‘Well, this is nice,’ she said as she ran to the huge picture window and took in the expansive view over Lake Washington. Her voice was sing-song and...happy. Which made him feel immediately wistful. Happy. Yeah. Half turning, she twisted to look at him. ‘No, not nice. It’s gorgeous here, Lucas. Thanks for putting me up... I mean...’ she laughed and made quote marks with her fingers ‘...putting up with me for the weekend.’

  ‘It’s not a problem.’ Although, judging by the fact he’d noticed her perfume and was taking another look at her pretty face, it could well turn into a problem. She was so off limits it wasn’t funny.

  ‘I promise I’ll be on my best behaviour, Lucas. Too bad Dom has to spend the weekend at some dull conference instead of showing his sister around the city he prefers to his beautiful island home.’ She whirled round to face him fully, her dress flaring out around her thighs.

  Lucas looked. So sue him. ‘It’s fine. Um... What would you like to do?’

  ‘Swim first? Or a shower. But I’d prefer a swim if I can, just to have a good workout an
d stretch. I really need to freshen up after that flight.’

  ‘Sure thing. Lake or pool?’

  ‘Lake. There’s nothing better than swimming in nature, right? It reminds me of home.’ She let out a big sigh. A sigh he couldn’t read. ‘Oh, and call me Gigi. Everyone else does. You want to come for a dip?’

  He couldn’t remember the last time he’d swum in the lake. Just the usual fifty laps of his pool each morning. Clinical. Routine.

  The thought of his feet sinking into warm sand was definitely appealing. As was seeing more of those long shapely legs. She was a lot more attractive than he remembered. Softer too...none of that spiky aggression he remembered. None of the artifice, the heavy make-up she used to hide behind.

  No...she wasn’t pretty, she was stunning. He was not going to think of her in a bathing suit. Or, God...a bikini. His body prickled in response.

  So basically he needed a cold shower, not a swim with her. ‘I have work to do. The lake is at the end of the garden. It’s safe for swimming and the little beach is very private so you won’t be disturbed. When you get back we can make a plan for the rest of the weekend.’

  ‘Oh, come on, Lucas. It’s after six. You should have clocked off by now.’ She brushed against him as she breezed over to her suitcase and he felt the hairs on his arm stand to attention. ‘Surely you can spare an hour for a swim? Dom tells me you work too hard.’

  ‘You don’t get to be an emergency consultant by taking time off whenever you feel like it. Or by endless partying.’ Or getting onto the front pages by being drunk and messy on some celebrity’s yacht. Or crashing the stage at festivals. He decided not to mention her past antics, though; she’d clearly changed. Outwardly, anyway.

  ‘Ouch.’ She laughed. ‘I take it that was a jab at me and my sorry life to date?’

  ‘No.’ He wasn’t going to add to the mess he was starting to make here.

  ‘Well, I’m grateful you’ve taken this weekend off for me. Really, I am.’ Despite his unforgivably negative tone her smile was warm and did something to his gut. ‘But it’s fine. Stay here and do your work. Maybe we could go out for a meal or something later. I’d like to pick your brains about the Isola Verde hospital project I’m working on. If you have the time.’

  Where was the flake he had known? ‘What hospital project?’

  ‘You’re busy. Honestly, it can wait. But the swim can’t. I’m too hot and sticky to think straight. I’ll go get changed.’ She picked up her bag, shoulders sagging just a little. ‘Which room should I use?’

  ‘I’ll show you.’ He was drawn back to look at her eyes. Wide and dark and deep with an understanding, a knowledge of difficult times. Of pride too. And now they glittered as she smiled and he got a glimpse of the old rebellious Giada. But she was much more than the ditzy party girl she had once been. He took her bag and walked her through to the guest room. ‘And you’ll be okay at the lake?’

  She nodded. ‘Absolutely. No problem. I’m quite used to entertaining myself.’

  Her smile might have been warm but she blinked too fast and he just knew she was pretending to be fine when she wasn’t.

  ‘You head on down. I’ll just be five minutes and then I’ll join you.’

  The smile of gratitude she gave him made his gut do somersaults. Which should have been enough warning.

  And he should have listened.

  * * *

  Gigi hadn’t remembered Lucas being so grumpy. Or so gorgeous. Maybe she hadn’t been looking too closely all those years ago when she’d met him at some dull hospital party, and she certainly hadn’t been interested in any of her brother’s boring friends, choosing to find her own entertainment elsewhere.

  But Lucas Beaufort was next level stunning with his dark blond hair and piercing green eyes. Just wow. And just her luck he was her brother’s best friend and therefore totally and utterly out of bounds.

  And now she was stuck with him for three days.

  The water was soothing and coolly refreshing. She thrashed through her strokes until she was breathless and her limbs sore. Exercise had become her salve instead of the partying she’d once used to escape her life.

  Take that, Captain Sensible. People changed.

  He hadn’t directly mentioned her past, but she was familiar with the look of judgement. Hell, she’d had it every single day of her life from her papa. She hoped Lucas didn’t put her in the same box everyone else did, but it was a badge she’d earned many times over.

  She was different now. If only people could believe it.

  Tired, but definitely less stressed, she trod water, turning in a slow circle to take in the view of the city’s high rises in one direction, the endless horizon in another, Denny-Blaine Park and... Oddio!

  Lucas wasn’t just gorgeous, he was a freaking hunk on legs, wading into the water towards her, not quite deep enough for his muscular thighs to be submerged. She traced up with her eyes...then swallowed. My, oh, my.

  What was under those aqua-blue shorts?

  She dragged her gaze higher, past the hard wall of a six, no...an eight pack, past broad shoulders to his proud jaw and unsmiling mouth.

  She watched as he dived through the gentle waves and swam towards her with fast, easy strokes.

  He is not hot. He is not hot.

  Lucas rose up in front of her, flicking water from his hair. Little droplets clung to his impossibly long eyelashes, framing searching green eyes.

  ‘You okay, Giada? It’s quite deep out here.’

  She’d forgotten he was English before she’d arrived, although his accent was very definitely infused with a Pacific Northwest twang since he’d been here almost as long as Dom had. ‘It’s Gigi. Yes. I’m fine. Isola Verde is an island, I swim a lot.’

  ‘All the same, maybe we should go where it’s shallower.’ He stretched his arms out and her gaze was drawn to the toned biceps. The sprinkling of hair on his tanned chest. The stubble on his jaw. Those serious eyes.

  What would it take to make him smile? How would he look if he did? And why did she want him to? She was only here for a couple of days and then she’d be back home, overseeing the final touches to her beloved hospital. Trying to be a better person.

  Admiring a man’s body was all well and good but it wasn’t as if she could take anything any further. Especially not with Lucas. Brother’s best friend. Inhabitant of Seattle...thousands of miles away from Isola Verde where her future lay. Her papa had always told her she dated unsuitable men and that she should set her sights on someone from one of the European royal families.

  Boring.

  She stole another look at this unsuitable man’s broad shoulders, those full, kissable lips, that little trail of dark hair arrowing down to his shorts. Her imagination caught her low in her belly.

  Just how sensible would Captain Sensible be in bed?

  She dived under the water and tried to use the bracing cold to wash the very inappropriate and surprisingly sexy thoughts from her brain. Which was a mistake. Because down here she could see his legs, the ripples of his belly, his shorts...

  When she broke the surface again he was frowning. ‘You were down there so long I thought you were drowning or something.’

  She laughed. ‘I like to live dangerously.’

  ‘So I’ve heard.’ Of course he had. Everyone knew everything about her. Or almost, at least. He shook his head, clearly unimpressed. ‘Can you imagine what Dom would do to me if I allowed you to get into trouble out here?’

  ‘Depends on the trouble.’ She laughed again, mischievously, watching the double meaning sink into his brain and the shock register in his eyes. Okay, so maybe she hadn’t quite mastered all her spontaneity. And the cold water treatment clearly hadn’t worked.

  He twisted in the water, sending an arc of droplets into the air. They caught the fading light, a dozen fleeting rainbows haloing him. ‘It’s
getting late and it’s going to be dark soon. We should get out.’

  ‘Okay, Captain. Race you to the beach.’ She dived deep then, not waiting around for his reaction. When she surfaced she saw him powering ahead of her.

  She dug deep and swung her arms into action and they hit the shallows at the same time. She stood up and kicked a swash of water into an arc towards him. ‘Wow. You’re good, Lucas.’

  He looked at her, eyes dark, and she thought for a moment he was going to growl but, surprisingly, he kicked and splashed water over her. She shrieked and kicked back, following him to the water’s edge and drenching him again.

  ‘Hey. Mind the food!’ he shouted, the glimpse of playfulness melting away as he pointed to the little grassy bank, where he’d left a rug and a picnic basket.

  She hadn’t realised she was hungry, but the thought of food made her stomach rumble. ‘You brought a picnic?’

  He ran and grabbed a towel from a pile by the basket and started to rub himself dry. ‘Thought you might be hungry.’

  ‘You’re a proper adult, Lucas Beaufort. Thank you.’

  After throwing the towel back on the grass, he reached into the basket and took out a bottle of fizzy water and two glasses. ‘Honestly? I was starving.’

  ‘Typical man, always thinking about food.’

  ‘I had my housekeeper make it up for us.’ He poured water into the glasses and handed one to her. ‘Wasn’t sure what a princess likes to snack on so there’s plenty of everything.’

  ‘I’m just a normal woman, Lucas. I eat anything and everything. But particularly...’ She peered into the basket to discover olives and cheese and sourdough bread. ‘Oh, this looks perfect. Just like my favourite Isola Verde treats. Did you know we have the best olives and tomatoes in the Mediterranean?’

  ‘I think Dom has mentioned it once or a million times.’

  ‘And our wine’s amazing.’ She sat on the rug, rubbed her damp body with a towel then wrapped it around her shoulders. ‘Our grapes are perfect for dessert wine, which is delicious. Although some would say I’ve drunk far more than my fair share over the years.’