Hyun Joong had intended to give her only a brief, courtly kiss, but the moment his mouth claimed hers, he was swept into a maelstrom of unexpected desire. She tasted of honeyed sweetness and the floral scent she wore eddied in his head.

Reluctantly, he broke the kiss, vaguely aware of the reporter scurrying away. Jung So Min’s brown eyes were luminous, and Hyun Joong wondered how they would look while he made love to her. The thought stirred his blood.

"You shouldn’t have done that," she said, her cheeks a becoming pink.

"Actually, I was just considering repeating the experience," he replied.

She took a step away from him, her eyes flashing with a touch of anger. "Don’t you dare," she exclaimed. "You’re only making things worse. I am not marrying you."

Quickly he followed behind her as she walked toward a flower booth. She intrigued him. It had never entered his mind that any woman wouldn’t jump at the opportunity he was offering; the opportunity to eventually be queen of a beautiful kingdom.

He knew without a doubt that any of the women he’d dated before would have married him in an instant. So, what was going on with Miss Jung So Min? Was she simply playing hard to get, or did she truly intend to turn him down?

He hurried to catch up with her, noting how pretty she looked as she bent forward to smell a brilliant red blossom.

"You like flowers?" he asked.

"I love them." She flashed him a smile that created pleasant warmth in his stomach. "I particularly love gardening." They walked on, leaving the flower display behind.

"What else do you like?" he asked curiously.

"I like all kinds of things: pepperoni pizza, working with children, watching a sunset." Her brown eyes gazed at him curiously. "What about you?"

He frowned thoughtfully. "I like touring my country, visiting with the people, and representing their interests to the rest of the world." He thought of the official dinners, the formal dances and meetings that took up much of his time. He spent a lot of time dating, feeding the tabloids and scandal sheets because he knew it angered his father, but he couldn’t actually say he enjoyed it. "It isn’t necessary that we enjoy the same things," he said firmly.

She eyed him in disbelief. "But, it is." She shook her head and continued, "And this is a pointless conversation because I have no intention of marrying you. One week, Kim Hyun Joong, I told you I’d go along with this farce for one week, and then you will tell the press I was inappropriate and you can choose another woman to be your bride." She turned and walked away.

Hyun Joong hurried after her, wondering how in the devil he could change her mind in seven days, wondering why it was suddenly so important that he change her mind!

To be continued?