Ruby St. Clair's POV

We traveled in a painful silence until we arrived at the pricey Manhattan restaurant. The snow on the sidewalk was heavy. But the heavy chill outside couldn't be more wintry than inside Roman Vasquez's Ferrari.

He tossed the key to the waiting valet and helped me to slide out of the car. I pulled my coat tighter to my body and my leather gloves to keep my hands warm from such weather. Roman kept my hand laced with his as we went inside the restaurant, stating his possession. Not that I was his possession.

I ignored the curious look from the diner inside the restaurant. The maître d' led us to one of the best tables inside. A well-trained waiter gave us the menu and left for some privacy. It's been a while since I dined with such a restaurant.

"Ruby?" A masculine voice drawled my name. "How are you? It's been a long time."

I felt myself grinning at the tall ruthlessly handsome man who moved closer to our table. I ignored the dark look of the man sitting across from me. "Your Highness." I greeted the man with a smile. "How did you know it was me, not my twin?"

The man with a harsh face and uncanny cobalt-blue eyes smiled mockingly. He was devastatingly handsome as ever every woman in the restaurant following him with their eyes. "The winter outside couldn't be colder than the glare she'll send to me at fifty paces."

I felt my lips twitching with a smile. He was the only man I knew who would consider my twin as a cold woman. "I get that you and my twin sister still can't get along, Your Highness?"

"Wave the formal address, Ruby. We're old friends, aren't we?" Cobalt blue eyes smiled down at me that belied secrets in their depth. "But as for me and the ice princess our 'friendly relationship' got worsened in the past years, I fear."

I smiled at the way he described his connection with my twin as 'friendly'. Because nothing was pleasant about the way they treated each other. Everyone in New York City knew that there was no love lost between the two of them.

It was common knowledge that Emerald St. Clair—the world's renowned supermodel had been the adversary of the powerful prince Khalil Al-Farsi—the crown prince of the rich country of Saqr. Their harsh verbal exchange raised many eyebrows on many occasions.

A light cough brought my attention to the glowering man in front of me. "Roman," I introduced casually with a slight smile. "I believe you haven't met my good friend, Sheikh Khalil Al-Farsi. Khalil, this is Roman—"

"Her husband," Roman announced arrogantly. I gaped at him while the prince looked momentarily stunned before he schooled his features again to be unreadable.

"How do you do?" Sheikh Khalil offered his hand to Roman. "I believe that congratulation was in order then? Forgive me for intruding. It's just been a while since I saw Ruby."

"Yes. Thank you." Roman took his hand and shook it briefly. Thank goodness, I was half expecting that he would ignore it. Because this man was known for being rude whenever he wanted.

"Are you alone, Khalil?" I asked the desert prince. "Why don't you join us?"

The prince shook his dark head and gestured to the table with a dark-haired woman who was waiting patiently for him. "I have a company, Ruby. Maybe next time we can have lunch together. And send my regards to the ice princess when you see her. I might seek her gruesome company in the following weeks of my stay in New York. I think I need a good argument with her."

Leave it to this handsome prince and Emerald that even though they hated each other's gut they moved in the same circle in the society, they shared the same friends. And the chance that they bumped in with each other at parties was very high.

"Of course," I grinned at him playfully. "I can assure you that your message will be delivered to Emerald as soon as I get home."

"Emerald," He mused my twin sister's name on his lips with a sensual voice. I could detect some hidden emotion in his beautiful eyes. "A name fitted for her. A gemstone as hard as her pride—that woman..."

"Excuse me, sir." I interrupted his train of thought. "But it seems that you are forgetting that I was also named after a gemstone same as our two older sisters."

Sheikh Khalil's eyes widened for a moment. It seems he forgot a piece of information. I suddenly want to laugh. "Oh...yes, of course. I didn't mean—"

I laughed at his discomfort. "I'm just kidding you, Khalil."

"I think your date looks bored over there, Your Highness." Roman interrupted us with the rude tone he loved to use.

"Of course," He said, glancing at his date then he smiled at me. "You haven't changed a bit, Ruby. I should go now. My date is waiting for me patiently she must be bored to tears. It was nice seeing you again after so many years." The prince said with a quiet smile in his electric blue eyes.

Once the prince was back at his table with his date, I glared at Roman. "That was rude."

Roman's eyes narrowed, before picking up the menu and scanning it vigorously. "If it makes you feel better I'll apologize to that desert prince right now."

"Why are you acting like this?" I snapped at him. I don't understand why he was maddening angry. "Why did you trouble yourself in tracking me down all the way here if you're just going to be rude to everyone I know?"

"I, rude to everyone?" He gave a humorless laugh that made my eyes narrow in his direction. "It's you who is rude here, mi amor. You who didn't bother to introduce your husband to your twin sister. How's that?"

I cringed at his words. "That's different."

"How it is different? I'd like to know." His eyes held trouble in their depth. I don't think I like the way our conversation is taking.

I was lost for words for a moment. How could I explain to him that I wasn't expecting him to follow me and it caught me off guard when I found him standing inside my twin's penthouse looking like a very pissed Spaniard?

"What? No explanation?" He asked impatiently.

I glowered at him. "You caught me off guard. The last thing I want is to introduce you to my twin when you are gnashing your teeth."

"Have you ever thought that maybe I am angry because my wife left without notice?" His eyes darkened while focusing them on me. "Look I've brought you here so we can have a civilized conversation—not to fight with you. Why don't we just enjoy our lunch as any normal couple would do?"

"There's nothing normal in our relationship," I muttered under my breath before choosing the menu I'd been holding for a quiet while now without reading it.

"Yes," He replied with visible anger in his deep voice. "But haven't we established in the past days that at least we do have a friendly relationship in our marriage?"

"Yes. But—"

"But, you run away."

I scowled at him. Why does he's blaming me for everything? He's the one who doesn't want to talk about what happened that night after visiting his mother. Why does the blame only fall on me? This was unfair. "How can you say that? When you didn't want me to say in Seville?"

"When did I say I didn't want you to say in Seville?"

I looked away from his thundering gaze. "It was the night we visited your mother."

From the stunned look on his face, it was clear that he didn't see that one coming. Closing the menu he gave me a full intense stare at me. "Does it cross on your little messed up brain that I might feel guilty about taking your virginity with lack of inhabitation like an animal that staved half of his life for his mate? When the moment we met in the restaurant where you were working I want to undress you right on the spot in the middle of that restaurant where diners could see?"

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked softly, I felt my throat dry at his words. Did I get it wrong when he suddenly left that night?

Impatience was visible in his handsome face. "When am I supposed to tell you? I feel guilty about it. By the time I have the courage, I need to ask for your forgiveness for how I acted. I went home immediately only to find out that runaway leaving nothing of your trace."

"Oh." I breathed deeply. So that's the reason why he was so angry when he arrived because I left without a note?

Maybe we could survive our marriage? A voice inside my head asked suddenly. I scowled. Where the hell that thought come from?

"What you don't have anything to say, Red?" Roman asked maddeningly. How I want to smack that smirk off his face.

I shrugged looking away from his intense eyes. "Now that we sort out our misunderstanding you can go back to Spain as soon as possible."

The way he smiled in my direction I couldn't help the uneasiness sneak in my spine. "Go back to Spain as soon as possible? Sorry to tell you, my darling. But I intend to stay for a few weeks here in New York."

"What?"