by Day Leclaire
“Hell.” She could hear the ripe frustration vented in that single expletive. “You’re probably the first woman I’ve ever met who didn’t want to have anything to do with me once she knew who I was.”
“Takes all kinds,” she joked.
“Explain it to me.”
She forced herself to look at him, to be as honest as possible. He deserved no less. “I don’t like living in the spotlight. Being with you, even for a short time, would mean precisely that.”
“Been there, done that?”
“Yes.”
“With Joc.”
He didn’t phrase it as a question or ask for a confirmation, so she didn’t offer one. Instead, she reached for the door. “May I go now, Your Highness?”
He gave an impatient shake of his head. “I’ll take you home.” Before she could protest, he signaled his driver. “Samson Apartments,” he instructed.
“How do you know where I live?” When he simply smiled, she released her breath in a sigh. “Why do I bother asking? You’re Prince Lander, Duke of Verdon. I suppose all you have to do is wave your royal scepter and your every command is granted.”
“If that were true, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. We’d both be in my suite at the palace and you’d be gracing my bed.”
There was nothing she could say to that, so she closed her mouth and turned her head to stare out the window. The drive through the city was accomplished at a record pace, and in short order they pulled up outside her apartment complex.
“I guess this is goodbye,” she said, reaching for the door handle.
“It is.” He paused a beat. “If that’s what you really want.”
“We settled this already.”
“You can leave.” He shifted closer and covered her hand with his, preventing her escape. His breath stirred the curls at her temple while his voice murmured seductively in her ear. “You can get out and we’ll never see each other again. Or you can stay. Think about it. We can have one evening together before we go our separate ways. No one has to know. I can arrange that. No media attention. No spotlight. Just a man and a woman doing what men and women have done throughout the ages. One night, Juliana.”
One night. The insidious words were all too tempting. She could see it, as clearly as though it had already happened. A night she’d never forget, held within the arms of a man who filled her with a desire beyond anything she’d ever before experienced. Limbs intertwined. Heated flesh sliding against heated flesh. An intimate exploration as soft and gentle as it was hard and fierce. She’d never allowed herself to give in to such basic, primitive demands. For the first time, she wanted to.
“Don’t,” she whispered.
“Because you’re not interested in what I’m offering?”
She shook her head. “Because I am.”
He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, his mouth following the same path as his fingers. “Then why resist?”
She fought back a moan. It was an excellent question. Why did she resist? She was far from home. No one knew her true identity. Nor did anyone know about the various scandals in her past. Hadn’t she been cautious her entire life, watching every step she took? And even that hadn’t prevented her from tripping. Now she had an opportunity that would never come her way again. A chance to seize what she wanted. Have the sort of fling she’d never dared indulge in before—never been tempted to indulge in.
“If I come with you,” she began hesitantly, “what would you expect from me? Where would we go?”
“I expect nothing more than what you’re willing to give. And we can go anyplace you’d like.”
He interlaced her fingers with his and lifted them from the door handle. She allowed it, realizing as she did so that she’d just committed herself to insanity. She didn’t know whether to laugh at her daring or call herself every sort of fool. Perhaps both.
“Can we go somewhere other than the palace?” she asked.
He inclined his head in agreement. “Someplace private.”
“You’re actually allowed privacy?”
“Allowed? No. But every once in a while I take what I need.” His smile came slow and deliberate. “And right now what I need is you. Give me a moment to arrange everything.”
The entire time he was gone she sat in utter disbelief. What had she done? How could she have agreed to see him again when she knew the potential consequences? Last night she could blame on moonlight and roses, on wanting so desperately to believe in fairy tales that she’d behaved in ways she never would have believed herself capable. Now, with a clear, bright June sun shining down on her, she couldn’t delude herself any longer. The facts were as black-and-white as a column of numbers. It didn’t matter how many times she totaled the figures, the bottom line didn’t change. And the bottom line right now was she’d just agreed to spend the night with Lander.
Her mouth firmed. So what if she had? Why shouldn’t she indulge in a single night of bliss before returning to real life? It wasn’t that she deserved it, or had earned it. She simply wanted it. Wanted the fantasy. Wanted the intense pleasure she’d shared with Lander to continue a short time longer. She slid her hand over the plush leather seat. For once she’d be greedy. She’d put aside all her fears and worries and grab with both hands what fate had so generously provided. As for tomorrow?
She lifted her chin in defiance. Tomorrow could take care of itself.
A few minutes later Lander returned to the limo. “Everything all right?” he asked.
“Perfect.”
“I was hesitant to leave you alone in case you had second thoughts.”
“Oh, I had second thoughts. And third and fourth and fifth.”
“You’re still here.”
She offered a blinding smile. “Yes, I am.”
He cupped her chin in response. Lifting her face, he took her mouth in a slow, deliberate kiss. She was curious to see what would happen, whether she’d react to him the same way as before. To her dismay she found it far different.
Last night she’d been lost. Totally and utterly lost. It had been like discovering a glorious private world, filled with beauty of sound and taste, scent and sensation. She’d been intrigued by what she’d discovered, but able to explore only the smallest part. Last night she’d barely stepped into that world.
Today it exploded around her, everything twice as intense, twice as spectacular, twice as overwhelming. And it left her utterly bewildered. A kiss was supposed to be just a kiss. A sweet joining of lips. A mild physical pleasure. Not this blistering desire that melted all intelligent thought. That had never happened to her before.
Lander reluctantly released her. “We’re in serious trouble. You realize that, don’t you?”
“We can handle it,” she insisted. Did he catch the hint of desperation in her voice? “One night. That’s all we can have. After that, we go our separate ways.”
“Hell, woman. We can barely handle a simple kiss. You think after I make love to you, we’ll be able to walk away from each other?”
“You promised!”
A hint of anger glinted in his eyes. “I’ve never broken my word, and I don’t intend to start now, no matter how much I’d like to.”
She’d have to be satisfied with that. “Where are we going?” she asked, intent on changing the subject.
“I have access to an apartment on the outskirts of the city. It’s a secure location. With luck, no one will discover we’re there.”
To her relief, he was right. The limo pulled into a deserted underground garage and dropped them off by a private elevator before departing again. In less than two minutes the elevator whisked them upward, opening onto a penthouse suite. Lander locked the elevator in place to ensure they didn’t receive any surprise visitors, before joining her in the middle of the foyer.
“It’s lovely,” Juliana murmured, struggling to conceal the distressing awkwardness sweeping through her.
“Feel free to look around.”
Taking him
at his word, she wandered from the foyer into a great room walled on two sides with windows overlooking the city of Mt. Roche. Adjacent to that she found a formal dining room with a compact kitchen beyond. Lander didn’t follow her. Instead, he took up a stance between the foyer and great room, his gaze on her the entire time. Returning to her starting point she glanced toward the one section of the apartment she hadn’t yet explored.
“Don’t,” Lander said.
She looked at him, startled. “Don’t what?”
“It’s the bedroom. You’re welcome to check it out.” He tilted his head to one side. “But somehow I don’t think you’re ready for that.”
She wrapped her arms about her waist. “Is it so obvious?”
“What’s obvious is that you’re not ready for any of this.” He straightened from his stance and approached. “If I were less selfish, I’d take you home. But I can’t. I want you too much. And I think you want me, too.”
As nervous as she was, she couldn’t deny the truth. “You know I do.”
“If you were willing to give me more than one night, we could avoid tonight’s dilemma. We’d have the time to take our relationship slow and easy. What do you say? Wouldn’t a gradual progression suit you far more than fast and reckless?” Wordless, she shook her head and he accepted her refusal with a shrug. “In that case, will you stay, or should we end this now?”
She hesitated. How could she have thought herself capable of a one-night stand with him? To go into it so cold-bloodedly when she’d never indulged in one before. She glanced uneasily across the foyer. If Lander hadn’t locked the elevator, she’d be over there right now, stabbing at the button, determined to escape. She needed an out, even just the promise of one, so she wouldn’t feel quite so much like a mouse caught beneath a cat’s paw.
She cleared her voice. “If this doesn’t work—”
“I’ll take you home.” Amusement rippled through his words and she realized he’d been able to read her thoughts as though she’d shouted them aloud. “In the meantime, no pressure. I’ll open a bottle of wine and we can talk.”
“Sounds perfect.”
And it was. They decided to watch the sunset from the balcony off the great room. Lander chose a French Beaujolais that went down as smooth and light as the conversation. He asked about her work with Arnaud’s Angels, a subject dear to her heart. As they talked and drank, Juliana could feel her tension ease. They finished their wine just as the sun vanished behind the Mt. Roche skyline. The city lights sparkled in the growing darkness, winking up at the stars dotting the velvet canopy overhead.
Lander rose, offering his hand. “Are you hungry? I arranged for dinner to be delivered. It won’t take long to heat.”
She gazed up at him, wishing with all her heart that Lander were an ordinary man, or that she didn’t have a past that curtailed any possibility of a relationship. That she were the sort of woman he could be seen with in public. Or he was in a position not to care about propriety or scandal.
Taking his hand, she stood. “Thank you, I’m starved. I worked through lunch today.”
He maintained his stance, his face cast into shadow, while hers was bared by the light seeping onto the balcony from the great room. “What were you thinking about a minute ago?” he asked unexpectedly.
She regarded him warily. “Nothing important.”
“Did you know that your eyes darken when you’re not being honest?” He cupped her face, sweeping his thumbs along her cheekbones. “The brown swallows up the gold. Tell me the truth. What were you thinking?”
“That I was sorry we don’t have longer than tonight,” she confessed.
“That’s your choice, not mine.”
“Trust me when I say I have a valid reason.”
“Tell me what it is.”
“Maybe after dinner.” He shook his head, rejecting the possibility, and she sighed. “My eyes, again?”
“Dead giveaway.”
“Joc could always tell when I was lying, too. Now I know why.”
She’d made a mistake mentioning her brother, she realized. Lander’s hazel eyes didn’t darken as hers had. Instead they flamed with odd green sparks. He shifted closer, joining her inside the circle of light. It sliced across his face, revealing the fierceness of his expression.
“I think it might be wise to leave your boss out of our conversation tonight.” His voice scored the balmy dark with a wintry coldness. “Unless you want this night to end far differently than planned.”
She considered backing down. But it had never been her style. She might be unwilling to reveal her true relationship with Joc or confess to the various scandals in her background. That didn’t mean she’d allow him to believe she was one of her brother’s women. “Are you jealous? Is that why you don’t want me to mention Joc?”
“Yes.”
He’d surprised her with his honesty. “Then allow me to reassure you. He and I aren’t lovers. Not now. Not ever.”
“Your relationship is strictly professional?” Lander asked dubiously.
“No,” she admitted. “It’s more than that, and always will be. We’ve known each other most our lives.”
“Let me guess. He’s like a brother to you.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “Exactly.”
“I find it impossible to believe there’s a man alive who could be around you for any length of time and not want you in his bed. Especially a man like Joc.”
“Look at my eyes and tell me what you see. Truth…or lie?”
He took his time, his hands continuing to skim across her face as if he could absorb the information through his fingertips. After an endless minute his mouth curved to one side. “Truth.”
“Is there anything else you want to ask me about Joc? Now’s your chance.”
“Not a thing.”
“Good.” She grinned. “In that case, let’s eat. I really am starving.”
She helped him heat their dinner and carry the meals to the table. “My stepmother was quite disgusted that we weren’t expected to learn any domestic chores,” he told her as he thanked her for her help. “But my father explained that it would have shocked the staff if we showed up in the kitchens expecting to cook our own meals or the laundry room to clean our clothes. My brother, Merrick, and I got off easy. Our stepsister, Miri, wasn’t so lucky. When she joined our family, she learned the consequences of being stepdaughter to a king. Poor thing.”
Juliana cupped her chin in her hand and gazed at him across the candlelit table. “Why poor thing?”
He shrugged. “She found it difficult to deal with the restrictions and all the protocol.” His brows drew together. “Wasn’t there a movie a while back along those lines? Something about an American girl who discovers she’s a princess and has to learn how to act the part?”
“I remember it. Cute movie.”
“Well, Miri lived it. Merrick and I had been trained for our roles since birth. Miri was seven when she came to live with us. It took a while before she fit in. And Merrick and I didn’t make it easy for her, either. At least, not at first.”
Something in his tone roused her curiosity. “What happened to change that?”
Lander’s mouth compressed. “Merrick and I overheard someone telling her that she wasn’t a ‘real’ princess. It was true, of course. She wasn’t a princess. But I don’t think she understood that until then. I’ll never forget the expression on her face. It devastated her. From that moment on, Merrick and I closed ranks. She was our sister, if not by birth then by choice, and we weren’t about to let anyone hurt her like that again. When my father discovered what happened, he adopted her and had her crowned Princess Miri.”
“What a wonderful thing to do,” Juliana marveled.
“My father was an amazing man.” Lander’s declaration held equal parts love and sorrow. “Not a day goes by that I don’t miss him. I can only hope that if I’m elected I’ll make half the king he did.”
“I’m sure you will.”
>
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, but everything considered, it won’t be easy. Verdonia is facing some challenging times.”
It didn’t take much to read between the lines. “I’ve heard rumors about the amethysts. There’s growing concern that the mines are played out. What will happen if it’s true? Aren’t the gems Verdonia’s economic mainstay?”
“We’ll find alternatives to help bolster the economy. I’m considering a number of possibilities.” Determination filled his expression. “It might take a while, but we’re a strong people. We’ll adapt.”
Juliana lowered her gaze, a puzzle piece clicking into place. She’d wondered why Joc had come to Verdonia. He’d claimed it was to see her, to pressure her back into her old job. But she’d had trouble buying that. Now she suspected she had the answer. If Verdonia faced financial difficulties, who better to call in than financial wizard Joc Arnaud?
She didn’t have long to dwell on the matter. Lander leaned forward and took her hand in his. “So, tell me, Juliana. Have you made a decision?”
His question caught her by surprise. “About what?”
“About tonight. Do you want an out?”
Didn’t he know? Hadn’t he sensed her decision? “I don’t need an out.” She fixed him with an unwavering look. “I’m staying.”
“In that case, let’s try a little experiment.” Releasing her hand, he rose and crossed to her side. When she would have stood to join him, he pressed her back into her chair. “No, no. You don’t need to move. Just sit for a minute.”
“What are you going to do?” she asked, torn between apprehension and amusement.
“Just this.” He released the clip anchoring her hair at the nape of her neck and filled his hands with the curls that tumbled free. “Soft. And much prettier loose.”
“It’s too curly.” Her voice had grown thick and heavy. “It gets in the way.”
“It won’t get in my way.”
His hands drifted downward to her neck, circling her throat. Sliding his palms along the lapels of her suit coat, he reached the first button and flicked it through the hole. One by one, he released them until the jacket parted. Still standing behind her, he turned his attention to her blouse. Again he took his time, unfastening button after button.
