A Night of Royal Consequences

by Susan Stephens

  ‘There must be more.’

  ‘There was,’ he confirmed evenly. ‘I told him I wanted you to work for me.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Get in the car.’

  She was shivering violently. It was freezing cold. They stared at each other, unblinking. They both knew there could be no walking away this time. Callie had very little money left, and nowhere to stay tonight. Even a simple boarding house at this time of year, when the illuminations were drawing crowds to the resort, cost far more than she could afford to spend.

  ‘Where will you take me?’ she asked.

  ‘I thought you had a sense of adventure.’

  ‘I don’t like surprises.’ But her options were zero. They had to speak at some point. Why not now? Surely two intelligent human beings could come to an amicable agreement?

  Seriously?

  Yes, because this wasn’t about either of them, but about their child, and with their histories Callie was prepared to bet that both of them would put that child first.

  The passenger door closed with a soft clunk, enclosing Callie in a very different world. This was a world that only the super-rich could afford. It wasn’t the spicy warmth of the lemon groves, or the anodyne interior of a five-star hotel, but was so comfortable that it could easily muddle her mind. It was far too tempting to relax and not think of anything but getting to her destination, wherever that might be, safely and warmly. Soft classical music played in the background, while the scent of soft leather assailed her senses. In spite of all the warnings to self, she relaxed and drank it in.

  This was the scent of money, she thought as Luca swung into the driver’s seat. He only added to her pleasure with his natural warmth, and the scent of warm clean man, laced with the light, exotic fragrance he always wore. He pressed a button and the engine purred. The sexy black car pulled effortlessly out into the flowing traffic. There were no brash noises, no sharp edges, nothing to alarm. The vehicle was precision engineering at its finest, rather like the workings of Luca’s mind.

  He drove as smoothly and as skilfully as he did everything else. They were heading out of town, she noticed, towards the airport. She had some decisions to make, and had better make them fast. She had agreed to get in the car, but had she agreed to travel out of the country? The thought of seeing Luca on his home turf was an exciting prospect, but she was wary of being seduced into giving up her freedom. Even now she knew his true identity, he was still the most brutally handsome and desirable man. Her body ached and longed for him. Her mind told her they needed to talk. Her soul said they were meant to be together. On a far baser level, pregnancy had made her mad for sex, and there was only one answer to that.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  THE ROYAL JET was waiting. On this occasion he would not be the pilot. He escorted Callie on board as if she were already his Princess. He understood her need for freedom. Theirs would be a marriage for practical reasons, tying neither of them down. Its sole purpose would be to provide Fabrizio with the longed-for heir. Would she agree to that proposal? Better this woman he cared for than some unknown princess from Michel’s list, and it would fulfil Callie’s wish for independence.

  Callie would certainly agree to sex. Pheromones were threatening to drown him. Electricity wasn’t just snapping, it was threatening to bring down the national grid. Taking her by the wrist, he led her straight to the rear of the plane where his private quarters were located. He had given instructions that they were not to be disturbed under any circumstances, short of an aviation meltdown. They didn’t speak. They didn’t need to. Callie’s needs were flashing like neon signs. They’d talk later. Opening the door to his lavish suite, he ushered her inside.

  ‘Luca—’

  ‘Too much talking.’ She was still wearing high heels and her prim interview suit. ‘Keep the shoes on.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘You heard me. Take everything else off.’ She had the best legs on earth, elongated by the high-heeled shoes, and a figure to die for. The height of the heels thrust her hips forward in a way he found irresistible. Caging her with his arms either side of her face, and his fists planted against the door, he brushed his lips against hers for the sheer pleasure of hearing her moan.

  ‘All my clothes?’ she asked, snatching a breath.

  ‘Yes.’

  Erotic heat clouded her eyes. ‘You haven’t told me where you’re taking me.’

  ‘You’re going to love the surprise.’

  ‘Let me decide,’ she insisted. ‘Tell me, then I’ll take my clothes off.’

  She was teasing him?

  ‘You don’t play fair,’ she gasped as he pressed his body against hers.

  ‘Have you only just noticed?’

  Rolling his hips, he rubbed his body against her while she groaned. When he pulled back she moved frantically towards him in an attempt to repeat the contact. The jet engines whined into life right on cue. The aircraft was ready for take-off. Any time soon there would be the most enormous thrust and they’d take to the sky. ‘You’re overdressed,’ he commented.

  ‘Why couldn’t we talk in Blackpool?’ she asked, playing for time, he guessed.

  ‘In a hotel, somewhere anonymous and clinical? Wouldn’t you rather be here?’

  She gasped as he found her. ‘I can’t.’

  ‘I think you’ll find you can.’ He dropped a kiss on her shoulder.

  ‘Who lives like this?’ she said, staring past him at the designer-led living quarters on board his state-of-the-art jet.

  ‘Stop trying to distract yourself and enjoy.’

  ‘No. I can’t. I can’t...’

  ‘You must. I insist.’ Using his tongue to tease his way into her mouth, he deepened the kiss and pressed her back against the door. Every inch of her felt amazing. Had he really thought he knew how much he’d missed her, missed this? He didn’t have a clue. Using his thigh to edge her legs apart, he finished what he’d started. She went quite still and then cried out repeatedly. It was some time before she quietened.

  Her eyes remained closed, Her breathing remained hectic. He caressed her breasts while she recovered, teasing nipples that had tightened into prominent buds very lightly with his thumbnail. Gasping out his name, she rested her head against his chest as he stroked and teased her.

  ‘I think we should take this to bed,’ he said at last.

  She gave him a teasing look.‘Shouldn’t we be strapped in?’

  ‘If that’s what you’d like?’ he offered.

  ‘You’re bad,’ she said as he took her to see the specially designed bed belt. ‘For the billionaire who has everything, I presume?’

  ‘For the turbulence,’ he confirmed.

  ‘Do you expect much turbulence?’

  ‘I expect a great deal of turbulence.’

  ‘You’re worse than I thought,’ she said, laughing and relaxed now.

  ‘Worse than you know.’ Bringing her into his arms, he kissed her. When he let her go she searched his eyes in a way that touched him somewhere deep. Callie didn’t see herself as he saw her. She was a refreshing change. Most women of his acquaintance were overly self-aware, while Callie was oblivious to how attractive she was.

  ‘Why are you looking at me like that?’ she asked him softly.

  ‘I’m anticipating having sex with you.’

  ‘That’s convenient.’

  ‘Is it?’

  ‘Yes.’ She bit back a smile. ‘Because I’m doing the same.’

  He moved over her. She writhed beneath him. She opened herself to him, inviting him to explore. ‘Now,’ she said with a kitten smile that made him hungrier than ever. She quivered with arousal beneath his hands as he teased her lips apart with his tongue. As he deepened the kiss she melted against him. He pressed her into the bed to rediscover the contours of her body. She was driving him crazy with lust. He was driving them both crazy, with delay. Lifting her on top of him, he caressed her buttocks, stroking them as she sighed and groaned, until finally he clasped them to po
sition her. Reversing positions, he brought her under him.

  ‘What about your clothes?’ she asked.

  He started to undress, but Callie was ahead of him. Ripping off his clothes, she wasn’t satisfied until they were both completely naked. Taking hold of her shoulders, he held her away from him so he could give her a long, hard look. ‘I’ve missed you,’ he ground out.

  ‘I’ve missed you too.’ She was trembling with excitement and anticipation, asking him with her body to be held, to be kissed, and to be pleasured until she was exhausted. He had no intention of falling short in any way. Throwing her onto her back, he hooked her legs over his shoulders. He took a long, appreciative look, and then dipped his head and feasted while Callie groaned and bucked.

  ‘The bed straps,’ she gasped out.

  ‘Are you asking to be restrained?’

  ‘Sounds as if we’re about to take off,’ she warned, turning her head on the pillows to listen.

  He shrugged as the whine of the engines turned into an imperative roar. ‘I think you could be right,’ he agreed dryly. ‘I definitely think you should be held firmly and safely in place.’ Securing her in a few deft moves, he returned to finish what he’d started.

  She didn’t last long. ‘Aaaah...’ The cry of pleasure seemed torn from her soul. It escalated into a series of rhythmical, primal sounds deep in her throat. They tormented him. She tormented him. His was a seriously painful state.

  ‘Ah...ah...’ she gasped out repeatedly, bucking so furiously that even the straps and his hands had a battle to contain her. Once she was capable of speech, she instructed, ‘I need you inside me now,’ with her customary bluntness.

  This coincided with the pilot applying full thrust. Pinning Callie’s hands above her head on the bank of soft cushions, he did the same. The sensation as the aircraft soared and they did too, was mind-numbing. Whatever he’d imagined about sex with Callie again was nothing compared to this. She was perfection. Her inner muscles gripped him with a vigour he could never have anticipated, and from there it was a wild, furious ride to satisfaction. By the time the jet had levelled out, Callie had enjoyed at least three noisy climaxes, and was ready for more. When she was done, he turned her on her side. ‘Curl up and let me touch you. I want to watch.’

  They were both blunt in bed when it came to what they liked. Callie didn’t just agree to his proposition, she used colourful language to outline exactly what was expected of him. She lifted her thigh to tempt him even more, and angled her hips so he could see everything. He sank deep with a groan of contentment. ‘More,’ she insisted. ‘More.’

  He felt as if his climax started at his toes and then flooded his entire body. They were engaged in a very primitive act. He was claiming his mate. She was claiming hers. Where this could lead he had no idea, and he wasn’t in any condition to reason things through sensibly. ‘I only have one complaint,’ he said, bringing her on top of him when they were quiet again.

  ‘A complaint?’ she queried.

  ‘You should always wear more clothes so there are more to take off.’

  She relaxed and smiled, and, sighing with contentment, she added, ‘Well, that’s your Christmas present sorted out.’

  Then she fell silent. He realised it was only a matter of days before Christmas. There had been so much going on he hadn’t even realised. ‘Hey,’ he whispered, seeing Callie frown. ‘We’re definitely going to be together at Christmas.’

  ‘Are we?’ Her voice was matter of fact. Her stare was deep and long.

  ‘Yes,’ he confirmed, stroking her back to soothe her. ‘You’re not going to be spending Christmas in one room over a shop. I want you to see where I live.’

  ‘I know where you live.’

  ‘I mean Fabrizio.’

  ‘It’s still a palace.’ She sighed as if picturing a world filled with art treasures, flunkeys and hushed decorum, when the truth was a modern palace that was more of a workplace. He had homes across the world where he enjoyed complete privacy, but since his enthronement the palace had become his main residence. He had an apartment there. The palace in Fabrizio was the engine of the dynasty, but his wing was elegant and private. The boy from the gutters had come a long way. ‘Where I live overlooks a lake and gardens, and has every comfort a child could need,’ he reassured Callie.

  Better than one room over a shop, he could see her thinking. ‘I’m sure it’s lovely,’ she agreed, tense now. Turning her back on him, she pulled up the covers and pretended to sleep. She did drift off eventually, while he lay at her side with his arms folded behind his head, checking his plan to make sure there’d be no hitches.

  When she woke, she sat up and spotted the selection of outfits on a rail immediately. ‘Where did they come from?’

  ‘The cabin attendant wheeled them in.’

  ‘While I was asleep? In your arms?’

  ‘You were well covered up. I asked my private secretary to make sure there were some dresses and accessories on board for you, for when you disembark.’

  ‘I’ve got my suit.’

  He glanced at the creased skirt and jacket, still lying on the floor where she’d dropped them. ‘Well, I have to say, this is another first.’

  ‘What is?’

  ‘A woman refusing to look at a rail of clothes.’

  ‘Chauvinist.’ Grabbing a sheet around her, she swung off the bed. ‘I didn’t say I wouldn’t look at them, but I must insist on paying for whatever I choose.’

  ‘I would expect nothing less of you,’ he assured her, straight-faced.

  ‘Are you mocking me?’ she demanded.

  ‘Maybe a little,’ he admitted wryly.

  For a few seconds as they stared at each other, he was stunned by how Callie made him feel. He had always guarded his emotions, but with Callie that wasn’t possible. Even with the Prince, his late father, it had been very much a man-to-man relationship. He’d never had any softening influences in his life. Women had always been accessories in the past, a deal that worked well both ways, but Callie was different, special. Tousle-haired and flushed from sleep, she was drowsy-eyed with contentment, but still ready to take him on if she felt it necessary. His groin tightened at the thought. Unfortunately there wasn’t time. They’d be landing soon. ‘I’m looking forward to seeing which outfit you choose.’

  She hummed and shot him a warning look.

  That was all it took. He’d been inactive long enough. Crossing the cabin, he yanked her close to plant a hard, hot kiss on her tempting mouth. ‘Surprise me,’ he whispered.

  ‘Don’t I always?’

  He kissed her again.

  ‘What was that for?’ she demanded.

  ‘A down-payment on later.’

  ‘I won’t be bribed,’ she warned.

  He laughed as he left the cabin. They’d slept together, made love together, and been happy together. Now they had a deal to make that both they and Fabrizio could live with. He was sure of Callie in so many ways. She was full of light and love and passion, and was honest and direct to a fault. That didn’t mean he could predict how she would react to the idea of raising their child in Fabrizio, but for him that outcome was non-negotiable.

  * * *

  She chose a simple outfit of jeans, crisp white shirt and a smart navy-blue blazer, teamed with a pair of mid-heeled boots. She felt comfortable, confident, and happy—until she saw the royal chauffeur, standing by the side of the big royal limousine. The imposing black vehicle flying the crimson and gold flag of Fabrizio on its bonnet, above a shield that displayed Luca’s royal house in images of a lion, a rearing black stallion and a mandolin, was a real punch between the eyes, reminding her that Luca was a royal prince with all the money, power, and influence he could ever wish for, while she couldn’t even get a job.

  The chauffeur stood proudly to attention as Luca appeared at the door of the aircraft. He ushered her ahead of him. She felt exposed. The blazer and jeans didn’t seem enough somehow now that Luca had changed into a smart, dark linen sui
t with a pale blue open-necked shirt. If he’d looked stunning before, he looked like a prince now. Then, she thought, Stand tall, you’ve got as much right as anyone else to fall down the steps of an aircraft.

  ‘Take my arm,’ Luca directed, making sure she didn’t have another accident.

  ‘Are you sure?’ she asked, thinking he would not want to be seen with her in a way that could compromise him.

  ‘Of course, so long as you give it back,’ he said.

  Lifting a brow as he stared at her, Luca made her laugh.

  Turned out, it wasn’t so hard, this royal business. Luca’s humour helped. She smiled. The chauffeur smiled back. He saluted as he opened the door of the fabulous royal limousine, and she thanked him when he saw her safely inside.

  ‘That wasn’t so bad, was it?’ Luca demanded as the chauffeur closed the door, enclosing them in the heavy silence Callie was fast becoming used to in these luxury vehicles.

  ‘Not bad at all,’ she admitted. ‘Why are you doing that?’ she asked when he lowered the privacy screen.

  ‘Because I want you.’

  Luca was as blunt as she was. Reaching across the wide expanse of soft cream kidskin, he dragged her onto his lap. ‘You should have chosen a dress.’

  ‘Luc—’ She was about to protest, but he cut her off with a blistering kiss, and at the same time his hand found her. ‘Oh, no,’ she groaned, yielding to the inevitable as she opened her legs a little more. ‘Oh, no?’ he queried. ‘Does that mean you want me to stop?’

  ‘Don’t you dare,’ she whispered, rubbing her still-tender lips against his sharp black stubble. ‘I wish I’d chosen a dress too.’

  ‘I’m sure we can manage,’ Luca said as his fingers worked deftly on the fastening at her waist. ‘It’s not as if we’re stuck for space.’

  ‘But do we have time?’ she asked as he pulled off her jeans and she pulled off her jacket, this time remembering to fold it neatly.

  ‘Enough time,’ Luca ground out. ‘Now your thong?’ he suggested, settling back to watch.

  ‘What about your clothes?’

  ‘What about my clothes?’ Lowering his zipper, he freed himself, proving he was more than adequately prepared. Reaching out, he brought her onto his lap. ‘Straddle me,’ he insisted, ‘and make it slow.’