Wedded for His Royal Duty

by Susan Meier

“I don’t think it’s inappropriate for us to talk about our pasts.”

  He glanced around, saw no one was listening and said, “Except we’re getting married. We should already know each other’s pasts.”

  “Not really. It’s an arranged marriage. Besides, I once heard that the best way to get people to believe a lie is to stick with the truth as much as possible.”

  He laughed at the wonderfully naive way she said that. “Who told you that?”

  “A vet who came to the shelter. She was one of those people who talked all the time.” She laughed. “Knew a little something about everything.” She tilted her head. “Not sure why I suddenly remembered that.”

  “Because we need it?”

  “Maybe. But I think the real problem is you know a great deal about me, but I know very little about you beyond the stuff everybody sees: the fact that you date a lot, love casinos and in general goof off.”

  “Because that’s about all there is.”

  “Really? That’s it? You’ve never been in love?”

  The question hit him like a sucker punch. He should have expected it, but hadn’t, and when Nina’s face popped into his head, it threw him for a loop.

  He pulled in a quiet breath.

  She leaned in. “It would make the charade so much more believable if the staff heard you telling me the truth.”

  Realizing his reaction had given him away, he raised his gaze, met her pretty blue eyes. “Yes. I was in love. Once.”

  “What happened?”

  He said, “She left me,” because that was the easy, no-explanation-necessary way of telling the story. But when he said it, his chest tightened and his brain froze.

  “Why did she leave you?”

  He swallowed.

  Her gaze swept his face. “She must have broken your heart.”

  The vise grip on his chest tightened another notch. His brain jumped in revolt at the way he was fooling her, even though this wasn’t the first time he’d used this loophole in his explanation. He’d never really admitted the truth in his Nina story to anyone. Yet, he knew if he wasn’t totally honest, Eva’s questions would continue. The conclusions she’d draw would be wrong.

  “She died.”

  Eva pressed her hand to her chest. “Oh. I’m so sorry.”

  His mouth felt dry. Dusty. He took a sip of wine.

  She said, “I’m sorry,” again. “Really, we can talk about something else.”

  But he pictured Nina, always in a bikini, always on a boat or a Jet Ski or water skis.

  He swiped his hand across his mouth. “Yeah, we should probably talk about something else.”

  “Sure.”

  The room got quiet. Except for the sounds of the staff gathering dishes and silverware from the table by the window, his entire apartment was silent.

  “Was she pretty?”

  He blew out his breath. “That’s not talking about something else.”

  “I know.”

  She smiled, and for the second time in only a few minutes he got the sucker punch. Resisting that smile would be harder than telling a few simple, unemotional facts.

  “She was very pretty. Tall, blonde, and only twenty-two.” He shrugged. “Of course, I wasn’t much older.”

  “So it was a long time ago?”

  “Five years.”

  “You’re past it, then?”

  He should be. Most days he thought he was.

  “Did your father like her?”

  That made him laugh. “We spent most of our time on the water. Jet Skis. Water skiing. Diving. Because all that kept me out of the casinos, my father thought she was good for me.”

  Eva eased back on the sofa, getting comfortable. Alex leaned back too. They sat side by side. With only a slight tilt of their heads, they could look at the ceiling.

  “Was she good for you?”

  Alex shrugged. “We were daredevils.” And things he hadn’t thought about in those five years began tiptoeing into his brain. “There was no official investigation into her accident, or if there had been her father kept it hushed up. But I heard from the people with her that day that she’d been driving too fast, pushing boundaries.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  He sniffed. “It’s not your fault. If anything, it was hers.” Saying the words out loud hurt his chest. Crumbled his heart into a thousand pieces. Until this very moment, he hadn’t realized how angry he was with Nina. “And now it’s officially time to talk about something else.”

  “Want to hear about the guy who almost had me calling my parents to see if I could get out of my marriage to Dominic?”

  He laughed with relief. “Absolutely.”

  “It was my first year at university. He was a tremendous geek.”

  He laughed again, thinking it remarkable that he could talk so openly about Nina, then two seconds later laugh.

  “A geek?”

  “Oh, I thought he was so brilliant. I hung on his every word.”

  “I’m not exactly brilliant.”

  She turned her head on the sofa and waited until he turned his, and their eyes met. “I’m not exactly the water skiing type. I’ve never water skied. I’m not fond of boats. Daredevil is the last word anyone would use to describe me.”

  Yet right at that moment he wanted to kiss her more than he wanted his next breath of air. His body tingled when she was around. She made him laugh. Protecting her gave him a great sense of responsibility that didn’t annoy him, it pleased him. And he’d told her about Nina.

  Oh, no.

  He was beginning to like her. For real. That’s why seeing her in the bra and panties had switched him into genuine seduction mode. Getting feelings for her brought reality into their fantasy.

  He bounced up on the sofa, noticed the last servant leaving the dining area by the window, and reached down for her hand to help her stand. “Well, that was certainly an interesting conversation, but all the servants are in the kitchen now. In five minutes everybody will be out of here.”

  She glanced at his hand. Her head tilted in confusion.

  “You can take off your dress—” in the bathroom, behind closed doors so he didn’t see “—and be on your way.”

  She frowned. “That’s it?”

  “What did you think? This is a charade.” Stronger now that he’d figured out why he felt so different around her tonight, he caught her gaze. “We’re not really going to sleep together.”

  But his heart felt funny as the words slid out of his mouth.

  When she finally took his hand and said, “No. I’m sorry. I just somehow thought I’d be staying longer,” his heart squeezed.

  He stepped back. He wasn’t letting one slip-up cloud his brain. So he liked her? He liked a lot of women. This was a charade. To protect her. He couldn’t—wouldn’t—let these feelings for her grow.

  He shifted another step away from her. “No point in going overboard.”

  Especially since these feelings were amazingly different. Warm. Happy. The kind of feelings he’d run from his entire life.

  CHAPTER SIX

  ALEX DIRECTED HER to a powder room, where she removed her gown and slipped into the sundress she’d squished into her little clutch purse. She walked out, handed her gown to him and watched him drop it to the floor about halfway down a discreet hallway. Then he walked her to a back door.

  He motioned for her to go before him into a thin, quiet hall. “This corridor is private. Even servants aren’t allowed to use it.”

  They reached the elevator and he pressed the button. The doors opened.

  She waited a beat. Not quite sure what she wanted until she realized she was waiting for him to kiss her good-night—though she wasn’t quite sure why. This was a ruse with a purpose. N
ot real. The only time they had to pretend they liked each other was when someone was watching. And no one was watching—

  Hadn’t he reminded her of that?

  He stepped back. His hand on the elevator door, holding it open, but now a good two feet away from her, he said, “Good night.”

  Disappointment fluttered through her. “Good night.”

  She stepped into the elevator, believing herself certifiable. Why the hell would she possibly have stood there like a ninny expecting him to kiss her...?

  Because she’d seen the odd looks he’d given her, caught him staring at her face and gazing into her eyes, and knew he was beginning to like her.

  Still, only an idiot would have missed how he’d changed when he started talking about the woman he’d loved. The one who had died.

  As the elevator rose to her floor, her heart caught a bit at the thought of his loss. She’d never lost anyone. Never really had her heart broken, but he had. He hadn’t just lost his first love. His mother had died. He’d been through things she’d never even considered. It was no wonder he lived a surface life. Hid his feelings. Tried to pretend he didn’t have feelings. He was protecting himself.

  She couldn’t fault him for that, even if it did disappoint her that he’d rushed her out, and hadn’t made good on the promise that they’d make a trail of clothes.

  She almost giggled at the devilishness of that, but caught herself. He wouldn’t have swooned at the sight of her stripping. Though she couldn’t say the same for watching him take off his shirt—

  The elevator arrived at her floor and she sighed. Why was she thinking like this?

  Because he was good-looking.

  Because he was smart.

  Because he trusted her enough to tell her about her dad, to make her a co-conspirator.

  And tonight he’d told her about his lost love.

  The few days they’d spent together they’d been forced to be brutally honest. She hadn’t just been honest with him; he’d been honest with her. And, God help her, she’d liked it.

  Like it? Or liked him?

  She squeezed her eyes shut. She didn’t know. But the evening had been different than she’d expected. Very different. Instead of struggling to keep her dignity while he tried to impress the servants with his sexual prowess, they’d talked.

  And it had been nice.

  No, better than nice. It had been one of the best nights of her life.

  She shook her head as a crazy thought filled it.

  What if pretending to be involved, being co-conspirators, put them in each other’s company enough that they actually grew to like each other?

  He was confiding in her. She was relaxing with him. Was it so far-fetched to think that a charade actually set them up to fall in love?

  It might not be far-fetched but it did sound a hell of a lot like wishful thinking. Especially since a few short days before they’d been at odds.

  Still, when she went to bed that night, she thought of telling him that her palace was cozy and she smiled. She wouldn’t mind sitting in front of a fire with him.

  * * *

  The next day Eva had breakfast with her mom, and spent the morning with her and Queen Rose, looking at table arrangements for the engagement party to be held in less than two weeks and the wedding two weeks after that. When Alex called and told her they would be going to dinner that night, both mothers made kissing noises.

  Remembering that they believed this wedding was real, she blushed. They thought it was cute, but actually it was lying to her mom that embarrassed her. Still, it was for a good cause. And any day now her mom would know that.

  And any day now, she and Alex wouldn’t be in this game they were playing out to help her dad. That was probably the best reason to keep her wits about her. They didn’t have the four weeks everybody thought they did. Her dad could call tomorrow, and they’d never see each other again.

  When Alex came to her apartment to pick her up, he immediately glanced around to see if anyone was there.

  “Mom is having dinner with your dad and stepmom.”

  He visibly relaxed. “Good. Because I wanted to apologize for being abrupt last night.”

  She said, “That’s okay.” Then after a slight pause, she carefully added, “I was kind of glad you shared.” She didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. She especially didn’t want to say so much that he’d realize she was getting feelings for him. The man was a playboy. And she was someday going to be a queen. She couldn’t be falling for a guy who would very publicly break her heart. But she did need to acknowledge the obvious. They’d shared some secrets.

  “Nina died five years ago. I’m over it.”

  “I get that. I still appreciate that you told me.”

  He mumbled something under his breath, walked over to the door and opened it for her.

  “I’ll tell you what. We’ll put the top down on the Mercedes.” He dangled his car keys. “And I’ll even let you drive, if you promise to forget I told you any of that.”

  Walking to the door, she snatched the keys out of his hand. This was what they did best. Argue. Playfully, of course. She finally figured out that was the way he liked life, conversations, maybe even relationships. Easy. Silly. Meaningless.

  “Oops. Looks like you just lost your leverage.”

  He laughed but didn’t try to take the keys back. Once she settled in behind the steering wheel of his car, she started the engine and Alex pressed the button that folded the roof down.

  She breathed in the warm Xaviera air. “I’m gonna miss this.”

  He laughed. “I thought you liked being snuggled in front of fireplaces.”

  She waved to the bodyguards, put the gearshift into Drive and drove to the gate which opened in front of her, then off palace grounds. The air was warm and sweet, and the way Alex remembered that detail of her life made her feel soft and squishy inside.

  But she didn’t say anything.

  “No comment on the fact that I remembered your palace is cozy?”

  “No.” She stole a peek at him. “That would sort of be like flirting.” And what a hell of a time for her to finally catch on. “If we were in public where the press could overhear, I might have said how nice it was you remembered, and maybe tease you into admitting you’d like to sit with me under a blanket in front of the fire. Where we could, you know, snuggle up and accidentally rub up against each other. But since we’re alone there’s no point.”

  She glanced over at him again. His eyes were wide. His mouth was sort of open.

  “What?” She shook her head. “The whole flirting thing is new to me. I got that wrong, didn’t I?”

  “No. No. You were fine.”

  “The part about rubbing up against each other under the blanket... That was too much?”

  “Nope. That was pretty much spot-on. Class-A flirting.”

  She cast a quick look at him, knowing she was grinning like an idiot. “So I’m getting it?”

  “You never tried to flirt with the geek?” Before she could answer, he shook his head. “No. Of course, you didn’t. You probably were like a deer in the headlights around him.”

  * * *

  She laughed and attraction sharpened all of Alex’s senses, but he ignored it. He’d sorted all this out the night before. He could not fall for her. He was not the kind of guy who had relationships. It was best to just do what he needed to do, but otherwise maintain his distance.

  The best way to do that would be to keep them both busy. So he took her to a casino after dinner, and showed her how to play blackjack. She wore a pale pink gown that made her look sweet and innocent. Her long black ponytail heightened the effect, and he was glad. She was tempting, but also innocent, and the visual reminder that he could hurt her if he acted on his impulses got his head in
the game.

  The dealer dealt her an ace, then gave a card to the other four players at their half circle table. When he came back to Eva, Alex said, “Take a card.”

  She sat and he stood behind her. He’d had to lean down to look at her card. But that was okay. He could smell her perfume, feel the smoothness of her shoulder as he brushed it, but he was in control now.

  She peeked up at him. “Take a card?”

  “Say hit me.”

  She laughed. “I’ve never before asked to be hit.”

  In the few days he’d spent in her company, he knew there were a million things she’d never done. A million things he’d love to show her.

  He kept all that to himself. “So, go ahead. Say it.”

  With a giggle, she faced the dealer. “Hit me.”

  The dealer laughed too as he pulled a card from the dispenser. “Ten.” He met Eva’s gaze. “Twenty-one.”

  She peeked back at Alex.

  “You win.”

  She jumped off her seat. “I win!” She spun to face Alex. “I win!” Like Rose on steroids, she enveloped him in a fast hug. But when she pulled away, their gazes caught, and he could see in her shiny silver-blue orbs the very second she realized she had her hands wrapped around his biceps.

  Time stopped.

  They stared into each other’s eyes, both of them silently acknowledging that having her hands on him felt good.

  But she didn’t step back, didn’t pull away. She just kept gazing into his eyes, as if spellbound.

  And he wanted to curse. The innocence that was so tempting was the very thing that would keep her safe from him. Yet tonight he wanted to be with her. To just let his guard down and see where the night would take them.

  But he wouldn’t do that. No matter how much he thought he wanted her tonight, they potentially had weeks of being together. He would not make this into something it wasn’t supposed to be. Something that might hurt her.

  He plucked her hands off his arms and directed her back to her seat. “All right, Cinderella. That was just your first hand. You’ve got a whole night ahead of you.”

  She laughed but there was a hesitancy to it. What passed between them had been a powerful, but normal, male/female thing, yet it had thrown her for a loop.