by Raye Morgan
She smiled at him. He was going to kiss her soon and she was ready for it. In fact, she could hardly wait. “You got it.”
“We need to concentrate on finding good people to marry,” he said, his brow furrowed as he thought about this. At the same time, he was cupping her cheek with his hand and studying her lips. Anticipation—what a sweet thing it was.
She nodded, feeling breathless. “Of course, that won’t be any problem for you,” she noted drily.
“What are you talking about?” he asked as he widened his hand and raked his fingers into the hair behind her head, taking her into his temporary possession.
She made a sound of derision. “You are the type of beautiful man that women swoon over all the time,” she said, swooning a little bit herself.
He frowned. “So?” He pulled her closer.
She pushed his hand away. “I refuse to swoon,” she claimed, but her words were a little slurred. His attentions were already having their effect.
A smile began to form in his eyes. “So you’re an anti-swooner, huh?”
“You could say that. I’m anti feeding your oversize ego any more than absolutely necessary.”
He dropped a soft kiss on her lips, then drew back so that he could look at her. “At least you admit my ego deserves a bit of nutrition.”
“Hah!” She rolled her eyes. “Not really. I think it needs a strict diet.” She smiled, checking out his reaction. “And maybe a few hard truths to help it get over itself.”
“Hard truths, huh?” He began to pull her into his arms. “And you’re just the person to give them to me. Right?”
She pretended to be challenging him at every turn. “Why not?”
He gave her that helpless look he put on when he was teasing. “Can I help it if women love me?”
“Yes.” Kelly tried to pull out of his embrace and failed miserably. “Yes, you can. You cannot be quite so accessible. You walk around so free and easy with that lascivious grin….”
He stopped and looked thoroughly insulted. “What lascivious grin?”
“The one you’ve got on.” She tapped his lips with her forefinger. “Right there on your face.”
“You mean this one?” He leaned over her, finding the way to her mouth and kissing her with passion and conviction. “See?” he murmured against her cheek. “Women can’t help but kiss me.”
Kelly didn’t answer. She was too busy doing exactly that.
The morning dawned brilliantly. The sun was shining in glorious celebration and the ocean gleamed like a trove of diamonds. They ate breakfast on the deck, watching the day begin. Joe had made a trayful of scrambled eggs and a pile of English muffins and honey, and Kelly fed Mei from a small jar of baby oatmeal, then gave her some of the eggs as well. They talked and laughed as the seagulls swooped around, hoping for a handout. Kelly couldn’t remember a more wonderful breakfast at any time in her life. This was the best.
A little later, after changing Mei and cleaning up from breakfast, she carried the baby out to find Joe sitting on the deck, looking a bit forlorn.
He’d decided to ignore all this royalty talk for now. He needed time to let it sink in. Today, he was all about Mei and doing what he could to change her mind about him.
“Hi,” Kelly said. “What are you doing?”
“Sitting here feeling sorry for myself.”
Reality was a bummer. He thought back to the dreams he used to have about what it was going to be like once Mei arrived. Father and daughter. He was already running little clips in his head of himself teaching her how to throw a ball. When he explained that to Kelly, she laughed at him.
“She’s a girl. She might not be into sports.”
“What are you, some kind of chauvinist?”
“No.” Kelly looked lovingly into Mei’s small cute face. “What about it, little girl? Want to play ball? Or take ballet lessons?”
Joe shook his head, enjoying how the two of them interacted. Mei was such a darling child. If only she liked him.
“Whatever she wants to do, we’ll do,” he said firmly. “She’s in the driver’s seat on that one. It’s just that…” He sighed. It didn’t pay to get your hopes up.
“I’ve got an idea,” he said, smiling at Mei, who studiously looked away without reciprocating. “I want to take her on a boat ride before the nanny gets here this afternoon.”
“You think she’s ready for that?” Kelly asked anxiously.
“Sure. There are some boats that go out from the pier. Just small, one hour trips. I think she’ll like it.”
Actually, it sounded like fun. “Let’s go,” Kelly said.
A few preparations had to be made. Joe went out shopping to find a little sweat suit for Mei, as her supplies from the Philippines had included nothing for cool weather.
“It will get cold out there on the bay, and this way we’ll know she’s warm as toast,” Joe explained.
Kelly had to admit he was thinking ahead better than she was.
As they stood in line at the dock, Kelly noticed their reflection in the glass at the ticket office. They looked like a beautiful family. It warmed her heart, until she stopped herself.
Now, why had she thought that? What a crazy idea. They could never be a family. Joe was a true image of the prince she was convinced he was, and Mei looked like a little princess. But Kelly looked like an ordinary person. A nice, fairly pretty, ordinary person. There wasn’t a hint of royalty in her demeanor.
The boat ride started out well. The captain was full of odd stories and funny anecdotes, and he kept up a running dialogue that had them in stitches half the time. He showed them where huge sea lions had taken over a small boat dock, yelling like crazy when anyone came near. Then he drove on to an area where sea otters infested a kelp bed, some lying on their backs and opening oysters against rocks held on their bellies. There was a seabird rookery and an island made of an old buoy and a lot of barnacles that housed a family of pelicans. And then they headed toward open sea to find dolphins and possibly a whale or two.
They caught sight of a dolphin scampering through the water, but were out of luck with the whales, despite the fact that Kelly kept urging Mei to “look for whales, sweetie. Keep looking!”
Mei looked very hard, but there was no sign of a whale. She seemed disappointed, so it was time for Joe to pull out his surprise.
He’d gone into the shop at the dock and picked up a present for her, and now he took it from his jacket pocket and held it out. It was a stuffed killer whale, just the right size for a toddler.
“Here you are, honey,” he said to his beloved daughter. “I bought you a present. Here’s your whale.”
Mei looked at him and looked at the whale, then held out her hand to take it. He gave it to her, and without a second of hesitation, she threw it overboard, right into the water. It tumbled in the wake for a second or two, then sank like a stone.
They sat for a moment, staring after it, stunned. Kelly couldn’t believe Mei had actually done that. This was too much, a step too far. It couldn’t be allowed. To overlook such shenanigans would be no good for Mei, and criminal toward Joe. Kelly glanced at the child, who looked pleased as punch.
“Mei,” she said tersely, “No! Your daddy gave you that whale as a gift. You don’t treat people that way. You don’t throw away presents that people give you out of love.”
Joe felt as though someone had just hit him in the head with a brick. It was no use. None of this was going to work. His little girl hated him. In a way, it almost felt as though a small part of Angie had just rejected him for good. How did he come back from that one? What more could he do about it? He really didn’t have a clue.
All this garbage about being a prince didn’t mean a thing to him. All he really wanted was for his little girl to accept him. Was that never going to happen?
“Mei, you hurt your daddy’s feelings,” Kelly was saying, keeping her voice calm but firm. “Tell your daddy that you’re sorry.”
Kelly knew ver
y well that Mei couldn’t even say the word sorry, but she wanted to get the emotional injury through to her at least. The concept was in that little brain, somewhere. She just wanted Mei to know that people had taken notice.
Mei’s huge dark eyes were unreadable, but Kelly could tell her strong words were having an effect, so she stopped. She didn’t want to overwhelm her with emotions. Pulling her close, she hugged her tightly and whispered in her ear, “Daddy loves you. And you love your daddy. You just don’t know it yet.”
The walk home wasn’t as filled with fun as the walk to the pier had been, but they returned in time to greet the new nanny. Mrs. Gomez was a warm and lovely older woman, and Kelly could tell right away she was going to work out fine. It was a relief to have someone else to help with the burden of caring for Mei every day. That couldn’t go on forever. But for now, it was the way things had to be.
Once Kelly had met Mrs. Gomez, she had no more doubts about her possibly being a spy sent by Sonja. The woman was an open book, a wonderful lady who loved children. But after a couple of hours, Kelly began to wonder what her own purpose here was.
She said as much to Joe. “I guess I could go back to my hotel,” she offered, as she helped him wash dishes after lunch.
He looked at her in horror. “What are you talking about?
“I…well, with Mrs. Gomez here, I thought…”
It hit him like a thunderbolt—Kelly might leave. For some reason he’d just assumed she was going to be around as long as he needed her. That was foolish, wasn’t it?
He frowned, his gaze traveling over every inch of her, really seeing her, really feeling how empty it would be around here without her. He liked her. He liked her a lot. Maybe too much.
Now why would he think a thing like that? Because of Angie?
He waited a second or two for the pain to grip his heart. There it was, but not quite as sharp as usual. And not quite as anguished.
He turned away, disturbed. A tiny thread of panic hit him for a moment. Was he losing his feelings about Angie? Were they going to fade?
He remembered when they had racked him with such torture he’d almost thought about ending it all. Life hadn’t seemed worth living without her. He didn’t think he could go on with such pain wrapped around him like a straitjacket. And then, little by little, the pain had become a part of him.
Was it going to fade if he let himself fall for Kelly? Without it, would he still be the man he thought he was?
He looked at her again and knew it didn’t matter. He liked her. He wanted her around. She made him happy in a totally different way than Angie had. But happy was happy. He didn’t want Kelly to leave.
“You thought you wouldn’t have anything to do here?” he challenged with a smile. “You’re nuts.” He gave a one-shouldered shrug. “There’s always me to satisfy.”
She couldn’t keep from smiling at that one. “You want me to stay?”
“Heck, yes.”
“Are you sure?”
He turned and held her by the shoulders. “Let’s put it this way—you’re not going anywhere.”
She shivered with a feeling very close to delight. His hands felt warm and protective, and he was leaning closer, looking at her mouth. He just might kiss her.
“I’m going somewhere on Saturday,” she reminded him. “I have to go home.”
“Not if we think of a way to keep you here,” he said huskily, and his mouth took hers gently, and then with more urgency, kissing her again and again, until her lips parted and she invited him in. His arms came around her and she arched into his embrace.
“Kelly, Kelly,” he murmured against her ear. “You’ve got to stay. I can’t do without you.”
Mrs. Gomez was coming down the hall with Mei, and they pulled apart, but Kelly carried the warmth of his words and the thrill of his kiss with her for the rest of the afternoon. It didn’t mean a thing, she knew, but it sure was nice. While it lasted.
Despite the teasing and the kissing, it was quite evident that Joe was troubled by all the changes in his life. When he announced he was taking some time off to go surfing, Kelly knew he really needed space alone to think. She watched him walk away in his cutoff shorts, with his board under his arm and his wet suit over his shoulder and sighed. He was so gorgeous. But he had so much on his mind, and she hoped he found some peace in the cold California waters.
She called her office to see if there was any news, or if Jim had found out anything about Sonja Smith. She hadn’t expected much on that score, and sure enough, he hadn’t found anything.
“I did find that there are a number of small enclaves of Ambrian exiles we didn’t have in the database before, all centered around the San Diego area. So she is probably a member of one of those.”
“But you don’t know much about them.”
“Nope. Still working on that.”
“Okay, Jim. Here goes. I got a pretty good confirmation. Joe is almost certainly Prince Cassius.”
“So you think he’s the real deal.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Only DNA testing can prove it. Is he willing?”
“He will be. Can you work on getting him a liaison to the current wise men involved? I think someone ought to contact him about going to the funeral.”
“You got it. I know who to call.”
“Thanks.”
“Shall I have him phone you?”
She sighed. “No. I won’t be here much longer. Better call Joe directly.”
“Okay. And Kelly?”
“Yes?”
“Good work.”
She smiled. “Thanks, Jim.” And as she hung up she realized he hadn’t made one joke at her expense.
CHAPTER TEN
KELLY TOOK MEI down to the strand where the best surfing was, looking for Joe. They found him just as he was coming out of the water. He was wearing his wet suit now and at first Mei looked at this monster in black neoprene coming toward them in horror. When he got close she realized who it was, and Kelly noticed that although she didn’t react in a friendly manner, she wasn’t stiff with resentment as she’d been before. And when he shook his head, spraying water all over her, Mei actually laughed and clapped her hands together. And then she turned away when he smiled at her.
Joe didn’t care right now. The moment was too good to let little things spoil it. He’d had a good workout and thought some things through, and he’d seen his two favorite women in the world standing in the sand, waiting for him as he came out of the ocean.
Good times. His heart was full.
They walked back to the house, enjoying the afternoon sun as it slanted against the neighborhood windows. It wasn’t until they were back at the house that Joe told her he was going out in a half hour.
“I’ve got an appointment, believe it or not. I need a shower and then I’ll be gone for about an hour or so.”
“Oh,” she said. “Okay. Well, I have some things to do. I guess I’ll see you later.”
He looked at her quizzically. “So you’re not going to ask me who the appointment is with?” he teased, as she started to turn away.
She gazed at him, wide eyed. “It’s really none of my business. But if you want to tell me…”
He shook his head and waved his hand dismissively. “No, not really. It’ll just get you all riled up.”
Now, of course, she had to know.
“Okay, Joe. You’re dying to tell me. So tell me already. Who’s your appointment with?”
He grinned at her. “Sonja. I’m meeting her at the coffee place.”
Kelly put one hand on her hip and glared at him. “What?”
“I saw her this morning when I went to the Baby Boutique to find the sweatsuit for Mei. She wants to go over some of her ideas with me.”
“What sort of ideas?” Kelly asked suspiciously.
“I guess I’ll find out when we meet,” he said cheerfully. “I’d ask you to come along, but something tells me we wouldn’t get much accomplished that way.”
“Really?”
“Don’t let your guard down. And especially don’t tell her about last night.”
He pretended to look innocent. “You mean about how you were all over me on the couch?” he said, looking dreamy. “Frankly, I don’t think she’d be interested.”
“No, you know what I mean. About the things from your childhood. About our new determination about you. Things like that. It would be better if she didn’t know.”
He nodded, basically agreeing with her. “Despite the way I kid around, Kelly, I do understand where you’re coming from. I’ll be careful.”
“I wish you wouldn’t go at all,” she fretted as the time came. “What if she—?”
“Hush.” Joe put a finger to her lips. “I’ll be back in an hour. You stay here and keep the home fires burning. Okay?”
Joe left for the coffee shop and Kelly began to pace. Every “what if?” possible was tumbling through her brain. Sonja was up to something. Kelly didn’t trust her an inch. Why was he so easily taken in by her flirtatious act? He thought he was invincible, didn’t he? He was going to get blindsided. If only Kelly was there to help him!
That was it. She had to be there to help him. Why hadn’t she thought of that before? But she couldn’t just walk in and stomp up to their table and flop down and join them. Though it would be fun to start needling Sonja, that wouldn’t work out well.
No. She had to go incognito.
Racing to the room where she was storing her clothes, she pulled out the baggy sweatpants and hoodie sweatshirt she’d worn the day she first came face-to-face with Joe. It was the only disguise she had, so it would have to do. She asked Mrs. Gomez to listen for Mei, who was taking her nap, and she set off for the coffee shop.
She saw them right away, but they didn’t even look up, so she wasn’t afraid of being spotted. She ordered her drink, then took a table on the other side of the room and slipped into the chair, keeping her hood down over her eyes.
