The Bachelor Prince

by Jane Beckenham

  “You have one?” Lucas’s chest suddenly tightened. A knight? Another man?

  “Sure. You, Your Highness.” She slapped him playfully on the arm, and Lucas exhaled.

  He held his hand out to her again, and without hesitation this time, she took it.

  They walked through the boulevards of the old city, the cobbles beneath their feet extolling the diverse history of his country. Every now and then, he stopped and pointed out a landmark while recounting stories of his youth. And all the time, he held her hand, and not once did she try to remove it.

  “You stole out at night? Lucas, what were you thinking?”

  “About escaping across the palace roof. About being free,” he said truthfully. “My friends had freedom, and I wanted that too.”

  “Your mother must have been so worried.”

  His mother. Lucas’s mood shifted. “My mother understood. She knew the constraints of being a royal and wanted me to experience the world.”

  “Is that why you studied in the United States?”

  “Partly,” he agreed.

  Cassie tilted her head, curiosity etched in her expression. “And the other part?”

  Lucas took several steps away, damning his traitorous body at the loss of Cassie’s touch. “Because of love.”

  “You were in love.” It wasn’t a question, her shock obvious.

  “It’s well known.”

  “Not that I’ve heard.”

  “And you’ve checked?”

  “I…I mean no one talks about it.”

  The thought that Cassie might have been interested enough to check up on him fired a new emotion.

  “You’re the most eligible bachelor in Europe. Everyone wants to know everything about you.”

  “Including you?”

  “I already know far too much.”

  “In the biblical sense, of course.”

  Cassie slapped a hand at him, but the teasing lights in her eyes told him she enjoyed their banter just as much as he did. They continued their wandering. People smiled and nodded at them, but no one interrupted, and while his security were a constant reminder of who and what he was, they kept their distance, allowing him at least a semblance of normality.

  As the afternoon ticked toward the cooler hours of the evening, they wound their way to the lakeside waterfront where the rich and famous moored their yachts alongside those of the locals. He led Cassie toward the pier at the far end. “The fireworks are due to start tonight,” he said of the first of the extravaganzas arranged for the summer celebrations. “How about we get a prime view?”

  Cassie’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

  He guided her toward his yacht, came to a halt and bowed low. “Your transport awaits, mademoiselle.”

  Cassie’s gaze slid from the port to the stern and then slipped back to him. “It’s beautiful.”

  “Just like you.”

  Her gaze dropped to her feet. “I’m not exactly dressed for sailing,” she said of her high heels and designer clothes.

  “Easily remedied.” He scooped her up in his arms without warning and carried her along the short gangway and onto the yacht’s stern. Once aboard, he loosened his hold on her. Fire burned through every part of him as her body slid down his length, her breasts rubbing across his silk shirt, her nipples hard buds. He found her mouth, tasted her sweetness and knew this was what he couldn’t give up.

  However, as much as he wanted to make love to her, even more he wanted to just be with her. To talk. To laugh.

  “Make yourself comfortable. Marina keeps a few pairs of jeans and shirts in the locker in the room on the right. Take what you need.”

  Cassie went through to one of the two staterooms on board the yacht to change. She took only a few minutes and then was back, smiling. She held her hands out. “Suitable sailing attire, do you think?”

  She wore a pair of jeans and a blue-and-white-striped T-shirt. Lucas couldn’t help but return her smile. “Definitely very nautical.”

  They talked for hours. He relayed stories of his childhood. Of meeting foreign royalty, of climbing mountains. Of his mother.

  All the while, he held her hand, threading his fingers through hers. She offered him a smile. A touch. For the first time in his life, it seemed enough—for now.

  Hours seemed to have passed, and Cassie had never felt so content in her life. She loved talking to Lucas. Simply being with him. But as a gusty breeze caught the yacht side on and a wave slapped at its hull, Cassie came back to reality. “We should leave and get back to work.”

  “Why? There’s no rush. Let’s stay.” Lucas didn’t move, but his fingers trailed down her spine, one vertebra at a time, heat scuttled in their wake.

  “Because it’s getting dark. Because I’m hungry.”

  “Me too.” But witnessing the twinkle in Lucas’s gaze, Cassie knew he wasn’t talking about food. And yet, he had barely touched her. A finger down the curve of her cheek. His hand linked with hers.

  Laughter rumbled from him. “Food, huh?”

  “Yep. And fireworks.”

  Lucas stood and stretched, his shirt taut against his broad chest. “Well, I do believe it’s time I fulfilled your every wish, Ms. Masters.”

  She rolled her eyes. “What a line. Talk about a smooth operator.”

  “Worked before.”

  Sure had with her. She held up her hand. “No. Don’t tell me. Way too much information.” Their banter all afternoon had been light, fun, but now there was a hint of something more.

  Desire—and continued hope.

  They’d had a beautiful day, full of laughter and just plain old getting to really know one another.

  Maybe…just maybe…

  She took the first step up toward the yacht’s rear deck. “Let the fireworks begin.”

  It didn’t take long for Lucas to cast off, and, with the offshore breeze, they were sailing away from the harbor and out into the lake within minutes, cresting the white-tipped waves.

  Cassie breathed a satisfied sigh as she leaned against Lucas. At the helm, he stood with one arm draped around her waist, the other steering the yacht. She reveled in the solitude. This was a different Lucas—relaxed and away from the rigors of his royal world, and for the moment, she felt truly cared for.

  Deep down, she knew she was a fool to want more, and grew angry at herself. She was becoming her mother and chasing a man. She was also on a roller coaster ride of emotions. One part of her wanted as much of Lucas as he could give her; the other part cautioned her repeatedly. But it seemed she was deaf. The man was her drug and had bulldozed her into this charade. Okay, so it gave her time to put her CV out in the hunt for a job in New Zealand, and while that was so very important, this time with Lucas gave her the one thing she could take with her: memories.

  Darkness descended across a lake that sparkled beneath the glow of a full moon. In the distance, the white peaks of the mountains glistened. Lucas dropped the electronic anchor, and the yacht bobbed gently in the breeze. “You hungry?”

  “Hmm, could be.”

  He shifted her weight from his, stepped away and stretched, his shirt falling open.

  God, the man was beautiful. Not just handsome. There was something else. He made her want him just by being.

  Silly girl. You’re infatuated.

  No, she wasn’t. She was in love—and that was a big problem, because it really played dirty with her rules.

  Lucas disappeared into the galley, and Cassie heard the faint whistling rendition of “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah.” She couldn’t help but smile. Lucas and Disney—two fantasies together. He returned a few moments later with a large picnic basket. “See what a good Boy Scout I am, sweetheart? Always prepared.”

  Sweetheart? The endearment threw Cassie, and her heart lurched. She quickly reminded herself that it was a word and mea
nt nothing, like the word beautiful. Fake words just like their fake relationship. Trouble was, nothing about today felt fake.

  Lucas was a prince, and she a commoner, and yet, today, none of that seemed to matter. They were friends chatting. Laughing at the same jokes. Sharing a love of history, valued loyalty and honor.

  She watched as Lucas set out the basket’s contents on the small built-in table. They were to dine on pate foie gras and thinly sliced ham along with a loaf of crusty bread. From a silver ice bucket, he withdrew a frosted bottle.

  “Champagne too? You really know how to treat a girl, Lucas.”

  “Of course. Nothing but the best for the best.”

  The best what? PA? Lover?

  The cork popped, and icy bubbles frothed over the top. Lucas poured a glass and passed it to her. “You’re quiet.”

  “I’m trying to figure out why.”

  “Why what?”

  Cassie cast her hand around them, pointing to the ice-chilled bucket containing champagne that would have cost thousands. “You are a privileged royal,” she said, though without an ounce of bitterness. “Your life is so different from mine. Nothing but the best, you say, and yet you had to choose me to play a game with. Why?”

  “I needed you.”

  Her mouth pursed. “As a quick fix, that’s all. You could have any woman in the world. You’re eligible beyond belief.”

  “Doesn’t make it any easier. Everyone wants something from me, and in the end, you don’t know whom to believe. Whom to trust.”

  As he spoke, Lucas’s mood changed subtly. The light in his eyes, the joy she’d seen these last few hours, was replaced by a shadowed darkness. For the first time, she actually felt sorry for the man who had everything. She reached a hand out to him and grazed her fingers over his warm skin. “You can trust me.”

  His muscles flexed beneath her fingertips, and he fixed a razor-sharp gaze on her. “Can I?”

  Cassie swallowed, taken aback, and pulled her hand away. “Why would you ask that of me? We’re…”

  “Lovers.”

  “I was going to say boss and employee, friends even, but if you can’t trust me, what am I doing here?” She tossed aside her napkin and scrambled to her feet.

  Lucas followed suit and grabbed her by the shoulders. “You tell me, Cassie.”

  “I’m here because you ordered me.”

  “But what is it you’re after?”

  She looked away, not wanting him to see the love in her eyes, or the hurt. Then she toughened up and thrust her shoulders back, shaking off his hold on her. “I think the same could be asked of you. I’m your make-believe fiancée. Oh, and don’t forget the added extra: you got to have me in your bed. So it looks like you’re getting a good deal, all the while allaying your family’s pressure for you to marry. It seems a very one-sided affair, don’t you think?”

  Lucas’s attention shifted to the pile of designer clothes folded neatly on a chair. “And I’d say you’ve scored quite well. That lot there,” he said nodding toward her discarded suit, “would cost more than what most people earn in a year.”

  A shocked gasp choked off Cassie’s breath, her heart breaking that he really thought her so easily bought. Aren’t you? She’d worn the clothes, the shoes. The ring. Her fingers curled, the ring digging into her flesh as a brutal reminder. “I didn’t ask for them.”

  He trailed the tip of a finger along her bare arm, and she shivered with a primal need. Lucas Palmera played dirty. “Perhaps we should get back to the game.”

  That he could accuse her of being a…a leech, and yet arouse her so intimately shocked her. Part of her desperately wanted to pull away and tell him it was over. The other part wanted to stay, and she battled an invisible tug-of-war of emotions and lust.

  No, not lust. Love.

  “Is this allowed in the rules?” He lowered his mouth to hers, and she accepted him willingly—for an instant—then self-preservation kicked in. He might tempt her, but what about a week from now, a month…the future?

  What future? There was no future.

  “No! That’s not allowed. We have to stop this. I have to.” Cassie wrenched herself from Lucas’s hold, spun away from him and stared out across the darkened lake. Just then, a blaze of fireworks of every color imaginable lit up the sky. Beautiful. But it didn’t matter. Lucas didn’t trust her. He didn’t love her.

  He came up silently behind her, though she didn’t have to see him to know that he was there. Every part of her zinged as if he’d touched her intimately. She wished she couldn’t feel him or love him and shook her head at the overwhelming sadness of their reality. “This is just business.”

  “And your point?”

  “There’s no emotion involved. No…” She was going to say love, but silenced her tongue.

  “There’s plenty of emotion when you call out my name.”

  “Words,” she answered. “It’s an act.”

  He kissed the nape of her neck, the beautiful softness of his lips breaking her heart. How could she give him up? Yet how could she give in?

  She had a few weeks. Then no more, simply memories that had to last a lifetime.

  Chapter Eleven

  A week later, as Cassie headed to work, she ruminated on her rules.

  No kissing—that one had hit the dust.

  No sex—gone the same way.

  She had tried. Really she had. She also should have been annoyed at herself, but how could she be? Her nights with Lucas were sublime. At least there were no more clothes shopping expeditions, and she held on to that success, and the fact that she refused to allow Lucas to drive her to work. She might be his so-called fiancée, but she was also his PA, and she had a job to do, which she intended to fulfill until her last day at work. But driving to work with him—no way. Others might want to be chauffeured, even her mother. But not her. Somehow that little bit of independence had grown significantly important to her.

  The lobby of Palmera Enterprises loomed before her, and she caught sight of her image in the plate-glass doors, held spellbound for a moment. She looked…different. Dressed in the sky-blue Chanel suit, with its navy piping and patent leather shoes, she actually looked…beautiful.

  She shook her head. No. No. No. It wasn’t her. Not really. Money, and lots of it, had been spent in order to get the effect. She spied the large diamond ring on her engagement finger. So false.

  While the outside had changed because of what Lucas had bought her, inside she acknowledged there was a subtle change too. One she wasn’t quite sure she liked.

  See, you’ve changed. You’re becoming…her.

  She jerked away from her image and the silent accusations reflecting back, and sped across the marbled lobby, wincing as the last of the bruised muscles shot shards of pain up her leg. She headed for the elevator and stabbed at the button that would take her to the Palmera offices. She had some decisions to make.

  In the office, she quickly checked her diary for the day and switched on the computer. About to head to the small kitchenette to start the coffee machine, she came to a halt as a young woman exited the kitchenette carrying two coffees on a silver tray.

  The woman placed the tray on Cassie’s desk. “Can I help you? Are you here to see His Highness? I’m new, so I haven’t had a chance to check his schedule today. However, I believe he had a breakfast meeting first thing.”

  A tiny shiver sprinted the length of Cassie’s spine. He had, though he’d delayed leaving their bed for as long as possible. “New?” she parroted. “I’m Cassie Masters, His Highness’s PA.”

  Realization widened the young woman’s clear green eyes. “Oh, you’re his fiancée.” She drew out the word as her gaze traversed Cassie’s couture suit none too subtly, as if she were summing up the competition and counting the cost of Cassie’s outfit.

  Cassie refused to move from behind her d
esk. “I think there’s some mistake.”

  “No mistake.” Lucas strode into the office and passed the other woman his briefcase.

  A tug of jealousy spiked in Cassie’s chest. That was her job. She used to take his case, his coat, and make his coffee. The interloper deposited his case beside his desk, picked up the tray of coffees and took that to his desk too. “Coffee just as you like it, Your Highness.” She offered him a simpering smile.

  Cassie bristled, fingers curling at her sides. She wanted to slap that smile right off the woman’s face.

  “Stacey from accounts has sent up Mirella to help out,” Lucas said.

  Ice chilled the blood in Cassie’s veins. “You’re replacing me?”

  “I was going to tell you.”

  “When, exactly?” Her gaze flicked to the hovering temp, spying her blatant curiosity.

  Lucas nodded to the woman. “That’s all, Mirella. I’ll call you if I need you.”

  Disappointment colored the young woman’s expression, but she didn’t argue and retreated as directed.

  Lucas didn’t speak until the door to his office closed behind her. “The world thinks you’re my fiancée.”

  “Which is a lie.”

  “I know, and I’m sorry, but because they believe you to be my future wife, you need to learn royal protocol.”

  “I’m not your future anything. This will be over soon. Your father’s civil wedding to Larissa is only three weeks away, and then he’ll sign the papers required for passing his title to you.”

  “I’m sorry. You wanted to resign and this…extra job is merely a delay tactic. Go home, Cassie.”

  She refused to budge. “And do what? And what about…”

  “Your wages?” His mouth thinned. “I wondered when you’d mention money.”

  “Unfortunately, it’s a necessary evil to survive.”

  “Don’t worry, you’ll still be paid your salary.”

  She should have been relieved, but inside, she felt sick. Sad. It had all come down to money—just like her mother’s life.

  Turning away from him, her heart breaking, she opened the door and didn’t bother to close it, or look at Mirella as she walked out of the office. Enveloped by a bone-numbing sadness, she exited the building and took the Metro back to Lucas’s apartment at the palace.