Harlequin Romance September 2013 Bundle: Bound by a BabyIn the Line of DutyPatchwork Family in the OutbackStranded with the Tycoon

by Kate Hardy

  ‘What does it mean?’ Luce asked, staring at the front of the menu, where the restaurant name curled across the card. ‘“La Cuillère d’Argent”,’ she read slowly.

  ‘The Silver Spoon,’ Ben translated, tapping a finger against the picture under the words—an ornate piece of silverware not unlike the ones on the table for their use.

  ‘I like it,’ Luce announced, smiling at him over the menu.

  Ben’s shoulders dropped as a tension he hadn’t realised he was feeling left him. That was wrong. She was the one who was supposed to be relaxing. He was always relaxed. That was who he was.

  ‘Good,’ he said, a little unnerved, and motioned a waiter over to order a carafe of white wine to start. He rather thought he might need it tonight.

  They made polite conversation about the menu options, and the freshly baked bread with olive tapenade the waiter brought them, before Luce asked, ‘So, if you’re just visiting, where is home these days?’

  Ben shrugged. Home wasn’t exactly something he associated with his stark and minimalist penthouse suite. And since he hadn’t been to the cottage in Wales for over a year, and the château in France for far longer, he was pretty sure they didn’t count.

  ‘I’m based out of London, but mostly I’m on the road. Wherever there’s a Hampton & Sons hotel I’ve got a bed for the night, so I do okay.’

  Across the table Luce’s eyes widened with what Ben recognised as pity. ‘That must be hard. Not having anywhere to call home.’

  Must it? ‘I’m used to it, I guess. Even growing up, I lived in the hotels.’ A different one every time he came home from boarding school, after his mother left. ‘I’ve got a penthouse suite in one of the London hotels to crash in, if I want. Fully serviced and maintained.’

  ‘Thus neatly getting out of one of the joys of home ownership,’ Luce said wryly.

  Ben remembered the ‘House Repairs’ entry on her ‘To Do’ list.

  ‘Your house takes some upkeep, then?’

  ‘It’s falling apart,’ Luce said, her voice blunt, and reached for her wine. ‘But it was my grandfather’s house, and I grew up there. I could never sell it even if I found someone willing to take it on.’

  ‘Still, sounds like a lot of work on top of all your other commitments.’ Was this something else she was doing for her family? For the sake of others? ‘Are you sure you wouldn’t be happier in a cosy little flat near the university?’

  He was mostly joking, so the force of her reply surprised him. ‘Never.’

  ‘Okay.’

  Dropping her eyes to the table, Luce shook her head a little before smiling up at him. ‘Sorry. It’s just...I worry about it a lot. But one day I’ll finish fixing the place up and it’ll be the perfect family home. It’s just getting there that’s proving trying.’

  Ben shrugged. ‘I guess I don’t really get it. I mean, I own properties and such. I’ve even renovated one of them. But they’re just bricks and mortar to me. If I had to sell them, or if getting rid of them gave me another opportunity—well, it wouldn’t worry me.’

  ‘You don’t get attached, huh?’ She gave him a lopsided smile. ‘Probably a good choice if you’re always moving around.’

  ‘Exactly. Don’t get tied down. It’s one of my rules for life.’

  ‘Yeah? What are the others?’

  Ben couldn’t tell if she was honestly interested or mocking him. ‘Most importantly: enjoy life. And avoid responsibility, of course.’

  ‘Of course,’ she echoed with a smile, reaching for the bread basket. ‘You never were big on that.’

  There was an awkward silence while Ben imagined Luce rerunning every stupid moment he’d had at university in her head. Time to change the subject.

  ‘So, you’re in Chester for some conference thing?’ he asked.

  Luce nodded, swallowing the bread she was chewing. ‘“Bringing History to the Future”.’ Ben smiled at the sarcasm in her voice.

  ‘You’re not a fan?’

  ‘It’s not that,’ Luce replied with a shrug. ‘It’s just...there’s so much important preservation and research to be done, and finding a way to make the importance of our history fit into a series of thirty-minute television programmes with accompanying books does tend to interfere a bit.’

  ‘But if it’s not important to the bulk of the populace...?’

  ‘Then we lose funding and the chance to study important sites and documents. I know, I know...’

  From the way she waved her hands in a dismissive manner Ben gathered this wasn’t the first time she’d heard the argument. ‘You have this debate a lot?’

  Luce gave him a lopsided smile. ‘Mostly with myself. I understand the need, but sometimes I’d rather be holed up in a secluded library somewhere, doing real research, real work, not worrying about who was going to read and dissect it without understanding the background.’

  ‘This is your book?’ Ben tore himself another piece of bread and smeared it with tapenade, but kept his gaze on her.

  Luce pulled a face. ‘My book is somewhere between the two. “Popular history for armchair historians,” my editor calls it. Or it will be if I ever finish it.’

  ‘What’s it about?’

  ‘An obscure Welsh princess who became the mistress of Henry I, and whose rape caused the end of the truce between the Normans and the Welsh.’ The words sounded rote, as if she’d been telling people the same line for a long time without making any progress.

  Ben scoured his vague memory of ‘A’ Level history, but they hadn’t covered much Welsh history in his very English boarding schools. ‘You’re still based in Wales, then?’ he asked.

  Luce nodded. ‘Cardiff. But not just for the history. It’s where I grew up. Where my family lives. It’s home. And when Grandad left me the house I knew it was where I was meant to stay.’

  ‘That’s nice,’ Ben said absently, thinking again of the overgrown château that was his heritage from his maternal grandmother. He should probably check in on it some time soon.

  The waiter brought their meals, and the conversation moved on to discussing the dishes in front of them.

  ‘So,’ he said, when they’d both agreed their food was delicious, and Luce had stolen a bite of his rabbit with mustard sauce, ‘tell me more about this Welsh princess of yours.’

  Her eyebrows jumped up in surprise. ‘You’re interested?’

  ‘I have a cottage in Wales,’ he explained. ‘Down in the Brecons. It’s where I’m headed tomorrow, actually. A good story might get me in the right mood for my rural retreat.’

  ‘What do you want to know?’

  Ben shrugged. ‘Everything.’

  The surprised look stayed, but Luce obliged all the same.

  ‘Um...Princess Nest. She was the daughter of the King of Deheubarth, in South West Wales, and she gave Henry I a son before he married her off to his steward in Wales.’

  ‘Nice of him,’ Ben murmured.

  ‘How things worked then. Anyway, the reason she’s remembered, really, is her abduction.’

  ‘She was kidnapped?’ Letting his fork drop to his plate, Ben started paying real attention. Against the odds, this was actually interesting.

  Luce nodded. ‘Owain ap Cadwgan, the head of the Welsh resistance, fell in love with her. He and his men stole into Cilgerran Castle and took her.’

  Ben blinked. ‘What happened next?’

  ‘A lot of things.’ Luce smiled. ‘A whole book’s worth, in fact. Some people say she fell in love with Owain, too. But really, if you want to know the whole story, you’ll have to read my book.’

  ‘I will,’ Ben promised. If she ever finished writing it, of course.

  * * *

  Okay, she had to give Ben Hampton this much—he was a better judge of restaurants than she’d expected. An
d a better conversationalist than she remembered. He’d actually sounded interested when she’d talked about Princess Nest and her book, which was more than anyone in her family had ever managed. Of course he was only doing it to get her into bed—she wasn’t stupid, and he’d all but told her as much—but she had no qualms at all about turning him down at the bedroom door. She couldn’t imagine for a moment that someone with the charm and self-confidence of Ben Hampton would have any trouble shaking off that kind of rejection.

  She, on the other hand, had absolutely no desire to be the one being ushered out of the bedroom before breakfast the next morning, when he’d got what he wanted and lost interest in her.

  The waiter cleared away their dessert plates and deposited the coffees they’d ordered in front of them, along with two oversized liqueur glasses with a small amount of thick amber liquid pooled at the base.

  ‘Calvados,’ Ben explained, lifting his glass to his lips. ‘Apple brandy. It’s a traditional Normandy digestif.’

  Luce followed suit. The brandy taste she remembered from occasional late nights with her grandfather during university holidays was deepened by the hint of fruit. ‘It’s good.’

  Ben shrugged. ‘I like it.’

  While she was drinking it he paid the bill. She realised too late to insist on paying her half. ‘Let me give you something for my—’

  ‘Absolutely not.’

  Ben clamped a hand down over hers as she reached for her purse, and she felt the thrill of a shiver running up her wrist to her shoulder. It must be the brandy, she decided, affecting her judgement. Because, however attractive Ben Hampton was, and however intense his focus on her and her conversation made her feel, she was not going to sleep with him tonight.

  She couldn’t help but wonder, though, how all that concentration on the moment would feel if he was focusing it on her body. Her pleasure.

  Luce shook her head. Too much Calvados. Some fresh air would sort that out.

  Ben slipped her coat over her shoulders, and that same frisson ran through her as he stood close behind her. Luce wondered whether her room in the suite had a lock on its door. For keeping him out or her in, she wasn’t entirely sure.

  The cold night air bit into the exposed skin of her face and hands. Luce glanced at her watch: nearly midnight. She needed to get some sleep if she was going to make that lecture for Dennis in the morning. She huddled into her coat and felt Ben’s arm settle on her shoulders, holding her close against him again.

  ‘So, feeling any more relaxed?’ he asked.

  ‘Lots,’ Luce answered honestly. ‘But that might just be the alcohol.’

  ‘True.’

  They walked a few more steps, and Luce almost thought he might drop the subject.

  Then he asked, ‘So, what do you think might relax you a little more?’

  Truly great sex, Luce thought, but didn’t say. The sort that made you forget your own name, just for a little while. The sort that let you sleep so deeply you woke refreshed and energised, however much of the night you’d spent exploring each other’s bodies.

  Not that she’d ever actually had sex like that herself, of course. But Dolly was adamant that it existed.

  ‘Um...handing in my book draft on time?’ she said finally, when she realised he was still waiting for an answer.

  ‘And how do you plan to do that when your “To Do” list is full of stuff you need to do for other people?’

  It was a question she’d asked herself often enough, but hearing it in Ben’s relaxed, carefree voice made her bristle. ‘What do you care? If you’re so against helping others, why do you care if I get my book in or not?’

  Ben shrugged. ‘Well, I’ve listened to Nest’s life story this evening. I’m invested now. I told you—I want to read the damn thing when you finish it.’

  ‘Oh.’ Luce tried to hide her astonishment.

  ‘Besides, I didn’t say I was against helping others. I’m here in Chester because I’m doing a favour for my brother.’

  Apparently he wasn’t going to stop surprising her any time soon.

  ‘What favour?’

  ‘The person who was supposed to be checking out the hotel this week got sick, so I offered to swing by on my way to a week off.’

  Ben smiled down at her, and Luce felt it in her cold bones.

  ‘So, you see, it’s not helping out others I object to.’

  ‘Then what is it?’ Luce asked, remembering that she was supposed to be annoyed.

  ‘I object to you giving up your whole life to serve others. I think you need to put your own wants and needs first for a while.’

  It sounded so reasonable when he said it. So tempting. But then Luce remembered the pages of ‘To Do’ lists filling her stolen organiser. ‘And how, exactly, do you suggest I do that?’

  ‘Well, actually,’ Ben said, grinning, ‘I do have one idea.’

  They were nearly back at the hotel now. Luce stopped walking and raised her eyebrows. ‘Are you really trying to tell me that sleeping with you would solve all my problems?’

  Ben chuckled. ‘No. But it would be a good start.’

  Luce closed her eyes and laughed. ‘You are incorrigible.’

  ‘Come on,’ he said, tugging her forward again. ‘Let’s get inside.’

  CHAPTER FIVE

  THE SUITE WAS almost too hot after the bite of the December night air. Ben stripped off his coat and jacket, rolling up his shirtsleeves as he made his way across to the bar area. ‘What can I get you? More brandy?’

  ‘Um...peppermint tea?’ Luce asked.

  He couldn’t help but smile at her. ‘Is that to help you resist my charms?’ he asked.

  ‘To help me get up for this lecture in the morning.’

  Luce sprawled into the chair he’d been sitting in earlier, and Ben admired the way her slim calves stretched out in front of her. She’d kicked her shoes off the moment they’d got into the room, and she pointed her toes as she flexed her feet.

  There was absolutely no reason at all for that to be sexy. And yet...

  Flicking on the kettle, he said, ‘I wanted to talk to you about that, actually.’ If she wasn’t going to let him help her relax the way he knew best, maybe he could at least draw her attention to some of the unnecessary things that were stressing her out.

  Luce raised her eyebrows at him and waited for him to continue.

  ‘What is it, exactly, that you’ll get out of attending this lecture for a colleague?’

  ‘It’s a favour,’ Luce said. ‘I’m not expecting to get anything out of it.’

  ‘So this guy won’t do the same for you at a later date? It’s not somehow tangentially related to your own research and might prove helpful one day? The university won’t look fondly on your actions and bear it in mind in the future when it comes to promotions and such?’ He was watching carefully, so he saw her squirm a little in her seat. Had she never considered how little she got back from all she gave out?

  ‘Well, no. Not really.’ She shifted again, looking down at her hands. ‘Dennis doesn’t like leaving the university much, and I can’t imagine he’ll let on to anyone at the university that I went for him in the first place. Plus the topic’s pretty dull.’

  The kettle boiled and Ben poured hot water onto a tea bag in one of the fine china mugs. Then he poured himself a large brandy while it brewed. ‘In that case, I can only assume that this man is important to you in some way. Are you dating?’

  ‘No!’

  The answer was so quick and so vehement that Ben suspected he wasn’t the first person to suspect it. But maybe it wouldn’t bother her so much if it wasn’t him asking. He could hope, anyway.

  ‘Then why are you doing it?’

  ‘Because he asked,’ Luce said, sounding miserable.

  �
�And you can’t say no?’

  Her glare was scathing. ‘I said no to you, didn’t I?’

  Ben took her the tea before he replied. ‘You told me you wouldn’t stay here tonight, and now you are.’

  ‘I told you I wouldn’t sleep with you. I’m holding firm on that one.’

  He chuckled, and saw her frown grow deeper. Had she always been this much fun to tease? How had he not noticed? ‘We’ll see. Anyway, the point is you do all these things for other people and you get nothing back. You need to think about what you want for yourself.’

  Luce sighed into her cup of tea. ‘I know.’

  She sounded defeated, which wasn’t quite what Ben had been going for. She hadn’t stopped fighting him since they met in the lobby. He kind of liked that about her.

  ‘But there’s just never any time. If I don’t take care of things for Tom, or Dolly, or Mum, it’ll just cause a bigger mess further along the line that I’ll have to clear up.’

  ‘Tom and Dolly—your brother and sister?’ He didn’t remember her even talking about her family at university. Not that they’d ever really had any long, meaningful talks about their lives, of course. But he was starting to wish they had. Maybe then Luce would make more sense to him.

  Luce nodded. ‘They...they’re not very good at getting by on their own. Neither is Mum. It was different when Grandad was still alive. But now...’

  ‘They all rely on you.’ Ben slouched down in his chair, stretching his foot out to nudge against hers. ‘Sounds to me like you need someone you can rely on for a change.’

  Her head jerked up in surprise. ‘You cannot possibly be suggesting that person is you.’

  ‘Good God, no!’ Ben shuddered at the very thought. ‘Good for one night only. I have a rule.’

  ‘Of course you do. Every girl’s dream.’

  Ben gave her a wry smile. ‘You’d be surprised.’ There were always enough women looking for exactly that.

  ‘So, what are you suggesting?’ Luce asked.

  The hint of desperation in her voice, the pleading in her eyes, told him she was really hoping he had an answer. She was in so deep she didn’t even know how to get out.