Her Royal Masquerade (Her Royal Romance)

by Natasha Moore

  Sensations built until they overwhelmed him and his climax hit him with intense force. He thrust over and over into her body, taking the solace she offered him, emptying himself of everything but his desire for her.

  After they crawled into bed together, Mia rested her head on his shoulder. He kissed the top of her head.

  “I’ve always loved to read,” he whispered. “History, non-fiction and fiction, I couldn’t get enough of it. I haven’t read for pleasure in a long time.”

  “I can see you as a reader,” she said thoughtfully. “You have no problem sitting still and concentrating. You study any situation you are in, learn what you need to know. I’m sorry you haven’t found pleasure in your reading recently, but I’m sure your knowledge of history will serve you well when you are king.”

  She crawled on top of him, her naked body covering his. “Thank you for trusting me with a little part of you.”

  Vittorio wrapped his arms around her and held her close. He would trust her with every part of him, he would read every piece of history, but it still would do no good.

  Chapter Ten

  Another week later, Mia still hadn’t heard from Birgitte. She’d settled into a routine at the palace and stopped checking for messages on her phone. The Queen’s Garden was already blooming. Having a team of gardeners at her disposal made such a difference. They carried out her instructions without question, obtaining whatever she needed, digging and planting where she told them to. But she made sure got her share of digging in too.

  Evenings were her time with Vittorio. Long evenings where the appropriate dress she wore for dinner was often stripped off before they finished eating. Longer nights spent in each other’s arms.

  Vittorio looked more rested. He smiled more. Joked more. Laughter became the norm instead of the exception. They shared a quick breakfast every morning now that she made sure he ate something before he started his day. He even stopped by nearly every day to see the children after she began to have lunch with them in the large dining room off the kitchen. The king’s condition seemed to have stabilized. Or at least that’s what his doctors said. Mia stopped by to see him after she had lunch with the children. A couple times she’d wheeled him down to listen to the musician’s practice.

  Today she walked with the king though the Queen’s Garden. She’d directed a new wide, smooth walk to be constructed that would accommodate his wheelchair. As they slowly circled the garden, he told her stories of Vittorio as a boy, and of Queen Concetta who he admitted he still missed, even if, as he explained, he’d never loved her with a passion that would have distracted him from his duties.

  Mia was thinking of the king and queen as she returned to the bedroom to change her clothes before going back out to work in the garden for a few more hours. How had they managed to live together, raise three children together, and never love each other? They had respected each other, King Alberto told her. They had liked each other. Those things were as important as love, he said. But he didn’t meet her gaze as he said it.

  She hung up the lightweight dress she’d worn to visit with the king and grabbed a pair of jeans and a short sleeved T-shirt. It was hard to imagine the snow that would still be falling in Stagatland. She’d quickly grown used to the warm sunshine on her skin and the scent of the ocean in the air.

  She sat on the edge of the chair while she slipped on her shoes. Today they were going to trim the hedges and she wanted to be there to supervise. The ring of her cell phone made her jump. Nerves twisted in her stomach as she crossed the room and picked it up.

  Birgitte.

  Mia almost didn’t answer. Didn’t want to answer. She hadn’t had enough time with Vittorio. Would she have ever had enough time with him? She pushed the button to answer before she could throw the phone down and stamp it to pieces. “Where have you been?” she snapped because something inside her was breaking.

  “Well, hello to you too,” Birgitte said smoothly. “I hear you are in Mezzano.”

  “How could you put me in this position? How could you leave me? Ignore me?”

  “Settle down. I’m heading back right now. My parents have been going on and on about the handsome prince and how he wants to marry me.” The haughty tone suddenly dropped from her cousin’s voice. “They want me to say yes. They want me to settle down and give them grandchildren and learn how to be a ruler.”

  Mia sank to the floor. She thought of Vittorio, of all he was trying to learn now in order to take his father’s place as the ruler of Mezzano. Then she thought of Vittorio, married to Birgitte, having children with her. She swallowed the sudden tears and leaned back against the side of the bed where she and Vittorio had made so much love. “It has to happen sooner or later, don’t you think?”

  “I don’t know,” Birgitte said, the pout clear in her voice. “I don’t think I’m ready to get married yet.”

  Good. But Mia knew putting it off wouldn’t change her situation any. She would never have a future with Vittorio. An ache settled deep in her chest.

  “What do you think of him?” Birgitte asked softly. “The prince? I’ve never met him. How can I think about marrying someone I’ve never even met?”

  It sounded as if she was actually thinking about it. Mia swallowed before she could speak. “He’s handsome. Commanding. He loves his people and will be a good ruler. He has this dry sense of humor and dark eyes that crinkle when he smiles.”

  “Really?”

  Mia realized she’d said too much. She cleared her throat. “So are you coming here to Mezzano?”

  “No. I’m heading home. You can tell him that if you see him. I hear you’re digging in a garden and teaching little kids? You probably don’t get a chance to see those crinkly eyes too often. Do you?” There was a searching question in her cousin’s tone.

  The last thing Mia wanted was for anyone from home to know she had been Vittorio’s mistress. “Just from afar.”

  The long silence on the other end of the phone told her that Birgitte was trying to decide whether to believe her or not. “Well, Mother is already talking about holding a big dinner for him after I get home. I’m sure someone will be contacting him soon.” There was an odd tone in her cousin’s voice,

  “Birgitte? What’s going on? Where have you been?”

  More silence. “With friends,” she finally replied. “You know, this probably happened at just the right time. I’ve been thinking about my life, contemplating my future. Maybe Prince Vittorio looking for me now is serendipity.”

  “Wouldn’t that be nice for you?” Mia had a tough time speaking gracious words through the lump in her throat.

  “Yeah. And listen. My parents think it was me that the prince met at the ball. I told them I took off after the festivities were over. Apparently the prince kept my secret too. Don’t tell them I wasn’t there. Don’t tell them you took my place.”

  Mia stiffened. “I have never betrayed your confidence in all these years. I’m not about to now.”

  “Good. Um…Mia? As long as you keep quiet, I’ll keep your secret as well.” “What secret?”

  Birgitte’s light laughter made Mia shiver. “The prince met you at the ball and brought you to Mezzano a few days later? Our parents may believe that all he really wanted was another teacher. But I know better.”

  “Birgitte…”

  “We both know how our people feel about mistresses. They wouldn’t want a woman like that teaching their children, would they?”

  A chill ran over her body. “I already told you I won’t say anything.” Mia hated the pleading tone to her voice. She doubted her cousin would say anything, but Mia hated to think that there was a chance she wouldn’t be able to teach. If she didn’t have her job when she went back to Stagatland, what would she have?

  “Even if he chooses me over you?” Birgitte asked.

  “He already has,” Mia murmured.

  “That’s all right then. See you later, cousin.”

  Birgitte disconnected and Mia dropped the ph
one to the floor. The ache in her chest grew heavier. She pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them to her. She’d known this day was coming. She’d had more time with Vittorio than she thought she would. More time than she should have had.

  It was time to accept the fact and get on with it.

  She might not have any more time to work in the Queen’s Garden after today. She leapt to her feet and slid her cell into the pocket of her jeans. No sense hiding from the phone any longer, dreading the call she’d known was coming.

  But now that the call from the princess had come, could she put off telling Vittorio for a little while longer?

  The laughter caught Vittorio’s attention. He’d stopped by the kitchen as he’d begun to do at lunchtime in the hopes of spending a few minutes with Mia. But the dining room was empty. He had a little bit of time before the next conference call so he headed outside. That was when he heard the laughter.

  Vittorio rounded the corner of the building and froze. Mia was surrounded by the children in the center of the now blooming garden. She was leading them down the pathway holding hands with the two youngest children. The older ones were laughing and running, following the pathway in and out of the flower beds.

  Memories slammed into him. His mother smiling as he and Stefano had chased each other down those same cobblestones. Playing hide and seek behind the hedgerows with Angelina. Even though it had been years ago now, the memories were as fresh as if it had been yesterday. His mother had never worn jeans like Mia was, but the laughter was the same. Some of his happiest memories were of the times he’d spent in the garden with his mother, brother and sister.

  And when Mia turned and saw Vittorio standing there, her face lit up and his chest swelled with an emotion he didn’t want to name. It would do no good to put a name to it. It could never be spoken.

  He realized he was still frozen in place and forced his legs to start moving. But instead of heading toward the garden, toward Mia and the children clutching her hands, he nodded at her and turned back to the palace. Back to his responsibilities.

  During these last few weeks with Mia, it had been easy to forget about his duty to Mezzano, to the people who depended on him. Thoughts of the willful beauty distracted him, just as his father had predicted they would. Mia occupied more of his thoughts than they should have. He was going to be king. He couldn’t get his thoughts and emotions tangled up with a woman who could never be his queen.

  But as soon as he walked into his rooms that evening, her scent wound around him and he wanted nothing more than Mia. Her slender arms around him. Her sweet voice soothing him. His life had become so much more complicated since his father’s illness. But with Mia here with him, he seemed to have found a balance in his life. These few hours out of time, away from the burden of duty, made the hours weighed down by responsibilities that much easier to bear.

  But all that would change now.

  He shrugged out of his suit jacket, wishing he had never taken that last phone call.

  “Mia?”

  “In here.”

  Her voice came from the bedroom. He strode across the sitting room. His hunger for her made the room seem suddenly way too wide. She stepped out of the bathroom as he entered the bedroom. He nearly swallowed his tongue.

  Mia was naked except for the string of diamonds he’d given her sparkling around her neck and settling between her breasts. He never tired of the sight of her slender body and pale skin, of her pert breasts, rosy nipples and tight curls that hid the treasures between her legs. His body reacted as it always did. He was hard for her in an instant. His palms itched. His mouth watered. His heart swelled.

  “Finally,” she whispered.

  Then she was in his arms, her mouth drinking greedily from his. He thought he could taste a touch of desperation in her kiss. Her hands were busy unbuttoning his shirt, tearing the tails from his trousers. He helped her drag the shirt off his shoulders and down his arms. Then she dropped to her knees in front of him and made quick work of his trousers. Vittorio stepped out of them, then got rid of the socks and shoes.

  His arousal was hard and ready for her. He plunged his hands into her hair as she laved him with her tongue. He hissed as she took him deep into her mouth. Mia ran her hands up and down his legs as she let him ride her tongue, plunging deep into the wet heat.

  It was too good. He didn’t want to come. Not yet. He released his grip on her head and stepped back, even though his body demanded release. He wasn’t going to rush this. Not this time. He grasped her by the shoulders and helped her to her feet. They were both breathing heavily.

  Her eyes were wide and tender as her gaze swept over him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed up against him. “I hope you don’t mind,” she said. “I told the kitchen to hold dinner until we called for it.”

  “I’m not hungry. Except for you.” Vittorio swept her up in his arms and carried her over to the bed. “I want to spend the rest of the evening right here with you.”

  “Excellent idea, Your Highness.”

  Her body was warm and soft beneath his. He pressed her into the mattress as he had done every night since he’d brought her here, but he doubted he would have ever gotten used to the incredible sensation of her body against his. She fit him perfectly. He wanted her. He needed her. How had he let it get this far?

  Her hands came up to cup his face. “Don’t think about it,” she whispered as if she could read his mind. “Not tonight.”

  “Yes. You are right.” He brushed his lips over hers, so softly. “Tonight is for the two of us only. There is no Mezzano. No Stagatland. No thoughts of tomorrow. Just you. And me.”

  Vittorio dropped tender kisses along her collarbone. He nuzzled her neck, inhaled her scent. He would always remember it. Then he slid lower, his body dragging over hers, sending his arousal spinning even higher. As he traveled along her body, he memorized every inch, every curve, every dip.

  He drank from the nectar between her legs, knowing he would never forget her taste. When he drove her over the edge, he embraced the way she cried out his name, knowing he would always remember the way his name sounded coming from her lips.

  Her eyes glittered as she silently watched him cover himself with the condom and slide into her welcoming body. How could this feel as if he was coming home? They didn’t belong together. Could never be together. Why did it have to feel so right?

  Vittorio kissed her gently as he moved in her. “Cara,” he crooned. “Cara mia.” She whimpered and draped her arms around his shoulders, wrapped her legs around his hips. She held him as if she never wanted to let him go. He knew he held her in the same way.

  After he’d emptied himself, after he gave Mia everything he had, he gathered her into his arms. The sun had set but the moon was full and the room was shadowed from the moonlight.

  Mia’s head rested on his shoulder. She stroked his chest with her hand.

  He sighed and kissed her forehead. “Birgitte has returned.”

  “I know.”

  “We must leave for Stagatland in the morning.” She nodded. “I know, Vittorio. I know.”

  Chapter Eleven

  The next morning, the tension in the room was a living, writhing pressure bearing down on them both. Mia’s stomach was so twisted up there was no room for the breakfast that had been set out for them. She stood on the balcony, looking out at the now-colorful garden and tears prickled her eyes as she realized that after all the time she’d spent there, all the care she’d given it, she’d never see it again.

  Mia refused to let a single tear fall. This day had been looming in the back of her mind since the moment she agreed to stay here with Vittorio. The shoe had dropped. The sword had fallen. If her heart was broken, she had no one to blame but herself. It was time to go back to Stagatland and get on with the rest of her life.

  Two servants walked by, rolling large trunks into the bedroom. Mia followed them into the dressing room, then shouted for them to stop when she saw them taking th
e clothing Vittorio had given her out of the closet and beginning to pack them in the trunks.

  “What are you doing?” she cried,

  The women froze and looked at her, startled. “Packing your things, Miss Holmberg,” one of them said.

  “Oh, no. Those are not mine.” She may have once toyed with the idea of keeping all the things Vittorio had bought for her, but she knew she never could.

  “Of course, they are.” Vittorio stepped out of the bathroom. His white shirt hung open over crisp black trousers. He nodded at the women who were standing there waiting for his cue. They went back to their task, filling the trunks.

  Vittorio took Mia’s arm and led her out to the sitting room. “I bought those things for you. I want you to have them.”

  “But if I come back home with all this finery, everyone will know.” It wouldn’t matter if Birgitte kept her mouth closed.

  “Know what?” he asked.

  “Everyone at home thinks I came here to help teach the palace children and rejuvenate the garden. They don’t know you brought me here to be your mistress.”

  “Mia…”

  “I can’t bring them home. They are lovely. Thank you. But I can’t take them back with me.” Mia couldn’t help the desperation that crept into her voice. “I can’t take them.”

  “All right. All right. Calm down.” She knew he didn’t understand. She didn’t want him worrying about her after she returned to her homeland. He smoothed her hair back away from her face. “What would you have me do with them?”

  “I don’t care. Give them away. Donate them to charity.” She narrowed her eyes. “Just don’t give them to your new bride.”

  “Never.” He gathered her close. “Stay.”

  She leaned back to look him in the eye. “What?”

  He placed a brief, wet kiss on her lips. Her heart raced. “I don’t want you to go. Stay. You can keep your clothes. I will buy you a beautiful house with a garden for you to dig in to your heart’s content.”