Lunch was served in the formal section of the palace, and she could barely see him at the head of the table, let alone need to worry about accidentally touching him. It seemed her escort—what a joke—was in great demand, judging by the procession of dignitaries that kept interrupting any attempt on his part to address his food.
There’d been a brief flurry of attention when everyone in the room had looked at her as she had been introduced to his father—a shorter version of Stefano, with bushy white eyebrows and scarily piercing blue eyes—and her composure had taken a beating as the older man had stared right through her.
Stefano had moved her on and then handed her over to Elise again, so she’d felt transformed back into parcel mode, and the island’s hero had disappeared even faster than before. She’d begun to have an inkling as to how busy his life was when he was home and just what might have happened to thoughts of her when he went away.
But that still hadn’t prepared her for lunch.
To say the lunch was formal was an extreme understatement.
She’d half expected a servant to bring in a whole pig, complete with apple in mouth, but they didn’t. Not that they didn’t have the silver serving dishes and a multitude of crystal glasses down pat. And this was lunch. About as intimate as a hotdog at a football game.
The woman beside her constantly complained about how far down the table she was while the tall, good-looking man on her other side quivered with mischief. There was something about him that reminded her of Miko, the charmer of the ship. There was no decision on who she’d rather talk to.
She held out her hand. ‘My name is Kiki Fender. A pleasure to meet you.’
He took her hand in his with studied gallantry. ‘Bongiorno, signorina. Franco Tollini.’ Of course he raised it to his lips instead of shaking it.
His kiss lingered on her fingers. Kiki kept her grin behind her lips but unfortunately for the first time since she’d sat down managed to catch Stefano’s eye. How amusing—for her, at least. The Prince seemed less than happy. She turned back to her companion, who had no intention of letting this opportunity go by.
Franco reluctantly gave back her hand. ‘I am part of the Prince’s team. We transfer the children home to their parents when they are well enough to return.’
‘So do you have a medical background, as well, Franco?’
‘Si. Dr Tollini.’ He shrugged with self-deprecation. ‘I am a specialist in rehabilitation, but since coming here I have been performing some surgery.’
‘Ah. The hospital. You obviously enjoy your work.’
He smiled, and thankfully Kiki could see it wasn’t just in appreciation of her. He did love his work.
‘The children are incredible. And it is my job to take them back to their families after they heal and help them settle.’
She couldn’t help but think of Jerome. ‘What if their parents are not there?’
His dark eyes flashed with fervour. ‘Then they are adopted into families that will take very good care of them. Our mission is not to lose them entirely. We ensure their schoolwork is well catered for, and more often than not they will have better learning when they return, with opportunities for further study provided if they wish.’
Why hadn’t she heard more about this place? ‘It seems a fabulous cause.’
Earnestness shone from Franco’s eyes. ‘Prince Stefano is a great humanitarian and a great surgeon.’
Another fan. She was surrounded by them. ‘I have heard the Prince is also a good teacher.’
‘Spare my blushes, Kiki.’
They both looked up as Stefano sat elegantly down on her other side, like an unhurried lion settling to watch his prey. Goodness knew what he’d done with the person who’d been there a moment ago, Kiki thought, and had a sudden vision of the woman being thrown into a dungeon by Stefano merely because he’d wanted her seat.
‘Hello there, Franco.’
‘Your Highness.’ Strangely, with Stefano now beside her, Franco seemed to shrink and become a little less boldly defined.Again Kiki realised the Stefano she’d thought she’d known was a totally different person when in his own pride. There was that lion analogy again. She could almost see his aura of power, which grew more apparent despite the gentleness of his tone.
Stefano went on conversationally. ‘I’ve just been showing Dr Fender over the hospital.’
Franco looked at her, and then at the Prince. He swallowed. ‘I was just telling...’ he paused nervously ‘...Dr Fender, about our work. She has not had a chance to mention she knows you or that she’s seen the hospital.’
‘How remiss of her.’
Kiki had had enough of this. She turned to Stefano. ‘And how unfortunate that you interrupted our conversation.’
His eyes flared but his voice remained even. ‘My apologies. But the helicopter awaits and we must return—or should we be delayed until tomorrow?’ He let the question hang.
Kiki blinked, decided she needed to be on the ship, and pushed back her chair. One of the waiters nearly broke his leg, trying to get to her to help, but he was still too slow for Stefano. The Prince assisted her sardonically.
The sooner she left here and returned to the real world, the sooner her head could try to sort out the hundreds of different messages she was getting today.
‘Goodbye, Franco. Nice meeting you.’ Deliberately she held out her hand, quite sure Franco wouldn’t kiss it this time, with Stefano watching.
She was right.
Franco also stood. ‘Goodbye, Dr Fender.’ He bowed deeply. ‘Your Highness.’
* * *
‘You were really obnoxious.’
Stefano nodded and smiled as the dignitaries bowed as they departed. He ignored the hiss from Kiki beside him and kept her hand firmly in his. To hell with what the gossips said.
It had been a very unusual day. He supposed he should really try and curb his desire to run through any man who spoke to Kiki, let alone those who actually kissed her hand, but he wasn’t sure it was worth the effort.
He was beginning to understand the pirate tendencies of his ancestors when they’d captured women and dragged them off. His mother would have been horrified. Then he smiled and remembered something she had once said to him about his father’s courtship. Perhaps his mama would not have been so horrified after all.
When they reached the helicopter he waved the pilot into the front with his man and climbed into the back with Kiki.
When she said, ‘I think I’ll sit in the front...’ he laughed out loud and helped her fasten her seat belt.
When he looked again at her face she was shaking her head. The struggle on her face suddenly gave way and she smiled too.
They grinned at each other, and his relief was a warning about how much this woman’s good opinion mattered to him. That and having his arms around her. He’d been fantasising about that all day. Not his usual modus operandi. It would be better if he kept Kiki in his bed—that way she would not mess with his head, just his skin. Even at this brief thought his body stirred.
But his prestige would suffer if others heard the way she spoke to him. He really needed to do something about that, but he wasn’t sure what. He had a feeling that a direct order would give her the excuse to walk away.
She straightened her face and pretended to frown at him. ‘I’m not happy with you.’
He inclined his head and threw caution to the wind rushing by outside the helicopter. ‘And there are things I need to discuss about your behaviour. Perhaps we could examine this over dinner. Privately. Say seven? My suite.’
‘Six-thirty, if you don’t mind. I work tomorrow. And the restaurant will be fine.’
Kiki wondered if she’d gone too far. She’d been very surprised when Stefano had decided against piloting their way back to the ship, and disappointed she wasn�
�t going to have the cooling-off period she needed to recover from his grabbing her hand like that and marching her onto the helicopter.
It had certainly surprised a few people—not least her.
The problem was as soon as he’d touched her she’d been captive, and it had nothing to do with force. She glanced down at her fingers in her lap. She wouldn’t have been surprised if her hand glowed like one of those luminous fish in the deepest depths of the ocean they were flying over right now. It felt irradiated with his touch, still warm from his warmth, and she was still subdued by the leashed power she had felt.
She wriggled her fingers until his hand came in over hers and stilled them. She glanced up and saw the devilish gleam in his eyes grow. He knew. Her face flamed and she pulled her hand away.
Stefano smiled. ‘You may choose the restaurant this time.’ He turned to look out of the window.
* * *
They landed back at the airport without too many of the bumpy updrafts Stefano had mentioned. There were a few minutes’ delay while they waited for the pilot to give them the all-clear to alight, and then their transfer by car back to the wharf beside the ship took no time.
Kiki could feel herself tense as she waited for the vehicle to stop. Suddenly everything was awkward, overwhelming—the gulf between them, the hundreds of different examples of how Stefano’s life and upbringing were so different from hers. She was a fool to think anything could come of falling in love with this man. She should never have agreed to dine with him.
‘Thank you, Your Highness, for an interesting day. Excuse me if I rush off. I must check in with my colleagues.’
He leaned towards her and spoke over the noise of the ship’s loudspeakers. ‘Liar.’
She forgot her recent revelation and glared back at him. ‘Bully.’
His eyebrows rose. ‘Two hours’ time.’
Thankfully someone opened her door to help her out and she could escape.
For the next two hours Kiki felt as if a huge clock was ticking inside her head. Each tick was louder than the previous one as the hands crept closer to six-thirty. With an hour to go she’d tried and discarded a hundred excuses, each lamer than the last, and in desperation taken herself down to the sick bay to see what was going on there. Nothing. The place was locked and empty.
She declined to ride back up in the lift. It was the hour for pre-dinner drinks, and well-dressed men and women would be crowding the lifts for the next few hours, so she trod the stairs, hoping the exercise might burn off some of the nervous energy she seemed over-endowed with.
Nothing for it but to get dressed and get it over with. The problem was she still didn’t know what she wanted.
If she was honest with herself there were many reasons why she would love to go to Aspelicus and work. Not the least that it was time to leave the ship, stretch her brain, learn new skills. But was it time to risk her heart again? And why this week, of all weeks, when her guard was down from a countdown she’d been dreading? Could she keep the distance she knew she’d need when she was feeling so fragile?
CHAPTER EIGHT
WHEN KIKI ARRIVED for dinner, she’d chosen black. The demure effect of her high collar was lost by the keyhole yoke neckline which allowed a glimpse of the swelling valley between her breasts.
Stefano rose smoothly, as did his libido, and one glance at the maître d’ was enough to keep the man away from her chair.
‘You look stunning.’ He leaned over her shoulder as she was seated. Along with the subtle scent of spring flowers he always associated with Kiki the view was even more incredible from this angle.
He returned to his seat and looked across at her with a lightness of spirits he wasn’t used to.
As he glanced down at the menu he wondered how she did it—lifted him from being immersed in business, too involved in matters of state, too focussed on his patients. She made him remember he was truly a man who deserved a life that was not always lived for others. It was this quality that so intrigued him, tantalised his consciousness, because with her he felt unlike he did at any time without her.
They had two days left —not enough to throw caution to the winds, but enough to convince her she needed to join his team. And then he could see if they had a future. Already it was at that stage.
When they had both ordered, and the champagne had been poured, he raised his glass. ‘To an interesting day together.’
She bit back a laugh. Interesting didn’t nearly describe it. ‘Great word-choice.’ He did make her laugh. ‘Salute.’
He leaned forward. ‘So, what did you think of my hospital.’
Kiki felt her shoulders relax a little. He’d started with an easy one. Thank goodness.
She’d spent the last half an hour shoring up her defences. She needed a protective barrier around herself just in case he brought up the fact that she was like soft soap in his hands as soon as he touched her.
The easy stuff first.
‘Your hospital is amazing. I love your work and the miracles you create.’ And I see you love children. But she didn’t say it. Couldn’t say it. She just felt the gaping hole and smoothed it over before it could cloud her mind.
He smiled, and her heart ached while she smiled back. It wasn’t fair. Why had she crossed paths with a man it would be so hard to forget?
He leaned towards her. His intense gaze captured her as easily as if he’d caught her physically, yet her fingers were tucked safely in her lap.
‘And if I offered you a position there? On a surgical term, learning what I could teach you? Would you be interested?’
‘Is that what you are offering?’ Because she knew without a doubt that if she became his mistress again she would lose herself. One day she would regret it.
And she worked hard, believed in the good she could do, and deserved more self-respect than choosing that life for herself.
‘It is a job offer. Yes. I believe so.’
‘Do you?’ She shook her head. ‘If it was a stand-alone package, just that position, it would be hard to refuse.’ These were dangerous waters and she saw the flare of triumph in his eyes. Not so fast, buddy.
She read his fierce intelligence, searching between her words, sifting for weakness, assessing his own strengths.
He took a sip from his glass and set it down. ‘And what did you think of the palace?’
The palace. She thought of his father’s cold eyes. The long formal rooms. Her own feeling of insignificance and his vast importance. Not a comfortable place. ‘Your palace is very beautiful.’ Now to the more difficult part. ‘But I wouldn’t want to live there.’
‘So where would you live?’
‘In the village. A walk across the fields would be a delight after a hard day in the OR. I could practise my Italian, or French, or whatever language it is they speak up there.’
‘Italian.’ He sat back with a smile. ‘So you have at least thought about the position?’
‘And its disadvantages.’ She didn’t delude herself that he would marry her, or even that she wanted to be a princess, watching her husband from the other end of a long, table of dignified guests. But that was far fetched.
He frowned. ‘Disadvantages? I see none.’
The entrées arrived. As they ate she changed the subject. ‘Elise said you operated on her son? Was the defect a difficult one?’
‘Yes. Full thickness and requiring several operations.’
He explained in detail and drew on the table with his finger, outlining the sections that had required repair. Again he made it easy for her to understand why and how.
She would learn so much, the voice inside her insisted.
‘His mother is pleased with his recovery,’ she said.
‘Elise has had a hard life. She would have loved more children. Though with her husband
passed away that will not be possible unless she remarries.’
‘I can’t imagine her leaving her position. She admires you very much.’
‘She has worked for our family since she was a girl. For the last few years she’s been my housekeeper and she expects perfection for me.’
Now, that brought up an interesting topic. ‘She said you must marry before you are forty. Are you feeling the pressure?’ Did she really want to know this? In case he thought she was putting herself forward, she hurriedly added, ‘I’m sure there are dozens of perfect future princesses out there for you.’
‘A few.’
He was watching her and she didn’t know where to look. ‘So what happens if you don’t?’
He shrugged. ‘I forfeit my royal inheritance.’
She frowned. He didn’t seem too perturbed. ‘Might it be hard to live as a subject again?’
He shrugged again. ‘I make my own fortune. I spend it on the hospital. I would have more than enough to live on, and I would still be a prince. I could not leave my country for personal satisfaction.’
Her stomach sank and her appetite drifted away. ‘So you will marry?’
‘Yes.’ He smiled, but there was no humour in his eyes. ‘My father has several women he approves of.’
She knew one his dad wasn’t so keen on. ‘Congratulations.’
‘Are not in order yet.’ He glanced at her plate, seeing the signs that she had eaten all she wanted. ‘Dessert?’
‘No, thank you.’ She folded her napkin and placed it on her side plate.
He lifted the bottle. ‘More wine?’
She shook her head and took another sip of the mineral water she’d changed to before the main course.
‘Good.’ He signalled the waiter. ‘Then if you have eaten enough perhaps we could go somewhere more private to finish this discussion?’
Kiki glanced around. The atmosphere was elegant, non-intrusive and discreet. Above all—safe. ‘I think not. I’m very happy with the company we are in.’
If he was disappointed he didn’t show it. He just waved the waiter away again, as if it was of no matter, then was straight back to the hunt. ‘So, what is it you’d want from me if you took this position?’
The Prince Who Charmed Her Page 9
