“I would never take you without being sure it was what you wanted as well, little one,” he whispered against her lips, wrapping his arms around her and plunging in to take their first kiss since he had left her apartment two weeks before.
Tina locked her knees together to stop herself from leaning into his hard body. She kept her mouth closed until her need for air forced her to part her lips. She stood passively in his arms, fighting to keep from moaning in pleasure at the sweet flavor of his kisses. She clenched her fists at her sides to stop herself from reaching up to cup his cheeks and draw him closer for a deeper exploration of her mouth. She would not give in to his seductions. There was no way for her to know whether or not this version of him was the real deal.
“Kiss me back, Tina,” he whispered hoarsely against her mouth. “Even if it is in anger. I need to feel your passion on my tongue.”
“I can’t, Max.” She wanted to, more than anything, but she couldn’t. It felt like a betrayal of everything she believed in to kiss the man who had lied to her after he knew how she felt about being deceived.
“You can, if I have really made you fall for me,” he told her. “That is what you were going to say, isn’t it?”
“You don't know anything about me,” she returned fiercely. “You don’t know anything about how I feel.”
“I know that the reason you are angry with me has to do with the way you feel about me,” he said, nipping her bottom lip, then soothing it with a slow lick. “I know that you think it can’t be real because it happened too fast, and because I lied to you.” He treated her top lip to the same attention. “I know that you are afraid to give in to these feelings because you don’t think you can trust me.”
“Stop, Max, please,” she begged him finally, unable to bear the onslaught of his desire for her.
“Is that what you really want me to do?”
His eyes held hers and Tina wanted to lie to him. But she couldn’t, not if she wanted to retain her own anger against him for doing that with her. But she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of a response. He wouldn’t do anything she did not indicate clearly that she wanted.
“Very well. I apologize for imposing on you. Please follow me.”
Tina hazarded a glance at him as he turned away, and her heart sank. His bearing was regal, as it always had been, she realized, but the waves of cool disinterest that rolled off him stunned her. Hadn't he only a moment before been hoarse with need for her kisses? The change in him when she rejected his advances was whiplash swift, and she had no doubt that it would be as painful when she was alone with her principles and her anger.
She followed him meekly out of the office and up a wide and imposing staircase to the second floor. Her suite was located at the far end of the corridor, and he remained by the door when she walked by him to enter it. There was no sight of her luggage in what was clearly a sitting room. Max remained by the door, and she was forced to turn to him when he spoke.
“Breakfast will be at eight in the morning. The ceremony begins at eleven in the basilica, and you will be among the honored guests. After it is over, there will be a procession in which you will also participate as my honored guest. The reception follows in the evening. I trust that you have brought two dresses for both sessions tomorrow.”
If his voice were any colder, Tina would have been frozen in place. She didn’t wish to examine why his withdrawal was making her short of breath, or why she felt as though there wasn’t enough air in the room. She inhaled deeply several times, trying to fill her starving lungs, aware that the scream rising inside her would relieve the stress, but also knowing that she could not succumb to the need. She didn’t want to go anywhere with him at the moment, and yet she wanted to see him crowned. Her conflicting emotions confused and angered her. This was his fault as well.
“Yes, Your Highness, I did as you ordered me. Do I need to dress for breakfast?”
She saw him flinch, and wished she could go back to the days when he was just Max, and she was relaxed in his presence.
“You may wear casual clothing for breakfast. A lady’s maid will come to waken you in the morning and help you to prepare for the day. Sleep well, Tina.”
He pivoted sharply, almost like a soldier being relieved from an unwanted duty. Tina felt the sting of his dismissal as sharply as she imagined he felt her rejection of his advances. They were at a standoff…how could she possibly make smiling faces as the Prince’s consort for the evening if she and he were at loggerheads?
“Thank you,” she said softly. “Good night, Max.”
He glanced at her over his shoulder, and hesitated at the door for a heartbeat before opening it and disappearing. She sank onto the sofa next to which she was standing, her head in her hands. Everything was messed up because Max had kind of lied to her and she had probably overreacted. And she could think of no way to fix things between them. She had come for a fairytale event, and now she feared the dark side of the tale, the one where the wicked witch stole her away before she could enjoy the special treat, was the reality she would be living.
Feeling defeated, she explored the rest of the suite, finding the bedroom and bathroom behind two doors on the far side of the sitting room. Her clothes had already been unpacked for her, and a bath had been set, as though someone (probably Max) knew she would wish to relax in its warmth before bed. Stripping quickly, she stepped into the large tub and settled her head against the rolled cushion placed there for that purpose. She switched on the jets and closed her eyes, letting the pulsing water soothe her.
A sharp knock woke her, and she answered hurriedly.
“Are you all right, Tina?”
Max’s voice didn’t sound disinterested now. It was full of concern.
“Yes, yes, I’m fine. Just give me a second.”
Scrambling out of the bath and wrapping herself in the large fluffy bathrobe laid out for her, she opened the door to find him standing there.
“I thought you might like some more tea before bed, so I had Stavros reheat it for you. But I didn’t hear you when I knocked,” he explained.
“I’m fine. I haven’t hit my head, though I did fall asleep in the bathtub.” Which reminded her, “Thank you for thinking of it. I really needed it to unwind.”
“You’re welcome.” He turned away again, and walked toward the sitting room. “I’ve laid the tea out for you on the coffee table. Don’t stay up too late.”
He was going to walk away again without addressing the widening fault lines between them. She knew it was up to her to begin the conversation, because he had decided that he would abide by whatever decision she made.
“Look, Max, I’m sorry. I just wasn’t prepared for this bombshell. You have to understand how that makes me feel.”
He remained silent, looking at her unblinkingly, not asking for anything, not confirming or denying her statement.
“Why didn’t you tell me, Max?”
He turned back to face her, his features carefully neutral, and said, “Because I wanted to just be Max, not Prince Cedric. And I wanted you to see me, not my title or my wealth or social standing.”
“I did, Max. But can’t you see how keeping that secret, even as you were inviting me to watch you being crowned, would hurt me and make me question everything I thought I was learning about you?”
“Yes.”
His clipped response angered her. Why was she the only one seeming to want to mend fences? If he had lost interest because she had denied him access to her, then maybe he wasn't worth letting herself hope.
“I can’t be with you tomorrow and pretend to be enjoying your company if you shut me out, Max. I won’t. If you’re not willing to call a truce, then I’m not willing to be your partner.”
“How do you know that I won’t agree to call a truce only to ensure your attendance and compliance? After all, you have dubbed me a liar, like all the other men with whom you have been comparing me from the very beginning.”
His tone was hard, a
nd Tina had no way of knowing whether or not he was serious or merely testing her.
“You’re right. I can’t know. But a truce by its very nature suggests that there’s still room for negotiation. Surely you as an ambassador of sorts understands that?”
She knew she was treading on dangerous ground by reminding him that he had said he was an ambassador, but she couldn’t think of any other way of getting through to him. She was very angry with him, and disappointed in him, but she realized that he had reason to be cautious with her as well. Because she had been comparing him with every other man she had ever known, and he hadn’t come out the better for it. She knew that her reaction to discovering who he really was suggested that she had been waiting for him to mess up, and was feeling vindicated that she had been right all along. That wasn’t true, but she could see how that might be what he thought.
“Did you set the bath for me?” she asked. She could tell that the question surprised him.
“I asked a lady in waiting to do it for you, yes.”
“Why, Max? And why did you bring me tea? Tell me the whole truth, please. Don’t leave any part of it out this time.”
He seemed determined to channel her this evening, because he didn’t respond, so she took a leaf from his book and answered her own question.
“I think you did it because you wanted to take care of me, even though I’m angry with you. And you wanted to show me, by caring for me, how sorry you are for deceiving me.” She walked over to where he still stood by the door and reached up to cup his cheek. “Thank you, Max. Tea and a bath are a good start to getting back into my good graces. But I won’t sleep well tonight if we go to bed so angry with each other that we can’t even be kind to each other.”
“It was my pleasure.” He raised his hands and covered each of hers for a moment. “You should go to sleep now. Tomorrow will be a long day.”
“Are we okay for now?”
He smiled this time, and her heart softened. “For now. Goodnight, Tina.”
“Goodnight, Max.”
This time when he stepped away, she let him go. The next morning she woke to a room full of sunshine and a young woman approaching her.
“Good morning, Madam. I am Ana, and Prince Cedric has asked me to help you get ready for the day.”
The young woman smiled, and Tina mirrored it, partly in answer to the woman’s own and partly because now that her anger had cooled, she found Max’s name amusing. He had told her that his name was Cedric Maximillian. She now assumed that Maximilian was his middle name. Showering quickly, she let Ana help her with her hair and makeup, and after sliding on her stockings, slipped on a pair of jeans and a button down shirt and followed Ana to the dining room, where Max was just going in, dressed as casually as she was. He stood by the door waiting for her.
“I will be waiting to help you dress for the ceremony when you are finished here, madam,” the maid said, curtsying to Max before walking away.
Tina smiled her thanks and walked over to where he stood.
“Good morning, Max,” she said.
“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, thank you, I did.”
He ushered her into the dining room and Tina was overwhelmed by the scent of good food. Max led her over to the sideboard and invited her to help herself to whatever she wished to eat. She was too excited to feel hungry, but she knew she ought to have something, because she didn't want a rumbling tummy to embarrass her at the quietest moment in the ceremony. While she helped herself, Max poured himself some coffee. It occurred to her, as she took her seat at the table, that Max was having breakfast with her, which meant that he had either not gone home to the palace for the night, or that he had risen early to be with her.
“Did you sleep here last night, Max?” she asked.
“I did. I will leave after breakfast to get ready and will come back to pick you up for the ride to the basilica.”
Emotion threatened to swamp her at what his action meant. She couldn't speak and turned her attention to her meal. Max sat beside her, as silent as she was until the meal ended. Then he rose and pulled her from her chair.
“I know I’m probably still in the dog house with you, but I need this to help me through today. I cannot bear the weight of your anger without it.”
Before she could tell him that she was mostly not angry anymore, he kissed her deeply, not asking permission this time, but taking her mouth and seducing her into giving him her tongue. She shivered at the taste of him, and barely managed not to collapse into him as they stood by the empty plates on the table.
Someone cleared his throat and Tina sprang away from him like a guilty child. She hung her head, hiding her flaming face from whoever was at the door.
“Begging your pardon, Your Highness, but it’s time.”
Peter…Tina supposed it wasn’t so bad that it had been he who had caught them necking like teenagers. But she waited until he had stepped out of the room before she raised her eyes to Max’s face. How he managed to keep his face expressionless while his eyes laughed she would never know, but it made her giggle, which made him burst into amused laughter.
“I’ll see you in an hour,” he said, leaning in to taste her one last time.
Then he was gone, and a footman escorted her back up to her suite where Ana was waiting, as she had said she would be. After brushing her teeth, Tina let Ana re-apply her lipstick and retouch her makeup before she stepped into the three-quarter-sleeved lace sheath dress she had chosen for the morning ceremony. It was a delicate rose gold color, knee-high, with lace overlay, a scalloped hem and diamond back cut.
“You look beautiful, madam,” Ana said quietly, smiling at her. “It is no wonder that Prince Cedric loves you.”
Tina looked over at the woman in surprise, but Ana only smiled and motioned for her to sit so she could help her with the rose gold pumps that matched her dress. Finally, Ana produced a coat that Tina knew she didn’t own, saying,
“His Highness requests that you wear this coat for the morning ceremonies, madam.”
Tina nodded dumbly, and Ana helped her into the luxurious cream-colored cashmere coat which fell to just below her knees. It was warm and soft to the touch, and Tina couldn't resist smoothing her cheek against the collar. This was Max still apologizing for not telling her who he was. As she walked down to the study where she had waited the evening before, she wondered when she should tell him that she had forgiven him. If she waited, it would seem that she was out for all she could get from him before putting him out of his misery. If she didn’t, it might seem that she had caved too soon.
And would he think that it meant she had deeper feelings for him that she was admitting to? Was that why she was hesitating? She didn’t want to send the wrong message. But what was the right message? Ana seemed to think that Max loved her, and she had all but admitted it to him in her angry outburst the night before. But she still had a doubt about how genuine those feelings were. It had only been six weeks that they had known each other, and for most of that time, she had been imagining he was someone he was not. How could her feelings be love, when she had only just discovered who he really was?
She went to stand before the portrait of his parents again, and wondered if they had known without a doubt that what they felt for each other was love. How did you move from not trusting the word of men to believing in one with your whole heart? And even if she could overcome the final hurdle, what would his father say to his falling for a woman of color? She looked down at her dusky complexion. She knew that it was not an impediment for Max, but he was part of something much bigger than himself, and his cultural traditions might prohibit any such liaisons.
Stavros interrupted her thoughts to say that the Prince had arrived. Butterflies suddenly took wing inside her as Tina rose to take the butler’s arm and walk out to the waiting car. It was a classic silver Rolls Royce, and Max sat in the back on the far side, dressed in full military regalia like his father in the portrait. A red car
pet had been rolled down the steps to the car, and Tina bit the inside of her cheek to be sure she wasn’t really dreaming. She ducked into the warm interior while the footman who had escorted her down the stairs stood by the one door, waiting to close her in.
She turned to Max as the car moved off, an entourage of vehicles before and behind it.
“Wow! This is…incredible!”
Max smiled. “Fortunately, this level of pomp and circumstance only happens once in a blue moon. Weddings, funerals…”
“…coronations,” she added, interrupting him.
“Yes, and those. Are you nervous?”
She was tempted to deny it. After all, what was there for her to be nervous about? But she had been the one to make an issue of honesty, so she nodded.
“There’s no need to be. Your entire role this morning will be to appear at my side, and sit demurely in the front of the church while I am invested. You will be far more visible this evening at the reception.”
Seduced by the Prince Page 16
