She tensed as he cupped her jaw and tilted her face to him.
‘I didn’t mean to make you cry, angel,’ he said roughly. ‘I’m sorry—I was too fast—too impatient...’
‘No—’ Mina did not want him to take the blame. He had nothing to blame himself for. ‘It’s not your fault—it’s mine. It’s just that I’ve never in my life gone to bed with a complete stranger...’ her voice wobbled ‘...and I’m embarrassed.’
He did not seem to have listened to her, and doubt and remorse darkened his eyes. ‘Angel...I should have—’
She shook her head, desperate to reassure him. ‘You did everything right. It was...perfect.’ She swallowed, thinking of those moments when she had come apart in his arms. Nothing had prepared her for the physical or emotional intensity of her orgasm. She had connected with him on a deeply fundamental level—as if they were each two halves of a whole—and even now she could not forget that feeling. ‘It was beautiful,’ she said huskily.
‘For me too.’ Aksel was surprised to find it was the truth. He leaned forwards and brushed his mouth over hers, felt the soft tremble of her lips and gently pulled her down so her head lay on his chest, and he stroked her hair. She reminded him of a young colt, nervous and unsure, ready to run away at any moment. Certainly she was not like the sophisticated women who occasionally shared his bed. Not at the palace, of course. Royal protocol demanded that only his wife could sleep with him in the prince’s bedchamber. But he owned a private house a few kilometres out of Storvhal’s capital city, Jonja, where he took his lovers, and also a cabin in the mountains where he took no one.
Making love with Mina had been unlike anything he’d ever experienced with other women. But he had known it would be. He’d known when he’d watched Juliet on stage and had been captivated by her sweet innocence mixed with exquisite sensuality that she would fulfil all his fantasies.
‘I’m glad it was as good for you as it was for me,’ he murmured. He rolled over, pinning her beneath him, and smiled when he heard her indrawn breath as he pushed his swelling, hardening shaft between her unresisting thighs. ‘Something so good should be repeated, do you agree, angel?’
* * *
Life, Aksel mused, had a habit of throwing up problems when you least expected them. He rolled onto his side and studied his current problem. Mina’s long auburn hair streamed across the pillows like a river of silk and her dark eyelashes lay on her cheeks in stark contrast to her creamy complexion. The sunlight filtering through the blinds revealed a sprinkling of tiny golden freckles on her nose. She looked curiously innocent and yet incredibly sexy as she moved and the sheet slipped down to expose one milky-pale breast tipped with a rose-pink nipple.
Aksel felt himself harden and he almost gave in to the delicious throb of desire that flooded through him. Only the realisation that if it was light outside then it could not be very early forced him to abandon the idea of drawing Mina into his arms. The clock showed that it was seven a.m. His private jet was scheduled to fly him and the members of the trade delegation back to Storvhal at eight-thirty, and he had a series of meetings booked for the afternoon before he was due to host a dinner party at the palace this evening.
Cursing beneath his breath, he sprang out of bed before he succumbed to the temptation of Mina’s delectable body. Striding into the en-suite bathroom, he acknowledged that he had thrown his personal rule book out of the window when he had spent the night with her at his hotel. She was hardly the first woman he’d had sex with. He was thirty-five and did not live the life of a monk. But he chose his lovers from the tight-knit group of Storvhal’s aristocracy. The women he met socially understood the need for discretion and ensured that details of the prince’s private affairs never came to the attention of the media.
Falling asleep with Mina in his arms in a haze of sated exhaustion had compounded his folly, Aksel thought ruefully as he stood beneath an ice-cold shower. Meeting her had thrown up all kinds of problems, starting with the fact that she did not know who he was. Maybe that was why making love with her had been so amazing. Last night he had been able to forget for a few hours that he was a prince. He had just been a man blown away by his desire for a beautiful young woman who had captivated him since he had seen her in the role of Juliet.
But now the fantasy was over and he must focus on his royal duties. Frowning, Aksel reached for a towel embroidered with the monogram of the hotel. He knew he should feel grateful that he lived a life of great privilege, but he had learned during the twelve years that he had been monarch that personal freedom was the greatest privilege of all, and this morning more than at any other time in his life he was acutely aware that it was a luxury denied to him.
* * *
Mina breathed a sigh of relief as she peeped from beneath her lashes and watched Aksel walk into the bathroom. The sight of his broad back and taut buttocks evoked a melting sensation in the pit of her stomach. It was not only his golden hair and skin that reminded her of a Norse god. Last night he had demonstrated his formidable strength and energy—not to mention inventiveness, she thought, flushing hotly as memories of the various ways he had made love to her crowded her mind.
When she’d woken a few minutes ago and felt his erection nudge her thigh, her pulse had quickened with anticipation. But she’d pretended to be asleep when she had realised that the batteries in her hearing aids had died.
She had no idea how he would react if she revealed that she was partially deaf. They might have enjoyed a night of wild and totally amazing sex, but Aksel was still a stranger she had met in a pub, and in the cold light of day Mina felt a growing sense of shame at her wantonness. Her behaviour had been completely out of character, but Aksel did not know that.
She did not have a clue what the protocol was when you woke up in a man’s hotel bedroom. What was she supposed to say to him? Thanks very much for the best sex I’ve ever had? She bit her lip. Okay, she’d behaved like an idiot and she felt vulnerable and out of her depth. It was imperative that she took control of the situation, and her first priority was to change the batteries in her hearing aids.
Conscious that Aksel might emerge from the bathroom at any moment, Mina did not waste time collecting up her clothes that were scattered across the floor, and instead wrapped a silk sheet from the bed around her before going to look for her handbag. Last night she had been too engrossed in Aksel to take much notice of her surroundings, but now she realised that this must be the hotel’s penthouse suite. The door from the bedroom led into a luxurious sitting room, and beyond that was the dining room.
Her bare feet sank into the thick-pile carpet. She could only guess how much it would cost to stay in the lavish suite, and she wondered exactly what job Aksel did for his government.
In the dining room, the curtains had been opened and the table was set out for breakfast. The aroma of coffee and freshly baked rolls was enticing and Mina realised she was starving. Her handbag was on the chair where she had left it, and luckily the spare batteries she always carried with her were charged. It took a couple of seconds to replace the batteries in her hearing aids. She felt less vulnerable when she could hear again and her urgency to sneak out of Aksel’s suite was replaced with a more acute need to allay her hunger pangs.
She was halfway through eating a roll spread with honey when she sensed that she was no longer alone. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Aksel watching her from the doorway.
‘You look like you’re enjoying that,’ he murmured.
It was ridiculous to feel embarrassed, Mina told herself. But she was conscious that she was naked beneath the sheet and that her nipples—still swollen from Aksel’s ministrations last night—were clearly visible jutting beneath the silk. Colour flared on her cheeks as she remembered how he had kissed every inch of her body and suckled her breasts before he’d moved lower and pushed her legs apart to bestow the most intimate kiss of all.
Her appetite disappeared and she put the roll down on a plate. ‘I hope you don’t mind.
I was hungry.’
‘I’m not surprised,’ he drawled, his eyes glinting. ‘I ordered breakfast for you. After all, it’s my fault you missed dinner last night.’
He couldn’t take all the blame. It wasn’t as if he’d forced her to stay with him, Mina thought guiltily. Her heart thudded as he walked towards her. Last night he had looked like a rock star in his leather jacket, but this morning he was dressed in a superbly tailored grey suit, white silk shirt and an ice-blue tie that matched the colour of his eyes. He was a suave and sophisticated stranger, and Mina clutched the sheet tighter round her. ‘I should get dressed,’ she mumbled.
‘I wish you could stay as you are.’ His voice thickened as he cupped her bare shoulders and pulled her towards him. ‘Making love to you last night was amazing, and I wish the night could have lasted for ever.’
Mina’s heart leapt as he dipped his head and kissed her. She’d had no idea how Aksel would react after their night of passion, and had mentally prepared for him to state that it had been a mistake. The tenderness in his kiss was unexpected and utterly beguiling. She closed her eyes and melted against him, and the world disappeared as she was swept away by his sensual mastery.
It was a long time before he lifted his mouth from hers. ‘You taste of honey,’ he said huskily. With obvious reluctance he dropped his hands from her. ‘My car is waiting to take me to the airport, but of course I’ll take you home first.’
Her heart plummeted as his words catapulted her back to reality. ‘You’re flying back to Storvhal today, aren’t you?’
‘I have to, I’m afraid.’ Aksel glanced at his watch and his jaw clenched. There was no time now to explain to Mina who he was. He could never escape the responsibilities that came with being a ruling monarch, but he was unwilling to accept that he would never see her again. However, inviting her to Storvhal would be fraught with difficulties.
‘What about you? Do you have any plans now that the production of Romeo and Juliet has finished its run at the Globe?’
Perhaps later today she would hear if the play was going to Broadway, but Mina saw no point in mentioning it, or that she had an interview arranged for a position as a drama therapist with a health-care trust. She was by no means certain to get the job, and even if she were to be offered it there was still the problem of telling her father that she wanted to pull out of the play.
She shrugged. ‘I don’t have anything planned for the next couple of weeks. In the acting profession it’s known as resting,’ she said drily.
‘I have to go to Paris at the end of next week. I was thinking about staying on for a couple of days to do some sightseeing.’ Aksel paused and looked deeply into Mina’s eyes. ‘Would you like to meet up and spend the weekend with me?’
He wanted to meet her in Paris—the city of lovers! She strove to sound cool, despite the fact that her heart was racing because he wanted to see her again. ‘That could be fun.’
A flame flickered in his blue eyes. ‘I can guarantee it.’ Unable to resist the lure of her soft mouth, Aksel bent his head, but at that moment his phone rang and he stifled a frustrated sigh when he saw that the call was from his PA. ‘Excuse me, I need to take this,’ he murmured.
Mina hurried back to the master bedroom. The tangled sheets on the bed were an embarrassing reminder of the passionate night she had spent with Aksel, but she felt better for knowing that it hadn’t been a one-night stand. In the en-suite bathroom she bundled her hair into a shower cap and took a quick shower. It would be a mistake to read too much into his invitation to Paris, but the fact that he wanted to spend a weekend with her surely meant that he wanted to get to know her better—and not only in the bedroom.
A lifetime of practice allowed Aksel to greet Mina with an easy smile that disguised his tense mood when she walked back into the room. Her skirt looked even more crumpled after it had spent the night screwed up on the floor, and her long auburn hair fell in silky disarray around her shoulders, but her rather bohemian style was not foremost in his mind as he ushered her into the lift.
‘The car is waiting round the back of the hotel,’ he told her. He wondered what his PA’s terse message meant. ‘A situation has arisen’ could mean anything. He hoped to God the trade deal hadn’t fallen through.
Leading Mina to the rear of the lobby, he opened the door through which they had entered the hotel the previous night. A gust of wind whipped up the steps and lifted the hem of her skirt to reveal her slim thighs and lace stocking tops.
‘Oh...’ She frantically tried to push the lightweight material down. Another gust of wind almost knocked her off her feet and Aksel slid his arm around her waist to clamp her to his side as they walked out of the hotel.
‘Mina—over here!’ a voice called, and a flashbulb flared in the grey street. As Aksel turned his head towards the light the voice called again, ‘Prince Aksel—fantastic! Mina—you’re a star. I asked you to give me a scoop, and this is gonna hit the headlines and make me rich!’
‘What the hell...?’ Cursing, Aksel glanced down at Mina’s white face before shooting a furious glare at the man standing on the opposite pavement, holding a long-lens camera.
‘Sir...’ The chauffeur drew the car up against the kerb and jumped out, but the rear door had already been opened from inside by Aksel’s PA.
‘Quickly, sir...’
Aksel hardly needed to be told. He bundled Mina into the car before sliding in next to her, and the chauffeur slammed the door. As the car pulled away Aksel ran a hand through his hair and glared at the bespectacled young man sitting opposite him. ‘Would you like to tell me what in hell’s name is going on, Ben?’
CHAPTER FOUR
AKSEL’S PA, BENEDICT LINDBURG, grimaced. ‘The paparazzi are swarming at the front of the hotel. I hoped you would be able to leave through the back door without being spotted.’
Glancing over his shoulder, Aksel could still see the florid-faced press photographer focusing his camera on the back of the car. ‘I recognise him,’ he said slowly. He looked at Mina, who was huddled into her jacket. ‘That man came into the pub last night, and you looked at him as though you knew him.’ His eyes narrowed on the twin spots of colour that flared on her white face. ‘You told me he was no one in particular.’
He frowned as a curious, almost hunted expression flitted across Mina’s face. ‘Angel, who was that man? Do you have a problem?’
‘With respect, sir, you have a problem,’ Benedict Lindburg said quietly, handing Aksel a newspaper.
It took him a matter of seconds to skim the front page and he cursed savagely. ‘What are the chances of us keeping this story contained?’ he asked his PA.
‘None,’ was the short reply. ‘The photo of you and Miss Hart entering the hotel through a back door last night has already been picked up by the media in Storvhal and is headline news. The pictures taken a few moments ago will doubtless already be posted on social media sites.’
Aksel’s jaw clenched. ‘Damn the paparazzi to hell.’
‘I don’t understand,’ Mina said shakily. She had been shocked into silence when she had seen the journalist Steve Garratt as she and Aksel had emerged from the hotel, but she was puzzled by Aksel’s reaction. ‘What story? Why does it matter if we were seen going into the hotel last night?’
She recalled her suspicion that Aksel had an important role working for his country’s government. Steve Garratt’s words pushed into her head. The journalist had called out Prince Aksel. She stared at the newspaper photo of her and Aksel entering the hotel with their arms around each other. Above the picture the headline proclaimed The Prince and the Showgirl!
Mina turned stunned eyes on Aksel’s hard-boned profile, trying frantically to recall any information she had read about Storvhal. The country was a principality—rather like Monaco was—an independent state with close connections to Norway, ruled by a monarch.
Realisation hit her like an ice-cold shower. ‘You’re a prince?’ she choked.
‘Prince Aksel t
he Second is head of the Royal House of Thoresen and Supreme Ruler of Storvhal,’ the young man with the glasses said in a clipped tone. His expression behind his lenses was disapproving as he studied Mina’s crumpled clothes.
She flushed, and asked tightly, ‘And you are?’
‘Benedict Lindburg, His Highness’s personal assistant.’
His Highness! Mina bit her lip and stared at Aksel, wondering if she would wake up in a minute. If last night had seemed unreal, the events unfolding this morning were unbelievable. ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’
He gave her an odd, intent look. ‘So you maintain that you did not know my identity when we met in the pub?’
‘Of course I didn’t.’ Her voice faltered as she watched a muscle flicker in his jaw. There was no hint of his sexy, crooked smile on his mouth. His lips were set in a stern line and his face looked as though it had been sculpted from marble. ‘Aksel...’ she said uncertainly.
‘Someone must have tipped off the press last night and told them that we would be entering the hotel through the back door.’
Aksel’s voice was expressionless but inside his head his thoughts ran riot. Nothing made sense. No one had known that he had invited Mina to his hotel—except for Mina herself, his brain pointed out. He tensed as his mind violently rejected the possibility that he had made the most spectacular misjudgement of his life. But a memory slid like a snake into his mind and spewed poison.
‘You sent a text message to someone as the taxi drew up outside the hotel,’ he reminded her.
Mina’s eyes flashed at his accusatory tone. ‘I sent a message to my friend Kat to confirm that I would be at a cast meeting at the theatre this morning. I’ll show you the damn text if you don’t believe me,’ she said hotly. Her eyes met Aksel’s and she felt chilled by the cold speculation in his gaze.
His PA broke the tense silence. ‘Is the meeting to discuss the announcement made in the press this morning that the Joshua Hart Theatre company will be performing Romeo and Juliet on Broadway?’
A Night in the Prince's Bed Page 5
