To her consternation he placed a hand on her forehead. His touch fueled the fire burning inside her. “You don’t feel hot, but I’ve still half a mind to send for the doctor.”
She fought to stifle a moan. “Please don’t. I feel better just lying down. I think I’ll try that tea after all.” To prove she wasn’t in critical condition, she reached for the hot liquid.
In the process she forgot she was wearing a nightgown whose shoulder strap had fallen down her other arm, revealing enough to his gaze that he probably thought she was being provocative. A deep blush swept over her as she quickly tried to cover herself and hold her drink at the same time.
He grabbed it before too much spilled, but not without his fingers coming into breathtaking contact with her flesh. It was a brief moment out of time that should never have happened.
“Would you like to try it again?”
She knew he meant the tea but, coming on the heels of that sizzling physical encounter, she couldn’t think, let alone function. “I’ll drink it later.”
The tension between them was painful in its intensity.
“Your illness must have come on suddenly,” he said in a husky tone. “Philippe told me you seemed fine at the sporting goods store.”
“I-I thought I was all right too. But I know I can’t go climbing tomorrow. Please-follow through with your plans and don’t mind me. In the morning I’ll phone for a taxi to take me to the station.”
A long silence ensued. The enigmatic look on his burnished features prevented her from knowing what he was thinking.
“If that’s your wish, then I’ll ask Greta to keep an eye out on you. If you need anything, just dial 0 on the phone by the bed and she’ll answer. I’ll have your promise on that.”
She averted her eyes. “You have it.”
“Don’t worry about your gear. Greta’s husband will take it back to the store in the morning.”
“Thank you. You’ve been especially kind to me. So have your friends. Tell Philippe I appreciated him picking me up and running me around.”
“I’ll pass your words along.”
Her heart was hammering so hard she was afraid he could hear it. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out for you and Sophie this weekend, but there will be plenty of others,” her voice trailed. “She’s a very fortunate woman. I-it’s been a privilege to meet you, Your Highness. Take care on the mountain.”
“Sleep well,” was all he said before he left the room.
Lee fell back against the pillow in the kind of physical and emotional pain only the man you loved could take away.
After spending half the night replaying the day’s events in her head until she thought she’d go mad, she sat up and drank the cold tea. She finished off with the crackers and wished she had more.
It was four in the morning, the in-between time that seemed to pass so slowly. Now that she had a plan, she was desperate to put it into action.
Too keyed up to sleep, she dressed in a pair of denims and a dusky blue knit top with long sleeves and a crew neck. All that was left to do was make the bed and pack her bag.
In a few minutes, while she was fastening the lock, she heard the sound of the cars starting up behind the chalet. She left what she was doing and ran over to the window. Pretty soon she saw headlights as Raoul and his friends made their way down the hillside.
They needed to leave this early to get up on the mountain before anyone else. Without her along, no doubt they’d climb the North Face, the most challenging of the approaches. The four men were seasoned veterans. During her conversation with them she’d learned that Roger was a guide who lived in Zermatt year round.
Though she knew Raoul could take care of himself, there was a part of her that feared for him. The Matterhorn had claimed its share. Even in beautiful weather it was treacherously cold with gale force winds at the top. One misstep and a climber could fall thousands of feet, even experts like the Prince and his friends.
Shuddering at the mere thought, she left her vigil at the window and turned on the bedroom light. She needed her purse so she could get out her cellphone to call for a taxi.
When that was done, she wrote a note of explanation to Greta in French and left it on the table next to the empty mug. “I guess I’m ready,” she murmured to herself, looking around the bathroom and bedroom to see if she’d left anything.
It was time to put all thoughts of Raoul away. When she left this chalet she’d be closing the book on that particular fairy tale forever.
After turning out the light, she moved down the hall as quietly as she could so she wouldn’t wake Greta or her husband. Lee would wait for the taxi out in back.
The air was cold, but not freezing. Once the sun came up it would warm everything and illuminate this little portion of heaven on earth. Maybe it was just as well she couldn’t see the village right now. Better to drive away in the dark and forget such a place existed.
She had to forget such a man existed.
Five minutes went by before she caught the sound of a motor. Pretty soon she saw headlights. When the taxi rolled into the parking area, she hurried toward it, anxious to get away before the staff were alerted.
“Merci bien,” she called out to the driver, who opened her door from the inside and put down the seat so she could stash her suitcase. “To the station, please.”
“Oui, Mademoiselle.”
Lee climbed inside and shut the door. She started to thank him for coming at this hour, but a gasp escaped when she discovered who sat behind the wheel.
She’d feared Raoul hadn’t believed her when she’d come back from town pleading illness. Even so, she never dreamed he would forego the climb with his friends to catch her stealing away in the darkness. He wouldn’t have gone to these lengths if he didn’t want answers.
CHAPTER FIVE
R AOUL started up the car and headed out of the parking area. “I’m glad to see you’re feeling better.”
She fought for a steady breath. “I guess all I needed was some sleep.”
“It appears to have done wonders for you. I wish I had been so lucky,” his voice grated.
Lee kneaded her hands, waiting for him to say something else, but he kept her in misery during the drive down to the village.
“Y-you’ve passed the train station.”
“It’s too early for the train. We’re going someplace where we can be warm and completely alone.”
This was the very thing she’d tried so hard to avoid.
“Look, Raoul-I don’t blame you for being disappointed, even angry because Sophie couldn’t make it.”
He flashed her an oblique glance. “If you knew me better, you’d realize anger doesn’t begin to cover what I’m feeling.”
Leaving her to digest the ramifications of that remark, he drove to the other end of the village and pulled around the side of an apartment building.
“This is Roger’s condo. There’s no cook or caretaker here.”
She bowed her head. He’d really meant it when he said they were going to be alone.
After pulling out her suitcase, he helped her from the car. Cupping her elbow, they climbed a flight of stairs. Raoul put the key in the lock and opened the door for her.
If she could be grateful for one thing, it was that it was still dark out. There were no paparazzi around to take pictures of them. She could imagine tomorrow’s headlines labeling the blond mystery woman Prince Raoul’s latest lover. It would help Sophie’s case with her parents, but Lee couldn’t imagine a worse punishment.
Roger had left a lamp on. His place contained the same rustic feel as the chalet. However the dozens of pictures, some including Raoul, had turned it into a home.
Over at the entertainment center she noticed a pile of video cassettes on top of Roger’s VCR. The label on the top one caught her attention.
“You climbed Everest this year!”
“In the spring,” came the deep voice behind her.
“Th-that’s incredible. I�
�d like to see it.”
“Perhaps after breakfast.”
Not wanting Raoul to get anywhere near her, she moved out of the way and took off her jacket, laying it over a chair. There was an odd gleam in his eyes as he studied her actions.
Frightened that he could read her mind, she blurted, “You obviously brought me here for a reason. Please-” She swallowed hard. “Tell me what it is you want to know.”
“I think we’ll save that until we’ve eaten. The kitchen is beyond the archway. After you.”
Lee didn’t need to be urged. She was famished and Raoul knew it. Besides, the way she was feeling right now, the kitchen was a much safer place for the two of them.
As it turned out, the small dining nook provided enough space for two people. He told her to sit down at the drop table and he’d serve her.
It was her turn to watch him navigate the room. He pulled things out of cupboards and the refrigerator as if he were at home, evidence of a long-term friendship with Roger.
Seeing him like this, you’d never know he came from a titled European family that had specific expectations passed down from father to son. The life of Prince Raoul was one of privilege. That made him forbidden to a woman from the American West whose impoverished ancestors had come to the New World in order to survive.
Lee looked away, suffocated by this kind of proximity to a man who was off limits to her for more reasons than his engagement to Sophie.
Before long he’d treated them both to a feast of warm brioches, ham, hard-boiled eggs, fresh fruit, yogurt-literally anything she wanted. Despite the heavy tension in the room, food had never tasted so good. She ate everything.
His eyes glittered over the rim of his coffee cup as he watched her munch on a banana for dessert. No doubt about it. He was fattening her up for something that could put her friendship with Sophie in grave jeopardy.
Lee struggled to find interest in anything other than him. But it was impossible not to take the occasional glance. In a navy turtleneck, his coloring and rugged features made a devastating impact on her senses. If her heart would just behave long enough to let her see this through and get on the train, away from him…
“Another roll?”
She shook her head. “I couldn’t. Thank you anyway.”
“Then I suggest we go in the other room.” After wiping his mouth with a napkin, he got to his feet and came around to help her.
“Sh-shouldn’t we put things away first?” she stammered as she started to get up from the chair. The action inadvertently brought her cheek against his. When she jerked away from the contact, she lost her balance.
His quick reflexes saved her from falling, but in the process his strong arms went around her, bringing their faces within centimeters of each other. She never heard the answer to her question.
Suddenly their mouths and bodies were gravitating toward each other, seeming to possess a will all their own.
“Raoul-” She moaned his name, helpless to stop her response as he coaxed her lips apart and then began kissing her with a shocking hunger that matched her own. Long, drugging kisses that couldn’t possibly be viewed as tentative or accidental.
Deep inside she’d been wanting this, and could no more call back her desire than she could stop breathing.
“Lee…I’ve needed to taste you like this since the first moment I saw you,” he confessed on a groan before before reclaiming her lips.
Lost in sensual ecstasy, she gave herself up to Raoul, never wanting him to stop. As time passed, their kisses grew more passionate. Her craving for him was becoming insatiable.
Forgetting where it could lead, she clung to him, wanting fulfillment from this man more than she’d ever wanted anything in her life.
It wasn’t until she felt her back against the kitchen wall that she remembered this was Sophie’s betrothed who was kissing her into oblivion.
In eight weeks her best friend would be the woman who had the right to get tangled in his arms, delirious with longing.
In panic, Lee wrenched her mouth from his. “We can’t do this!”
“We already are.” His breath sounded ragged. “It’s the reason you’re here with me. Don’t be afraid to admit it.” He covered her face with kisses before burying his lips in her silvery-gold curls.
“I admit Sophie sent me here on a mission,” she whispered in anguish. “If you’ll let me go, I’ll swear I’ll tell you everything.”
He eased away from her. The moment she was free, she ran out of the kitchen. He followed at a slower pace.
Now they stood in the living room facing each other like adversaries. Those incredible eyes had narrowed until she couldn’t see the blue. He lounged against the built-in bookcase. It didn’t seem possible that a minute ago they’d been so enthralled with each other they’d forgotten the world for a little while.
“Any time now you can begin telling me about this mission of yours.”
It was maddening to her that he could sound so in control when she was a writhing mass of emotions.
She realized that what she was about to do would sever her relationship with Sophie for good. But she’d reached the point of no return. So had Raoul.
“The Princess doesn’t want to marry you,” Lee confessed in a quiet voice. She didn’t dare tell him about Luciano. Sophie would have to do that herself when the time came.
He stared at her for an endless moment, yet his enigmatic expression gave away nothing of his thoughts.
“Why couldn’t she have told me that herself instead of deputizing you to speak for her?”
Lee needed support and found the nearest chair. Her heart had started to run away with her and wouldn’t slow down.
“She sent me to Zermatt for the express purpose of getting you to come on to me.”
At those words Raoul moved closer. “For what end?”
“S-so I could report back to her parents that not only were you unfaithful during your engagement, you didn’t care if the woman in question was Sophie’s best friend. She counted on my testimony to carry weight with her parents so they’d call off the wedding.”
Lines darkened his striking features. “It appears your loyalty to the Princess knows no bounds.”
“This time it went too far. I’m deeply ashamed.”
“You shouldn’t be,” he mused ironically. “Sophie knew exactly what she was doing when she sent you. I congratulate you on a very convincing performance. Incredible to think that what went on in the kitchen was playacting from start to finish.”
Nervousness caused Lee to clasp and unclasp her hands. “I admit I got carried away in there. You’re the first man I’ve been with s-since my fiancé was killed three years ago.” She averted her eyes. “It felt good to be in a man’s arms again. Obviously I’m more vulnerable than I realized.”
Please God, let that be the truth. Otherwise I’m in over my head.
“Not so vulnerable that you didn’t stop us in time,” he said in a thick-toned voice. “I’m afraid if it had been left up to me we’d have graduated to the bedroom and wouldn’t have surfaced until Roger demanded entrance.”
Flame scorched her cheeks. He shouldn’t have said that. It had started up a familiar ache that would never go away now.
“Raoul-” She tossed her head back to look at him. “Whether you believe me or not, I would never have gone to Sophie’s parents to tell them anything.”
His penetrating eyes searched her features, as if looking for something elusive. “Then why bother with any of it?”
“Because I didn’t know I would back out of this impossible charade until…after,” came her lame explanation.
Something flickered in the depths of his eyes. “After what?” he persisted.
Don’t ask me anymore.
She took a deep breath. “After you opened the car door and discovered that Philippe had brought me from the station instead of Sophie. I knew then it wasn’t going to work.”
“I must confess you came as a surprise.”<
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“Yes, well, the whole idea was ludicrous. Sophie should never have asked me to do it, and I should have had the courage to tell her no.”
“Why didn’t you?” he asked in a husky tone.
With adrenaline surging through her body, Lee couldn’t remain seated. What she had to tell him was hard to talk about, but it was probably the only way he would understand her bond with Sophie.
“My father was a colonel in the Army. When I turned seventeen, he was assigned to the Middle East. Mother and I left Jackson to join him. Unfortunately there were no good schools for me there, so they investigated other avenues. Someone recommended Beau Lac and the arrangements were made. Sophie and I hit it off from the first day and grew close, like sisters.”
She paused to catch her breath. “Three years ago Mom and Dad were living in the Middle East. I’d just been to visit them and my fiancé, who was also in the military. He happened to be my dad’s driver. Sophie had come to Beau Lac to welcome me back. We were in the salon when a military man arrived to inform me that my parents and fiancé had been killed in a terrorist raid.”
“Mon Dieu-”
She looked up at Raoul, fighting more tears. “There are no words to describe how I felt.”
He folded his arms across his chest. “I can’t imagine the horror of it.”
“If Sophie hadn’t been there for me, in all the ways of a true friend, I’m not sure what I would have done. Between her and her parents they saved my life, and have been like family to me ever since. The thing is, Sophie can be wilful, but when it comes to her betrothal to you I can understand why she has rebelled against marrying a man her parents picked out for her from birth, even if he is a prince.
“I-it’s nothing personal,” Lee hastened to assure him in a tremulous voice. “She doesn’t know you. And you must admit that over the years you’ve shown absolutely no interest in her either. But of course maybe you were-are interested in her. If that’s the case, she has no idea!” Lee hastened to add.
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