Harlequin Presents--June 2021--Box Set 1 of 2

by Dani Collins

  She smiled. “No, it isn’t. So, what do the gossips say about the deep affection I hold for you?”

  He stilled, his hands on his unbuttoned shirt, his head swiveling so their gazes caught. “You hold me in deep affection?”

  “Yes.” It wasn’t as if Nikolai didn’t already know she had had feelings for him for a long time. She wasn’t using the L word, might never use it, but he had to know her feelings ran deeply. “Didn’t your aides point out my behavior?”

  After all, she’d texted him just as often, answering any communication from him immediately, regardless what else she might be doing.

  “No. They did not remark on it.”

  And it clicked. “They’re worried about you.”

  “I believe so, yes.” He went back to removing his clothes, his body shifting so he was turned more away from her than toward her.

  “They know Queen Tiana influenced your decisions.” And that must lacerate pride as deeply rooted as the King’s.

  He jerked his head in acknowledgment and then looked away, pushing his slacks down his thighs.

  Refusing to be sidetracked by the sexy vision before her, Nataliya reached out and laid her hand on his arm. “You know I won’t ever do that.”

  “I do.” But he still wasn’t looking at her.

  “They don’t.”

  “No.”

  “That is their problem,” she pronounced.

  He jerked back around to face her. “No, it is also my problem.”

  “No, it is not. You know I won’t try to manipulate you. That’s all that matters. Eventually, they will see that I’m not like her, but it is not on you to convince them.”

  “They have a right to be worried.” And he hated admitting that.

  That much was obvious.

  “Sure,” she acknowledged. “Just as my mom is going to worry about how you treat me until she sees for herself you aren’t going to change into a monster.”

  His brows furrowed, offense coming over his features. “I promised you.”

  “You don’t think my father ever promised never to hit her again, never to hurt me again?”

  “I am not him.” This time his tone left no doubt he was offended. Deeply.

  “No, you are nothing like him,” Nataliya agreed. “You are everything I could have ever hoped for in a husband.”

  “Unlike my brother.”

  “Even if your brother was as wonderful as you are, he has the singular disadvantage of not being you. It wasn’t fair of me to sign that contract when I knew I cared for you.”

  “You were a child.”

  “I was legally an adult and the feelings I had for you were very adult.” Nataliya no longer felt guilty for those feelings.

  She knew the difference between having feelings and acting on them. She never had because he had been married and then she had been promised to his brother.

  But now? She could do as she liked.

  “You are my wife. You get to act on those adult feelings,” he said, as if reading her mind.

  The kiss they shared was incendiary and the lovemaking after had an emotional quality Nataliya couldn’t define. And really? She was too tired and sated to even try.

  She just snuggled into her husband’s muscular body feeling safe and held in very deep affection.

  * * *

  A couple of weeks later, Nataliya was in the study in their suite, looking for some research she needed for a meeting she was supposed to attend with the labor council.

  She had some ideas for employment-driven voluntary expatriate living she hoped they would be willing to listen to, but she was prepared for skepticism. Because so far, that was all she’d met with when she attended meetings in her official capacity as The Princess of Mirrus and a member of Nikolai’s cabinet.

  She’d been shocked when he’d given her an official title and list of duties that showed he regarded her as equal to his brothers and father. Even so, his cabinet ministers, business associates and other politicos treated her ideas with indulgence rather than attention.

  Her mother reminded Nataliya that she had to build relationships before she would get the trust and sometimes even the respect Nataliya knew she would need to do her job as The Princess of Mirrus effectively.

  It had not gone unnoticed that Nikolai made no indication he would be bestowing the title of Queen on her as he had his first wife.

  Some took that to mean he had married Nataliya for mainly breeding purposes. She found such assumptions offensive. Yes, she would be giving birth to the heir to the throne, but that didn’t make her a brood mare.

  She didn’t need to be Queen to hold an opinion or have a brain and use it.

  Not that her job as The Princess of Mirrus was something she’d ever aspired to, but she would do it to the best of her abilities. It was how she was made. How her mother had raised her to be.

  Nataliya could admit to herself, if no one else, that she enjoyed her couple of hours each day on the computer working in the elite tech department of Mirrus Global more than all the luncheons and meetings where she was treated like a nominal figure.

  But she couldn’t make changes if she didn’t stay the course. And she’d noticed some changes that needed to be made.

  For instance, as forward thinking as she considered Nikolai, she had done some deep digging and discovered a discrepancy in pay to female and male staff in senior positions both in the Mirrus Global and the palace staffs. She planned to address those with him in their meeting the following day.

  She grabbed her papers and knocked a folder to the floor. Nataliya picked it up and recognized the logo for Yurkovich-Tanner.

  Feeling no compunction about reading it, she flipped the folder open and started thumbing through the pages. It was a joint business proposal for the high-tech divisions of Mirrus Global and Yurkovich-Tanner, written by her cousin Demyan. So, it had been created with serious intention.

  Demyan didn’t put his name on anything he didn’t believe in fully.

  She would ask her husband what he thought of the proposal at their meeting the next day, as well.

  * * *

  Nikolai’s administrative assistant showed Nataliya and her own personal assistant into the King’s spacious office.

  Nikolai stood on her entrance and indicated a set of sofas and chairs on the far side of the office. “Let’s sit over here.”

  The dark paneling and nineteenth-century-style furniture gave off a decidedly royal vibe, but the hints at high-level technology were there to see if you recognized them.

  Now that she was The Princess of Mirrus, Nataliya had an entire staff and her own set of offices, but all meetings with her husband were held in his.

  Protocol.

  It would be daunting if she hadn’t been prepared for the changes coming into her life. At least that’s what she told herself.

  Nikolai took a seat kitty-corner to her, but far enough away to maintain professional distance. Again...protocol.

  Someone came in with a coffee tray, but Nataliya didn’t need more caffeine, so she ignored it. So did Nikolai.

  He pulled out his tablet, looked down for a minute and then back up at her. “I’ve looked over the report you sent over. I agree we need to hire an equity auditor.”

  That had been easier than she expected, but she didn’t make the mistake of saying so in front of their staff. She’d thought they’d have to take the report to the appropriate HR people. It was good to be King.

  She smiled. “Thank you. Would you like me to take care of that, or did you have someone else in mind?”

  “My staff will contact the firms you suggest in the addendum to your report.”

  She nodded. “That’s wonderful.” She was careful to monitor her enthusiasm, but Nataliya was thrilled and tried to let him know with her eyes.

  H
is own eyes crinkled at the corners in a smile that did not reach his mouth. “We cannot allow such wage inequalities to continue.”

  “I agree.”

  They talked over some other things and he asked her opinion on taking Mirrus Global into a certain technology area. Offering her opinion also gave the opportunity to segue into asking what he was going to do about the combined venture proposal she had seen the day before.

  “How did you know about that?” he asked, sounding wary.

  She tilted her head, studying him and wondering where the wariness was coming from. “You left the prospectus on the desk in our study.”

  “I see.” Rather than looking upset she had read it as she might have expected from his cautious reaction, tension leached from Nikolai’s stance and expression. “And you thought, what?”

  “On the face of it, it seems to be a win-win for both Mirrus Global and Yurkovich-Tanner, not to mention the two countries.”

  “Provided you trust Yurkovich-Tanner in their dealings with some of our most proprietary software.”

  “Well, yes.” She frowned. “Don’t you?”

  “I make it a policy never to trust anyone outside my inner circle that completely.”

  That was not surprising. She’d be a lot more shocked if he was any other way. “That is understandable, but if you look at their track record, Demyan’s office has never been responsible for a data leak.” She smiled. “And he is your family now.”

  “Family are not always trustworthy,” Nikolai said repressively.

  Like Nataliya needed that reminder. “I am aware.”

  He nodded. “Good.”

  Not thrilled by his apparent lack of sensitivity where her dealings with her father were concerned, Nataliya nevertheless was ready to tackle the subject. “You said you had an update on the situation with the Count.”

  Nikolai jolted, like he was surprised by something. But she could not imagine what. Surely he expected her to ask?

  After speaking with her mother, Nataliya had decided to press criminal charges against her father as well as filing a civil lawsuit against him.

  “The first update is that he is no longer a count. While he has maintained his citizenship in Volyarus, he is no longer recognized as a member of its nobility and his exile has been formally extended to lifetime status.”

  “My uncle did all that?”

  “You are calling him uncle again.”

  After a quick look at the staff and the security in the room, Nataliya nodded. “I have realized that life, not to mention our personal motivations, is complicated.”

  Nikolai inclined his head.

  But Nataliya wasn’t going to get any more private with her thoughts in front of an audience. “Is that all?”

  “No. Danilo has been arrested and charged with attempted blackmail. He will be tried in Washington State. Both Mirrus and Volyarus have levied charges against him for crimes against the monarchy.”

  Chills ran down Nataliya’s spine. “You insisted on that, didn’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Thank you.” Her father would not be allowed to hurt her mother again and that was the most important thing to Nataliya. “I’m surprised my uncle went along.”

  “I am not. He had more to lose refusing than to risk by doing what he should have so many years ago.”

  “Do you think the civil suit is still necessary?” she asked, thinking pretty strict measures had already been taken.

  But Nikolai nodded. “The charges against him do not carry a life sentence. Although he will never be allowed on either Mirrusian or Volyarussian soil again unless he wants to face a trial for those charges, he could still do you and your mother damage from America.”

  “And you think a civil suit will prevent that?”

  “Winning a civil suit against him will go a long way in preventing him filing charges against either of you.”

  “For what?”

  “You need to ask? Danilo will manufacture whatever tale he needs to in order to pursue his own ends.”

  Nataliya frowned and nodded. It was nothing less than the truth. “You’re right.”

  Nikolai smiled a politician’s smile, not a lover’s and asked, “Did you want to discuss anything else?”

  “No, but I would like to make sure we have time to walk in the garden tonight.”

  He looked startled.

  “I miss you,” she admitted baldly.

  Also, she liked him texting her throughout the day and calling her when he had the chance. She didn’t want that to stop because his staff thought she was less invested than he was in their time together.

  “I will make sure my schedule permits.”

  * * *

  Though she was tired, their walk in the garden was everything Nataliya needed it to be.

  Nikolai held her hand and reverted to the more openly affectionate man she found so hard to resist.

  Not that she needed to resist him.

  He might not trust her cousin implicitly, but Nataliya trusted Nikolai. She loved him. So much.

  Her unusual exhaustion was explained later when she realized she’d started her monthly.

  Her first couple of days always left her nearly comatose with tiredness. She took vitamins to combat the symptoms, but the supplements only helped so much.

  She was practically falling asleep as she slid into bed late that evening. There had been another State dinner and they’d come up to their suite later than they usually did.

  He reached for her and she snuggled into his body, but when he started to touch her intimately, she stayed his hand with her own. “Not tonight.”

  His reaction was electric. He sat up and the light went on. “So, this is it? This is how you react to me telling you no about something that benefits your family?”

  “What are you talking about?” she asked, even his uncharacteristic response unable to wash the tiredness from her brain. “I just want to sleep.”

  “Last night, you did not want to sleep.”

  “Last night I wasn’t having my period,” she informed him with more honesty than finesse.

  “You’re having your monthly?” he asked, like the idea was a foreign concept.

  “Yes. Sorry, no royal babies just yet.”

  He waved his hand like that wasn’t important when in fact it was incredibly important. Especially to everyone else. Even her mom wanted to know if Nataliya was pregnant yet.

  She’d only been married three weeks!

  “I thought...”

  “What did you think?” she asked, not sure she even wanted an answer.

  “That you were angry I said no to Demyan’s proposal.”

  “Did you say no to it?” She didn’t remember Nikolai saying that.

  “Well, not yet, but my plans are to turn it down.”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay?”

  “Only I’m really tired. Can you hold me and let me sleep?” she spelled out for him.

  He settled back down beside her, pulling her upper body onto his chest, his arms wrapped securely around her.

  She went boneless against him, making a soft sound of approval.

  “You don’t care about the joint venture?” he asked into the darkened bedroom, something strange in his tone.

  “Not enough to talk about it now. Can we talk in the morning?”

  He kissed the top of her head. “Yes.”

  * * *

  Nataliya woke with a sense that something wasn’t right.

  Nikolai’s arms were still around her, though they were spooning now. Which was definitely right. It was the light coming in through the windows.

  “What time is it?” She tried to move his arm so she could get up. “We overslept!”

  How was that possible? Nikolai never overslept and f
rankly, neither did she.

  His hold on her tightened. She wasn’t going anywhere. “Do not stress yourself. I arranged for our morning meetings to be moved.”

  “How?” Both their schedules were set in stone as far as the staff was concerned. “When?”

  “How? I called my administrative assistant and had her call your personal assistant and social secretary. When? Last night after you fell asleep. I don’t think a foghorn would have woken you, much less my voice talking on the phone.”

  “I was pretty tired.” She felt a lot better that morning, her supplements and the extra sleep having done wonders. “It’s always like that the first couple of days of my period. I’m sorry.”

  He grunted. It was not a kingly sound. At all.

  But it carried a wealth of masculine meaning. “You have nothing to apologize for.”

  “But you do?” she asked as she turned in the band of his arms to face him.

  His gorgeous cheekbones were scored with color. “I do.”

  “What?”

  “I doubted you.”

  “What did you doubt?” She did her best to remember the night before and tried to figure out what he was talking about. He’d been weird all right, but she’d been too tired to worry on it then.

  “Last night when you turned me down, I thought you were withholding sex to get your way.” He looked and sounded as embarrassed as a king could be.

  Good. He should be.

  Withhold sex? From him? Chance would be a fine thing!

  “My way about what?” she asked in confusion.

  “The business venture with your cousin.”

  “I have a way about that?” she asked, still not sure she got where the disconnect was coming from.

  “I thought you wanted me to say yes and were making sure I did so.”

  Nataliya sat up, giving him a look so he would loosen his arms. “We talked about that. I promised I would never do it. You said you believed me.”

  “I did believe you. I do believe you.”

  “Then what was last night about?” The things he’d said made a lot more sense now.

  “It was about bad memories.”

  Nataliya got that. She really did. “I am not her.”

  It was his turn to sit up. They faced each other in the big bed. “No, you are not. You could hurt me so much more than Tiana ever did.”