No, she wouldn’t, but for now he would play along. Let her think that she had the upper hand. It was all a part of the game. “Of course, Your Highness. I apologize for my…inappropriate behavior.”
“Dinner is in the main dining room at seven sharp. Do you remember where that is?”
“I’m sure I can find my way.”
She nodded. “If you have any questions or need anything, there’s a directory beside the phone. The kitchen is open twenty-four hours. You also have a full wet bar.”
“Thank you.”
She nodded, then turned and left, closing the door firmly behind her.
Maybe this wouldn’t be quite as easy as he thought, but he’d always enjoyed a challenge. The harder he worked for something, the more satisfying the payoff when he finally got it.
He was taking a risk, putting his personal and professional relationship with Phillip on the line. The family firm, Rutledge Design, was unrivaled in North America, but they needed this credit to their portfolio if they were going to take the company international. Just as his father had always dreamed of doing but never accomplished himself.
And hadn’t Alex always done what his father expected of him? He’d been dead and buried for three years now and Alex was still trying to please him.
Which in part was to blame for the mother of all divorces that Alex had just endured. An inevitability, he supposed, when a man married for convenience instead of love. To please his family instead of himself. In his entire life he’d met only one woman who had ever understood the pressures of living up to the expectations of others.
That woman was Sophie. When Alex had come to stay at the palace during a college break, he and Sophie had immediately connected. When he was with her, Alex had felt as though he could let down his guard and just be himself.
Little had he known it was just a game to her.
Seeing her again brought it all back—the confusion and humiliation. So what better time than now to get a little revenge? Give her a taste of her own medicine.
Seduce her, make her fall in love with him, then dump her, just as she’d done to him.
Two
Sophie was still trembling as she descended the stairs and headed for the back entrance. What she needed right now was to be alone. She needed time to process what had just happened, and figure out why it had scared her half to death.
But as she was rounding the corner just before the outer door, she ran into Ethan, who was also on his way out.
“Heading home?” he asked, holding the door for her.
She forced a smile. “I have an itinerary to plan.” Since leaving Alex’s suite, she had felt chilled to the bone, and the bright afternoon sunshine and warm breeze felt soothing on her face and arms.
They walked together toward his black, convertible Porsche.
“You realize you’ll never get a car seat in that thing,” she teased.
“Don’t remind me,” he said, pulling his keys from his pants pocket. Although everyone in the family had their own custom Rolls-Royce and driver, Ethan still preferred to drive himself most days. And he rarely used the services of a bodyguard.
They stopped by the driver’s-side door. “Our guest all settled in?” he asked.
“Yes, all settled in.”
“He seems like a nice guy.”
“Yes, very nice.” A little too nice, actually. Far too…friendly. And she didn’t trust him.
Ethan narrowed his eyes at her, looking so much like Phillip that it was almost eerie. “Is something wrong?”
It amazed her that, despite having only learned of each other’s existence last year, he could read her so well. Must have been some sort of paternal bond that linked them despite being only half siblings. And at a time like now, it was incredibly inconvenient.
“I’m fine,” she told him, but could tell he didn’t believe her. She prayed silently that he would drop it. He didn’t of course.
“I know what’s going on here, Sophie.”
She swallowed hard. How could he possibly know about her relationship with Alex? Unless Alex had told him. Which he had no right doing. It was between him and Sophie.
He put a hand on her arm. “I understand how you feel.”
“You do?”
“I felt the same way when I started in the hotel business. I wanted to be the one in control. The one calling the shots. But it was easier for me in the sense that I didn’t have a well-meaning family trying to hold me back.”
He was talking about the business, not her and Alex’s complicated past. She was so relieved she felt faint. Although, if there was anyone in the world she would feel comfortable confiding in, other than her sister-in-law, Hannah, it would be Ethan. But as was her way, she preferred to figure out things on her own.
“You want more responsibility,” Ethan continued. “More than shuttling guests around the island.”
She shrugged. “But that just isn’t the way things are done in this family. I’m a princess and my royal duties must come first.”
He gave her arm an affectionate squeeze. “Although I don’t have a lot of influence with Phillip, I am working on it. But honestly, between the hotel and the baby coming, I barely have a free minute.”
“Is Lizzy feeling better? She has to be close to her fourth month now.”
“She still has terrible morning sickness. She had hoped to keep working until her eighth month. You know how restless she gets when she’s not busy, but she can barely crawl out of bed in the morning. She tries to eat but can’t keep anything down and the doctor is concerned that she’s losing a dangerous amount of weight. I hate to leave her alone all the time while I’m working, so I’m considering moving us into the palace for a while. At least until she’s feeling better. Or gives birth. Whichever comes first I guess.”
“I think that would be a good idea, and I’m sure Phillip will be thrilled. You know how he feels about keeping the family close. Although I have to say I’m a bit surprised. This coming from the man who swore he would never live in the palace?”
He grinned and shrugged. “I guess I never expected to feel at home here. Or to think of Phillip as family. It’s amazing how quickly things change.”
Wasn’t that the truth. Just this morning it had been business as usual, and now it felt as though her entire life had just been turned upside down.
He unlocked his car. “Guess I should go. Can I give you a lift home?”
“No, thanks. It’s such a beautiful day.” And it was only a brisk five-minute walk if she followed the stone path. “Give Lizzy my best. And tell her if she needs help with anything, all she has to do is ask.”
“I will.” He gave her a quick hug and a peck on the cheek, then climbed into his car. Sophie started down the path toward home, watching as he zipped out of the lot and drove away.
It seemed as though lately everyone she knew was settling down and starting a family. People who, like her, swore they would never give up their freedom. Ethan was right, things did change quickly. But for her, certain things, things like wanting a husband and family, would never change. She’d spent her entire life struggling for her freedom, and she wasn’t going to give that up.
Not for anyone.
Referencing files of itineraries she had created in the past few years, Sophie was able to whip up a suitable plan for the next two weeks well before dinner. It was something of a challenge considering the average guest stayed several days. Thankfully, though, several of those afternoons Alex would spend with Phillip doing the usual guy things, like fishing and golfing. But for the remainder of the trip, he was basically all hers.
She was printing off copies for herself, Phillip and the social secretary when her butler knocked on her office door. “Yes, Wilson.”
He bowed his head. “Sorry to interrupt, Miss, but you have a visitor.”
A visitor? She wasn’t expecting anyone today. How would they even get past the guards at the main gate without her consent? “Who?”
“A Mr. Rutledge.”
Just as it had in Phillip’s office earlier that day, her heart took a deep dive downward. Bloody hell, why did it keep doing that? And what was Alex doing here? At her house? He had no right to just barge in on her.
She considered ordering Wilson to tell Alex that she was busy and didn’t have time for guests, but if she refused to see him, he would realize how much his stunt back in the palace had rattled her. And if she had to spend the next two weeks carting him around the island, showing vulnerability was not an option.
She would have to see him.
“Show him to the study. I’ll be down in just a minute.”
Wilson nodded and disappeared into the hall. Sophie took a long, deep breath and rose from her chair. She had no reason to be nervous, but as she crossed the room her legs felt weak and trembly. Get a grip, Sophie.
If she had this reaction every time she saw him, this was going to be a very long and exhausting two weeks.
She stopped in front of the mirror in the upstairs hallway and checked her reflection. She looked as pale as death. She smoothed her hair and pinched a little color back into her cheeks, reminding herself once again that Alex was no longer a man of consequence. That part of her life was over. Now he was merely a business associate.
She descended the stairs slowly, her heart creeping further up her throat with every step. Alex was in the study by the window, gazing out across the pristinely manicured lawn. He seemed lost in thought, a million miles away, and it struck her again how handsome he was. How familiar. And for a moment she gave herself permission to just look at him. And remember.
“Thanks for seeing me,” he said, nearly startling her out of her skin.
Bloody hell! No matter how collected she tried to be, he always managed to throw her off kilter. “I thought you understood that the tour would begin tomorrow.”
“I know, but I wanted to see you.” He turned to her, looking humbled. “So I could apologize.”
Well, this was unexpected. “There’s really no need.”
“Yes, there is. What I did was wrong. I guess…” He shrugged. “I guess I just got caught up in the past. And I assumed, or maybe hoped, that you felt the same way. That you missed me as much as I’ve missed you.”
He looked sincere, but something in his words didn’t ring true. In her world, men did not offer up their feelings like a neatly wrapped gift. So naturally, she couldn’t escape the suspicion that he was saying what he thought she wanted to hear.
Or had thirty years living in the midst of nothing but emotionally vacant men left her jaded?
“And since you obviously don’t feel that way,” he continued. “I just wanted to say that I was sorry, and assure you that it won’t happen again.”
Was that disappointment she just felt? Surely she didn’t want it to happen again.
But the memory of his lips pressed to hers, his hands cupping her face, fingers tangling in her hair, made her scalp tingle and her knees even weaker than they already felt. But that was just physical. Emotionally she had no place for a man like him in her life. Not even temporarily. “Apology accepted.”
“I’m not usually so impulsive. Or reckless. It’s a lousy excuse, but going through this divorce really has me off my game.”
She stepped a little farther into the room. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“If you’re not busy, I was hoping we could take a while to talk, get reacquainted. Because it seems we’re stuck with each other.”
With the itinerary completed, there was really nothing pressing on her schedule, and it was still several hours until dinner. Besides, it might make things a bit less awkward. It wouldn’t kill her to give him the benefit of the doubt and grant him the concession of a simple conversation. If only she could shake the feeling that he had ulterior motives.
For now she would give him what he wanted, but she would tread lightly, and at the first sign of trouble she would put him in his place.
“Would you like a drink?” Sophie asked, and Alex knew she was as good as his. It might take a bit longer than he expected to break down the barriers, but it was only a matter of time now. She looked and acted tough, but he knew what it took to make a woman melt. His ability to accurately read the subtle emotional cues of the opposite sex and respond accordingly was something of a gift. It was the only reason his marriage had lasted as long as it had. Although in retrospect, that hadn’t been one of his brightest moves. He should have left her a long time ago. Or even better, never married her in the first place.
“Mineral water, if you have it,” he said.
“With lime?”
“Please.”
He expected her to call her butler, instead she walked to the bar and poured the drinks herself. A mineral water for him, and a glass of white wine for herself. She carried the glass to him, and when he took it, she gestured to the couch.
“Please, sit.”
She waited until he was seated then took a place on an adjacent chair. She wore a gauzy, cotton dress that accentuated her long, willowy form. She had always struck him as more of an earthy, free spirit than a royal. Back then she had felt stifled and suffocated by her title, yet now she seemed to embrace it.
He wondered if she was still as self-centered and spoiled.
“Nice house,” he said. “I’m surprised you don’t still live in the palace with the rest of the family.”
“I like my privacy.”
“Have you lived here long?”
“I moved in after my mother passed away.”
Which made sense. He couldn’t see her parents allowing her to live in her own place. He remembered her parents to be very strict and controlling. Which was probably part of the thrill of their affair. That element of danger. Had she been discovered sneaking into his suite every night, he’d have been booted out on his ear and most likely banished from the country for life.
She sipped her wine and asked, “How was it that you and my brother reconnected?”
She was asking polite, benign questions. Holding him at arm’s length. But that was fine. He had two weeks to work his way under her skin. For now he would play along.
“We’ve kept in touch occasionally over the years, and he remembered that I was interested in taking my firm international. So when he needed someone to design the fitness center, I was the first one he called. He and Ethan looked at my portfolio and liked what they saw. When Phillip learned of my less-than-amicable divorce, he suggested I take a few weeks off and come visit. And I have to admit, this is the most relaxed I’ve been in months.”
“You own the architectural firm?”
He nodded. “Since my father passed three years ago.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that. How is your mother?”
“Good. She lives in upstate New York now, near my sister.”
“And you’re still based in Manhattan?”
“I got the apartment in the settlement. She got the mansion upstate.” Then he added, “If I sound bitter, it’s because I am.”
She nodded sympathetically. It couldn’t hurt to play the pity card, even though the truth of the matter was, the monstrosity his ex had insisted on buying had never felt like home to him. He spent the majority of his time in the city, commuting upstate on the weekends to see her. However, over the past year he’d been making the trip less and less. At times only once a month.
When he’d learned of her infidelity, he’d been more relieved than angry. Finally he had an out.
That, however, hadn’t stopped her from trying to bleed him dry.
He took a sip of his drink and set it on the table beside him. “So, I take it from your reaction in Phillip’s office that you had no idea I was coming to visit.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“I remember how much you hated being left out of the loop. You used to say that you felt like window dressing.”
“I’m surprised you remember that.”
He leaned forward slightly. “I remember lots o
f things, Princess.”
He could see her working that one through, but before she had the opportunity to reply, her butler appeared in the open doorway. “The King to see you, Miss.”
Alex and Sophie both rose from their seats as Phillip stepped into the room. When Phillip saw him there, he smiled. “There you are, Alex.”
“I’m sorry,” Alex said. “I didn’t realize you were looking for me.”
“Nothing urgent,” Phillip assured him. “I just wanted to be sure that you were all settled in.”
“I am. I have everything I could possibly need.”
“Alex thought it would be a good idea for us to get acquainted,” Sophie said, with no hint of the nature of her and Alex’s true relationship. Or, ex-relationship.
“I’m actually here because I need to have a word with my sister,” Phillip said. “If you’ll excuse us for a moment, Alex.”
“Of course. I should get back to the palace anyway. I have a few phone calls to make before dinner. It was nice talking to you, Sophie.”
“You, too,” she said, with one of those smiles that was a little too indifferent to be genuine. Was that for his benefit or her brother’s?
She turned to her butler. “Please show our guest out.”
“I guess I’ll see you at dinner,” Alex said, nodding to both Sophie and Phillip, then he followed the butler to the door.
Why, he wondered, would Phillip come all the way to her residence instead of just picking up the phone?
He had the distinct feeling he would eventually find out.
Three
Alex’s cell phone rang as he was walking back to the palace. He checked the display and saw that it was his attorney, Jonah Livingston, who also happened to be his best friend. Over the years that had proved to be both a good and a bad thing. There wasn’t much about his life Jonah didn’t know. And he’d been known to give Alex hell when he thought he was acting in a manner contrary to his best interests. Professional and personal. And he was usually right. Like the day of Alex’s wedding, when Jonah implored him to take a step back and think about what he was doing. He tried to convince Alex that marrying someone he didn’t love was far worse than not getting married at all. And eventually Alex’s father would give him his job back and write him back into the will.
Affair with the Princess Page 2
