She turned away. “Please, Alex. Don’t.”
A strong breeze whipped through the gardens, chilling her to the bone. She rubbed her arms, realized how late it was getting. The sun had dipped below the trees and the outdoor lights had switched on. “It’s getting dark. We should get back inside.”
He shook his head, looking so…disappointed. But he let it drop.
She started in the direction of the door, but Alex just stood there. “Aren’t you coming?”
“I’d like to walk for a little while longer. I’ll find my way back inside.”
She nodded. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“What time does the tour begin?”
“Why don’t we meet in the foyer at nine? Dress casually.”
“Fine. I’ll see you then.”
Alex watched Sophie walk away, until she was swallowed up into the night, then he turned and walked in the opposite direction down the path.
Just when he thought he couldn’t resent her more, she proved him wrong. He didn’t buy her sob story about breaking it off for him. Sophie did things with only one person in mind. Herself.
Which made his recent plan all the more satisfying. Things were going exactly as he’d intended, and though he wasn’t one to gloat, he had to admit he’d given an Oscar-worthy performance. Although it hadn’t all been an act.
What he’d told her was true. He hadn’t spent time with his family in ages—not since before the divorce. His mother and sister had been disappointed that he hadn’t been willing to try to work things out with his wife. God only knows what Cynthia, his ex, had told them. And even if they knew about her affair, it might not have made a difference. Like most women, they stuck together.
That was one thing he’d liked about Sophie. she’d been autonomous. She claimed that most women were intimidated by her title, and those who weren’t usually had some sort of agenda.
But these days he had issues with the entire female gender. And he supposed that Sophie was simply a convenient target.
She was playing right into his hand, making this almost too easy, and tomorrow the real fun would begin. And he knew without a doubt now that she deserved everything he could dish out.
Four
Alex was waiting in the foyer for her the following morning at nine sharp, just as they had agreed, and Sophie felt caught in a tug-of-war between anticipation and disappointment. So much for her silent prayer that he would be called away on business or some pressing personal matter in the wee hours of the night. It looked as though, for today at least, she was stuck with him.
But heavens, he was one attractive-looking inconvenience. He wore casual, charcoal gray slacks and a black, silk button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled to the elbows. The top two buttons were unfastened at the neck and she could see just a hint of his chest. Was it still smooth and well-defined? Would his skin still feel warm and solid under her palms?
She mentally shook away the thought. She didn’t want to know.
“Did you sleep well?” she asked, just to be polite.
“Best sleep I’ve had in months,” he said, and he did in fact look well-rested and chipper. She on the other hand had slept fitfully, and hopefully didn’t look half as groggy and out of sorts as she felt.
“I seem to recall the last night I spent in that bed, I barely slept at all,” he said, and that twinkle was back in his eye. “Of course, I had company.”
She recalled that, as well. In painfully crisp detail. The way he touched her, the feel of his hands on her. And when they had slept, their naked bodies lay closely entwined. Arms and legs tangled in a lover’s embrace. The memory made her head feel light and her skin tingle.
Is that the way it would be? Two weeks of him turning everything she said into a sexual innuendo? Well, she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of a reaction.
She fixed a bored look on her face. “It was so long ago, I guess I’d forgotten.”
He just grinned, as though he could see right through her facade.
“Are you ready to go?” she asked.
The weight of his gaze burned into her skin like a hot flame. “I was born ready, Princess.”
Bugger. Did he have to keep doing that? Toying with her? At this rate, it was going to be an exhausting and tedious day.
She led him through the palace to the back entrance, where the car waited. Her bodyguard held the door while they got in, then slipped into the front seat with the driver.
“What’s on the schedule for today?” Alex asked as the car pulled down the driveway.
“First a tour of the Royal Inn. Some parts of the hotel are still under construction, but the majority of the renovations have already been completed. We’ll have lunch in the hotel restaurant, then continue on to a tour of the area surrounding the hotel. Then we’re back at the palace for dinner.”
“And tomorrow?”
“A tour of the natural history museum and the science center, then if there’s time, a drive up the coast.”
“I don’t suppose you scheduled any time to just kick back and relax in the next fourteen days.”
“You and Phillip tee off at 7:00 a.m. Wednesday morning, and Thursday, Phillip plans to take you to the hunting cabin on the other side of the island for target practice. Saturday, you’ll spend the day with Phillip and Hannah on the yacht.”
“And my nights?” he asked, a spark of something warm and feral gleaming in his eyes.
Oh, please. Could he be any less subtle?
She spared him a polite smile. “Oh, I’m sure you’ll figure out a way to amuse yourself.”
Rather than be insulted, he laughed. “Phillip mentioned something about a black-tie charity event.”
“That would be Friday night.”
“You’ll be there, too?”
“Of course.”
“Then plan to save a dance for me.”
She nodded politely, thinking, when hell froze over.
He leaned back and folded one leg over the other. “So, Princess, what is it that you normally do?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, if you weren’t here with me, where would you be?”
She shrugged. “This is what I do. I’m a goodwill ambassador.”
“So, you cart people around the island?”
“Among other things. I also attend and host charity functions, plan any parties or dinners. Basically, any and all public relations.”
He nodded slowly. “Sounds…exciting.”
She didn’t miss the less-than-subtle sarcasm. Who was he to pass judgment on her? He was making it very difficult for her to be diplomatic. And she couldn’t help but suspect that was exactly his intention.
And she refused to give him the satisfaction. “You disapprove?” she asked. Casually, as though it didn’t matter either way.
“I guess I just imagined you doing something…bigger. Ten years ago, you had vast aspirations.”
Normally she would be the first to admit her duties left much to be desired, but to Alex she found herself defending her position. Her composure slipping. “What I do is both important and necessary. And it’s not nearly as small as you like to believe.”
Rather than look offended, he grinned. “I know that, Sophie. I just wondered if you did.”
What?
For the first time since…well…ever, someone had stunned her into total silence.
But it didn’t take her long to recover.
“What the hell was that for?” she asked, then immediately regretted her sharp tone. What was wrong with her? It wasn’t at all like her to let a man under her skin this way.
Of course, no man, or woman, for that matter, dared to speak to her so frankly. In an odd sense, it was almost…refreshing. A relief even to be in the presence of someone outside the family who didn’t cater to her every whim.
“I get the distinct impression that you don’t know how important you are,” Alex said. “Do you know that Phillip has more than once referred to
you as the glue that holds the family together.”
And here she’d been under the impression Phillip considered her a nuisance. But what surprised her most wasn’t that Phillip had those feelings, but that he’d actually voiced them.
“Well,” she said, “he certainly has an interesting way of showing it.”
“Brothers usually do. Particularly older brothers. Just ask my baby sister. More than once she’s accused me of sticking my nose in where it doesn’t belong. But we do it out of love. Honestly.”
She found herself smiling, and immediately wiped the expression from her face. This was all wrong. He was breaking down her defenses, getting under her skin. Inside her head.
She turned from him and gazed out the window, at the passing landscape. They were leaving the rural setting and entering the outskirts of the city.
“Something wrong?” he asked.
“No, I just…I don’t want to talk about this. It isn’t proper.”
“Okay. What do you want to talk about?”
Nothing. She just wanted to sit quietly and brood. But those would not be the actions of a good hostess. She was supposed to be composed and polite, and at times even cheerful depending on the guest. She was like a chameleon, becoming whoever the situation required. But with Alex she wasn’t sure who she was supposed to be.
Thank heavens they only had another few minutes before they reached the hotel. Already she could see snippets of deep blue ocean between the buildings dotting the shore line. Located in the Irish Sea, between England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, their island was a small one, but that was its charm. Two hundred and twenty-seven square miles of pure bliss.
“I’d forgotten how beautiful the bay is,” Alex said, gazing out the window. “A true paradise.”
Finally, a topic of conversation that didn’t revolve around her personal life. How refreshing. “We like to think so,” she said.
“It’s been built up quite a bit since I was last here, hasn’t it?”
“The bay area has, but more than forty percent of the island is devoted to national parks and nature conservation.”
“Phillip told me that tourism has nearly doubled in the past few years.”
“It has.” And it was no coincidence the changes began to happen after their father died, and Phillip had taken over, although unofficially at first because their mother was still the reigning queen. But unbeknownst to everyone, including her children, she had been hiding the fact that she was ill.
As a brother Phillip may have been a complete pain in the behind, but he was one hell of a fine leader. And it occurred to her that she’d never told him that. Or how proud she was of him.
“Our economy is thriving and property values are at an all-time high,” she said.
“And the cost of living?”
“Higher on the coast, of course, but fairly reasonable inland.”
“Decent tax incentives for local business owners?”
“Of course. Why do you ask?”
He shrugged. “Just curious.”
He wasn’t actually thinking of relocating there, was he? He did mention something about taking his company international. But would he go so far as to open an office here? And would that mean she would be seeing a lot more of him?
She honestly wasn’t sure how she felt about that. It shouldn’t have mattered at all. He was nothing to her now. At least, that’s what she wanted to believe. And there was no point making assumptions.
“There it is,” she told him gesturing out the window on her side as the hotel came into view, towering like a grand sentinel over the surrounding buildings.
He leaned over to see out her window, his body so close to hers she could feel heat emanating from him, smell the subtle yet familiar scent of his aftershave. And it took all of her restraint not to tense and shift away. And even more willpower not to reach out and touch him. Press her hand to his smooth jaw line. Bury her nose in the crook of his neck and breathe him in, the way she used to.
Instead she sat stock-still, hoping he couldn’t feel the tension rolling off her like a turbulent ocean.
“I’ve seen photos,” he said. “But they really don’t do it justice, do they?”
“You can’t truly appreciate it until you see it with your own eyes.” The car pulled into the driveway at the hotel, and Sophie watched Alex’s face. This was her favorite part of the tour. Watching the expressions of guests the first time they laid eyes on the structure and the scenic view. Set on the coast, mere steps from a pristine stretch of private beach, it was indeed like paradise. And she could see that Alex was genuinely impressed.
He finally sat back, and she felt as though she could breathe for the first time in minutes.
“The architecture is classic, but with the perfect balance of modern elements,” he said. “I’m envious. I wish I had designed it.”
“We were fortunate to find such a beautiful preexisting building in the ideal location. Although renovations on the decor were extensive.” She leaned forward and told her driver, “Take us to the service entrance in the back.” She turned to Alex. “From there you can see the Houghton, and the land for the fitness center and spa.”
The car pulled around the back and parked just outside the service door. As they climbed out, Alex slipped on a pair of Oakley sunglasses and followed her across the lot to the crumbling stone wall delineating their property from the Houghtons’. He moved with the grace and confidence of a man who knew exactly how good he looked and embraced it, without the vibe of arrogance she found common in men so physically appealing.
He seemed very comfortable in his own skin. But he always had.
“As you can see, we have a lot to work with as far as location,” she said. “This was one of the first resort hotels to be built here. The Houghtons have owned this land for generations. Their ancestors can be traced back almost as far as the royal family.”
He nodded, surveying the land, and she could practically see his mind working. He took off his sunglasses, shading his eyes from the sun with one hand as he gazed up at the structure that would soon be bulldozed to the ground. “It is a beautiful building. In the past few years, more than half of my business involves restoration, and if the Houghtons had taken better care of it, the structure might have been salvageable. But in its present condition…” He shook his head, a look of genuine regret on his face. “It’s just not a cost-effective option.”
“For many years now local businesses with qualifying historical buildings in the bay area have been offered grants to participate in a rejuvenation project. Unfortunately the Houghtons never applied.”
“I guess you can’t help people who don’t want to be helped.” He slipped his sunglasses back on and turned to her. “Why don’t we head inside the Royal Inn.”
“Of course.” They walked to the back service entrance that led to the main kitchen. Although breakfast was over, and lunch still a few hours away, it was bustling with activity and teeming with delicious scents.
“Nice,” Alex said. “Very modern.”
“Only the best.”
“Phillip tells me you’re responsible for the kitchen renovations.”
“Partially, yes.”
“He also said that you’re an accomplished chef.”
Did he also mention that he disapproved? She wouldn’t be at all surprised. “It’s my one true passion. I studied in France.”
“I remember that you used to be very passionate,” he said, with that sizzling grin. Why was he so intent on trying to knock her off base? “That must have been after I met you. Culinary school, I mean.”
She nodded. Although not long after. One more thing she could thank him for, in a roundabout way.
“I never would have imagined that your parents would just let you leave.”
Normally they wouldn’t have. But for the first time in her life, she’d had leverage. “Let’s just say we bartered a deal.”
“That must have been some deal.”
&nbs
p; For all the good it did her. After she came home, it was back to her royal duties. She should have known her parents would never let her have an actual career. And leave it to Phillip, despite his animosity toward their parents, to cling to the same archaic ideas.
“It’s always been my dream to own a restaurant and run the kitchen.” She looked around, at the interior that was almost solely her design, the appliances she had ordered. The menu she herself had supplied.
She may never get the opportunity to use it, but this was her kitchen. “I guess this is the closest I’ll ever get.”
Someone dropped a pan in the kitchen, and at the loud clang that vibrated through the room, her bodyguard was instantly at her side. She waved him away, and he immediately backed off.
Alex looked as apprehensive as he was impressed. “How many bodyguards normally escort you?”
“Depending on the occasion, members of the royal family never leave the palace without at least one armed escort. Except Ethan, but he’s the only exception.” She nodded toward the bodyguard who now trailed them by a watchful ten paces. “And Maurice is one of our most lethal. Isn’t that right, Maurice?”
Maurice cracked just the hint of a dangerous-looking grin.
“You don’t find it unnerving to have someone constantly following you?” Alex asked.
“I’m so used to it, I barely notice him there. And it’s a necessity.”
“Have there been threats against you?”
She was surprised to see a look of genuine concern on his face. Did he honestly still care about her after all these years?
“Not me personally,” she assured him. “Or Phillip. But you can never be too careful. There was an attempted assassination on our father’s father many years ago. And our father, King Frederick, had his share of disgruntled citizens. He was a very arrogant and, I’m sorry to say, self-serving leader.”
Sadly, her father’s methods and ideals had turned Sophie against the entire idea of a monarchy. Only since Phillip had taken over had her feelings begun to change, and it had been a gradual transformation.
“Let’s move on,” she said, gesturing to the kitchen door.
Affair with the Princess Page 4
