Affair with the Princess

by Michelle Celmer

  She was good, no doubt about it. But he was better.

  He grinned and said, “You’ve got yourself a deal, Princess.”

  She got out of the car and he climbed out behind her. The sun was high in the cloudless blue, its rays relentlessly intense. It seemed like a better day to lay around in the shade than take a walk, but he wasn’t in any position to argue.

  The bodyguard looked from Alex to Sophie and asked, “Will you be needing me, Your Highness?”

  What did he think Alex was going to do? Kidnap her? Drag her off the grounds on foot?

  He looked over at Sophie, and when he saw her expression, thought for a second that she just might tell him to join them. But after a slight pause she shook her head and said, “You can go.”

  Alex followed her to the door, mesmerized by the liquid grace that propelled her forward. The hypnotizing sway of her hips. She was wearing one of those sheer, gauzy numbers that conformed to her figure. Hugged her in all the right places. The sharp tug of arousal low in his gut was undeniable and intense.

  They reached the threshold and the door swung open.

  “Miss,” Wilson said, bowing his head as they stepped inside. Alex could swear the man shot him a disapproving look. Her staff was obviously protective of her, and he had the feeling their concern was as much personal as it was professional. Which had him wondering, if she was as spoiled and manipulative as she used to be, why would they hold her in such high regard?

  Or maybe she reserved that behavior for her lovers.

  “Wilson, will you show our guest into the study and pour him a drink?”

  “Of course,” Wilson said.

  She turned to Alex. “I just need to change. I’ll only be a minute or two.”

  “Take your time,” he said, watching her climb the steps, the way she seemed to almost float, as light as air. Damn she was sexy, and he was looking forward to getting his hands on her again, to see just how much she’d changed over the past ten years.

  “Mr. Rutledge,” Wilson said with a distinct note of disapproval in his voice. And when Alex turned to him, he gestured toward the study door. “After you.”

  When they were in the study Wilson asked, “What can I get you, sir?”

  “Mineral water with lemon, if it’s not too much trouble.”

  Wilson crossed the room to the bar, and Alex made himself comfortable on the sofa. “Have you worked for Princess Sophie very long?” he asked.

  “I’ve been with the royal family for more than forty years.”

  “That’s a long time.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “You take care of Sophie.”

  “Yes, sir, I do. And it’s not a task I take lightly.”

  Alex couldn’t escape the feeling that he was being judged not by an employee, but a father considering the motives of a potential son-in-law.

  And because Alex had always been one to face his adversaries head-on, he asked very bluntly. “You don’t trust me, do you?”

  Wilson walked over to the couch and handed him his drink. “I’ve found, sir, that paranoia is often the result when one has something to hide.”

  Oh, ouch. A direct hit. Were he a weaker man, he might have retreated. And while some considered him reckless for it, Jonah in particular, he never backed down from a challenge. Even when the odds weren’t necessarily in his favor. “And what is it that you think I’m hiding?”

  “I couldn’t say, but it’s quite obvious you have some sort of agenda.”

  “And you feel the need to protect her from me?”

  Wilson smiled and there was an undeniable twinkle of amusement in his eyes. “Oh, no, sir. Her Highness doesn’t need protecting. Not from you or anyone else. And if you believe she does, that will be your downfall.”

  They would just see about that, wouldn’t they?

  Before he could manufacture a snappy comeback, Sophie appeared in the doorway. She had changed into jogging shorts, a tank top and athletic shoes, and her hair was pulled back in a ponytail.

  And she still managed to look superior and elegant.

  “Heading to the gym?” Alex asked.

  “Going on a walk,” she said. “I walk briskly for an hour every day.”

  “I was thinking more along the lines of a casual stroll.”

  She shrugged. “So don’t go with me.”

  It was pushing eighty-five degrees outside, and dressed the way he was, he risked heat stroke. Not to mention ruining his four-hundred-dollar Brazilian leather loafers. But he couldn’t exactly back out now, could he? And he didn’t bother to ask for time to change, since he already knew what the answer would be.

  Wilson cleared his throat. “If there’s nothing else you need, Your Highness, I should check on dinner.”

  “Of course,” Sophie said, dismissing him with a nod and a smile.

  On his way out, Wilson wore a polite smile, but as he glanced Alex’s way, his eyes clearly said, I told you so.

  Sophie stepped behind the bar and grabbed two bottles of water from the refrigerator, then looked Alex up and down, said, “I don’t think one is going to cut it,” and grabbed one more.

  She was probably right.

  “Are you ready?” she asked.

  At this point he didn’t have much choice. And damned if Wilson wasn’t right. He had underestimated her.

  But that wasn’t a mistake he would be making again.

  Despite the heat, and his inappropriate clothing, Sophie had to admit that Alex did a pretty good job keeping up with her. Not that he wasn’t feeling the heat. Sweat poured from his face and soaked the back of his silk shirt. He had already guzzled one bottle of water and was a third of the way through his second.

  That’s what he got for messing with her. As she’d heard Wilson say, he shouldn’t underestimate her. He was clever, but she had a few tricks up her sleeve, too.

  She led him along the lawn paths, even though typically, on a day as hot as this one, she would have taken refuge on the paths in the woods under the dense canopy of leaves. Someone up there must have been looking out for him though, because a line of dark clouds rolled in shortly after they began walking, dampening the sun’s relentless afternoon glare.

  “Looks like rain,” he said, gazing up at the sky. Then he looked back at her residence, a good quarter mile from their current location. “Maybe we should head back.”

  Nice try. “Afraid you’ll melt?”

  “I’m already melting,” he said wryly. “I just don’t want to get stuck out here during a storm.”

  “This is the dry season. It hardly ever rains. The clouds will most likely blow right over us.” Although they did look rather dark and ominous and the wind was picking up.

  “It doesn’t look like it’s going to roll over us,” he pressed.

  She rolled her eyes. “Don’t be such a baby.”

  “I don’t know about you, but I don’t relish the idea of getting struck by lightning.”

  “Even if it does rain, these storms blow over quickly. I’m sure we’re perfectly safe.” Just in case, she altered her direction so they were walking in the direction of the woods.

  They barely made it another ten paces when a fat, cold drop of rain landed on her cheek. Then another splashed on her forearm.

  “See,” Alex said, holding a hand out to catch a drop in his palm. “Those are raindrops.”

  “A little rain isn’t going to kill us. In fact, you look as if you could use some cooling off.”

  He opened his mouth to reply just as a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky and a deafening crack of thunder drowned out whatever sarcastic snipe he’d been about to fling her way.

  She screeched in surprise and they both instinctively ducked. In the next instant, the heavens seemed to open like a floodgate and rain came down in a waterfall. Big, fat, cold drops, soaking her to the skin in a matter of seconds.

  “Head for the woods!” she yelled, and they both took off running in that direction. Probably not the best place t
o be in a thunderstorm, but if they didn’t find cover, they risked drowning.

  In the thirty seconds it took to reach the marginal cover of the trees, she felt, and probably looked, like a drowned rat.

  “I’m officially cooled off,” he said, slicking back his hair. It was drenched and leaking water down his face and his clothes were plastered to his body like a second skin.

  And, oh, what a body it was. She could see every sculpted ridge of muscle in his chest and arms, his slim waist and muscular thighs. He was bigger than he’d been in college. Even more perfect, if that was possible.

  Suddenly she wasn’t feeling cold anymore. There was a delicious warmth building inside her that had absolutely nothing to do with the weather and everything to do with the man standing in front of her.

  Fight it, Sophie.

  “So much for it just blowing over,” Alex said.

  “Yeah. Oops.” She shivered and pulled the band from her drooping ponytail, twisting the rain from her hair. “You’re the one who insisted on going with me.”

  He squeezed the excess rain from his shirt. “Yet I can’t help but think you did this on purpose.”

  “You think I can control the weather? I’m good, Alex, but I’m not that good.”

  Only after the words were out, when Alex’s eyes locked on hers, deep and piercing and full of lust, did she realize how that sounded. But it was too late to take it back. She wasn’t even sure if she wanted to.

  “That’s not the way I remember it,” he said, his voice husky. His eyes slipped lower, to her lips, then her throat, then lower still, and she knew without looking that her nipples were two hard points poking through the wet fabric of her sports bra and tank. She couldn’t help noticing that he, too, was looking a bit chilly. On top anyway. Down below, she could swear that things were looking rather…lofty.

  He lifted his eyes to hers, blue and piercing, and she practically shuddered with awareness. He took a step closer and every cell in her body went on high alert.

  A drop of rain leaked out of her hair and rolled down her cheek. Alex reached up, almost absently, and wiped it away with the pad of his thumb. He might as well have brushed that thumb between her thighs because that’s where the sensation seemed to settle.

  She had no doubt that the end result of this situation was going to be a kiss. It was inevitable. And the only thing worse than kissing him would be letting him make the first move, allowing him to take control. So she didn’t give him the chance. She grabbed the front of his shirt, curling her fingers in the sodden fabric, tugged him to her, and pressed her lips to his.

  If he was surprised by her advances, it didn’t take him long to collect himself. He groaned and wove a hand through her wet and tangled hair, pulled her against him. She parted her lips for him, invited him, and when his tongue touched hers, she went weak all over.

  They feasted on…no, devoured each other. But it wasn’t enough. She wanted him closer, deeper. She felt as though she were starving, that she’d been slowly withering away the past ten years and the only thing that could nourish her back to life was his touch. His hands on her skin. And that need seemed to cancel out whatever was left of her rational side.

  She tore at the front of his shirt, wanting, no needing, bare skin to touch, to run her hands over. She felt buttons give way and heard the fabric tear. His skin was warm and wet and she could feel his heart hammering wildly in his chest.

  Alex backed her against the nearest tree, pinning her to the rough bark with the full length of his body. Sophie gasped at the sharp sting, but it was both pain and pleasure. For the first time in God knows how long, she felt whole again, and it frightened her half to death. This was just like the first time. Passionate to the point of feeling almost desperate. A deep yearning to connect.

  It was just starting to get good when he tore his mouth from hers, his breath rasping out in harsh bursts, and said, “Listen.”

  Did he hear someone coming? She stopped to listen, but she didn’t hear a thing other than the quiet sounds of the forest. “What?”

  “It stopped raining,” he said.

  Yeah, so?

  He eased away from her. “We should head back.”

  Head back? Was he serious?

  For a moment she was too stunned to reply. He obviously wanted this just as much as she did. He’d been leading up to this for days. So why the sudden change of heart?

  Then she realized exactly what was happening. This was just a game to him. He’d planned this all along. She should have known. He obviously got some kind of warped satisfaction from getting her all worked up then shooting her down.

  And shame on her for falling for it. For letting him get the best of her.

  And he could be damned sure it wouldn’t happen again.

  Seven

  In the blink of an eye, Sophie’s expression went from one of confusion to barely contained rage. And all Alex could do was follow her as she turned and walked purposely back in the direction they’d come, toward her house.

  He’d had Sophie right where he wanted her, but when the time came to seal the deal, he couldn’t go through with it. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. She wasn’t supposed to make the first move. And he wasn’t supposed to feel this deep sense of…something. An emotion so foreign he couldn’t identify it. Something more than desire or lust. He felt…whole.

  Complete.

  And that was just sentimental bull. She’d caught him off guard, that was all.

  Sophie was moving so fast she was practically jogging, and any second he expected her to break into full run.

  “You want to slow down?” he asked, his feet squishing in shoes swimming with at least an inch of water.

  She didn’t answer. She just kept chugging along, and damn, she was fast. But he was faster.

  He caught up and clamped a hand around her upper arm. “Slow down, Sophie.”

  She jerked free. “Why should I? I’m do exactly as you suggested. Heading back.”

  “Jesus, you’re stubborn,” he muttered.

  She stopped so abruptly, swinging around to face him, that he nearly plowed right into her.

  “I’m stubborn,” she ground out through clenched teeth, unleashing the full wrath of her anger.

  He knew she had a temper, but damn.

  He took a step back, for fear that if he got too close, she might take a swing at him. “I just want to talk to you.”

  “What for? You already won.”

  “Won what?”

  “This juvenile little game you’ve been playing with me.”

  She was right. It was a game. And he should be enjoying this, basking in the glow of defeat. Instead he felt like a slime.

  It would seem that the joke was on him.

  He just needed a chance to regroup, to get things back on track. To shake off these feelings of guilt.

  And to perform a bit of damage control.

  “Do you feel better now that you’ve gotten your revenge?” she asked. “Do you feel vindicated?”

  “Sophie, listen to yourself,” he said calmly. “I kiss you and you threaten to have me arrested for assault, then you kiss me, and you get mad when I put on the brakes? And you accuse me of playing games?”

  “You’re absolutely right,” she said, even though it was obvious she was just agreeing with him to shut him up. “Case closed.”

  He opened his mouth to argue, but she held up a hand to shush him. “I’m going home now. Do not follow me.”

  Even though he was tempted to follow her anyway, push her just a little further, instinct told him to back off. He changed direction and headed toward the palace instead.

  Sophie charged into Phillip’s outer office, stunning his secretary into silence before she could even try to stop her from flinging open Phillip’s office door. And Phillip was there, sitting behind his desk, despite the fact that Alex said he was away this afternoon.

  Another lie. No big surprise.

  Phillip looked her up and down,
taking in her dripping, tangled hair and soaked clothes. “What the hell happened to you?”

  She held up the agenda for Alex’s visit and flung it onto his desk. “Find someone else to babysit your friend. I’m finished.”

  He calmly folded his hands, looking almost amused. “I could swear we already had this discussion.”

  “Well, we’re having it again.”

  He sat back in his chair and for a long moment only studied her. Then he shook his head. “No, you’re going to do it, as planned.”

  She struggled to maintain an iota of control. “No, I’m not.”

  “You’re sure about that?”

  She parked her hands on her hips and glared at him. “Don’t I sound sure?”

  “Fine. Then from this moment forward you’ll be cut out of the business. The only duties you’ll have will be your royal ones.”

  Her mouth fell open. “Are you joking?”

  “Do I look like I’m joking?”

  She was so angry and frustrated that she felt like stomping her feet.

  “You can see that I’m miserable. Are you trying to torture me?”

  “What I’m trying to do is teach you that this is a business and you can’t pick and choose what you will or won’t do on a whim. Because what that says to me is that you cannot be counted on.”

  “This is different.”

  “How is it different? Give me one good reason why I should grant your request.”

  She couldn’t tell him the real reason. And the best she could come up with was, “He makes me…uncomfortable.”

  One of Phillip’s eyebrows rose a notch. “He’s behaved inappropriately?”

  Alex had kissed her his first day here, but to be fair, she’d been the one to make the first move today in the woods, so they were kind of even in the inappropriate-behavior department. “Not exactly.”

  Phillip sat up a little straighter in his chair. “If he has, friend or not, I’ll fire him from the project immediately and send him back to the U.S. on the first available flight. Just say the word.”

  She may have been furious with Alex, but she also didn’t want to come between him and Phillip. Not personally or professionally. “He hasn’t done anything inappropriate. I just…I don’t like him.”