“How long before you know?” Gabriel asked.
“We’re running the print now through national and international databases. It’ll take longer if it’s not in the system, but we’re hopeful. Someone like this typically has a criminal past somewhere.”
“Still no idea on motive?” Alex asked.
Marcello shook his head. “It’s definitely a grudge against us, the royal family. More photos showed up, more threats. I’ve got everyone covered,” he said to Gabriel.
“I don’t know how I’m going to get any sleep tonight,” Genevieve said, and Gabriel took her hand in his.
“Me, either,” Cat said.
“Me, either, Your Highnesses,” Rebecca said with a small smile. As she caught Genevieve’s sympathetic eye, she missed Alex’s furrowed brows.
“We’ll get through it,” Gabriel said simply. “Valleria has endured for centuries, and it will endure for many more, God willing.”
“Well said,” Genevieve said and kissed Gabriel’s cheek.
“Speaking of endurance, I spent more than an hour on the phone with my cousin, Gerald, today,” Gabriel said, swiftly changing the subject. Groans and winces swept through the room.
“Why did you take his call, Papa?” Cat asked. “He’s ever so long-winded and demanding.” To Rebecca, she said, “This a distant cousin of Papa’s, several times removed. He holds onto his small shred of royalty as though it were a priceless treasure.”
“Catharine,” Genevieve warned. “Hold your tongue. Family is family.”
“He’s not really family, though, is he?” Cat asked and turned to Rebecca again. “He flirts with and gropes all the maids when he comes to visit, and it’s just awful.”
“Catharine,” Gabriel said in a low voice.
“Sorry, Papa. I thought it best to warn her in case you’re about to tell us he’s coming for a visit.”
“He’s not, is he?” Genevieve asked with the slightest note of panic.
“No, my dear,” Gabriel said as he kissed their joined hands. “He’s still in Switzerland. He owns a bank there,” he said to Rebecca.
“Doesn’t he have a daughter the same age as you two?” Marcello asked to Alex and Cat, frowning.
Cat shuddered. “Yes, Zinnia. A lovely name for a terrible person. She teased me something awful at the Christmas Ball one year. It was absolutely the worst Christmas I’ve ever had.”
“We were six years old at the time, as I recall.” Alex said with a smile.
“Still, though!” Cat said indignantly and everyone laughed. “I’m glad we don’t see that side of the family much.”
“Don’t you, My Lady?” Rebecca asked.
Alex answered. “Not really. Somewhere down the line of our family history there was an abdication that caused a split down the tree. We’re still on friendly terms with them, even if we are not, strictly, friends. What did Gerald want, Papa?”
“To discuss new changes to Swiss banking rules, which are decidedly appealing to him. He wants ownership of some Vallerian banks instead.”
“You didn’t provide him with any contacts, did you?” Alex asked.
“I suggested he find another solution to his problem.”
“So you politely told him never to call you again?” Marcello asked with a faint smile. “The man is a terrible banker and knows next to nothing about finance and the world markets.”
“Exactly,” Alex said. “Valleria is still recovering from the worldwide recession. There’s no reason to destroy all the good work that’s been done to restore our economy, just because he’s some distant family.”
“Dinner is served, Your Highnesses,” a butler announced from the doorway and bowed.
“Excellent, timing,” Gabriel said as he stood and everyone followed suit.
Gabriel took Genevieve’s arm and walked out first, followed by Marcello and Cat, leaving her and Alex alone for a brief moment.
When the room emptied, he walked over to her and gave her a light kiss. “You look beautiful tonight, Rebecca,” he said as he slipped her arm through his and began to follow the crowd towards the dining room. “You did beautifully with my parents.”
Though her knees were still a little weak from the whole experience, she smiled. “Truly, Alex? I wouldn’t wish to embarrass you, or myself.”
“You didn’t.”
“Do you think your father liked me? I couldn’t tell.”
“I think he already loved you like a daughter for your father’s sake, and now he’ll love you for your own. And I think my mother is quite fond of you as well.” Alex leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Do you think you’ll really have trouble sleeping tonight?”
“Yes,” she said matter-of-factly. She didn’t add that it would likely be thoughts of him keeping her awake. She was mourning the loss of her apartment and possessions, but she was moreso yearning to be held by him again. “I’ll make it through, though. I’ve got to be or else I’ll be useless at work tomorrow.”
“You’re not working tomorrow.”
“I am.” Before he could protest further, she said, “I need to. I can’t just stay in my room and worry and wonder. If I stay busy, I won’t think about it as much.”
Alex sighed. “All right, but please don’t overdo it.”
“You’re getting bossy again.”
“When it comes to your health and safety, you can count on me to be the bossiest person you know.”
Rebecca smiled; it felt nice to be cared for. “I won’t push it. I know my own limits. I’ll want to visit my parents tomorrow anyway, so I can see them in the morning and work in the afternoon.”
“You’re not leaving the castle.”
“They’re my parents, Alex,” she said with disbelief. “They’re very worried about me, and I’m worried about them. What if the people behind this go after them?”
“All the more reason to stay away.”
“I’m going to see my parents, and that’s final. You would do the same in my position, I know you would.”
“Know me so well, do you?” he muttered as they entered the formal dining room.
“No, but I’m starting to,” she whispered back just before he pulled out a chair for her and they sat down to dinner.
Conversation at dinner was fairly casual, despite the rich food and the excellent wine. It was a revelation to see the royal family laughing and talking as her own family did at dinner. She wondered what the rest of the country would think if they saw the royal family right now. Perhaps, she thought, that was the very reason they didn’t. Only a few saw this side to them.
She was now one of the few.
Marcello and the Queen were seated on either side of Rebecca, and neither made her feel uncomfortable. By the time dinner was over, she could almost say they were friends or, at the very least, pleasant acquaintances. In any case, they’d both distracted her from her troubles.
Alex and Cat sat across from them. She’d heard about connections twins had, and about the teasing, loving relationship between the pair, but it was really the first time she’d seen it firsthand. Alex, the elder brother teasing his thirty-minute younger sister one minute, then speaking seriously with his father the next. Alex shifted easily between his duties as brother, son, friend, and future ruler. Would she be as adept as he, if she pursued this relationship with him?
After dinner, in a sign of true Vallerian upper class, the men went to relax in one room while the women did the same in another. She managed to enjoy the time sipping tea and learning more about the Queen, and relaxing with Cat in a more informal setting. It might be difficult to go back to being Cat’s chief of staff after becoming closer friends.
That is, if she managed to live through the next few days.
She knew the perpetrators were after the royal family; she was just a pawn in the game. She wasn’t sure if that made her feel better or worse. Would you rather have some target you specifically, or conveniently? She wasn’t sure, she thought as a shudder ran through her, rattl
ing the teacup in her hand.
“Everything all right, dear?” Genevieve asked.
“Yes, thank you, Your Highness. I think I’m just a little tired, that’s all.”
“Of course you are. Catharine, why don’t you take Rebecca back to her room?”
“I’m sorry,” Rebecca said. “I don’t mean to cut your evening short. One of the maids could just as easily show me.” Then, perhaps, she might see Alex once more this evening, too.
“Nonsense,” Cat said. “I’m exhausted myself. Papa and the boys won’t mind if we turn in early.” Cat rose and gave her mother a kiss goodnight.
“Try to get a good night’s sleep, Catharine,” Genevieve said as she gave Cat a hug. Then she turned to Rebecca and gave her a hug, too. “Same to you, Rebecca,” she said as Rebecca stood perfectly still before slowly raising her arms to hug her back. Did the Queen know about her and Alex? Did she approve? Rebecca must be exhausted if she was analyzing a simple hug.
“Thank you, Your Highness,” Rebecca said softly before curtsying and following Cat out of the room.
Still analyzing, Rebecca missed most of Cat’s conversation as they walked the twisty corridors back to her room. Rebecca had to admit, she was glad for some rest, if it would even come tonight, but she wished she could have seen Alex one more time. Perhaps, if her dreams were filled with him again rather than the evil outside the palace walls, she would be able to sleep.
Once inside her room, alone at last, Rebecca was once again reminded of what she’d lost. Cat had brought outfits for her to wear, but no pajamas. All she had was the lingerie she’d bought at lunch; had that only been hours ago?
Rebecca walked over to one of her bags and pulled out one swath of soft pink satin. After teasing Alex last night about wearing something soft and pink, she knew she had to get it as soon as she had spied it in the store. It wasn’t particularly revealing, and looked more like a slip than anything else, but when Rebecca had tried it on, she’d felt beautiful. It had thin straps, a rounded neckline that displayed the tops of her cleavage, and while it fell barely a breath below what it was meant to hide in the front, it barely covered anything in the back.
Rebecca did all the mundane things she did every day before she went to bed: she brushed her hair, washed her face, brushed her teeth, and thought about her tasks at work the next day. But today, after doing the mundane, she did something different.
She slipped the nightgown over her head, and felt it shimmer against her skin. As the fabric fell over bare breasts, she felt the satin mold itself against her curves, and abrade her innocent nipples. She’d decided against panties as well, so the silk brushed itself against her semi-bare folds below and against the full curves of her ass.
She slid underneath the sumptuous covers and a quilt as soft as a cloud. There, buried in warmth, comfort, and beauty, she slipped into dreams.
***
Alex walked through the secret corridor from his room dressed only in boxers with a robe hastily tied over him. As he reached his destination, he found the hidden fingerprint scanner and pressed his thumb against it. When the door clicked lightly open, he stepped inside.
The Lavender Room foyer was as he’d left it earlier. Slowly, quietly, he walked to the bedroom and came to a dead stop in the doorway.
Rebecca, the love of his life, was lying in bed. With a soft light lit in the bathroom nearby, he could see her chocolate hair cascading behind her against the white pillowcase, with only her bare shoulder and arm visible above the covers. She looked like an angel.
He walked closer, then paused when she sighed and shifted in her sleep. Was she dreaming of him? Or were the nightmares plaguing her?
He continued his progress towards her, and sat softly on the bed beside her. His hand caressed her cheek and she sighed again. His cock twitched in response. Just one look from her, one sigh, was enough to arouse him.
He continued his caress until he sensed her mind waking. He should have left her to rest after the long day, but he was too much a selfish bastard when it came to her. He’d been disappointed, to say the least, when he’d rejoined his mother after dinner to find Rebecca gone. He knew he would not be able to rest until he saw her saw her again.
Her eyes blinked open, then her head shifted towards him. Fear crossed her face and she let out a terrified gasp as she grasped the covers and scrambled to the other side of the bed.
“It’s me, Rebecca. It’s Alex,” he said quickly as he held up his hands.
“Oh,” Rebecca said with a shuddered gasp. She put her head in her hands and the covers slipped away. He was sure she heard the sharp intake of his breath that followed.
She was dressed in something soft and silky that caught the meager light of the night. One paltry strap had slid off her shoulder, revealing a great deal of lush cleavage. Her nipples were peaked against the silk and he wanted to suck them, right there through the fabric until she moaned. His cock also clearly liked the idea.
“You scared me,” Rebecca said when she finally looked up. “What are you doing here?”
“I needed to see you.”
“You couldn’t wait until morning? I think you took ten years off my life.”
He shifted closer to her and pulled her into his arms. His eyes widened when he saw how short her nightgown was, barely covering the ass he loved to look at it and flirting with indecency in the front. As he held her in his arms, chasing the fright away, he rubbed his hands down her back. It finally occurred to him that she was naked but for the soft fabric underneath his hands, something his strength could easily rip away.
Instead of pursuing his fantasies, however, he dropped a kiss on her head and raised her face to meet his. “Feeling better?” he asked.
She nodded. “How did you get in here, Alex? I locked all the doors. Did you get the key?”
“Ah,” he said a little sheepishly. “There’s one door you missed. There’s a secret passageway behind a wall near the foyer.”
Rebecca’s eyes widened. “Where does it lead? Could anyone find me through it?”
Alex rubbed his hands along her warm, bare arms. “There are corridors all through this wing of the palace, and were built strictly for the royal family and their guests. If you follow the passage long enough, you’ll find my royal apartment, as well as the others. No one except us and security knows about them.”
“But what about the maids or butlers or someone else? I’m not accusing anyone,” she said quickly. “But surely they would know about them.”
“They might know about them, but only specific people can access them. There are fingerprint scanners that unlock the doors on either side, and only the royal family’s fingerprints can unlock them. We can add additional people to the list, but there’s never been a need to do that.” Alex made a mental note to have Rebecca’s fingerprints added soon.
“I’m sorry,” she said as her head dropped onto his shoulder. “I didn’t mean to offend you. I’m just a little on edge.”
He kissed her head again. “I know. That’s why I came to see you. I wanted to make sure you were all right. I also wanted a kiss goodnight since you denied me earlier.”
Her head popped up. “What do you mean?”
“You left before I got a chance to do this,” he said before cupping her face and bringing her pink, unadorned lips to his. He started slow, with gentle brushes of his tongue against her lips. With a sigh, she opened for him and he felt a ridiculous surge of triumph. They spent several minutes like that with each other. Eyes closed, simply kissing.
When that was no longer enough he laid them down on the bed, side-by-side, as his hands shifted down to pull her closer. One broad, masculine hand shifted down to her leg, caressing her calf. When he reached her knee, he shifted her leg over his hip and pulled her closer. Even through the robe and boxers, she would be able to feel what she was doing to him now, and what she had been doing to him for months now.
His hand continued up her thigh, and teased the edge of her nig
htgown before slipping underneath. He studied the curves of her ass, memorizing each one by touch, before slipping a finger between her cheeks and traveling to her silky folds from behind. He groaned at the wetness he found there and she gasped.
“Al-Alex,” she stuttered as she suddenly realized where they were. “What are you doing?”
His lips continued a path down her slender neck, and to the curve of her shoulder. Rebecca’s hands, which had been fisted in his hair, forced his head away from her addictive body. “What do you think I’m doing, darling?”
Alexander & Rebecca (Royals of Valleria #1) Page 16
