The Royal Cousin's Revenge

by Catherine Mann

  Warm pellets of water sluiced over her naked body, but his bold confidence seduced her even more. "For once, I like your arrogance."

  Their bodies melded under the heated spray, which was pooling around their feet. She kissed, nipped and sipped along his neck, along his shoulders. His hands were all over her, so perfectly stroking her breasts in just the right places she realized he hadn't forgotten a second of their time together, either.

  Then he soaped up a lather between his palms, the scent of lilac clinging to the steam so potently she was sure that fresh flowers were pressed into the bars. And then he drove all thought away as his fingers slicked between her legs.

  She rediscovered his body as fully as he explored hers until she thought she would shatter, right there, right then in his arms. "I need you inside me. No more waiting."

  His low growl of approval rumbled against her chest. She barely registered how quickly he sheathed himself, and in an instant he had her against the tiled wall. Cupping behind her knees, he lifted her, hooking her legs around his waist until he was perfectly positioned to…thrust.

  She hugged him closer, dug her heels tighter into his flanks as he moved and she met him. They synched, reclaiming their rhythm as the past twelve months evaporated with the steam. As if all those nights she'd lain alone in her bed hungry for him hadn't happened. As if she hadn't dreamed of having him just this way.

  Except with those dreams, she never finished. She woke unfulfilled, aching and lonely for him. There had been so many good times before the end….

  She pushed away thoughts of her brother, of her horrible last argument with Javier and focused on the feel of him within her, his arms and impassioned words all around her. His hard, muscled chest brushed against her breasts, the light rasp of hair teasing her to pebbly tight peaks.

  The gathering need tingled inside her, prickling along her skin, hotter than the water vaporizing around them until… Her release rocked through her, showered through her, pulsing again and again just as he did.

  His hoarse shout of completion twined with hers and she could have sworn the ground vibrated around them. Maybe it was more thunder, but regardless, she'd been rocked by the force of their coming together.

  Her legs slowly slid down to the tile floor again, but she doubted she could have stood on her own. She held on, her face buried in his neck as he gathered her closer.

  As the water cooled, she couldn't hide from the truth any longer. Being with Javier was different, special. She would always want him, the man who had demanded she do the one thing she never could.

  Turn her back on her brother.

  Chapter Seven

  Inhaling the scent of flowers, Victoria and their lovemaking, Javier pulled her closer to his side on the makeshift bed on the floor under the skylight. After their shower, he'd found some blankets and pulled pillows from the sofa. They'd made love throughout the night, catnapping in between.

  Well, she napped. He watched her sleep, a pleasure he'd missed over the past year.

  And now their night was coming to an end and he had to act decisively to make her his, because he couldn't walk away from her again. He nuzzled the top of her head, savoring the silky texture of her hair splashed across his chest.

  The stars began to fade overhead. The rain slowed to a drizzle, sliding along the skyline. The sun was just beginning to pinken the horizon.

  Victoria stirred against him and sighed. "We should get dressed soon."

  "We should. And we will." Sometime before dawn, he'd put on his trousers and run out to retrieve their suitcases from the Porsche. Then he'd quickly gotten naked with her again. He trailed his fingers along her silky arm. "But just because we're leaving this place, you have to know I won't let you go as easily this time."

  Avoiding his eyes, she slid her leg over his intimately. "Let's talk about something else. Let's do something else."

  He clamped a hand on her thigh, forcing down his body's instinctive reaction to her nearness. "Why are you really on the island? You had to realize I would hear you'd returned, even if we didn't run into each other."

  She pulled away. "Are you accusing me of setting this up?"

  "No need to get bristly." He grazed his hand up to her waist. "I'm glad we had this night together."

  She tugged the silky afghan around herself and walked to the edge of the fountain, where he'd placed their suitcases. "I'm here because I didn't have any other way of making enough money to pay my brother's lawyer."

  "You're here for your brother?" His body chilled. He sat up, following her with his eyes.

  "Your uncle offered me a temporary fill-in job." She opened her paisley bag and tugged out a stack of clothing, her movements fast and jerky. "He said there aren't many nurses he trusts, especially since the Medina secret was splashed all over the papers."

  "Your parents should be taking care of your brother's expenses." And if they hadn't given up and dumped their son in her lap, life would have been so different for all of them. "I'm only trying to protect you."

  "He's my brother." She yanked on pink panties and a bra with quick, angry hands. "Family means something to me."

  "Are you making a dig at my cousin?" He would have stood and walked over to her, but he was still so damned turned on by her he could hardly walk. "I can't trust her and I refuse to justify that to you."

  She pulled on a fresh pair of khakis and a white button-up before sagging to sit on the bench around the fountain. Sighing, she put her face in her hands. "Would you please put some clothes on? My brain short-circuits when you're naked."

  Now that was a victory at least. He shoved silently to his feet and tugged on slacks and a shirt. "You can open your eyes."

  She peered between her fingers with a begrudging smile. "Okay, I'll acknowledge your point. Your cousin is a security risk to the rest of your family, but she's also an adult. Timothy is a teenager." Standing, she faced him, ready to go toe-to-toe. "If his whole family walks away, who will he turn to?"

  He gripped her arms. "That's my whole point, damn it!"

  "What do you mean?"

  He pivoted away sharply, stunned at how she'd knocked him off his game so easily. "Forget I said anything."

  "I can't do that." She stepped around in front of him, her hands on her hips. Her jaw jutted stubbornly. "I will not abandon him, no matter what he does."

  He could see she wasn't going to back down, even if she followed her brother right into harm's way.

  And for the first time, he considered that he may have played a role in that by not telling her everything that had happened around her brother's arrest. He'd been trying to protect her… And he'd royally screwed up.

  He had to fix that, starting now. "Your brother wasn't just guilty of simple vandalism." He pushed out the truth he knew would crush her, but it would also keep her safe. "Victoria, he was part of a street gang."

  "A gang?" She gasped in horror, in shock. She held up a hand of denial and backed away. "That's not true."

  "Yes, it is." He started to reach for her, to comfort her, but her eyes stopped him short. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "His lawyer knew it because I gave him the proof. Surveillance cameras picked it up. He was being pressured to commit those acts—stealing cars, lifting jewelry—as initiation."

  "Why wasn't I told any of this?" Anger snapped in her eyes.

  Clearly any answer he gave to that was only going to make her madder, so he deflected with, "Why do you think his lawyer and I cut a deal? I wanted your brother safely tucked away. Your parents couldn't handle him, and you have to face that you couldn't, either. He was out of control. Juvenile detention wasn't just the place he deserved to be, it was the safest place for him to be."

  Her lips pursed tight, her body rigid. "What gave you the right to decide all of that without consulting me? Obviously, you didn't trust me…" She held up her hand. "Never mind. Let's put this conversation on hold. This is all too much, too fast and I'm too…mad and confused to even speak to you. The rain
has stopped. We should leave."

  He saw the determination in her eyes and couldn't help but admire how hard she fought for Timothy, how she put herself on the line for people she cared about. She was fiery and fearless, impetuous and idealistic in a way that touched him, no matter how much those qualities could stir trouble for her. And for him, too.

  Yes, he could read her eyes well. While she was willing to forgive her brother anything, she wasn't so willing to extend that forgiveness to him.

  What a damned inconvenient time to realize just how much he loved her.

  Chapter Eight

  Victoria held back her tears all the way to the Medina compound. Hurt, anger and betrayal warred inside her as she stood in front of the massive front doors. How could Javier have kept something so important from her?

  And how could her brother have gotten himself tangled up with such a dangerous group without her having a clue?

  Her head was spinning so fast she barely registered the lush landscape, the towering Spanish-style mansion she'd first seen over a year ago. She could only think of the man standing stonily beside her. How could she even consider renewing their relationship when he was every bit as intractable as ever?

  And yet realizing how much harder it would be to walk away from him a second time made the tears burn even hotter behind her eyelids.

  Before she could blink her vision clear again, the butler directed them to go around back where the king waited on the veranda. She walked alongside Javier on the landscaped path, past the pool in the courtyard. The citrus scent of orange trees heavy with fruit hung in the air. She rounded a corner, passing armed guards just before she spotted Enrique Medina.

  Confined to a wheelchair, he was thin, gray and weary. Still, no matter the sallow pallor and thinner frame, Enrique's face was that of royalty. His aristocratic nose and chiseled jaw spoke of his ages-old warrior heritage. And while his heavy blue robe with emerald-green silk lapels was not the garb of a king in his prime, the rich fabrics and sleek leather slippers reflected his wealth.

  Enrique greeted them both with a regal nod then turned to his nephew. "Javier, could you walk down to the beach for a moment?" It was more of a demand than a request, his Spanish accent as thick as she remembered. "I wish to speak privately with Victoria. You and I can talk later."

  Javier raised an eyebrow before pivoting away toward the beach—leaving her alone with the deposed king. Victoria couldn't help but notice how Javier purposefully retreated now after her demand that they not discuss her brother. She needed time, and from the way he'd accepted the old king's dictate without comment, she sensed Javier was giving her that space.

  Sea breeze wrapping around her, she stepped forward, already assessing Enrique's health from a professional perspective. She hadn't received an update from the previous nurse yet, but the patchwork of veins prominent on the backs of his hands told her he'd been receiving IV medications often. "How are you feeling, sir?"

  "Still stubborn about calling me Enrique, I see." His body might be weak, but his voice still commanded attention as firm and constant as the roar of the waves crashing against the shore. "Thank you for agreeing to come."

  She forced her focus to stay on him rather than on the man striding along the shore. "I am so very sorry you still require nursing care."

  He waved aside her words of sympathy. "Have you and Javier made up?"

  Her gaze snapped firmly from Javier to Enrique. "Pardon?"

  "You spent the whole flight and last night together. I would hope the two of you have stopped being fools and repaired your relationship."

  A suspicion flickered to life in her brain. With her nerves so raw, she blurted, "Did you send for me just so I would be with Javier?"

  He lifted a gray eyebrow. "Even I cannot command the weather. But yes, I arranged things so you were on the same flight. I am running out of time to see my nephew settled. Something needed to be done."

  Indignation starched her spine. She'd had her fill of this royal family maneuvering her life without consulting her. "What made you assume it was your place to do that, sir?"

  Gripping the arms of his wheelchair, he sat up straighter. "Because I was once young and foolish. I thought I had forever to be with the woman I loved." He studied her with piercing brown eyes that reminded her of his nephew. "Sit down and stop looking at me as if I am the enemy."

  His autocratic tone took as much getting used to now as it had last year, but she read the genuine caring in his eyes. The older man was dying and wanted to ensure that the people he loved were happy.

  Slowly, she took the seat across from him. "I'm listening."

  "Good." He nodded regally. "If you and Javier don't have feelings for each other, then I have done nothing more than give you the chance to reflect on a past romance."

  Her eyes trekked to Javier standing on the shore with his hands in his pockets, tall and handsome against the sunrise.

  "Yes, I have…feelings for him…" She loved him. God, how she loved him, so deeply it had haunted her for the past year.

  "He fears for your safety, you know, and with cause."

  "My brother—"

  "No… Javier is overprotective because of the way he was forced to grow up, always watching over our shoulder. Our family has been on the run, living in seclusion under assumed names for so long. It is difficult to throw aside those fears just because the world now has learned our secret."

  Unbidden, images of Javier living as part of a decoy family for the Medinas came to mind. He had put himself in harm's way for the sake of family. Hardly the kind of man she could accuse of not caring about his relations. Regret for that comment she'd snapped at him niggled along her conscience.

  Her heart ached for the young boy Javier had been, for the way it had marked the man he was today. "How do I get through those walls he has built around himself?"

  He patted her arm. "My dear, be tenacious with him, just as you are tenacious when it comes to your brother."

  His words sunk in, bringing so much of her relationship with Javier into focus. She'd fought for her brother, was willing to forgive him even his criminal behavior. Yet, she hadn't fought for her relationship with Javier, a man who'd gone to the mat for her family. For so long she'd been able to depend only on herself, her parents letting her down—letting her brother down—again and again. Somewhere along the line she'd forgotten how to trust, and how to work as a team.

  Her eyes sought Javier, the man who'd offered her everything. The time had come for her to be brave enough, bold enough to fight for him.

  ***

  Javier watched Victoria stride down the beach toward him, her shoes in her hand, the wind streaking her long blond hair behind her. God, he wanted her with him, always. He would never give up trying to persuade her, but he understood that ultimately, the decision had to be hers. He'd powered his way through life up until now, but steamrolling this woman wasn't fair—and it wouldn't work.

  She stopped alongside him, staring out over the ocean.

  He studied her for some sign of what scrolled through her mind. "What did my uncle have to say?"

  A smile tugged her full lips. "That he brought us both here to work out our problems."

  Not surprising. The king structured his world obsessively as if he could protect them all still. Javier had always admired his uncle's wisdom, the caution he exercised to protect his family. "I suspected as much. Sorry about the whole royal take-charge thing. It's in our blood."

  She laughed softly. "Only you would apologize for being related to a king."

  "Only you wouldn't give a damn that my family is royal and obscenely wealthy." He had never once needed to wonder if she cared about him because of his family tree.

  "Actually," she said, "I'm glad your uncle did it."

  Now that did surprise him. "Even though I'm still the same jerk I was a year ago?"

  She turned to face him, scraping back the windswept hair that streamed over her cheeks. "You're not a jerk. Assertive someti
mes, but I'm beginning to understand that everything you do is for others."

  While he didn't totally buy into her altruistic picture of him, he sure as hell wasn't going to argue. "Victoria—" His voice sounded ragged even to his own ears. "I need you in my life."

  "Damn straight you do." She slid her hand into his and squeezed. "I think the separation was as tough on you as it was on me. Last year, you wouldn't have admitted to taking me to the greenhouse on purpose. You gave me an out if I wanted it."

  "It wasn't easy." An understatement to say the least. He gathered her against his chest and inhaled the scent of her shampoo, the scent of her. "More than anything I want us to be together, not living even a couple of hours apart. I like my job in Martha's Vineyard, but I have the financial security to go elsewhere if you're intent on staying in Boston—"

  She placed her fingers over his lips. "I don't want us to spend even one more day apart. I'm a nurse. I can work anywhere you are, and Martha's Vineyard is still close enough for me to help my brother get his act together."

  Her brother. Her family. His family now, too, through Victoria.

  He looked back up at the mansion, the U-shape layout wrapping around them, a protective cocoon of family present to help them resolve their differences and find the happiness they'd struggled to capture on their own. Being a Medina might have come with strings attached, but they were also the kind of ties that tethered him. Grounded him.

  Her arms curled around his waist and she pressed her cheek against his chest. "What are we going to do about my brother?"

  "We?" He tipped her face up. "That's the first time you've asked for my help, you know."

  "I can't give up on my brother, but I admit, my old way of dealing with his problems wasn't effective." She looped her arms around his neck. "Perhaps we could talk through some tough-love alternatives for him. We could work together. You don't have to carry the worries of the whole world all by yourself. And neither do I, anymore, thanks to you."