by Leanne Banks
"I'm glad you're back in Altaria, safe and sound," a man said. "It appears that you have been successful with your assignment."
Erin's father. Daniel's curiosity was piqued. He walked toward the parlor to meet the foreign minister.
"Father, I don't think—" Erin began.
"You needn't be modest, darling. It's clear you've made yourself indispensable. I'm sure you've rid his mind of any substantial changes he may have wanted to make."
Daniel slowed his steps, frowning.
"Father, I truly don't believe—"
"If you couldn't find a way for the American to refuse the throne, you've obviously done a smashing job of bringing him to heel," her father said. "Just as I instructed you."
Daniel absorbed the man's words. Had there been some kind of plan? Had Erin been scheming against him? The prospect of her betrayal burned like battery acid.
"Father, Daniel Connelly is—"
"I'm so proud of you," Erin's father said.
Daniel's stomach turned. Anger roaring inside him, he strode into the parlor and immediately locked his gaze with Erin's.
She gave a start and paled, her eyes shimmering with guilt.
Daniel's heart twisted to shreds. He glanced at her father, and bitterness backed up in his throat. "Foreign Minister Lawrence, we haven't met. My name is Daniel Connelly."
Erin's father, a thin, short, slightly balding man, tried unsuccessfully to conceal his horror. He gave a deep bow. "Your Majesty."
"Damn right," Daniel said. "Just for the record, your daughter may have succeeded in making herself indispensable, but no one except my father has ever brought me to heel, and he would tell you he had a hell of a time doing it." He flicked an icy gaze over Erin. "It appears I misplaced my trust," he said, then left the room.
* * *
Chapter 10
« ^ »
Her heart crowding her throat, Erin raced after Daniel. She heard her father calling her as she left.
"Erin!" he said. "Come back here immediately."
She barely spared him a thought. She couldn't pretend to agree with her father one more second, even if it cost her the relationship with him she'd craved. Her heart and mind were with Daniel. The deep betrayal on his face had scored her soul. He had been bitterly disappointed, and she was responsible.
"Daniel," she called as she ran to catch up with him. He didn't pause as he neared his private quarters. "Daniel, please—let me explain."
He slowly turned and looked at her with such contempt it took her breath. The only sound between them was her harsh breathing from running.
"Two minutes. I have another appointment," he said and opened the door to his quarters.
Two minutes! Following him into his quarters, Erin panicked and felt the threat of hiccups. Not now, she told herself. Not now when she needed to explain everything to Daniel.
He turned to face her with a stony expression.
She took a deep breath. "I know the conversation with my father must've sounded quite damning, but you didn't hear everything."
"I'm not sure I want to," Daniel said, crossing his arms over his chest.
Erin bit her lip. "Well, you must. It's true that my father asked me to talk you out of taking the throne. He is afraid of change, and since you're American, he feared you wouldn't be at all suitable to be Altaria's king. It's also true that I very much wanted to please my father because we've never been as close as I'd like, so I intended to discourage you from the throne. Once I grew to know you, though, I disagreed with my father." Erin wrung her hands. "It was very distressing to me. I felt disloyal to him. Then I felt disloyal to you."
"You don't need to feel distressed anymore, Erin," he said in a voice so cold it reminded her of the winter weather in Chicago. "Your game is out in the open now. You're just like everyone else. I know I can't depend on you."
Erin's heart cracked. She closed her eyes. He was so very wrong, but how in the world could she convince him? "Do you wish me to leave the palace?" she asked, fighting tears.
"That's up to you," he said as if he couldn't care less.
His attitude felt like a knife plunging into her. "Since I'm more familiar with some of your tastes than most, I believe I should try to ease your transition as much as possible."
"Your choice," he said, glancing at his watch. "If you'll excuse me, I have an appointment."
Erin felt her heart sink to her feet. Her two minutes were over, and so was her golden time with Daniel. Feeling lost, she left his quarters, returned to her room and sat down on the bed. She ran her fingers over the beautiful coverlet and felt her eyes well with tears.
How had everything gone so wrong? She had known all along that it wouldn't end well, she reminded herself. Even if Daniel hadn't overheard that terrible one-sided conversation with her father, he was king and he would be obligated to choose a different kind of woman for his bride.
But she had never felt so safe, so wanted, as she had with him. An image of his angry face flashed though her mind and she flinched. She wrapped her arms around herself for comfort, but the terrible emptiness inside her only grew wider and deeper.
Erin felt tears burn down her cheeks, and she couldn't stop a hiccup, then another. Sobbing, she gave in to the spasms until she was exhausted.
He would never hold her again. He would never look at her with light in his eyes again.
The reality brought fresh pain and tears. She rubbed her wet cheeks with the backs of her hands. The phone on her bedside table startled her with its ring. She hiccuped, wondering who it might be. Daniel? Wishful thinking. Her father? She hiccuped again and decided not to answer. Erin couldn't talk to her father. She was ashamed she had ever agreed to try to dissuade Daniel from the throne, and she couldn't pretend otherwise. Her father would be furious with her disloyalty.
Her throat tightened. She had lost both Daniel and her father. Strangely enough, the loss of her father bothered her far less than the fact that she had brought Daniel such pain.
Daniel was incredibly strong, but he was making a difficult transition in Altaria, and she had made it harder. He had been so angry, so cold. She could only imagine how betrayed he must feel.
Erin sighed, hiccuping again. The spasms irritated her, so she turned her attention to getting rid of them. She pictured a peaceful Swiss snowfall. She continued to hiccup and frowned.
Closing her eyes again, she allowed her mind to drift to a different image. A cold, starlit night where she stood with Daniel in the middle of boxwoods lit with tiny white lights. Her heart hurt at the image, but she would never forget the magic they'd shared there that night.
Her hiccups faded and she opened her eyes.
Daniel would never love her. That would be a pain she would endure until she died. But she had the power to make life a little easier for him at this moment. She knew him as no one else in Altaria did. A seed of determination grew inside her.
* * *
After a long afternoon spent in meetings with a host of government officials, Daniel sought the solace of his private quarters. Loosening his tie, he entered and found Erin at his desk.
Suspicion immediately burned through him. "What are you doing?" he asked quietly.
Erin looked at him uncertainly. "Moving you in, Your Majesty," she said, lifting her hand to books she'd placed on a shelf.
Daniel gave the books a second look. They were the ones he'd brought with him from Chicago. He relaxed a millimeter.
"I knew you would immediately be plunged into meetings and royal duties, so I thought it best that I go ahead and unpack some of your things. You might not feel quite so out of place that way, sir," she said, arranging one of several photographs of his family. "Does this suit you, sir?"
Even now, when he was still bitter over her betrayal, her formal address grated on him. He glanced over the curves of her body and remembered how she had felt in his arms. Despite his anger, a forbidden flame of arousal flared through him. Disgusted with himself, Daniel looked awa
y.
"It's fine," he said. "Thank you."
He heard her sigh and met her gaze. In her eyes, an expression of hurt and loss came and quickly went. Her hands fluttered nervously before she clasped them together. "I took the liberty of ordering a meal for you, sir," she said. "One of the aides projected the ending time for your meetings and I thought you might be hungry."
"Correct again," he murmured, spotting the covered silver tray behind her.
"Very good, sir," she said briskly. "I've left you Altaria's newspaper, The Altarian Chronicle, along with the Wall Street Journal. I've arranged for delivery of the Chicago newspaper, but you won't begin receiving that until next week. In the meantime, the palace is equipped with a television satellite with over two hundred channels and you'll be pleased to know one of them is a Chicago station. I've also arranged for some of the palace groundskeepers to build an outdoor run for Jordan. Now, if I may excuse myself, I'll leave you to enjoy your dinner while it's warm."
Daniel blinked at the list of all Erin had accomplished. Curiosity burned alongside his sense of betrayal. "Why?" he asked.
She met his gaze. "Why what, sir?"
"Why did you do all this?"
She shrugged. "As palace liaison, it's my job to make sure you are as comfortable as possible."
"It was also your job to persuade me not to take the throne, or at the least to have me accept that my position was one of decorum only," he said, to keep the edge from his voice.
She paled and took a careful breath as if she'd just been struck. "I obviously was not well-suited for that assignment, sir," she said. "Perhaps I was ineffective because I didn't remain in agreement with it. I hope I will be much more successful with my current assignment." She gave a small, perfect curtsey. "Enjoy your dinner, sir," she said and left.
His heart pounding with a terrible mix of emotions, Daniel closed his eyes. Her light flowery scent lingered in the air. He inhaled deeply and the image of her sweet and naked in his arms invaded his mind. He swore under his breath and opened his eyes.
Her touch lingered just like her scent. His family's photographs had never felt more valuable to him. Seeing his books on the shelf alongside his grandfather's made him feel less like an outsider. It was as if Erin had known exactly what would ease him. He wondered if she was trying to win back his trust.
Daniel immediately rejected the possibility and contemplated whether he should dismiss her. After all, he knew he would never trust her. He was appalled with himself that he'd allowed her to become so important to him.
His stomach churned with a combination of hunger and dissatisfaction. Determined to set thoughts of Erin Lawrence aside, he walked toward his dinner tray and lifted the heavy sterling top. A man's dream meal. Rare steak, new potatoes and green beans. He took a long drink from the cold bottle of beer on the tray and brought his plate with him to the sofa. He reached for the remote and noticed that the first channel on the television was a Chicago station. It was as if she'd been determined to provide him reassurance and comfort in every way.
His heart tightened at the thought, but Daniel would never forget her father's damning words. Never in a million years.
* * *
Daniel was in constant motion from the time he rose until late in the evening for the next two days. Each night he found a cold beer waiting for him along with an addition to his private quarters. The latest was a basketball hoop hooked over the wastebasket beside his desk.
Tonight he'd attended a private dinner party at the prime minister's home. Exhausted, all Daniel wanted was to sink into the comfort and privacy of his quarters. But as he entered his suite, he noticed Jordan was missing. Frowning, he glanced out into the hallway.
Gregor Paulus approached him and bowed. Damn, if the man didn't always seem to be hovering nearby. "Good evening, Your Majesty. May I help you?"
"I'm looking for my dog."
Gregor twitched slightly. "I believe Miss Lawrence took him for a walk. She said he was barking and seemed lonely. Shall I collect them?" he asked, but didn't appear to relish the prospect.
"No, that's okay. I could use a walk myself," Daniel said and strode down the hall. He didn't want to see Erin, he told himself as he exited the palace through a side door. Even though he hadn't seen Erin during the last two days, he didn't miss her at all. He just wanted to see Jordan. He couldn't care less about seeing a certain shapely blonde with transparent blue eyes and warmth to spare beneath her cool English accent.
Daniel heard her before he saw her.
"You're going to be just fine," she said in a low, comforting voice. "You'll see. Your run will be ready in another day and you can play outside and dig holes and drive the palace groundskeepers crazy."
He couldn't stop a flicker of amusement at the sight of Erin sitting on the grass beside Jordan, petting him as she talked to him.
"The only thing is that you may need to mind your manners a bit when His Majesty entertains special guests." She sniffed. "And I do believe you could use a bath and some mint-scented doggy treats."
"Royal dog walker too?" Daniel asked, and watched both Erin and Jordan whip around to see him. Jordan barked and jumped to his feet, wagging his tail. He jolted forward, jerking Erin along with him.
Daniel bent down to rub his faithful pet. "Rough day, big guy? Mine was jam-packed," he said, then found he was unable to delay looking at Erin one second longer. The incongruous sight of her dressed in a pink ultra-feminine dress with her hands wrapped around Jordan's leather leash in a death grip did something to his gut. Indigestion, he told himself. "You can let him loose from his leash."
Her blue gaze was full of doubt. "Are you sure, sir? I've had difficulty retrieving him a few times."
This was news to him. "How many times have you taken him out?"
"Several, sir. He whines and barks when you're gone."
He nodded slowly, not wanting to be moved by her attentiveness to his dog, of all things. "You can let him go. He'll come when I whistle."
"I should learn how to whistle," she murmured to herself and let Jordan free. The dog immediately raced across the lawn.
Watching Jordan gallop over the grass, Daniel stood beside Erin. He was acutely aware of her presence and it irritated him. "Just out of curiosity, how have you been collaring him?"
"I've seduced him with steak, sir," she admitted.
The word seduced immediately conjured a slew of passionate images in his mind.
"It didn't take much," she continued. "Just a bite or two. The chef has been amenable so far, but I'd better not push it. If I didn't know better, I'd say Jordan laughs at me when I order him to return."
Daniel felt another sliver of amusement at the mental picture. He lifted his fingers to his lips and whistled sharply. Jordan immediately loped toward him and sat in front of him with his tongue hanging out, panting.
Erin stared at Daniel. "That's quite amazing, Dan—" Erin bit her lip at the slip. "Sir," she quickly corrected. "Would you mind showing me how you do that?"
Daniel repeated the whistle at a lower volume.
Jordan cocked his head.
Erin moved closer to study Daniel's mouth. "So you put your index fingers at each corner of your mouth." She lifted her fingers to her lips. "What do I do with my tongue?"
A blazing hot memory roared through Daniel and he bit back a groan. He could tell her several things she could do with her tongue. Tamping down his rampant arousal, he tried to focus on whistling. "You make a V with your tongue and press it against your bottom lip, then blow."
Erin blew, but didn't produce a whistle. She frowned in consternation and tried again.
Daniel studied her pink mouth and lifted his hand to her jaw. "Try again," he coached. "And press your tongue against your bottom teeth."
Erin tried again and sighed in self-disgust. "I think I may need to practice."
"You didn't learn how to whistle in finishing school," Daniel said, unable to keep a chuckle from his voice.
"The
re were a lot of things I didn't learn in finishing school," she murmured, her gaze tangling with his.
Daniel's stomach twisted at the sensual awareness on her face. He had put that there, he realized. He had been the man to teach her what a woman couldn't learn in an all-girls finishing school. A primitive possessiveness snaked through his blood, taking him off guard. Lord help him, even though she'd betrayed him, he still wanted her.
* * *
The following day, Erin received a request to appear in one of the royal meeting rooms. She wondered if Daniel had instructed his chief of staff to fire her. The prospect filled her with a mixture of dread and relief. Although she hated the idea of losing her accessibility to him, she welcomed the possibility that she would no longer have to endure his anger or disdain.
Entering the room, she saw several palace aides, royal security, and Daniel's chief of staff already waiting. Erin approved Daniel's choice for his chief of staff, Anthony Muller. She'd thought Daniel might choose Gregor Paulus simply because the man was so ingratiating, but she should have known better. Daniel was his own man. He would choose the man he believed best for such a crucial position. Anthony Muller was slightly older than Daniel and had acquired his college education in the United States. To put it in crude terms, Anthony was no suck-up. When asked for the truth, he spoke it.
Anthony nodded toward her in greeting, then turned his attention to the crowd. "Okay, everyone. You'll be honored to know that you have been selected to join His Majesty on his first official outing this afternoon."
Low murmurs of excitement traveled through the room. Erin felt a ripple of surprise and wondered why she had been chosen. Perhaps Daniel planned to bring Jordan along and he wanted a companion for his dog, she thought wryly.
"Some of you have heard about the fires that recently destroyed several farms. His Majesty plans to visit the farmers in a show of moral support. We will depart promptly at thirteen hundred hours," Anthony said. "Meet here fifteen minutes prior to that for further instruction." As he dismissed the group, he gestured toward Erin, who met him in the doorway.
