by Robin Gianna
His words rang in his ears, and it was like being given a good whack on the side of the head. Apparently there was some part of him deep inside that was still that boy who was the second prince. The spare heir. The one who didn’t always follow rules and had embarrassed his parents when he’d left the kingdom to become a doctor. The one who refused to ever marry, despite having very good reasons for that.
The son they were always disappointed in, whether he lived up or down to his reputation in the media. Pathetic that it hurt that they felt that way, but there it was. The truth.
“What do you mean, their opinion of you is low? That’s ridiculous.”
“Not ridiculous.” He pressed his lips to her forehead and let them stay there, because the simple connection felt good. “I told you before that they wanted me to stay in the family business, so to speak. They never understood or approved of my wanting to be a doctor, and were more than disappointed when I did it anyway.”
“Rafael.” She grasped his face in her hands, and he felt a little like he was drowning in the sweet sincerity of the brown eyes staring into his. “I don’t know your parents. But I have to believe you’re wrong about a lot of this. Maybe they wanted you to do more traditional duties at home, but surely they’re proud of the hard work you put in to be a doctor. Of the lives you save and the good you do. When you go home, promise me you’ll talk to them. Share how you’ve felt, and clear the air. I bet you’ll be surprised at how they respond.”
Gabriella knew a lot about human nature—hadn’t he seen it first hand in so many ways? That didn’t mean she knew a thing about his family situation, but he realized he didn’t have anything to lose by talking things over with his parents. Who knew, maybe they could come up with a relationship less full of stress and more full of the kind of closeness he’d seen in other families. Including royal ones like those of the Sheikh they’d met today, who obviously cared deeply about his extended family.
“I don’t expect anything would change, but for you I’ll think about it.”
“Not for me, for you. Because after another week or so we won’t see each other again.”
A good thing for her. Not so much for him. She was the most special woman he’d ever known, and he wished they could spend more time together. But he was a man who generally disappointed the people in his life, and she was a woman who’d already been badly disappointed by someone else. She deserved someone who believed in love and happy-ever-after. He definitely didn’t, but maybe she’d somehow find that one day.
The thought made his chest feel oddly tight and he stood to end the torture of being with her when he shouldn’t be. “We have an early morning. The Sheikh wants to get going as soon as we check once more that his wife’s not in labor.”
Her gaze stayed on his as she slowly pushed to her feet. Searching. Questioning. Not a surprise, since moments ago he’d been kissing her like a man on a mission to get horizontal with her as soon as possible.
Much as he still wanted that more than his next breath, she deserved better.
They walked in silence to their rooms, which were connected by an interior door, and Rafael knew he wouldn’t get much sleep, thinking about her warm, soft body curled into a bed so close to his. The same way he’d been unable to sleep the night he’d tucked her into the guest room of his house, and he hadn’t even known her then.
Now that he did, now that he knew the attraction was mutual, staying away from her would require Herculean strength, but for her sake he could do it.
Stopping at the door to her room, he somehow managed to kiss only her cheek, though he knew his lips lingered there too long. “Good night, Gabriella.”
“This is totally unfair, you know.”
“What is totally unfair?”
“Getting James to include me on this trip, then making me sit close to you, look at you, feel the touch of your hand while we drove, and it was all so distracting I barely noticed the gorgeous scenery. Then you took me on a romantic balloon ride with your arms around me, which was the most incredible thing I’ve ever done. More romance and kissing and touching by a fire under the stars. And now you dump me like a hot rock in front of my door?”
The flash of fire in her eyes, the annoyance in her voice and her words were so surprising and adorable he couldn’t help but laugh, even though having to leave her now wasn’t in the least amusing. “Dumping is a strong word. I’m simply dropping you off after a wonderful day together.”
“Why?” A challenge in her brown eyes joined that single word.
“For the reasons we just talked about outside, Gabriella,” he said quietly, hoping she’d understand. “You deserve so much more than someone like me can give you. I’m leaving soon, and I don’t want to be another man who disappoints you.”
“You can’t disappoint me if I’m not expecting anything.” Her fingers slid up the front of his jacket to grasp his neck again, on up to trace his jaw and cheekbones, and even that simple touch made him want her even more. “You’ve made me see that I’ve been living in a cocoon this past two years. Hiding. But unlike you’ve had to do in these past weeks, I haven’t been hiding from outside forces. Haven’t been hiding because someone asked me to. I’ve been hiding from myself, and now I know it’s time to change that.” Her eyes softened, and her voice dropped to a whisper. “Being with you tonight is all I want. Breaking out of my shell to enjoy just one more incredible night with an incredible man. Is that so much to ask?”
He didn’t even realize he’d wrapped his arms around her until his hold tightened and he couldn’t make himself let her go. He warred with himself about the right thing to do. “Gabriella—”
She rose on tiptoe and buried her hands in his hair. Pulled his mouth to hers for a kiss so long and sweet and hot it fried every last working brain cell he had left.
He somehow broke the kiss and stared into her beautiful eyes. “You promise you won’t regret it when I leave? That you won’t feel hurt that I can’t stay?”
“I won’t regret it. I won’t be hurt. Unless you walk away this second. In which case I’ll have to become like autocratic Rafael Moreno was the first day we met and ‘take control of the situation.’”
How a woman’s eyes could be amused, sensual, and flashing all at the same time he had no idea, but it was an irresistible combination. He loved how Gabriella made him smile and laugh and want her so much he ached. “You already know I hate to give up control of any situation, mi ángel,” He touched his mouth to hers and began to walk her backwards ten feet down the hallway to his own door. “So how about we take control of it together?”
“I like that idea a lot.”
And with that she plastered her body close to his, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, which was so distracting he had a hard time remembering in which pocket he’d stuffed his room key. “Can you wait for just two seconds while I find my key?”
“I don’t know. But I’m happy to help you look.”
She peppered kisses on his face at the same time she put her hand caressingly into his pants pocket, obviously looking for something other than his room key, and he laughed then nearly moaned.
“I’d never have dreamed that charming midwife Gabriella Cain could be such a vixen.” Thank God he finally found the key in his jacket pocket, because she was driving him crazy and they were both still fully clothed. He shoved the door open and nearly stumbled as he backed her inside because now that they weren’t in a public hallway and he’d abandoned all worries of hurting her, he couldn’t get his hands and mouth on her fast enough.
“I’ve never been a vixen, I don’t think.” She pushed his jacket off at the same time he was unzipping hers. “Apparently, you bring her out in me.”
“I’m about to show you what you bring out in me. Didn’t you say you felt like Cinderella at the charity ball? I think I may be turning into the Be
ast.” And while it was a joke, it wasn’t far from the truth. He’d already stripped off her sweater and was in the process of unbuttoning her pants, and couldn’t remember a time he’d felt as desperate to make love with a woman as he felt right now.
“You’re mixing up your fairy tales. But since you are a prince, I guess that’s okay.”
She lost him on the conversation because he’d gotten her pants off and he took a moment to look at her, holding his breath at the vision before him. At her slim body, her luminous eyes, her hair a little tousled and her beautiful lips parted. He reached to unclasp her bra and as she stood there in near-naked perfection, he felt humbled. Incredibly lucky to be the man she’d chosen to break out of her shell with.
“Gabriella.” He drew her close and kissed her, drinking in the taste of her and the sweetness of her, then scooped her up against his chest. A couple of steps to the bed and he’d deposited her in it, stripping off the last of his clothes to slide in next to her, loving the feel of her skin against his.
He captured her wrists in his hands and raised them above her head, letting his other roam in a gentle touch over her breasts and down her ribs as his mouth captured her nipple.
“I guess you were serious about taking control.” She gasped. “How can I touch you if you’re holding my hands?”
“Later. First, I want to make you feel good.” So good, so special for her that she’d never feel regret. Just memories of what it had been like between them, which he knew he’d never forget.
He moved his mouth back to hers, slipping his hand between her legs to feel the wetness there, caressing her for long minutes, and with any other woman he might have joined with her right then. But this was Gabriella, and he wanted to touch her all night. Could listen to her little moans forever as she writhed and gasped, but finally her hands broke free of his hold and she reached for him.
“I thought we agreed we were going to share control tonight, hmm?” she said, grasping and stroking him until he was the one moaning.
“Take pity on me, bella. The truth is I have little control around you.”
He could feel her smile against his lips. “That’s what I like to hear, Dr. Moreno. And remember how I said I was a Girl Scout? Always prepared?”
He laughed when he saw she had a condom in her hand, and where she’d grabbed it from he had no clue. Didn’t care either, because after she slid it in place she rose up and sheathed herself on him. Rafael had never seen anything so beautiful in his life as this woman moving gracefully above him, looking down at him through eyes shining with the same intense desire that clawed into his very soul, leaving him weak. He held her hips, moving faster, wanting to see her expression as she came undone. When she did, arching her back and crying out, he was again filled with awe that he’d been privileged enough to be the one to put that look of ecstasy on her face. Then he followed her with his own cry of rapture as he gathered her close to his pounding heart. A heart he knew would never be quite the same again.
* * *
Rafael awoke to the feel of a slender shoulder pressed against his collarbone and a round, firm bottom spooned against him, and instantly began to harden at the sweet sensations and memories of last night’s incredible lovemaking. Never had he experienced something so beyond the physical with a woman. Something that had demanded engagement from his heart and mind and soul every bit as much as his body.
He softly kissed Gabriella’s hair, the hair he so loved to look at and touch. The golden fire that was such a part of who she was both inside and out, feisty and angelic, determined and dazzling. He moved his lips to the soft curve behind her ear, which he’d learned was a sweet spot she particularly enjoyed him kissing, but she didn’t stir. Apparently she felt as worn out by their time together as he did. Worn out by the emotion of sharing their secrets with one another as much as their late-night lovemaking.
Finally hearing her story about her ex had been satisfying. Not completely, because he had a feeling there was more to the story than she’d wanted to talk about last night. But knowing she’d trusted him enough to share at least part of the reason she confessed she’d hidden away the past two years felt good. He wanted to be the person she danced with in the sunlight now that she’d decided to come out to play.
But he couldn’t be that person, couldn’t risk hurting her, and that reality blasted his sense of triumph to smithereens. He wouldn’t be here for her. Couldn’t be her forever love, because such a thing didn’t exist.
He tucked her warm, captivating body closer, closing his eyes to breathe her in, and the ache in his chest told him one thing for certain. At least one person would hurt like hell when he moved on from L.A., and it would be the first time in his life that ending a fling would make him feel anything but guilt or relief.
The muffled tones of his cellphone had him searching for it in the bed, finally finding it when he slid his hand beneath Gabriella’s pillow. This time she did stir, and his good morning murmur in her ear got cut off in mid-word when he saw who was calling.
His brother.
What could he possibly want? His brother’s life was full of responsibilities that Rafael was more than happy to not have. Also more than happy that his brother rarely called, because when he did it was usually to scold him for embarrassing the royal family, as if it wasn’t enough to hear it from both his mother and his father.
He nearly ignored the call, but finally swung his feet to the side of the bed and stood, striding to the bathroom so as not to disturb Gabriella. “To what do I owe the honor, Alberto?”
“Unfortunately, I have bad news. Mother has had a heart attack, and you need to come home right away.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
GABBY DID HER best to focus on work but, despite repeatedly yanking her attention back to her job, she kept making silly mistakes. Thankfully none had been too important, but still. How often did she normally drop things? When was the last time she’d walked into the storage room before completely forgetting what she’d needed? It had happened twice already. And giving a patient still water when she’d asked for sparkling...? Never.
And she knew it was because Rafael and his family were weighing on her mind. When he’d told her he had to leave and why, he’d sounded very matter-of-fact, but she knew him now. Knew that behind that suave and confident exterior was a man with a sensitive heart who cared passionately for others. No matter what he’d said about his family, about his conviction that they were disappointed in him, that he’d let them down when he’d decided to take a different path than what they’d planned for him, she could see he wasn’t indifferent to it. That he cared about that more than he’d ever let on. And when she’d looked into his eyes after he’d told her his mother was ill, the calm mask on his face hadn’t concealed the worry in his eyes.
Of course he’d been worried. No matter what kind of relationship anyone had with their parents, they were still important. Still loved.
She stared, unseeing, at the tray of supplies in her hands. Love. Such a complicated and confusing thing. She’d been so sure she’d loved Ben, had made a baby with him and had been planning to marry him. But now? Now she knew the truth. That it had all just been easy. They’d dated, he’d seemed like a good, stable man, and when she’d gotten pregnant had figured it was time to get married. Wasn’t that what most people would have done?
But she’d never really loved him.
She knew that now. Knew because she was crazily in love with Rafael Moreno. Arrogant prince, excellent doctor, and tender lover. The knowledge balled her stomach, and her heart swelled at the same time it pinched tight. How had she let herself fall in love with the man? A notorious playboy, an international jet-setter who didn’t stay in one place very long, and a man who freely admitted he didn’t believe in forever-after love.
Truth was, though, she couldn’t blame herself. It hadn’t been a question
of letting herself fall for him. It would have been like trying to stop an ocean wave as she swam in the Pacific, because Rafael was a force of nature every bit as mesmerizing and powerful.
She loved him. And when he’d kissed her goodbye, she’d known there was a good chance he might never be back.
The ball in her stomach rolled and her knuckles whitened on the tray, but she lifted her chin as she picked up her pace down the hallway. Somehow she had to focus on what she did best, which was work. It wasn’t Rafael’s fault she’d fallen so hard for him. If he called to report back about his mother, which he’d promised to do, she’d do everything in her ability to listen like a friend would and not let him know how much she missed him. How much she hoped he’d come back to L.A., but at the same time part of her hoped he wouldn’t.
The love, the connection she felt with him seemed huge and overwhelming and uncontrollable. But the thought of having a real relationship with someone again? Something more than the short fling she’d decided to allow herself with him? Just the idea of it scared her to death.
“Why do I even care, Freya?”
Gabby hesitated at the sound of Mila’s upset voice, not wanting to walk by the open lounge door while she was obviously having a personal conversation. “He already broke my heart once—shouldn’t that have been enough to make my feelings turn to stone where he’s concerned?”
“We can’t just turn our feelings on and off like a faucet, Mila,” Freya said in a soothing tone. “It’s okay to feel the way you do.”
“I mean, it almost seems like he’s flaunting his new girlfriend, doesn’t it? Like he’s deliberately waving her in my face to upset me.”
“I think James...well, he might be having his own struggles, Mila. He’s never been one to let emotions control him, you know? Maybe his behavior is some unconscious reaction to seeing you again. I don’t know what else to say, except you should tell him what you just told me and give him some time to think about it.”