Their Royal Wedding Bargain

by Michelle Conder

  ‘Sorry.’ She gave him a small smile. ‘I feel sort of responsible for all of this honeymoon palaver, and I know you’re not happy about it.’

  ‘You’re not responsible.’

  ‘Well, at least you didn’t try to make me feel better by pretending to be happy.’ She gave a strained laugh. ‘But I know you didn’t want anything to change and it clearly has.’

  ‘That was a bit short-sighted, given the monumental interest in our wedding.’

  ‘Yes. It seems that my father was right about our marriage moving everyone’s attention from problems to pleasure. Do you know they even have a mug and tea towels with our faces on it?’

  ‘Quaint.’ He noticed the purple smudges beneath her eyes that he hadn’t seen before and wondered if she’d had as little sleep as he’d had over the past fortnight.

  ‘I know. My people went all-out. I think after your brother ditched me no one thought I’d ever find anyone else to marry.’

  At the mention of his brother Rafe was reminded of the way she’d gazed at Jag only hours earlier. It had appalled him to think that she might still have feelings for his brother, and he didn’t like it.

  ‘Why would anyone think that you wouldn’t get married? You’re the heir to the throne of Berenia.’

  ‘Thanks for pointing out my most saleable quality.’

  Her self-deprecating tone made him frown. ‘That is not your most saleable quality.’

  He’d say her lips were definitely high on the list. Along with her legs, and the keen intelligence that shone from those magnificent green eyes. ‘My brother fell in love with someone else. That was hardly your fault.’

  ‘Some saw it differently.’

  Noting the way her shoulders had tensed, Rafe’s eyes narrowed. ‘Define “differently”.’

  ‘I can barely remember.’ She waved her hand between them as if the whole thing was inconsequential. ‘Something about me not being womanly enough to keep hold of him.’

  Rafe made a rude noise in the back of his throat. ‘I’ve never heard anything more ridiculous.’

  Or wrong.

  ‘Anyway.’ She made another flicking gesture with her hand. ‘I was thinking that if your apartment isn’t big enough for the both of us, then I could stay in a hotel.’

  Even though Rafe had come up with the same idea only moments earlier, the fact that she would prefer a hotel to his home chafed. ‘My apartment is big enough.’

  ‘Still, I could—’

  ‘It’s big enough.’

  ‘You didn’t let me finish.’

  ‘I didn’t have to. How do you think it would look if I set my beautiful wife up in a hotel straight after our wedding?’

  ‘I suppose.’ She fidgeted with her phone so he knew there was more coming. ‘And your staff? Will they think it strange when we have separate bedrooms?’

  Rafe lazily leaned back in his seat, relaxing now that he knew what her angle was. ‘Is that your way of telling me that sex is off the table, Alexa?’

  As he expected, her eyes flashed and turned frosty. ‘Of course sex is off the table. It was never actually on the table.’

  ‘Really?’

  Hot colour poured into her cheeks and he knew she was recalling every hungry kiss they’d shared, just as he was. ‘That wasn’t the impression I got.’

  And no way would he let her paint it any other way.

  ‘I’m sorry you got a different impression,’ she said stiffly, refusing to meet his eye, ‘but I’m not interested in meaningless sex.’

  Meaningless sex?

  He regarded her steadily. ‘Who said it would be meaningless?’

  She shifted in her seat, unwittingly drawing his gaze to her body. He could see the outline of her rounded breasts beneath the fitted jacket and his body clenched as he recalled how perfectly she’d fitted into the palm of his hand.

  ‘What else could it be?’ she said, bringing his eyes back to hers. ‘And, regardless, it would only blur the lines between us. So there’s no reason for us to become intimate.’

  Her voice was matter of fact, her reasoning completely logical. So logical that he agreed with it. Unfortunately he didn’t care. This thing between them pulled at his self-control and her ready denial of its existence only made him want to prove her wrong.

  ‘I can think of at least one.’ In fact right now he had about one hundred and one filtering through his brain. ‘Pure, unadulterated pleasure.’

  ‘Oh.’ The soft catch in her voice fired his blood. It made him want to reach over and haul her out of her seat and into his.

  As if reading him correctly her face flamed. ‘I’m not that...physical...but, since you obviously are, I don’t mind if you seek...relief elsewhere. I only ask that you be discreet about it.’

  It took Rafe a moment to fully understand what she meant and then he didn’t even try to hide his incredulity.

  ‘You’re giving me permission to cheat on you? What kind of wife does that?’

  ‘The non-real variety. Obviously.’

  ‘Princess, while I’d love to live up to this wild image you have of me as some sort of sexual deviant, not every relationship I have with a woman ends between the sheets. And, to answer your earlier question, I only have one full-time housekeeper, apart from my security personnel, and she won’t ask any questions.’

  ‘Good to know.’

  What was good to know? That he didn’t sleep with every woman he met, or that his housekeeper wouldn’t care about their sleeping arrangements?

  His mouth thinned. She was driving him crazy and when she coolly turned her attention to her phone he decided to drive her a little crazy in return. ‘Alexa...’ He waited for her eyes to reconnect with his before leaning toward her to whisper throatily. ‘Sex between us wouldn’t be meaningless at all. It would be mind-blowing.’

  * * *

  It was nearly midnight when the plane touched down in London and Rafe ushered Alexa into a waiting limousine.

  She had spent most of the flight vacillating between being mortified that she’d told Rafe about the rumours pertaining to her lack of femininity and growing hot at the thought of what mind-blowing sex with him would feel like.

  She knew better than to air her dirty laundry in public and what had she wanted him to say? That she was womanly enough to hold a man?

  Wishing she could just curl up and sleep for the next two weeks, Alexa did her best to ignore the man beside her and take in what she could see of the city.

  She’d been in London once before for a state dinner but she’d had no time to explore at all, flying in and out within twenty-four hours, due to work commitments.

  It must have rained before they arrived because the streets were shiny and black, the twinkling lights outlining a world that was miles away from what she was used to.

  In no time at all, it seemed, the big Mercedes pulled into the underground car park of an impressive plate glass ten-storey building.

  Yawning, Alexa barely noticed the high-tech layout of the garage, or the impressive array of luxury cars parked in personalised bays.

  She did, however, notice the state-of-the-art glass-encased lift that whisked them to the top floor and opened out into a polished marble foyer lined with a dark wood finish.

  ‘The building is patrolled by Chase Security,’ Rafe informed her, ‘a high-level security firm, and all the windows are bulletproof. Two of your secret service detail will be arriving later on tonight. I’ve organised for them to have a lower level apartment while you’re here. A concierge is on duty twenty-four-seven if you should need anything and I’m not here.’

  He walked through to a living area with twelve-foot ceilings and enormous windows on three sides that gave an incredible view over the park and the city beyond. An ultra-modern monochrome chandelier hung from the high ceiling, perfectly setting off the sectiona
l furniture that was both homely and state-of-the-art.

  Even though she lived in a palace, the architectural elegance of Rafe’s home took her breath away. ‘It’s beautiful,’ she said reverently. ‘Like a castle in the clouds.’

  Glancing up from checking mail that had been neatly placed on a display table, Rafe gave her a mocking glance. ‘The ceiling chains are in the bedroom.’

  ‘Ceiling chains?’

  ‘It’s par for the course with being a hedonist. Isn’t that the word you used?’

  Alexa groaned as he threw that back in her face, but really, what did he expect her to think when he made so little effort to refute any of the wicked claims made about him? In fact, he’d basically told her they were all true!

  ‘Are you saying I’ve got it wrong?’

  His mouth twisted into a cynical line. ‘I’m saying I had a good time in my twenties. Make of that what you will.’

  Alexa thought about everything she’d read about him, and everything she knew to date. So far he didn’t seem all that self-absorbed at all, and he had stopped kissing her in the library when she’d asked him to. In fact, he’d given her fair warning that he was going to do so, thereby giving her enough time to say no. Not that he’d given her fair warning the second time. The second time he’d taken her in his arms on the terrace she’d all but swooned at his feet.

  ‘Here’s the thing, Alexa.’ His voice sounded all soft and growly. ‘I like sex, but I like straight up bedroom sex. Sometimes I like shower sex or spa sex. I’ve even been known to enjoy table sex and floor sex. I leave kinky sex for those who enjoy it more.’

  Knowing he was trying to shock her with his litany of sexual venues, Alexa ignored the jolt of pleasure from just hearing him say the word. ‘Does that mean that the whips are in the bedroom too?’

  Clearly surprised by her comeback, his mouth twitched. ‘No.’ Heading for the doorway, he gestured for her to follow him. ‘I keep those in the safe.’

  She couldn’t help laughing, and it relieved some of the tension that had plagued her since she’d walked down the aisle towards him.

  ‘I’ve asked Mrs Harrington to prepare one of the guest suites for your use down this hallway. If you want to use the pool or gymnasium they’re on the lower level and the library is on the mezzanine above to your right.’

  ‘I thought apartments were small,’ Alexa said, admiring the artwork on the walls as she passed. ‘You like the Impressionists?’

  ‘I like all art as long as it’s not a landscape. I prefer the real thing to a painting.’

  ‘I feel the same.’

  Alexa couldn’t hold back a smile as she took in the gorgeous honey-toned bedroom with a view of glowing city lights that spread for miles. Her eyes darted to the ceiling with impish humour, but she wished she hadn’t because now he was looking at her lips and she couldn’t breathe properly.

  Sexual awareness pulled at her insides, worse than it had done all day, and the quiet of the apartment highlighted that for once it was just the two of them. Alone. Together.

  As if feeling the same pull she did, Rafe stepped back. ‘Your private bathroom is through the walk-in closet. Stevens will be up with your bags in a moment.’

  Trying to steady her breathing so he didn’t see how badly he affected her, Alexa dropped her handbag onto the king-sized bed that faced the wall of windows. ‘I probably won’t sleep tonight anyway. This view is incredible.’

  ‘That’s up to you. I intend to sleep very well. Goodnight, Alexa.’

  Watching him leave through the reflection in the windows, Alexa let out a slow breath. She couldn’t deny the effect Rafe had on her. Especially after he’d listed off places where he liked to have sex.

  Good lord!

  But being intimate with a man like the rebel Prince of Santara would be like driving a Formula One racing car on a suburban road.

  Deadly at every turn, but, oh, so much fun.

  And why was she even countenancing such a thought when she’d already made her position on intimacy clear? But she knew why, didn’t she? She was attracted to him. Incredibly attracted and no logical reasoning or denial made a difference to how she felt.

  And it was something she needed to work on. Because even knowing that he was the most unsuitable man on the planet, and that there was no chance she would ever imagine herself in love with him, she couldn’t deny that just looking at him made her body crave something she had no experience to deal with.

  At least not objectively. And she could not afford to fall into her old ways and get emotional over him. Because he certainly wouldn’t get emotional over her. No one ever had and it hurt, knowing that men found it so easy to walk away from her.

  And Prince Rafaele would definitely walk away from her; it was what he did with all women. It was why she had married him in the first place. She wanted him to walk away from her in the end.

  Restless, she moved to stand in front of the tall windows, trying to figure out why she felt so unsettled.

  Was it just the pomp and ceremony of the day? Was it exhaustion from lack of sleep? Or was it that tonight was her wedding night and she was spending it alone? Alone, overlooking a picturesque night sky in a beautiful room with a bed the size of a swimming pool, and an ache deep inside her that longed to be satisfied. An ache to have Rafe touch her again, kiss her again...

  ‘Your Highness?’

  A voice outside her door broke into thoughts that were rapidly spiralling out of control. Ushering the chauffeur into her room, she thanked him for delivering her luggage and immediately set out to find her nightwear. All she needed was a good night’s sleep. She only hoped it didn’t elude her yet again...

  * * *

  Fortunately it didn’t and she woke feeling more refreshed than she had anticipated. After a quick shower she donned her yoga gear, stretched on her yoga mat until she felt all the kinks leave her body, then went in search of coffee.

  Following one hallway to the next, she eventually found the kitchen, a beautiful room of shiny stainless steel and polished wood. The state-of-the-art coffee machine took almost as long to locate. It was set into the wall above the oven, and the various buttons and dials looked like they belonged on a flight panel rather than on a coffee machine. Having only ever fixed herself a coffee from a small machine in her private suite, Alexa had no idea how it worked.

  Still, how difficult could it be to operate? She opened a few cupboards until she located a mug and set it under the central cylinder that looked like it dispensed coffee.

  Gnawing on the inside of her lip, she hoped that if she started pressing buttons she wouldn’t blow the thing up.

  Before she could decide which one to push, however, she felt Rafe’s presence behind her.

  ‘What are you doing?’

  Alexa glanced over her shoulder to see her husband standing in the doorway. He was dressed for business in a pale blue fitted shirt buttoned all the way to the wide column of his tanned throat, and a royal blue silk tie that turned his eyes the same shade.

  Beautiful. He was utterly beautiful and Alexa did her best to calm the spike in her heart rate.

  ‘I’m studying your coffee machine and trying to figure out how not to break it,’ she said, giving a tentative smile.

  Probably the best thing going forward would be for them to become friends. Anything would be better than the sense of awkwardness she currently felt. ‘You don’t have an instruction manual, do you?’

  His eyes narrowed even more as his gaze swept over her with cool indifference. ‘What type of coffee do you want?’

  ‘A soy latte. If it does that.’

  ‘This thing could probably reboot NASA,’ he growled, coming up behind her and reaching over her shoulder, stabbing his finger at the buttons. ‘Let me show you how it works.’

  He started going through the various options and Alexa tried to c
oncentrate but his heat and clean woodsy scent were doing crazy things to her brain. The urge to turn her face into the crook of his neck and sniff it was incredibly powerful and it took every lesson she’d ever learned in how to be objective to prevent herself from actually doing so.

  By the time she’d mastered the urge the lesson was over.

  ‘Then you hit Start.’

  Great, she hadn’t learned a thing.

  Moments later the machine hissed and gurgled and Rafe handed her a perfectly made coffee.

  Breathing the aroma deep into her lungs, Alexa groaned gratefully, her sexual awareness of the man in front of her immediately superseded by the need for caffeine. Which lasted right up until she opened her eyes and saw his dark gaze fixed on her mouth. Heat and desire swept through her at a blinding rush but, as if he hadn’t felt a thing in return, he stepped back from her and fetched an espresso cup from an overhead cupboard.

  Seriously disturbed by how easily he made her want him, Alexa racked her brain for something to say that would ease the tension between them.

  ‘So you’re off to work then,’ she said, silently cringing at the obvious statement.

  ‘It pays the bills.’

  ‘And do you work at your nightclubs or an office?’

  ‘Both.’

  Okay, then. So he wasn’t going to make this easy.

  Unperturbed, Alexa leant against a glossy cabinet, watching him reset the machine. ‘You know I’d really love to come to the opening of your club this Friday night. I’ve never been to a nightclub before.’

  ‘No.’

  Alexa blinked with surprise at his curt tone. ‘No?’

  ‘That’s what I said.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘You’re too straight.’

  ‘Too straight?’ She scowled at him. ‘What does that mean?’

  ‘It means what it means,’ he dismissed in a way that only ratcheted up her annoyance. ‘And I have no intention of arguing with you about it. It’s too early in the morning, for a start.’