Their Royal Wedding Bargain

by Michelle Conder

The following night Alexa smiled at Stevens as he opened her car door and waited for her to exit onto the damp London street.

  An avant-garde restaurant loomed ahead, illuminated by a single bright light; the black door and grey brickwork looked as if it hid an illegal gin joint rather than a Michelin star restaurant.

  Rafe’s security team moved ahead of them, clearing the way and entering the building first.

  Trying to lighten the mood between them that had shifted since she’d accepted Regan’s invitation, Alexa chatted as if nothing was wrong.

  ‘I’ve heard of this restaurant. The chef is some sort of food maestro. I read that he creates new recipes in a laboratory rather than a kitchen.’

  ‘He’s innovative,’ Rafe agreed. ‘And good at what he does.’

  ‘Something you admire.’

  ‘I admire lots of things.’ His gaze slid down her body as the maître d’ took her coat. ‘Like you in that dress.’

  Relieved that he no longer seemed upset with her, Alexa smiled. ‘I believe you said that back at the apartment.’

  ‘No, I nearly stripped it off you back in the apartment. Somehow I’ve convinced myself that anticipation will make the pleasure worth waiting for and didn’t want to disappoint you by cancelling tonight.’

  As usual the explosive chemistry that was never far below the surface when they were together ignited, stealing her breath.

  ‘I’m glad you didn’t cancel,’ she murmured. ‘I think it’s going to be really special. And this dress deserved an outing because I’ll never be able to wear it in Berenia.’ Alexa adjusted the shoestring straps over her shoulders. The dress was low-cut at the front, even more daring than the one she’d worn to Bound, and it made her feel sexy and confident—exactly how Rafe always made her feel.

  Buoyed by a mixture of renewed happiness and lust, Alexa glanced at him from beneath the sweep of her lashes. ‘But I look forward to what anticipation looks like later on.’

  ‘I can tell you what it will look like.’ Rafe placed his hand against the small of her back and leant close. ‘A tenth of a second.’

  Alexa gave a husky laugh and suddenly she was plastered up against Rafe’s hard body. She gasped at the unexpected contact and the doorman discreetly glanced at his feet.

  ‘Stay an extra week,’ he said gruffly.

  ‘What?’

  ‘Don’t leave tomorrow. It’s too soon. Stay an extra week. You can work from my place if you need to. I’ve hardly scratched the surface of what I want to show you.’

  Dazed by the forceful nature of his request, Alexa’s mind blanked of everything but him. She was sure there were a hundred good reasons why she should say no, not least because she wanted to stay with him in London a little too much, but she couldn’t utter any of them. ‘I’d love to.’

  ‘Good.’ A satisfied smile curved his lips just before they connected with hers for a brief searing kiss. ‘Now let’s go and get tonight over with.’

  Giddy with delight that Rafe wanted to be with her as much as she wanted to be with him, Alexa floated through the sliding steel door into a large room that had once been an old warehouse. The designers had kept many of the original features, including industrial lighting suspended from black cables and exposed beams along the walls. Long tables dressed with pristine white tablecloths and sparkling silverware filled the space, with a brushed metal bar running along the back wall.

  Most of the guests seemed to already be present, about forty people standing in small groups holding champagne flutes and chatting animatedly.

  A waiter in a white coat stopped in front of them, holding a tray full of coloured drinks.

  ‘Mimosas,’ Rafe murmured, obviously reading her perplexed expression correctly. ‘Chilled juice and champagne. You might like it.’

  Alexa accepted the pink drink, her eyes wide with appreciation at the sweet taste. ‘I do like it.’

  Rafe’s eyes gleamed, but he had no chance to respond as Regan carefully crossed the room to greet them. She looked amazing in a gold three-quarter-length dress that cleverly hid her massive baby bump.

  ‘I don’t know much about pregnant ladies,’ Rafe said, bending to kiss his sister-in-law on the cheek, ‘but you look ready to pop.’

  ‘Rafe!’ Alexa admonished. ‘You don’t say that to a pregnant woman. You look amazing, Your Majesty. I hope I look as beautiful as you when I’m eight months pregnant.’

  ‘Thanks. But please call me Regan.’ Her eyes sparkled with merriment, her hand cradling her stomach. ‘I’m not due for a month yet, but the sooner this little darling comes out the better. I feel like a hippopotamus.’

  ‘My thoughts exactly,’ Rafe deadpanned.

  ‘I’ll make him pay later,’ Alexa promised. ‘Where’s the birthday boy?’ She held out a silver-wrapped gift Rafe had organised earlier in the day.

  ‘I’ll take that,’ Regan offered. ‘And Jag is with a good friend who is plying him with some sort of whisky that was created in a cave five hundred leagues below the sea, or some such. You should join them, Rafe, while I introduce Alexa to the other guests.’

  ‘Love to.’ Rafe gently touched Alexa’s jaw. ‘You okay with that, Princess?’

  Alexa’s heart bumped behind her chest at the sweet endearment she’d come to love. ‘Of course,’ she said, watching as he walked away.

  ‘Wow,’ Milena said by way of a greeting as she stopped beside Alexa. ‘I never thought I’d see the day my brother looked at a woman like that.’ Quirky and exuberant in an orange dress and bright blue stockings, she grinned delightedly at Alexa. ‘But it had to happen one day, right?’

  Alexa knew she thought Rafe was in love with her, but that was because Milena had no idea that they’d married for political purposes. Alexa hated lying to her, but she knew that the less people who knew their relationship was staged the better.

  ‘We’re having a good time together,’ Alexa supplied, which was true enough. They were having a very good time together. Or at least she was. She frowned a little as she gazed over at Rafe, greeting the men beside the bar. She was pretty sure Rafe was too. At least she knew he was in the bedroom. Just as the thought formed in her head, Rafe glanced back at her, his blue eyes finding hers with unerring accuracy.

  ‘Can you both excuse me?’ Regan said. ‘I need to remind the caterers about the cake.’

  ‘I’ll take care of Alexa,’ Milena promised, snagging a champagne flute from a passing waiter. ‘You know my brother can’t stop looking at you,’ she mused happily. ‘And whatever you’ve done to soften him, I’m glad.’

  ‘Soften him?’

  ‘Yeah, he actually listened to me the other day when I called him to complain about the amount of security Jag was insisting I have with me when I move to New York next week. He even promised to speak with him about it to see if he could reduce it.’

  ‘He’s worried you’ll get taken advantage of. And there are a lot of toads out there,’ Alexa said. ‘Believe me, I know.’

  ‘I suppose you’re right,’ Milena conceded. ‘But I’m not thinking about that. I believe in destiny so whatever happens, happens. I’m just happy for my two brothers. One about to become a father, the other so in love he’d walk over hot coals for you. I still find it hard to believe, and I can’t wait until you become Queen and Rafe has to walk two paces behind you at all times.’ She gave Alexa an impish look. ‘Given that he likes to always be in charge, I plan to tease him shamelessly about his subservient position every chance I get.’

  Alexa knew that Milena meant well with her sisterly digs, but her comment struck a chord deep inside Alexa. In Berenia the spouses of a monarch didn’t walk two paces behind; they walked ten paces behind.

  And Rafe would never do it.

  Moreover, she’d never ask him to do it.

  And she’d like to be able to tell Milena that. Tell her that, actually, she didn
’t love Rafe at all. But even as the words formed in her mind she knew that not only could she not say them for reasons of confidentiality; but because they were no longer true.

  She had gone and done the inconceivable and fallen in love with him, she realised with a sickening jolt. She didn’t know when, or how, her feelings had changed, but she knew that they had, and the need to protect herself, to hide herself away from prying eyes threatened to overwhelm her.

  She’d been so careful to keep their relationship in context. Tried so hard to remain objective and not to make more of their connection than was actually there, even embracing Rafe’s ability to separate emotion and sex, and yet...at the end of the day she found him as utterly irresistible as most other women he’d dated. Because underneath that layer of sophistication and rebellious charm was a man who was caring and loyal and strong. A man who was worth keeping.

  Her dream man.

  Only she wasn’t his dream woman. And she never would be because, although he clearly enjoyed spending time with her, he didn’t want anything more from her. He didn’t want that from any woman.

  ‘Are you okay, Alexa?’

  Milena placed a hand on her arm, her exotic eyes clouded with concern. ‘You look a little dazed. Do you need to sit down? I hope it wasn’t something I said. I know Rafe won’t mind walking behind you. I should never have joked about that.’

  Rafe was right, she thought with self-disgust; she really did need to work on her poker face if Milena had picked up on her distress so easily.

  ‘I’m fine,’ she automatically assured the other woman. ‘I think this mimosa has gone to my head.’

  ‘You need food,’ Milena said. ‘If I drink without eating I get lightheaded too. Let me find you some of the delicious canapés the waiters have been passing around.’

  Alexa knew that an empty stomach was hardly enough to make her feel so dizzy. But realising she was in love with a man who would never love her back would do it.

  She sucked in a deep breath. She was going to have to develop a new poker face and fast because this wasn’t information she could ever reveal to Rafe. Everything would instantly change if she did. He’d see her as some lovesick fool like the women in his past who couldn’t control their feelings for him. He might even withdraw from her like he had the day before, feel sorry for her, look at her with sympathy or, worse, worry that she would try to cling to him when it was time to end their marriage.

  Right now she was his equal in and out of the bedroom. Right now they were having a good time, a wonderful time, but all she would have to do to ruin that would be to utter those three tiny little words and it would be gone. He’d probably send her home immediately, making up some excuse to avoid seeing her again. It would be awful.

  And it was her fault. She’d become attached when she’d promised him that she wouldn’t. When she’d promised herself that she wouldn’t.

  But she wasn’t a dreamer in need of a fairy tale ending. She was a strong woman in charge of her own destiny.

  Destiny.

  There was that word again. And the irony of how her destiny had yet again interfered with her love life wasn’t lost on her. Because even if Rafe did—by some miracle of the universe—have feelings for her it would never work out between them. While Stefano had wanted to marry her for who she was, Rafe didn’t want to be married to her for who she was. He had made it clear on multiple occasions that he had no wish to return to Santara. That he hated all things to do with duty and royalty, so it stood to reason that he’d never want to move to Berenia. And while she could abdicate and pass the crown onto her cousin, it wasn’t ideal because—

  Abdicate?

  Stumbling into a chair, Alexa threw her hands out to stop herself from falling when she was grabbed from behind and pulled up against a hard male body that sent tingles to her toes.

  ‘Whoa.’ Rafe reached for the half-empty champagne flute she’d nearly upended all over herself, grabbing it in time to prevent any of the pink contents from spilling. ‘Careful, Princess.’ He nuzzled her neck indulgently. ‘You have a habit of spilling brightly coloured drinks all over yourself. At least this time you’re not wearing white.’

  Distracted by his lips against the tender skin of her neck, it took Alexa’s dazed brain a moment to realise what he’d said. When it sank in she spun around in the circle of his arms and stared up at him.

  ‘You?’ Her gaze collided with his sparkling blue eyes as her brain rearranged the events of her past into a new world order. ‘It was you. It was always you.’

  Her heart lurched inside her chest and she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the realisation that he had been the one to save her from embarrassment all those years ago, not his brother.

  Her heart gripped tight inside her chest as she stared at his beautiful face. Him. It had always been him.

  Destiny, whispered through her head again and she could have burst into tears on the spot. Because he wasn’t her destiny at all. He wasn’t her anything.

  Bemused, Rafe cocked his head to the side as if he hadn’t heard her right. ‘Always me?’

  ‘Yes.’ How had she mistaken him for his brother all those years ago? How had she not known?

  But then Rafe enjoyed playing the bad boy so much, how could she have ever thought that it would have been him? Who would have thought that the Rebel Prince would have possessed the empathy to prevent a young girl from embarrassing herself in front of a room full of dignitaries? But he’d always been that person deep down. It was why women fell over themselves to have a piece of him. Rafe was charming and debonair and handsome as the devil, but he possessed a deep sensitivity that eclipsed everything else. It was why his father’s continual rejection had hurt him so much that the only way he’d been able to survive it was to pretend that it didn’t hurt at all. It was why he reacted so strongly whenever he felt judged. He cared about those he loved, she realised, perhaps a little too much.

  ‘Stop monopolising your new bride, Rafe,’ Milena teased. ‘She needs to eat!’

  Feeling raw and exposed, Alexa gratefully accepted the small plate of canapés Milena offered. She knew her stomach wouldn’t hold anything down, but at least nibbling at the food would give her enough time to develop an A-grade poker face.

  Because she was going to need it to get through the rest of the night with her heart intact.

  CHAPTER NINE

  RAFE WATCHED ALEXA join his sister at the table, a slight frown pleating his brow. He would swear there was something up with her, but she wouldn’t catch his eye so that he could be sure.

  He’d taken her away this week on the spur of the moment and he’d enjoyed himself more than he’d thought possible. Being a loner, he usually couldn’t wait to leave whoever he was with to get back to his own company, but that urge didn’t seem to arise with Alexa.

  He knew he liked her more than was wise, but he didn’t seem to have any control over that. Looking at her, with her midnight-black hair catching the glints of the down lights and her perfect lips tilted into a smile, he wondered, not for the first time, at his total lack of control around this woman. Like asking her to stay an extra week because he didn’t want her to leave.

  She’d burrowed under his skin and although he was still waiting for the novelty factor to wear off, it wasn’t happening. If anything, the more time he spent with her, the more he wanted to, which had never happened to him before.

  Pleasure was pleasure but this... Being with her went beyond that and he’d be kidding himself if he tried to convince himself otherwise. He liked her both in and out of the bedroom. He liked her curiosity about the world, her dedication to her country, her loyalty to her people. He liked the way she teased him and challenged him and he loved that she shared his sense of adventure, and that she wanted to make the world a better place for everyone. Even him.

  He’d been wrong to call her a doormat; she was far fro
m a doormat. She was loyal and honourable and dedicated. They were all qualities he admired and tried to adhere to himself. He just wished her dedication was focused his way, rather than Berenia.

  But then, if it was, what would he do with it? It wasn’t as if he was looking for a permanent arrangement. They’d married with the express intention that it would end. She wanted it to end. And so did he.

  Didn’t he?

  Well, of course he did. Alexa was as constrained by her royal duties as his brother was, giving her little choice as to how to live her life.

  For a man committed to living his life with as few encumbrances as possible that would never work.

  ‘You still thinking of ending things with Alexa in six months’ time?’

  Rafe gave his brother a blank stare. Jag had always had the uncanny knack of knowing what he was thinking. The fact that he’d been staring at Alexa for a full five minutes might have also given him away. ‘Of course.’

  ‘Okay.’

  Jag joined him in watching Alexa chatting with the other women who had joined her and their sister at the table, sipping his glass of red.

  ‘Okay? That’s it?’ He cut his brother a brooding glance. ‘You’re not even going to try and tell me I’m wrong? Not going to try and give me some brotherly advice?’

  A smile threatened to break out on Jag’s face. ‘Would you like me to give you some brotherly advice?’

  ‘No.’ Rafe didn’t need advice. Especially about his love life. And since when did he think of sleeping with a woman as his ‘love life’?

  ‘You sure?’ Jag asked. ‘You look a little torn.’

  Did he? Well, hell. ‘I’m not torn. Alexa is...she’s great. But she’s not looking for anything long-term and nor am I. You know that.’

  ‘I know some things are bigger than we are,’ Jag answered enigmatically. ‘But the Rebel Prince and the future Queen of Berenia? It would never work, would it?’

  ‘No, it wouldn’t.’ Rafe’s expression turned grim. ‘You know I can’t toe the royal line if I don’t agree with it.’