Courting His Royal Highness (16 page)

She tried to wash Max from her mind by reaching for a bar of soap and quickly covering her entire body with scented fragrance. It smelled of apples and cinnamon. She loved it. It was homemade soap created by an elderly lady in her hometown. She ordered bars by the dozen. The trendy, posh, and outlandishly expensive boutiques in Los Angeles sold dozens of designer lotions and bath products, but they couldn’t compete with Apple Orchard Heaven. It was her signature fragrance.

Chloe rinsed with lightening speed. She dried off with an oversized white towel, wrapped it about her body, and hurried back into the bedroom. She was rummaging through the walk-in closet, trying to decide what to wear, when she heard a knock at the door.

“Just a minute.”

“Miss Tanner, you’re needed downstairs immediately. The director wants to discuss some things with you and with Prince Max about what’s happening today on set.”

Chloe pulled on lacy pink panties and a matching bra. Over the lingerie, she tugged on a pink tank top and pair of jean shorts. She picked up a comb on the way to the door, dragging it through her mass of hair—conditioner barely helped—and pulled open the door. A wide-eyed assistant stood in the hallway with a large smile plastered on his face and a clipboard in his hands.

“Good morning, Miss Tanner.”

“Good morning,” she said, returning his smile.

“I have your itinerary here.” He unclipped a wad of papers and handed the pile to her.

“Thanks.” Chloe didn’t have the heart to remind him she already had a complete itinerary still packed in her suitcase. “They want me now?”

The assistant glanced at his clipboard and nodded. “Yes, immediately. I’m sorry I didn’t get the itinerary to you sooner.” He swallowed hard and looked back at her. “I hope I don’t lose my job over this.”

Chloe patted his shoulder sympathetically. “I doubt that. No harm done. You can blame it on me.”

“But you didn’t have a schedule. I can’t do that.”

She shrugged. It was sort of her fault; after all, she hadn’t bothered to look at her schedule for the past two days. She’d been too distracted by Max. Much too distracted.

“Don’t worry about it. I give you permission to tell the producers it’s all my fault.”

The expression on his face was a mixture of horror and relief. “Thanks a lot. But I feel kind of bad doing that.”

“Well, I’m not late yet, am I?”

He shook his head.

“How much time do I have?”

“Fifteen minutes.”

She raised an eyebrow. “I thought you said I was needed immediately?”

He flushed. “Sorry about that.”

She leaned forward and said in a secretive whisper, “Well, fifteen minutes means immediately for a woman. We need lots of time to look gorgeous, you know. I’m hardly ready for a close-up. I just got out of the shower.”

He grinned, blushed a shade deeper, and eyed her appreciatively. “You look pretty to me.”

“Thanks.”

“I better get going.” He turned away and started walking down the hall.

“What’s your name?” she called.

He stopped and looked back over his shoulder. “Jordan.”

“Nice to meet you, Jordan.”

“You too, Miss Tanner.”

“I sound so old when you call me that. Call me Chloe.”

“Okay.” He grinned from ear to ear. “It’s nice to meet you, Chloe.”

Chloe watched him vanish around the corner before stepping back into the bedroom. She didn’t bother to shut the door and plopped down on the bed, removing the last of the snarls from her hair. When she was satisfied her hair was not a tangled mass any longer, she tossed the wide-tooth comb on the unmade bed and decided it was time to face the day. Wardrobe and makeup would take care of her appearance. She had no doubt she’d look like a million bucks by the time the cameras rolled. An ugly duckling could look like a swan with the right people helping her, beauty products, and digital touch-ups.

She took a deep breath, gave herself a mental pep talk, and exited the room, securing the door firmly behind her. She was happy at the prospect of seeing Max again, but not at all thrilled about the circumstances. It would be all business now. The kisses and passionate encounters and tender words were over. That was just the way it was.

Max patiently listened while Jack Parker, the show’s executive producer and director, discussed the day’s shoot with him. He really wasn’t interested. His mind was on Chloe; it had been on Chloe the entire morning. He missed her. It had taken all his willpower to pull himself from her. She’d looked so adorable snuggled close against him, a sleepy smile on her lips, one hand tucked under her cheek. He’d wanted to wake her again and make love to her and cuddle with her all day under the tumbled sheets.

But duty called. Duty always called.

“You’ll meet the girls as they arrive. After they settle in to their assigned rooms, they will meet you for dinner by the pool,” Mr. Parker said as he typed frantically on a laptop computer.

Max nodded. He’d never met anyone as hyper as Jack. The guy was a continuous ball of energy. Either nature had gifted him with it, or it could be attributed to the six cups of hazelnut coffee he’d gulped down since he arrived two hours ago. The guy’s hands were actually shaking. Max smiled. And he’d thought Eric was bad.

No one completed more in a day than Eric, but without his planner he was absolutely lost. Max had seen it happen. Two years ago, as a joke, he’d purposely misplaced the oversized black planner glued to Eric’s side. Eric went into fits, hyperventilated, and almost called out Max’s complete security guard to find it. He hadn’t been too happy to find it was a joke and had given Max the cold shoulder for almost an entire week.

“Do you know when Eric arrives?” Max asked.

Mr. Parker stopped talking and typing and glanced up from his keyboard. “Who?”

“Mr. Von Stratton.”

“Mr. Von Stratton should arrive any minute.” He went back to spewing forth information about the day and coming week and yelling at his assistant for another cup of coffee.

“Do you really think you need another cup of coffee?” Max asked.

“Yes. If I don’t have my coffee, I can’t function.”

Max believed it. As the assistant raced past him to fulfill the eccentric director’s request, Max mouthed “make it decaf.” She started to laugh, but clapped her hand over her mouth to smother the giggles. Mr. Parker didn’t seem to notice. He was far too busy being a Nazi general and giving Max orders about how he was supposed to act and what he was supposed to do.

Max’s mind drifted again to Chloe and the night they’d shared. Desire bloomed anew at the thought of her. What was he doing? He should break the contract with EVE, pay a huge fine to make amends, and sweep Chloe off her feet and into his arms forever. There was no reason why he couldn’t: after all, he was the Prince of Romalia. What was the use of having all that power and prestige if he couldn’t use it to his advantage?

Breaking a contract might taint his family honor for a while, but the world was forgiving to its royals. However, Chloe was relying on this to propel her struggling career. Her eyes lighted up when she talked about being an actress. How could he destroy her dream just because he desired her? And he couldn’t promise her a happily forever after. Or could he?

Do I love her? Maybe. I just don’t know.

He knew with certainty he’d never felt this way about any woman before, and he’d dated quite a few; Eric surely had a number somewhere in one of his organizers. Chloe made him happy. Thinking about her made him smile. Being with her made him feel whole. Was that love? He was starting to think so. He couldn’t get enough of her, and she was becoming important to him—he couldn’t imagine life without her.

“And that will conclude the week,” Mr. Parker interrupted Max’s thoughts. He glanced up from the computer screen and scanned the room. “I wonder where Miss Tanner is? She’s going to be late in two minutes. And you’re needed elsewhere.”

Damn. The show. He’d thought the show was such a good idea at first, but now he didn’t want anything to do with it. He wanted out. He wasn’t interested in any woman other than Chloe, and she wasn’t one of the choices on
Courting His Royal Highness
. Something had to be done. And he knew it was up to him to do it.

“And where am I supposed to be?” Max asked.

Mr. Parker looked completely and utterly exasperated. “Makeup and wardrobe. Haven’t you been listening to me? And it’s on your schedule. Don’t you look at that thing?”

Max shook his head. “I usually have Eric to do that.” It was a true statement. Eric scheduled everything for him and was always around to inform him of where he should be and when.

Jack guffawed. “Royalty!”

“Hey!” Max snapped irritably. He didn’t appreciate the attitude. Okay, okay, so he was a little spoiled and pampered. It didn’t mean he was incompetent. He simply didn’t have the experience of organizing and scheduling his life. That job had always belonged to Romalia officials and Eric. It was just the way things were. Period.

“Ah, there’s Sleeping Beauty. So, you finally decided to join us.”

Max turned his focus from clobbering Mr. Parker with his laptop to the love of his life. Chloe stood in the doorway to the living room. She was a vision in a pink tank top and denim shorts, which showed off her legs to perfection. Pink had to be one of her favorite colors. It was something he planned to remember for future reference. Pink roses, pink lingerie, pink champagne, pink….

“Sorry if I’m late, Mr. Parker.”

“Don’t worry about it, kid.” Mr. Parker waved off her apology with one hand. “You’re not late at all. It’s just that I start everything early. Remember that for future reference.”

Chloe smiled her lovely smile. “Okay.”

Suddenly, Max realized he
did
love Chloe Tanner. He loved her completely and madly and deeply. He loved her as a man was supposed to love a woman. He wanted a future with her. He wanted her to be his bride, his princess, his wife, and his queen. He wanted to have children with her, children with her large brown eyes and dark wavy hair.

The realization hit him like a bolt of lightening. He was shocked by it, and yet he was not. It was simple. He saw things clearly, as he never had before. He’d found his soul mate. He’d found his other half. And he was going to do everything and anything to keep her in his life.

But did she love him?

He knew she cared for him. He could see it in her chocolate eyes. But love? He didn’t know. He’d only just realized he loved her. Maybe she
did
love him, but didn’t even know it yet. He had to convince her they were meant to be together. He had to show her how much he loved her.

Max wanted to bolt from his chair, cross the room, and kiss her. She looked so cute. He wanted to kiss her all day long and all night and all week and all year.

“Where’s my cup of coffee!” Mr. Parker yelled.

His assistant scurried in with a steaming cup.

“Coffee, Miss Tanner?”

“Tea, please.”

“Get Miss Tanner some tea.”

“Yes, sir.” The assistant exited the room as fast as she could.

Mr. Parker gestured to an empty seat. “Sit down. Sit down. Join us. We’ve got much to discuss. I’m afraid Max can’t stay. I’ve already filled him in. He seems to be oblivious to what’s on the menu today and all week. Doesn’t look at his schedule, I guess.”

“It’s with Eric.”

“Ah, yes, Mr. Von Stratton.”

“I’ll admit I haven’t looked at mine either.”

Mr. Parker groaned. “What am I going to do with you two? My two stars don’t have a clue what they’re supposed to do. What did you do the last couple of days?”

Max grinned at Chloe. She grinned back. They’d definitely had other things on their minds. He was happy to hear she hadn’t given too much thought to her schedule either. He hoped she’d been focusing on him—and there was something warm and honeyed in her eyes that told him she had. She wasn’t looking at Mr. Parker, hadn’t glanced at him once. She had eyes only for Max. And he had eyes only for her.

“Sit down, Miss Tanner. We’ve got a lot to cover in not a lot of time.” Mr. Parker took a quick sip of his coffee. He grimaced. “Not hot enough. And not enough cream. Max, you’re already off schedule. Get going.”

Max stood at the same time as Chloe crossed the distance between them. He touched her arm. She gazed up into his eyes. He wanted to tell her right then and there that he loved her. He loved her so much that he couldn’t imagine life without her. She was his life. But this wasn’t the moment to tell her—not in front of their executive producer and director.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked softly.

She blushed. It made her more beautiful. He lightly squeezed her wrist. “I did. Very well,” she whispered.

“Me, too,” he whispered back.

“I’m glad you’re both well-rested,” Mr. Parker chimed in. “Now let’s get to work.”

“I’ll see you soon?” And he didn’t mean in the company of others.

“I hope so,” she said softly. She covered his hand with hers briefly. “I’d like that.” He saw sadness cloud her eyes. “But I don’t know how that’s possible, Max.”

“Good grief! You’re going to see each other every day for the next six weeks!” exclaimed Mr. Parker with a shake of his head. He took another sip of his coffee and complained once again, very loudly, that it wasn’t hot enough.

“I need to talk to you, Chloe.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

“There is.”

She shook her head and pulled gently away from him. “No. There’s nothing to talk about. We have a job to do. Let’s do it as professionally as we can.”

“But there’s so much to say, Chloe. I have so much to tell you. You have no idea.”

The despair in her smile wrenched his heart. “No. It’s over. It’s over,” she murmured softly so Mr. Parker couldn’t hear. “It was wonderful. But it’s done. Finished. Let’s not continue to torture ourselves.”

He was about to confess his love to her, but Mr. Parker interrupted him, informing Max—quite authoritatively—that he was needed immediately in makeup and wardrobe. Chloe turned away from him, sinking into an overstuffed chair and giving her complete attention to Mr. Parker, who immediately launched into informing her about her duties for the day.