His Royal Pleasure (5 page)

Everyone held his breath.

“Away with him!” Raven ordered his men, and watched them take Richard below.

Raven took Bettina in his arms and kissed her soundly.

The audience whistled and cheered. But the enjoyment ended right there for Katherine. Her mouth went dry as dust. She watched Al's firm mouth pressed against Suzanne's and felt a painful wrenching inside. A shiver ran down her spine.

The campers gave an enthusiastic ovation and congratulated Katherine on the success of the skit. Some returned to their campsites. Others gathered around for the scheduled “Dancing on the Beach.”

It was just a corny little drama for the guests, she told herself later. She should be pleased by its success. Chad and Al had been surrounded by admirers for the past hour. The notion that she was jealous appalled her. She wasn't that kind of person. Katherine sighed and looked at the ocean.

“Will you dance with me, Katie?”

She turned. It was Tom, the mechanic. He was a shy, thin man with brown hair and kind hazel eyes. She knew for a fact that he was five years older than she was, but he seemed younger. Katherine mustered a smile. “Of course. Thank you,” she said, and allowed him to lead her into the gyrating fray.

The next song was a slow one, and she was about to excuse herself when Al appeared. Still dressed in his pirate's costume, he was dangerously compelling.

“Dance with me,” he said in that arrogant tone that still made her blink.

She took a deep breath. “Well, I was just about to—”

“—dance with me,” he finished with a maddening smile.

Katherine stepped backward at the intensity in his dark eyes. “I don't think— Oops.” She bumped into another couple. “Excuse me.”

Al pulled her into his arms. “I've been looking for you.”

Her heart jumped. “I've been here all night long.”
Time to move away, Katherine.

“But not close enough.” His fingers sifted through her hair, and for an instant she imagined his hands all over her.

She swallowed. “Al, I don't think this is a good idea,” Katherine began.

He brushed her hair behind her bare shoulder, his gaze falling to her skin. The way he looked at her, she could almost believe he found her beautiful. The notion was so tantalizing that her impulse to flee died instantly. She shivered.

“It's an excellent idea. You told me I need to learn how to have fun.” He drew her closer and lowered his mouth to her ear. Their swaying movements brought his thighs against hers, rubbing, stroking. Hard against soft. He parted her legs with one of his, his thigh connecting with her in melting intimacy.

His voice was deep and rich with promise. “I want you to teach me.”

Katherine looked at Al and swallowed a lump in her throat that felt like a watermelon. Yeah, right, she thought. The gap between her “experience” and his would rival the Grand Canyon.

She wanted to wipe that “I'm gonna eat you alive” smile off his face, but his attention was fixed on her in a way that both frightened and fascinated her. And that damn music was playing in her mind again. She shook her head to clear it, to swat the melody that hummed like a persistent fly.

The music was sweet and poignant, full of rich memories and hope. Al guided her into a turn, and suddenly it hit her.

“Paganini!” she whispered.

He frowned. “What?”

“Paganini! The broken music box.” She stared at him in comprehension. “You're the man on the music box.”

Thoroughly confused, Al stopped. “Paganini?”

“No. You're the man on my music box.” She laughed in relief. “I'm not going crazy. I kept hearing this music whenever you were close, but I couldn't put my finger on the tune. It's Paganini.”

Alex was sure there was something he was missing. He looked at her blankly. She stepped away. Immediately feeling the loss, he reached for her hand. “I've been called many things, but never Paganini and never the man on a music box.” He gestured away from the crowd. “Let's walk on the beach, and you can explain.”

Katherine hesitated, then smiled sheepishly. “I guess I owe you that much. Let me get rid of these shoes.” She kicked them off and carried them with her free hand.

They walked silently for a few moments. Her hand was small within his. The physical connection wasn't much, but it affected him. It made him think of things he'd wanted and never had. Al had walked on a moonlit beach before, but tonight seemed new, filled with stars, the murmur of waves and a magic he would have sworn didn't exist.

“When I was ten years old,” she began, “my mother got married for the third time. She spent the summer in the Caribbean, and I was left feeling neglected and sorry for myself.”

He laced his fingers through hers more tightly, remembering the same feeling during his childhood. “Sounds understandable.”

“Yes, well, I was very disillusioned about this romance stuff. Too cynical for such a young girl. I think Uncle Jasper wanted to preserve the idea of forever, happily-ever-after love in my impressionable mind a little longer.” She looked into the distance and smiled. “He bought me this antique music box, and it played a tune by Paganini.”

“And?”

“And there was a porcelain man and woman dancing on the top of it. Round and round they went. I used to wind it and watch them for hours. The woman was beautiful, with perfect features.” Her lips twitched. “Gleaming blond hair. I would have dyed my hair that summer if I'd known how.”

“I'm glad you didn't,” said Al, appalled. “Your hair is beautiful as it is.”

Disbelief flickered in her eyes, warring with trust. It frustrated Al, but he wanted to hear the rest of the tale. “And the man?”

She looked away. “He was very handsome. I remember imagining that he would be strong, yet gentle. He had dark hair and dark eyes. Those eyes of his never left the face of the woman. His gaze didn't wander. He didn't grow bored. He adored her.” She seemed to realize what she'd revealed about herself and made a show of shrugging it off.

“I pretended I was the woman. I was just ten, and you know how children can be. Full of daydreams.”

Al didn't know how children could be. His formative years had been spent in such constraint, partly because of his position, partly because of his father's mistakes.

“My family has had their share of problems,” he admitted. “My father made a mistake that hurt my mother. It ended up hurting all of us. My sisters and I could have had a much different childhood. Instead…”

Katherine heard the unspoken longing and loss. It struck a chord in her. “So, you have sisters?”

“Yes. We were separated for almost seven years. I—” He hesitated, because he'd never openly discussed the subject. Katherine didn't know of his position, though, and it seemed a good opportunity to for once share the burden of his childhood. “—I missed them.”

She stopped, dropping her sandals to the sand, then tentatively lifted a hand to his arm. “I'm sure you did. Seven years. That's half a childhood.”

His throat felt thick with emotion. It was a disconcerting sensation. He swallowed hard and nodded, hoping it would pass.

“Sometimes it's hard for me to imagine you as a child. You're so serious.” She searched his face with open, guileless eyes. Her hand fluttered like a butterfly against his skin. “After hearing this, I think I understand. Don't worry. I won't ask you to tell me more than you already have, but…” She paused, giving a heavy sigh. “It's feeble and small, and it won't change a thing, but I'm sorry, really sorry.”

Her comfort and concern washed over him, through a crack into a deep, dark part of him. Pity he could have fought, but not this gentle honesty. It struck him again what a generous, open woman Katherine was. It hit him hard again, the overwhelming urge to possess her and know her, in every way.

“You're a remarkable woman,” he murmured.

Katherine's heart jerked in her chest. Again, she sensed a deep loneliness inside him, and it hurt her to see it. The moment grew heavy, fraught with tension. It was too intimate, but she'd done it again, stuck her heart in where it didn't belong. She shied away. “Not really. Look at how loony I've been acting around you. I'm just relieved to know why. Bet you are too,” she finished dryly.

“You think this connection between us is because of the music box?”

She looked down at the sand and dug her toes into it. “Well, of course. I mean, it's a logical explanation, don't you think?” She didn't wait for him to answer. “Yes. It makes perfect sense.”

“Then you needn't fear me.”

She opened her mouth to argue, then closed it.

He raised their twined hands and brushed the back of her hand with his lips. He smiled.

Her heart dipped.

“So, you will teach me to play.”

She gave a shaky laugh. “I'm not sure I'm the right woman to teach you what you want to learn.”

“You're the only woman to teach me what I want to learn.”

She shook her head. “I don't think—”

He gave her a gentle but impatient shake. “Then don't think. Trust me. Teach me. I'm an exceptional student. My marks were superior. I was my professors' best and brightest.” He'd damn well had to be.

Katherine laughed in spite of herself. “Okay! Okay! Have you ever heard of the word
humility?
”

“I think I read it once or twice,” he deadpanned.

She rolled her eyes. “Okay, Al Sanders. I'm the toughest first-grade teacher at Greenfield Elementary. I hope you know what you're getting into.”

He didn't have a clue, but as he watched the light in her eyes and the wind through her hair, he sure as hell wanted to find out.

 

“Nobody else will do it,” Chad said. “So you've got to.”

Katherine wavered, then thought about the greased flagpole and shook her head. “This was
your
lunatic idea. Find someone else. There must be a teenager in that crowd whose fondest wish is to climb on top of a bunch of men and get a tin can off the top of a greased flagpole.”

“I've already tried. Besides, you asked me to come up with something new and physically challenging. The least you can do is show some support.”

Chad was marginally right, she knew. Katherine exhaled with such force, it ruffled her bangs. “There's got to be somebody,” she muttered.

Chad must have sensed her weakening. “You. You're light and agile. You've got great balance. The—”

“The two teams are ready,” Al said from the open doorway. “Have you found someone to climb to the top yet?”

Chad threw Katherine a meaningful glance. “Yes, but she's reluctant.”

Just seeing Al brought a flutter to her stomach. She deliberately looked away from him. “Okay, Chad. I'll do it. But you owe me for this one.”

Al looked from Chad to Katherine, and an expression of disbelief crossed his face. “Not Katherine.”

Chad shrugged. “She's perfect for the job. She used to take gymnastics. She's light and agile. Plus, the guests will love it.”

Al dismissed it. “She might get hurt. We'll get someone else. She can be the referee.”

“We'll have some people to spot,” Chad argued.

“And what if they miss?”

“Just a minute.” Katherine frowned. They were talking about her as if she weren't there. “I've already told Chad I'd do it. You're not
telling
me I can't, are you?”

“You might get hurt,” Al explained. “You're not strong enough.”

Chad snickered.

Katherine and Al glared at him.

He cleared his throat, stifling his amusement. “I, uh, think I'll go outside with the guests.”

A twinge of irritation compounded by lack of sleep twisted through her.

Al's gaze probed hers. “You don't really want to do this.”

She shifted. “That's not the point.”

“You're right,” he said with a nod. “The point is that you have no business crawling on top of nine men to reach the top of a flagpole.”

Katherine grinned in amusement. “Oh, I don't know. Some women might find the image of having nine men at their feet appealing.”

Al's mouth firmed into a straight line. “I won't allow you to do this.” He turned to leave as if his was the final word.

Katherine's eyes opened wide. For a moment she was speechless. Where did he get the nerve to order her as if she were one of his employees instead of the other way around? Where did he get the right? Her temperature rose. This wasn't the first time he'd pulled this. She tore after him. “I'm doing it. You've got this all confused, Al. I don't take orders from you. I give them to you.”

He stopped and half turned.

“You can't order me not to climb that flagpole. Do you hear me? You can't order me around.”

His displeasure was almost a tangible thing. He looked big and very ticked off. At this moment no one in his right mind would cross him.

Katherine, however, wasn't in her right mind. His imperious attitude galled her, and it didn't help that she kept catching herself humming Paganini every time she turned around. She poked her freshly manicured finger into his concrete chest. “Just because you're a big man and I'm a small woman doesn't mean you can push me around.”

He raised an eyebrow and glanced down at her impertinent finger. Abruptly aware of the chest beneath her finger, she cleared her throat and told herself to take a quick megastep back, but her feet wouldn't cooperate.

“I have no desire to push you around,
mon amie,
” he said in a low, sexy voice. “Not until we're in bed. In that case I'll be very glad you're female, and I'll expect you to push back. It will be—” he paused and the devil came into his eyes “—more
fun
that way, no?”

Katherine sucked in a quick breath and stumbled backward. She couldn't think about being in bed with him. The idea would leave her boneless for a week. “You're twisting everything I say. The campers are waiting, and I'm going to climb that flagpole.”

“You will not.”

“I will, and you'll have nothing to do with it.” She marched around him and felt him stalking her all the way to the harbor.

Katherine wasn't sure exactly how it happened, but within minutes it was all arranged. She would climb the flagpole, but Al would be the one holding her on top of two layers of men when she grabbed the tin can.

Suzanne blew the whistle, and the two teams scrambled into action. Six stout, medium-height men locked arms around the bottom of the flagpole. Immediately Chad, Al and one other man began climbing on top of them to form the second tier.

She glanced over at the other team, which was mostly teenage boys, and laughed at the comments filtering through the groans and grunts.

“Get your foot out of my face! I can't breathe.”

“Quit wiggling. I might as well have Jell-O under my feet.”

“Jell-O would sure as hell smell better than your feet.”

Then she heard a stocky fellow from her own team yell, “Chad, your heel is in my Adam's apple. I swear I'm gonna rip it off if you—”

“Okay, okay.” Chad shifted. “Katie, get the lead out. We're ready.”

For just a second, when she looked at the way the men swayed and moved, a sliver of apprehension crept in, and she thought about what Al had said about her safety. Then she noticed the high-flyer for the other team starting to climb, and her competitive spirit took over.

She ran to the shortest man and smiled apologetically. “I'll try not to hurt you.”

He nodded.

She climbed up his back and wobbled onto his shoulders. “Chad, you're next.”

“Go ahead.”

“I'm going to put my foot on your waist and try to swing up.”

Chad ground his teeth. “Just shut up and do it.”

Katherine got the first part right, but he started to sway. Her heart clenched. “Chad! You can't move.”

“I have to move a little. You know, Katie, you weigh more than I thought you did.”

He swayed again, and her hands started to sweat. Seeing Al's rock-solid form beside her, she reconsidered her options. “I'm going to try Al.”

“Then hurry up. I think the other team is gaining, and I don't want to lug all those people into the harbor.”

“Harbor?” she said faintly as she slid back down. Her foot connected with somebody's head. “Oops. Sorry.”

“Lock your arms around my neck and wrap your legs around my waist,” Al said in a clear, calm voice.