Stolen Kiss From a Prince (11 page)

She flushed as murmurs of approval echoed around her. She forced a conciliatory smile. “If you would give us a few minutes?”

To her relief, people melted back into the throng of visitors leaving her and the King alone.

King Lowell heaved a weary sigh. “My dear, what is this about Samson?”

“He is sleeping, lucky boy.” She waved to Grimes. “He conked out after a bit of supper. Speaking of food, I asked Grimes to get a plate for me. Do you mind if I eat while we talk?”

“Be at ease, my child.” He gave his approval as the tray was set on a table between them. Grimes took up sentinel duty a few feet away.

“Oh my—” Katrina deliberately overplayed her part “—so much food, you will have to help me eat some of this.”

King Lowell glanced from the food to Grimes’s back. “I see. I have been set up. There is no issue regarding Samson.”

“Not true.” She held the plate up to tempt him. “He will be quite upset if you are too tired to walk in the garden with him tomorrow.”

“Perhaps I will have a bite.” He reached for a piece of roast beef. “We wouldn’t want to disappoint the child.”

“No,” she agreed.

“You are a bit of a meddler, are you not
fräulein
?”

“I prefer to think of it as caring.”

“I imagine you do. You can be quite subtle. But not tonight.”

“You do not fool easily.” She stole a berry from the plate. “And this is more entertaining. You looked like you could use a perking up.”

“Hmm.” He hummed his agreement. “It would appear you have us Kardanians wrapped around your finger.”

“Hardly, Your Majesty.” She gave a delicate snort. “You are a headstrong lot.”

He laughed. “Just so. Ah, here comes Julian. I wonder if he has spoken with Tessa. When we spoke, she indicated she’d be interested in returning as Samson’s nanny. I believe he would benefit from having someone familiar, don’t you?”

CHAPTER TEN

“I
ALWAYS
THOUGHT
of secret passages as being dark and creepy with dust and spiderwebs throughout.” Katrina followed Julian’s broad back through a narrow hallway. “This is well lit and tidy.” She sniffed. “Are these walls cedar?”

“I have no idea. Donal and Helene used this passage to get to the nursery from their rooms. It’s faster and more direct than taking the corridors. The servants also use them in matters of urgency.”

“Convenient.”

He glanced at her over his shoulder. “I recently had them clean the passages from my rooms to the nursery.”

“Really?” Why had he felt the need to do so?

“
Ja
. After the episode with Dr. Vogel, I like to check on Sammy on my way to bed at night.”

“Just Sammy?”

Julian stopped and turned to her. “Yes, my dove.” He ran his thumb over the dent in her chin. “Yesterday was the first time I used the tunnel to access your room. I’m actually quite a decent chap.”

“You—” she jabbed him in the chest “—are a blackguard of the highest order, sneaking me out of the palace.”

“It was your idea.” He kissed her briefly and resumed their trek through the inner labyrinth of the castle.

“I suggested you escape for the night. I was not proposing a lover’s tryst.”

“But this is so much better.”

“You would think so, considering it is your idea. I really should have argued more. It was a tough day for Sammy.” She fretted. “He may well have a restless night.”

“We checked on him. He was out like a light.” He led her down three flights of stairs and opened the door at the bottom. Fresh air wafted inside revealing the door opened to the outdoors.

This was her last chance to change her mind. To act with rationality and wisdom.

Her heart raced as he turned off the light and opened the door wider to look out. He grinned at her. And that’s all it took. Stealing his excitement and joy was beyond her. She threw caution to the cool breeze streaming through the door.

Blood pumped wild and fast through her veins as adrenaline spiked. She hadn’t felt this alive in years. She wanted this adventure. She wanted him. Craved time alone to explore the passion between them.

Bernadette had challenged Katrina to find her spine and go after what she wanted. She wasn’t so selfish she’d risk a public relationship with him. But she could have tonight. A passionate gem to add to her memories before it was time to return home.

“The garage is just across the courtyard. My car is fueled and waiting. Neil knows we’re going and has notified a guard at the gate that you are using my auto to drive an unwell guest home.”

“You want me to drive?”

“Ja
.
”

“Your car?” she clarified.

“Ja
.
”
His eyes narrowed in suspicion. “You can drive stick, yes?”

“Oui.”
She rubbed her hands together. “Let us go.”

The moonlight showed the corner of his mouth notch up. “You do not wish to change your mind? Someone may see us and raise the alarm.”

Her body was singing now. “Tease,” she mocked him. “You would not let me change my mind.”

“No,” he agreed. His mouth claimed hers, searing her with a heated kiss. “Tonight you belong to me.”

When he released her, she blinked up at him. She licked her lips, tasting him, drew in a deep breath that filled her with his scent. And gave a wiggle to make sure the strength had returned to her legs.

“What are we waiting for?” she asked and ducked into the night.

Their escape went exactly as he outlined with no mishaps. The guard glanced at his slumped figure and waved them through the gates. The palace had been on high alert today with so many visitors, but most were gone and the security emphasis had been on vehicles arriving, not departing.

After a couple of blocks, Julian straightened in his seat. “You can pull over anytime and I’ll drive.”

“Oh no. I am having too much fun.”

“Katrina.”

She sent him a cheeky grin. But refused to pull over. Instead she followed the GPS to the edge of town where she rolled down the windows and punched the gas.

“Whee!” She laughed out loud as she took the expensive vehicle through a tight turn. “I love this auto.”

Julian reached across and cupped the back of her head, threading his fingers in her hair. She thrilled to his touch; it was sensual and just a little primitive. Just like the wild ride through the hills. She reached the pinnacle and a view of the bay came into sight. Lights sparkled on the water of the bay, but behind it the North Sea was a vast void of blackness.

“My house is not far. It overlooks a secluded beach on the North Coast.”

“We are going to your house?”

“That’s the plan.” He caressed her neck. “It feels good to be going home.”

“I thought you lived at the palace.”

“I have rooms there. It’s convenient because of the many events I must participate in and when crown business runs long. But I prefer my own place.”

“It looks like you will be spending a lot of time at the palace over the coming weeks.”

“
Ja
. I will. I’ll get used to it.”

“Sammy really needs you,” she felt compelled to say.

“I have not forgotten. Do not worry, my dove, I will take care of him. We are here.” He pointed to a road to the left.

She drove down a long drive to a huge stone fence and an imposing gate. Julian leaned across her to press his thumb against the security pad. He smelled so good she gave in to impulse and took a nip of his jaw, which earned her a retaliatory kiss lethal enough to steal her breath.

“Just follow the lane up to the house,” he whispered in her ear before settling back in his seat.

Her hands shook as she put the auto in gear and drove through the gates. After a couple of turns she came to a large two-story white and stone house that blended into the hillside and pulled to a stop in a stone portico. The door opened and a younger version of Grimes stepped out and opened her door.

“Welcome Fräulein Vicente.”

“Allow me, Kristof.” Julian came around the auto and took her hand. He helped her from the low-slung vehicle. “This is Kristof, my man of all things. He keeps my life in order.”

“You give me too much credit, Your Highness.”

He ushered her inside giving his manservant a raised brow look that made her think they shared a more informal relationship. “Kris, please bring us a tray of food and some wine. Then I wish not to be disturbed.”

“Of course, my lord,” Kris responded as he closed the door.

“Oh but—” Katrina dragged her feet. It seemed so rude to rush right off. Heat rose to her cheeks. Especially to the bedroom.

“Come, my dove.” Julian drew her forward. “I will give you a tour. You can help me pick out Sammy’s room.”

“You plan to bring Sammy here?” With the lure of a tour, she fell into step next to him through the white marble entry. She had assumed he’d leave Sammy in the palace nursery.

“I expect my schedule to be pretty full, but when I can get away, I’ll want him with me. This is the living area.” He waved her into a pillared room off the entry. A wall of windows brought the sea inside. She walked over to look out and admired the view of the bay. The furnishings were sleek and modern, light on white, esthetically beautiful but hardly child friendly. A fireplace gave the promise of warmth.

“I am happy to hear it. You will both benefit from the contact.”

“Tessa asked for her position back,” he told her.

A sense of dread welled up. Her stomach knotted as her fears resurfaced. Had he brought her here to tell her she was no longer needed as Sammy’s nanny? To let her down easy?

“Your father mentioned she showed interest in returning. He seemed to think Sammy would do well with someone familiar.”

“I agree, but it will not be Tessa.” He continued the tour as they talked, showing her the dining room, an office, and the gourmet kitchen where Kristof prepared their meal before leading her up an open staircase.

His response had her emotions ricocheting from one extreme to another in a matter of seconds. “Why not?”

“It was clear her interest was not in caring for Sammy.” He gestured to a glass wall overlooking a pool. “The lower floor has a lanai. There’s also a gym with a sauna, and Kristof’s rooms are there along with additional servants’ quarters when they are required.”

She bit back a smile. “You mean your security detail.”

She should have known he’d see through the other woman’s shallow facade.

“They have been used for that purpose,
ja
.” He showed her two bedrooms with en suite baths. Both rooms carried on the color scheme from downstairs and were starkly beautiful, but in her opinion the minimalism went too far. His suite was only slightly better in the fact it incorporated some color, gray and blue, and a few personal touches including a vivid painting of a storm at sea. The lavish bath with the large circular walk-in shower was the very definition of luxury.

It was good to be the Prince.

The view from his terrace took her breath away. The bay sparkled to the right, and in the far distance lightning flashed, highlighting clouds and sea as a storm rolled through. At the end of a long incline, waves crashed against a private beach.

“Lovely,” she breathed. “You are closer to the coast than I realized.”

Hard arms wrapped around her waist and drew her against his aroused body. “On a clear day you can see the British Isles from the roof deck. I’m on an inlet. Much smaller than the bay, but it protects me from the worst of the storms and has the benefit of the beach.”

“You have a beautiful home.” She leaned back, savoring his warmth. And the knowledge he wanted her.

“Hmm.” He kissed her neck. “That sounds like there is a
but
attached.”

“I just have a hard time seeing Sammy here. All the white, it is a little cold.”

He stiffened and his arms dropped away. He moved to a table next to a two-person lounge and picked up a glass of wine from a tray of foodstuffs Kristof must have left while they were touring the house.

She hugged her arms to herself. What had she said to drive him away?

“Many people consider me to be cold.” He sipped the wine, choosing to look at the view rather than her. “
Unemotional
is another word they use.”

“Not me,” she denied, walking toward him, stopping between him and the view. “You have never been unemotional with me.”

“No,” he agreed as he caressed her cheek. “You are a meddlesome creature. It is impossible to be unaffected by you.”

She wrinkled her nose. “
Mon Dieu,
that does not sound like a compliment. Perhaps you are cold after all.”

“You dare much. It is hard to believe you are cowed by a phantom photograph.”

It was her turn to move away. “Sometimes our fears are irrational. It does not make them any less real.” She stared out to sea, wished the past away. “I do not wish to discuss it.”

“I dislike seeing you suffer needlessly. The type of photograph you described is worth a lot of money to the tabloids. If someone had them, they would already have sold them.”

“Maybe they do not know who I am, or maybe they are waiting for me to gain in notoriety to drive the price up.” Seeking to distract him, she turned and looped her arms around his neck. “We could play the maybe game all night. But I did not come here to talk.”

Lifting onto her toes, she pressed her lips to his, tracing the line of his mouth with her tongue until he opened and all but consumed her with his immediate response. He tilted her head and deepened the kiss.

And all thoughts of phantom photos were lost under his sensual assault.

He swept her up, making her head spin, or was that just the intoxicating result of his touch. The Fates knew he drove all rational thought from her head. But tonight she didn’t care. Tonight was all about giving in to passion, to the needs of her lover.

Lover.

Her mind stuttered over the word. Especially when she looked into the heated eyes of the Prince. Prince. Boy, when she deviated from the norm, she went totally off planet.

She’d denied herself for so long, unwilling to risk a closeness that would shatter the little confidence she’d reclaimed. But Julian’s grief ignited her compassion, allowing him to breach the wall she’d built around her emotions and reach her vulnerable heart.

He set her on the lounge and joined her. Built for two, his bulk made it a tight fit, but she didn’t mind. Her body took over, putting a brake on the rising panic. She didn’t mind at all. The closer the better.

Yes, she shivered as he traced his hand over the curve of her hip. She’d worry about emotion tomorrow. Tonight was about sensation, about forgetting, about touching the stars.

“Are you cold?” He broke off the kiss to reach for a blanket, pulling it over the both of them.

“Not in the least,” she assured him. But she spied the tray of food behind him and on cue her stomach rumbled. “Goodness.” She lifted one shoulder in a sheepish half shrug. “But I am hungry. I only picked at the food at the reception. Can we see what Kristof left for us?”

“But of course.” He lifted the heavy tray with one hand and placed it on their laps. It contained roast beef, a choice of cheeses, soft bread cut into slices, some fruit and an assortment of biscuits.

“Oh my. This is a feast.” She fed him a grape.

He chewed then selected a roll of thinly sliced roast beef, but after a few minutes she realized she was the only one attacking the tray of food.

“You are not eating.”

“You made me eat at the reception. Plus, I am enjoying watching you.” He ran the back of his finger along the line of her jaw. “There is only one thing I am hungry for.”

Heat bloomed under the intensity of his gaze. His thoughtfulness in the face of his desire touched her. First he protected her from the cold and then he fed her, all while putting his passion on hold.

How could she have thought him cold or unfeeling?

Yes, there was a necessary reserve he kept between himself and the world, but a royal learned early in life that a certain level of distance was needed to retain any sense of self. Add Julian’s natural inclination for order and control, his penchant for numbers and strategy, and his impatience with fools and incompetence, and it stood to reason he projected a cooler demeanor. It didn’t make him cold.