The Future King’s Love-Child (8 page)

As if Sebastian had read her thoughts, he said as he led the way into the opulent foyer, ‘I think you should know at this point you are the very first person I have brought here. This is the private holiday residence for my family, off limits to everyone except only close family and closely trusted friends.’

Cassie raised her brows at him as he closed the heavy door behind him. ‘So, Sebastian,’ she said. ‘Which category do I fall into? Surely you do not consider me a close friend or a future member of the royal family?’

Tension travelled all the way from his darker-than-dark eyes to his chiselled jaw and then to his thinned-out mouth. ‘Given our history, Cassie,
you are not eligible for either of those positions,’ he bit out tightly.

Cassie wished with all her heart she could reveal Sam’s identity and throw the truth of their situation in his face to make him realise how much she was a part of his wretched royal family whether he liked it or not, but some remnant of self-respect and self-preservation prevented her from doing so. Instead she smiled up at him, a cool, calculating smile that gave him no clue to the turmoil going on inside her. ‘I consider myself deeply honoured, Your Royal Highness,’ she drawled with a bow of her head that deliberately fell short of the mark, delivering the insult she had intended. ‘It is indeed a privilege to be considered worthy of gracing the highly esteemed private residence of the Karedes family, considering the lower than low background I come from.’

‘Your background was nothing to be ashamed of until you took it upon yourself to degrade your father at every opportunity,’ he said. ‘His public role was made a hundred times worse by the way you behaved.’

Twenty-four years of Cassie’s suffering threatened to come to the surface, like a volcano silently brewing until the temperature of the lava became too hot to contain. A catastrophic explosion was imminent, but somehow she was able to contain
the emotion she felt to remind herself no one knew her father as she had known him. No one had heard the soul-destroying words he had flung at her in one of his many out-of-control tempers; no one had seen the bruises his hands, not to mention any other objects within his reach, had left on her body.

Sebastian had not seen the jagged scar low on her back her father had scored into her flesh that fateful day. It was like a tattoo of torment, the brand her father had left to remind her of how he had demanded total control of her, a control she had not given willingly and had fought every inch of the way as each strike of his belt had bitten cruelly and cuttingly into her flesh.

Cassie had been so proud that she hadn’t cried. She had gritted her teeth until she was sure they would crack under the pressure. She had taken every vicious cut of the strap like a convict bracing for the cat-o’-nine-tails.

That had been her victory.

Her father could blame her for her mother’s untimely death, he could blame her for having been a small, needy and insecure child, and he could even blame her for being an out-of-control, wilful teenager, but he could not blame her for reclaiming her life and that of her child. That had been her only solace. Her father had not known of Sam’s existence. Her tiny precious son had
been even to Cassie, unknown in her womb at the time of that dreadful scene. Whether her father would have acted differently if he had known she was carrying a royal baby was something she would never know.

But Cassie knew she had choices now and one was to keep a cool head. Sebastian’s presence admittedly made that task difficult, but she had to keep a lid on her emotions, at all times and in all places.

She
had
to.

Cassie lifted her gaze to his, her spine not quite so rigid, her shoulders going down beneath the sheltering warmth of his jacket. ‘My father was not a good father,’ she said. ‘He might have been a brilliant mayor and an astute businessman, but he didn’t love and protect me the way he should have done. You didn’t know him personally, Sebastian. You knew of him from what your father and other palace officials told you.’ Her eyes misted over suddenly as she added in a choked up voice, ‘But you didn’t
know
him.’

Sebastian let out a rusty sigh and, taking one single step, gathered her to him. He rested his chin on the top of her head and wondered why the hell he still felt this way about her. She could go from a shrieking shrew to a lost little girl within a heartbeat. Then, to make things even more confusing, she could turn on the heat and turn into a
sensual goddess, that pouting mouth of hers making him want to press his down on those blood-red lips and never stop kissing her, devouring her taste, the essence of her body, to feel the convulsions of her feminine muscles around him, making him pour himself into her. He could feel the movement of his blood in his veins; he was already hard against her and wondered why she hadn’t moved back.

He felt her take in a breath, the brush of her breasts against his chest making him shudder with the need to fill her as he had done in the past.

He lifted her chin and looked into the sea-glass-green of her eyes, fighting not to drown in them. ‘You are right,’ he said. ‘I didn’t know him personally. He seemed very affable but I know from personal experience that what goes on in public is not always representative of what happens in private.’

She looked back at him, her gaze as unfathomable as the ocean pounding below. ‘I’m cold,’ she said and he felt her shiver under the touch of his hands.

Sebastian took one of her hands from where it was clutching at his jacket to keep it in place, and brought it up to his mouth. He kissed each of her knuckles in turn, a soft-as-a-baby’s sigh caress that made her pupils grow darker than the sea
raging below. ‘Then let’s go inside and warm you up,’ he said, and, taking her by the hand, he led her inside the villa.

C
ASSIE
stepped into the private study Sebastian opened a short time later, her senses heightened by his light touch as he took his jacket from her shoulders and laid it over a chair.

He came back to stand in front of her, his dark gaze meshing with hers as he took both of her hands in his. ‘Not so cold now?’ he asked.

She shook her head, her tongue darting out to moisten her lips. ‘No…not cold at all…’

He settled his hands on her waist and brought her up against his body. ‘I should pour you a cup of coffee,’ he said, looking down at her mouth.

Cassie felt her lips start to tingle the longer his gaze rested there. ‘Should you?’ she asked.

He smiled lopsidedly. ‘You do not fancy a coffee right now,
agape mou?
’

Cassie drew in a shaky breath, her stomach feeling hollow with a combination of nerves and
anticipation. ‘That’s not really why I am here, is it, Sebastian?’

He placed his palm at the nape of her neck, his fingers warm and tempting on her sensitive skin. ‘You still want to deny what is between us, Cassie?’ he asked.

How could she possibly deny it? Cassie wondered. What would be the point? Saying no to Sebastian Karedes had never been easy for her, now even more so. They both knew she was here because she wanted to be here. By stepping over the threshold of the villa she had stepped into his arms and would stay there for as long as he wanted her to. ‘No,’ she said, placing her hands on his chest as she met his gaze. ‘I am not going to deny it.’

He brought his mouth down to hers in a slow-moving assault on her senses, waiting until she opened her mouth on a whimpering sigh before he began to stroke her tongue with his own. The erotic caress loosened her spine, her legs swaying beneath her as he deepened the kiss, each slow thrust and stroke of his tongue fuelling her desire until all she could think about was how it would feel to have him possess her again.

His kiss changed its tempo as soon as her hands pulled his shirt out of his trousers, his mouth grinding against hers. Tongues of flame licked along her veins as she responded by rubbing up
against him, her hands going to his waistband, unbuckling him and uncovering him with her searching fingers.

Cassie swallowed his gasp of reaction as her fingers danced along his length, the satin strength of him so potently male, so aroused he was seeping with moisture. She played with him, squeezing, rubbing and stroking him while her mouth was being plundered by his, her heart rate soaring, her body slick and wet with need.

He muttered something unintelligible as he tore his mouth off hers, his dark eyes glittering with pent-up desire, his hands already lifting her skirt, his clever, artful fingers searching for the secret heart of her desire, behind the thin lace of her knickers.

She quivered against his touch, the smooth stroking of his fingers, curling her toes and arching her back until she was gasping out loud, the shock waves of release reverberating through her.

The ripples of reaction were still rolling through her as he backed her to the nearest wall, only stopping long enough to retrieve a condom from his jacket pocket on the way past.

Cassie shivered in delight as she helped him sheath himself, the urgency in his movements building her desire all over again.

She shuddered as he surged into her moist warmth, his thickness stretching her, sending
wave after wave of rapture through her with each deep, pounding thrust.

He set a furiously fast rhythm, as if he were riding against an approaching storm, each rocking movement of his body in hers bringing him closer and closer to the point of no return. She felt it building in his body, the increasing tautness of his muscles, the sucking in of his breath, the contortion of his features as he hovered for that infinitesimal moment, before exploding his need inside her, each last thrust accompanied by a primal grunt of deep male satisfaction.

Cassie listened to his breathing as he held her against him in the quiet glow of the aftermath, wondering how she had lived without the magic of his touch for so long. Her body felt tender and swollen from his almost rough possession, but she would not have admitted it for the world. Let him think she was used to a quick tumble wherever she could get it. It would make their inevitable parting neater and cleaner, for him at least. It would never be anything other than heart-breakingly painful for her.

A chirruping sound broke through her reverie but it was a moment or two before she realised what it was. Her small purse containing her mobile was sitting on the chair where Sebastian’s jacket was draped.

‘Is that your phone?’ he asked, easing away from her.

Cassie straightened her clothes. ‘Um, yes…but it was just someone leaving a message.’

He frowned as he glanced at his watch. ‘Who would be texting you at this time of night?’ he asked.

Cassie hoped her expression was not revealing anything of the rapid pulse of panic she could feel in her chest. ‘It’s probably my flatmate, Angelica. She is no doubt wondering where I am.’

He was still frowning slightly. ‘Did you tell her who you were with?’

‘Of course not,’ she said, dropping her gaze.

Sebastian lifted her chin between his thumb and index finger. ‘Word must not get out about our assignation, Cassie,’ he said. ‘I hope I can still trust you on that.’

She met his gaze with a flash of resentment in hers. ‘Do you really think I would announce to all and sundry I have been chosen to service the future King of Aristo wherever and whenever he pleases?’ she asked.

Sebastian set his mouth in a tight line. ‘You were with me all the way, Cassie.’

She tugged his hand away from her face. ‘I want to go home.’

‘Not yet,’ he said. ‘I haven’t finished with you.’

She glared at him but he could see the up-and-down
movement of her throat as her eyes darted to her purse again.

‘Aren’t you going to read the message?’ he asked, pinning her with his gaze.

The point of her tongue swept over her lips. ‘I’m sure it’s nothing important…’

Sebastian moved over to the chair and, scooping up her purse, came back and handed it to her. ‘Why don’t you check it to make sure?’

She hesitated just long enough for his suspicion of her to be heightened. She was hiding something; he was sure of it now. Perhaps she had a lover in spite of what Stefanos’s covert enquiries had uncovered. He felt his insides twisting with jealousy; he would
not
share her.

He watched as she opened the face of her phone, her fingers fumbling as she pressed the text-message-viewing button. Her eyes widened for a moment, before she gathered herself, her face becoming an expressionless mask as she closed the phone and slipped it back into her purse.

‘Nothing urgent?’ he asked, watching her closely.

‘My flatmate is feeling unwell,’ she said. ‘I think I should go back now to make sure she is all right.’

Sebastian knew she was lying. He could feel it. Damn it, he could see it in her eyes, the way they
couldn’t quite hold his. But he had plenty of time to uncover her deceit. He had offered her an affair and as far as he was concerned it had started tonight and would continue for as long as he wanted. What they had shared had been a foretaste of the pleasure he would take from her until he was satisfied she would rue the day she had walked away from him and into the arms of another man.

‘I will summon Stefanos to bring the car around,’ he said and, striding over to the desk, pressed a button on an intercom system.

Cassie sat in the limousine beside Sebastian a few minutes later, her features schooled into indifference. Angelica had sent her the message that Sam had woken with a bad dream and had refused to go back to bed until his mother came home.

As the car got closer she felt her panic building. What if Sam heard the car pulling up and opened the front door? Or what if he had worked himself up into hysteria by now and could be heard from the street?

The car purred to a halt outside the flat, which, after the opulent luxury of the royal hideaway, looked even shabbier and more run-down.

‘Are you going to ask me in for coffee?’ Sebastian asked as he helped Cassie from the car.

Cassie swallowed and pulled her hand out of
his, clutching her purse against her. ‘It’s late,’ she said. ‘I don’t want to disturb Angelica.’

He stood watching her for a beat or two. ‘Tell your flatmate I hope she makes a speedy recovery,’ he said with an unreadable half-smile playing about his lips.

‘I—I will,’ she said and, turning, walked the short distance to the front door, the twin drills of his dark gaze boring holes into her back.

Cassie slipped inside the flat, closing the door behind her just as Angelica appeared in the narrow hallway. ‘Is he all right?’ she asked.

Angelica nodded. ‘He went back to sleep almost as soon as I pressed Send on my phone. I hope I didn’t interrupt anything important?’

Cassie shifted her gaze. She would tell Angelica everything at some point, but not now. ‘No,’ she said heading towards Sam’s room. ‘Nothing important…’

The children from the orphanage were excited for most of the following day about the party that afternoon. Cassie and her co-workers Sophie and Kara had a difficult time settling the smaller ones for their afternoon naps and even some of the older children had been unusually disruptive. Sam, on the other hand, was quiet and obedient.

Too quiet, Cassie thought with a pang of guilt.
Had his nightmare last night been a result of her increasing unease over the past week? He was such a sensitive and intuitive child. He had wet the bed during the early hours of the morning, the first time in weeks, and he had been so ashamed he had tried to hide the evidence by spreading a towel over the sheets when she had come in. She had taken him in her arms and told him it was perfectly normal for accidents to happen and he wasn’t to blame himself, but somehow she didn’t think her reassurances had worked.

Cassie watched him as he stood in line to get on the bus the palace had sent for them. He had a frown of concentration between his small brows, making him look more like Sebastian than ever. Her insides twisted at the thought of them meeting face to face. Would Sebastian see something no one else had so far seen? she wondered. She scanned the two lines of children; so many of them had dark hair and dark eyes just like Sam. Her little son wouldn’t stand out…she hoped.

The children quietened with awe as they were led inside the palace a few minutes later, the shuffle of their feet and the rustle of their clothes the only sound as they filed into one of the reception rooms which had been superbly decorated. Balloons hung in colourful clusters from the ceiling, the long ribbons attached making it easy
for each child to reach to claim one once the party was over. The tables were loaded with party delights, fairy cakes, ice cream, chocolate and other treats that had every child bug-eyed with anticipation.

The Prince Regent was announced by one of the officials and Cassie held her breath as Sebastian came into the room. His gaze briefly met hers before he turned his attention to the children, who had been instructed to stand on his entry. She watched as he made a concentrated effort to put his young guests at ease. He soon dispensed with formality and moved from table to table, crouching down and chatting easily with each child as he gave them each a gift from the large bag his aide was carrying.

Cassie swallowed as Sebastian drew closer and closer to Sam. It seemed so obvious now they were in the same room together. The likeness was remarkable, startling…terrifying.

She hovered in the background, catching Sam’s eye at one point and giving him an encouraging smile even as her insides churned.

‘Hello, what is your name?’ Sebastian said as he came to the child next to Sam.

‘I’m Alexis,’ the eight-year-old girl said with her usual precocity. ‘And this is Sam. I’ll open his present for him. He probably won’t talk to you
though,’ cause he’s shy. He still wets his pants sometimes.’

Cassie felt her heart contract at Alexis’s unthinking cruelty. Sam’s cheeks were stained with colour and his dark brown gaze dropped in shame.

‘Hello, Sam,’ Sebastian said. ‘I have been looking forward to meeting you.’

Sam’s little head came up. ‘Y-you have?’ he asked in a whisper.

Sebastian’s smile was easy and warm. ‘Yes, it seems we have something in common,’ he said. ‘We both love to draw. I loved the painting you sent me. I have it in my study on my desk.’

A shy smile tugged at Sam’s little mouth.

‘You are much better than I was at your age’ Sebastian said, still smiling, ‘and you are not as shy as I was back then. I used to dread meeting people but after a while I got used to it. I am sure you will too.’

Cassie felt like hugging Sebastian; he couldn’t have said anything better to put her son at ease. Sam was beaming up at him, his earlier shame all but forgotten.

She waited for Sebastian to move on, but he spent far longer with Sam than any other child. She held her breath for so long she saw a school of silverfish appear before her eyes. She blinked them away and forced herself to take a couple of
calming breaths, but it wasn’t until Sebastian moved on that she felt her shoulders come down in temporary relief.

Sebastian worked his way through the tables until every child had exchanged a few words with him, the sound of happy laughter and presents being unwrapped filling the room with joy.

Cassie had done her best to avoid him, but she could see, now that the magician had begun his act, Sebastian had been stealthily making his way to where she stood at the back of the room. She pressed herself back against the wall, wishing she could become as invisible as the rabbit the magician had made vanish just moments before.

‘He is very good, is he not?’ Sebastian said, indicating the magician, who was now pulling a long scarf out of one of the children’s ears.

Her eyes moved away from his. ‘Yes…he is…’

‘The children are delightful,’ he said after a moment. ‘I’m so glad this afternoon has been a success.’