The Keys' Prince (The Royal Heirs) (11 page)

“And so will we,” Stella said as the three men turned and headed away from them.

“It was nice to officially meet you gentlemen,” Dario called after them before taking a deep breath, shaking his head and looking at Stella. “We’ve got problems, princess.”

“Yes, we do,” Stella said and sighed. “But we can handle them.”

“Are you sure about that?” Dario asked while helping her pack up their picnic.

“No. But maybe if I say it enough times, I’ll start to believe it, too.”

“That’s my girl,” Dario said. “And this time, you won’t have to handle them alone. I’m here for you.”

He wrapped his arm around her in a protective gesture that Stella really needed to take refuge in. Her knees were shaking so bad she could hardly remain standing.

It was always like that when the Rat Pack paid her a visit. She managed to get through the moment when they were in front of her, but she fell to pieces as soon as they slithered back underneath the rocks they’d come out of.

She hated to drag Dario into all of this. But, if they were ever going to make it as a couple and build the life together that they’d always dreamed of, they were going to have to find a way to get rid of Brandenberg, Rousseau and Gersbach once and for all.

CHAPTER TEN

Exhausted following a day in the botanical gardens, their first press conference and dealing with the Rat Pack, Stella and Dario returned to their Casey Key hideaway. They took barely lukewarm showers (the colder the better after the heat they’d stirred in each other all day long), enjoyed way too much wine and a wonderful pasta, tomato, and basil dish—complements of Auntie Elo—then retired to their suites.

Stella tossed and turned, stewed for a long while, until almost midnight, then tossed and turned some more. Trying to sleep was ridiculous. No matter what she did she couldn’t shut off her mind. At this rate, she’d be up all night, her mind fixating on one problem followed by another.

She couldn’t figure out how to handle her father’s trustees. It was one thing that they might be a danger to her, but it was another thing entirely that they had Dario once again in their radar.

Dario had convinced her in the gardens that they could make their relationship work this time, and Stella wanted that more than anything. But Brandenberg, Rousseau and Gersbach wanted her money and power more than anything. If Dario was in their way, like he was twenty-five years ago, would they go to the same lengths now that they’d gone to then to get rid of him? And if they were willing to go that far again, how could Stella stop them? There was only one way.

Leaving Dario was the only way she knew how to protect him. If he wasn’t by her side and in her life, he wouldn’t get hurt. But she simply couldn’t break his heart again...or hers.

Giving up on sleep, she sat up in bed, grabbed her phone off of the nightstand and checked her calendar.

Following a brief photo op at Java Love, she and Dario would be enjoying a day at the beach. She greeted the discovery with a joyful fist pump in the air, got out of bed and did her own version of Victor Cruz’s touchdown salsa.

Nothing beat a day at the beach, especially Sarasota’s Lido Beach. It had become her personal paradise. She could use the warm sand between her toes, the sparkling Gulf of Mexico and more of the gorgeous coastal sun heating up her skin. That’s exactly the kind of quiet, low key day she needed after the crazy way the botanical garden adventure ended.

Immediately feeling better, she threw on the ultra-soft white robe that one of the boutiques had sent and headed for the kitchen. When she couldn’t sleep, she worked with one or more of her many To-Do Lists. And since they were headed to the beach in a few hours, the list was long and there was a lot she could do to get ready ahead of time.

On the way to the kitchen, she took out her phone from the pocket of her robe and flipped through her apps until she reached the one she was looking for. She tapped her screen and watched the app’s large orange checkmark come to life. Taking a deep breath, she forced her worries out of her mind and focused on something much more productive and fun—The Beach Day List.

Shortly after arriving in Sarasota, and after yet another trip to the beach in which she’d forgotten something that she needed to make the trip more enjoyable, she’d made The Beach Day List in her favorite app.

Water. Sandwiches or salad. Fruit. A blanket. Sun hat. Sunglasses. Kindle. Sunscreen. Lip balm. Beach towels and Chairs. All the items that needed to be accounted for were there, glowing through her backlit screen.

She hoped Dario still liked Capri salad, tuna salad and pineapple. Just in case he wasn’t a tuna or tomato and mozzarella guy anymore, she could go ahead and toss in roasted turkey and cheese, guacamole and chips. But she didn’t think all of that would fit in the small picnic basket she’d found last night in one of the kitchen cupboards.

She checked the time. It was going on one in the morning. She didn’t want to bother him this late. But...she bit her lip and studied the moon as it lit up the small herb garden on the other side of the kitchen sink window. He used to stay up late. Usually till at least one. So maybe...

Well, she had a choice. She could wing it and just pack one or the other. Or, she could go to his suite and ask him.

Refastening the belt on her robe, pulling it tight enough that it was actually uncomfortable despite the luxurious fabric, she walked up the stairs and took the hallway opposite the one leading to her suite.

• • •

Dario heard a soft knock on his door. Looking at the clock and seeing that it was just after one, his insides knotted up. Something had to be wrong.

Stella had always gone to bed much earlier than he did, so it couldn’t be her. And neither Stefan nor any of his other security team members disturbed him this late unless something needed his immediate attention.

He grabbed his robe off of the dressing chair he’d tossed it onto and put it on. He didn’t even like robes. Never had. He preferred to relax in his boxers. There was something terrifically freeing about being in nothing but boxers. He was always dressed to the nines so being all but totally undressed was more than appealing.

When he opened the door and saw who was there, he wished he was in even less than his boxers.

“Stella? Is everything all right?” He asked, as surprised to see her as she seemed to be him, which didn’t make any sense on her part since she was the one knocking on his bedroom door.

“Uhm...I needed to know if you still like Capri salad, tuna salad and pineapple,” she said, messing with the belt on her robe that looked as if it might be making it hard for her to breathe as tight as it was drawn around her tiny waist.

“You’re asking me this at one in the morning?” he asked, not at all irritated that she was there, but unable to hide the humor he found in the situation.

“Okay. Yeah. Well...I know it’s late, but I couldn’t sleep, and I thought I’d go ahead and make our picnic lunch for the beach tomorrow. And then I couldn’t remember. Well...actually, I didn’t know if you still liked those things or not so I figured I’d better check with you and-”

“Slow down, baby. It’s fine. I’m glad you’re here. C’mon in and we can solve the lunch dilemma,” he said, wanting to get to the bottom of what was really bothering her. She’d never had trouble sleeping, that he knew of, but whatever it was that had her up tonight was making her a nervous wreck.

“I shouldn’t-”

“Yes, you should,” he said, reaching gently for her arm, pulling her inside the door and closing it behind her. “It’s me, baby. Now what’s got you so worked up? And don’t even go with the salads and pineapple. I know better. This is me you’re talking to.”

He led her over to the edge of his bed—either the smartest thing or the dumbest thing he’d ever done—and sat down, patting the down comforter, inviting her to join him.

She finally sat next to him, but not without pulling the belt on her robe even tighter.

“You do remember that I’ve seen what’s under there many times before, right? That damn belt looks like it’s cutting off your circulation,” he said, hardly able to keep from laughing out loud.

At least she laughed at his comment, which immediately relieved the tension in his gut. He couldn’t stand it when she was upset or worried. And she’d always worried a lot. He’d do anything to take away her worries, and hopefully, she still knew that.

“Sorry. I’m sorry for barging in here so late and for such a stupid reason. It’s just that I was having trouble sleeping, worrying about Brandenberg and his flunkies and what they’re going to do us. What they’ll do to you. And god, if they hurt you or threaten to hurt again-”

“Whoa. Wait a minute. What you mean if they threaten to hurt me again? When did they ever-”

Dario didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t have to. He knew from the look on her face that that’s exactly what had happened. That’s why she’d left him twenty-five years ago. And broken their engagement. It wasn’t that she didn’t love him anymore. She was protecting him.

“Oh, baby,” he said pulling her toward his chest as the tears started streaming down her cheeks. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you let me think all of these years that you didn’t love me? I could have handled watching my back. Protecting myself and you. What I couldn’t handle and never got over was losing you.”

“I know. I know. I should have told you. But I thought I was doing the right thing. I was young. We both were. We had our whole lives ahead of us. And I couldn’t stand the thought that I could be responsible for something horrible happening to you.”

“The only horrible thing that’s ever happened to me was losing you,” he said, wiping the tears from her cheeks as best as he could, considering how fast they were falling.

“I’m scared, Dario. As much as I love you, I’m scared. I’m even more sure now than I was then that Brandenberg will make good on his threats. If either of us stands in his way, he won’t hesitate to get rid of us.”

“But there is a difference this time,” Dario said, moving her away from his chest long enough to look in her eyes when he said what he needed to say. “I’m not going to let anything happen to either one of us. We’ve got two of the best security teams in the world. We’ll figure this out. Together, baby. I promise you.”

“I don’t expect you to deal with this. It’s my problem.”

“No, Stella. It’s our problem. For once, give us a chance to work something out together. It’s not your responsibility to take care of me. It’s our responsibility to take care of each other.”

Before he could finish convincing her, she unloosened the belt on her robe. By now, it had to be cutting into her skin pretty good.

“Here, let me help you with that,” he said, carefully untying the sailor-strength knot and letting both ends of the belt hang loose at her sides.

“Since when do you wear robes?” She asked between sniffles, giving him a once over that proved she’d rather he was undressed, too.

“Not long and not for very much longer,” he said, standing up and removing his robe then helping her slip out of hers.

As his fingers brushed her skin, arrows of want and need shot straight to his groin. Feeling goose bumps ripple down her arms, he used every muscle in his body to keep from having his way with her right then. He wanted to take his time. He’d waited for twenty-five years to have her in his arms again, so he could wait a few more minutes.

“God, you’re beautiful, baby,” he said, running his fingers down the satin straps of her baby doll pajamas. The metallic copper fabric looked stunning against her sun-kissed skin, and the cut fit her curves perfectly.

Feeling her nipples bead under his fingertips, he inhaled sharply. His groin throbbed against his boxers.

“I don’t think you’ll need these anymore,” she said, putting her hands inside the waist band and sliding his boxers down his thighs till they dropped around his ankles. This time, the goose bumps covered him.

“And I don’t think you’ll be needing your pajamas either, although I do love the way they look on you,” he said, lifting the top over her head, making sure to brush the backs of his hands against her breasts as he did so.

“We might be chilly,” she said, biting her lower lip and wrapping one hand around his hard length, which had always been his undoing.

It wasn’t just her hand that would be going there. That thought alone filled him with a lust he wasn’t sure he could ever satisfy no matter how many times he made love to her.

“I doubt it,” he said, sweeping her into his arms and into his bed. “I know a good way to keep us warm.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Stella got up less than six hours later, barely having slept. Not that she was complaining. She couldn’t think of a better way to spend a sleepless night than in Dario’s bed, doing things to him she’d dreamed about for years.

She put on
her robe, foregoing the belt, and went to sit on the private balcony outside his suite. The sun was beginning to rise, promising the start of a new day. Basking in its warm glow, she realized that for the first time for as long as she could remember, her life held the promise of a new beginning—with the man who would always own her heart.