The Prince's Resistant Lover

The Prince’s Resistant Lover

By Elizabeth Lennox

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Copyright 2013

ISBN13: 9781940134956

All rights reserved

Library of Congress Registration available upon request.

No portion of this book may be reprinted in whole or in part, by printing, faxing, email, copying electronically, or by any other means without permission of the author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Wyndi Carmichael held her breath as the shockingly tall, scary man walked into the cheap, greasy restaurant down by the docks. He sat down at a table in her section, picked up the plastic covered menu and surveyed the options.

He definitely didn’t “fit” with the normal crowd that patronized this greasy spoon diner.

She watched him carefully, instantly suspicious as she wiped her hands nervously down the not-terribly-clean red apron tied around her waist. The man was tall and elegant, with a spooky sort of power emanating from him. His black eyes surveyed the restaurant like he owned it, as well as all of the other patrons. His hawk-like nose and straight jaw added more than a touch of danger to his appearance. There was no way he could be considered handsome, but he was crazy attractive. There was a raw edge to him that was… enticing – on many levels – which doubled his dangerous quality.

Wyndi approached his table warily, not sure what to expect. He was dressed too expensively to be in the same socioeconomic class as their normal customers and his eyes were almost restless, as if he were looking for someone. Or maybe waiting for someone?

She wasn’t sure. But he was in her station, so she walked over to his table. She couldn’t bring forth her normal smile, but she aimed for a semblance of polite instead of her normal, overt friendliness. She liked people, found them fascinating. Which was one of the reasons she was so good at her job. Her tips as a waitress were above the norm, but even on the rare occasions when she earned a higher than average tip, the amount wasn’t a whole lot. At this diner in this part of town, people didn’t make gobs of money like those on Wall Street. They didn’t wear the latest fashions and they definitely didn’t have wine with their meals. A beer was typical on payday, water the day before when money was tight.

So why was this guy – wearing a suit that probably cost more than the entire monthly income of the combined other patrons – sitting in a booth, looking expectantly in her direction?

Wyndi walked over to the table, pretending that her fingers weren’t trembling as she dug in her apron for her pen and order pad. “What would you like today?” she asked, standing farther away from his booth than she normally would. Generally, she rested a hip or thigh against the table, sort of connecting in a way to the diners. But this man was terrifying. His piercing gaze generated the sense of menacing power. His black eyes looked over at her – perhaps through her – assessing.

Tamar looked up and was startled to see the delicate features of a lovely creature looking back at him. Her blue eyes and thick blond curls were surprisingly beautiful. She had a wide mouth with sensuous lips that she was biting with her pretty, white teeth. But what caught his attention more were the frightened blue eyes looking back at him.

He normally didn’t have that effect on women. They flocked to him, inviting him to play the mating game. In his experience, most of them hoped it would land them an expensive trinket; the more ambitious sought the prestigious title of wife. This woman’s blue eyes were wary, as if she could sense the power he wielded and was afraid of it.

Why this lovely woman would be so nervous was a mystery, but he was intrigued. “What would you suggest?” he asked, fascinated by the flare of her irises and the catch in her breath. His body responded in kind, his mind considering all the ways in which he would like to bite that full, lower lip himself. Among other, delectable, parts of her body.

Wyndi noticed the flare of his nostrils, the heat emanating from those black, mysterious eyes and wanted to run away, to hide somewhere until this disturbing man was gone. He scared her right down to her bones, and she wasn’t one of those people who liked taunting danger or poking the bear. This man definitely couldn’t be considered a bear though. A lion, she thought with increasing shivers of awareness that she worked hard to suppress. It wasn’t that she thought he might know of her secret mission. As she looked into his eyes, she suspected that he might know everything else. Which was much, much worse.

She pulled her eyes away, shoving her hands into her pockets. “There’s a great burger joint three doors down.”

Tamar laughed softly at her ‘recommendation’, surprised that she was not only keeping her distance, but that she was trying to get him out of her restaurant. “I’ve heard that the food here is quite delicious,” he lied without remorse. He was here in this establishment only because his technicians had traced the signal of a hacker to this address. It was only serendipitous that he’d found this angel among the workers here.

She blinked at his formal language, not sure what to make of him. He definitely didn’t belong here. This was a blue collar neighborhood. The patrons here were the rough and tumble types that would grab a quick burger along with several beers after a tough day working on the docks. This man looked like he should be in a board room, not sitting in the control box of a bucket loader. She would wager that he hadn’t ever gotten his hands dirty. He probably wouldn’t do very well in a fist fight either, even though his shoulders looked broad and durable enough underneath the extremely fine fabric of his suit.

Wyndi shrugged her shoulders as if the food were passably good. “You don’t look like the burger and beer type of guy,” she came back, ready to dismiss him.

“Perhaps you and I could have dinner tonight and discuss the kind of guy I am,” he offered, fascinated by this nervous creature. In a flash, he knew that this beautiful blond with the wary blue eyes would be his next lover. He rubbed his chin, calculating in his mind how long it would take him to have her purring, begging for his touch.

Wyndi gasped, shocked by how forward he was. “I don’t think so,” she countered. “Are you going to order something? If not, I have several other tables that need attention.”

Tamar chuckled, watching her intently. Challenge accepted, my beauty, he thought in his mind. “Bring me the house specialty,” he told her, handing the slightly sticky, plastic covered menu back to her.

Wyndi stared back at him, trying to figure him out. Who did he think he was? House specialty? It was a corner diner catering to the working class, not the Ritz. They didn’t have a house specialty. But instead of arguing with him, she shrugged one shoulder, ignored the menu since it was supposed to go on the rough, wooden holders on the table by the window, and turned on her running shoe clad heel. He wanted the house specialty? She’d give him something special, she thought with a smile filled with delight. He couldn’t see her, thankfully, but she wrote something on her ordering pad then snapped it onto the metal order wheel, spinning it so that Billy, the fry cook today, could see her order.

With that done, she moved around to her other tables, smiling and greeting the guests. She filled up their coffee or water and completely ignored the man at the table, who was now talking on his cell phone. She tried to eavesdrop, not caring that it was rude. She just wanted to understand why he was here. It was so strange. But he was speaking in a language she couldn’t understand, so she moved away, intent on leaving him alone as much as possible.

When Billy called out that his order was ready, she moved back to the kitchen and smiled in anticipation. Carrying the heavy plate over to the table, she set it all down in front of him along with a large pitcher of water and a glass.

“Dig in!” she said, trying to hide her amusement as he surveyed the enormous meal.

Tamar surveyed the plate of food with interest, not sure exactly what it was, but he’d caught her adorable glance that told him she thought she’d gotten him. What she didn’t know was that he traveled all over the world, representing Surisia’s interests. His cousin was the sheik and, together, they’d grown up challenging each other to eat the most exotic foods they could find. This burger with a multitude of toppings was not going to defeat him.

“I’m guessing the water is for my benefit?” he asked. His desire to bed this woman, to bend her to his will, was even more intense now that she’d challenged him in this way.

Wyndi shrugged, grinning triumphantly down at him. “The chili is pretty spicy. And those jalapeños aren’t too shy either.” She paused slightly, trying to suppress her grin. “But if you’d like something different, just let me know.”

Tamar laughed, delighted with her. “This looks wonderful. Thank you for your assistance.” He was so turned on by the mischievous glint in her eyes he wanted to lift her up onto the table and kiss her until she was purring under his touch.

He didn’t hesitate a moment longer, picking up the burger with both hands as if he were a pro at devouring the messiest foods possible.

Wyndi moved away, feeling defeated somehow. She tried very hard to ignore him, but as she helped her other tables, she kept her eyes on the man and his burger. As he took his first bite and didn’t complain, she started to feel guilty. The burger was enormous! It had guacamole, a fried egg, lots of jalapeño slices, a huge spoonful of extremely hot chili and even sour cream! It was one of those burgers that the guys ate in the evening after a long, hard day and they generally loved it. But this man wasn’t like them! He was too elegant, too refined.

She turned away when he took another bite, thinking she should put in another order for him. Maybe a nice salad or something tame. He was going to have an upset stomach. Well, he would if he continued to eat the darn thing!

She felt so horrible about what she’d done, she couldn’t even look in his direction. She stared down at the tray of clean glasses, her heart wrenching at her dirty trick. The man had scared her, so what? He didn’t deserve to have an upset stomach for the rest of the day and night! She had been vicious and evil. She sighed and reached under the counter for a bowl, needing to rectify her viciousness as quickly as possible. She added a package of crackers, hoping she could somehow make amends as she scooped out a bowl of soothing chicken soup.

As she balanced the bowl of soup on her tray, she was just about to set it down on the man’s table when she glanced up, just in time to see him wipe the sides of his mouth with the paper napkin. Looking down, she was stunned to see that the enormous, spicy burger was completely gone. As were all the greasy fries as well.

“What happened to the burger?” she demanded, her mouth falling open as she looked from his plate to his eyes, not believing the evidence in front of her.

Tamar wanted to laugh, delighted with her surprise, but a hurt, vulnerability in her eyes struck him and he didn’t want to hurt her feelings. The bowl of soup in her hands was shaking slightly and he took it, carefully setting it down on the plastic table. “The burger was delicious. I appreciate your suggestion as I have never tasted anything like it.”

She looked at the man’s dark, sexy eyes, then back down to his plate. “You ate the whole thing?” she asked, her voice almost a whisper as her shock came through her tone.

“Of course,” he replied. “I’m guessing by your surprised expression that you were not expecting such an occurrence?”

Wyndi swallowed past the lump in her throat. “No. I didn’t think you were….” She was going to say “the type” but it sounded silly now. She took a deep breath and pulled her shoulders back. “I apologize,” she whispered, ashamed of herself now. “I was irritated by your attitude and I brought you a meal that…might make you feel bad later on.”

Tamar was enchanted, seeing the distress in her pretty blue eyes, and something inside of him twisted slightly. “The chicken soup was to soothe my stomach, was it not?” he asked, amused and delighted with this softer, more delicate side of her.

She sighed and leaned against the edge of the booth. “Yes. I was being inconsiderate before. Are you okay? You didn’t have to eat that disgusting burger. I wouldn’t have thought less of you.”

One black brow went up in question. “Wouldn’t you?” he challenged and caught the blush in her lovely, pale cheeks. “If you want to make amends, come to dinner with me.”

Wyndi blinked and couldn’t stop the laughter that burst out of her. “I don’t feel that guilty!” she replied when she finally got her amusement under control.

He stood up, towering over her as he looked down into her amused eyes. “How can I convince you to dine with me?” he asked, taking her hand in his.

Wyndi stared down at her hand, feeling suddenly vulnerable and scared. The pads of his fingers weren’t smooth like they should be. They were rough, his grip gentle, but she could sense the strength in his touch. Wasn’t he soft? Wasn’t he weak? Something about his touch, the way his fingers were holding her fingers so lightly, told her that there was a hidden strength about him. And that terrified her even more.

She tried to pull her hand free, but his fingers tightened on hers, refusing to release her. “I don’t think dinner would be a good idea.” The trembling was a bit more obvious now and she wanted to jerk her hand free and dive into the massive freezer in the back of the restaurant to cool off her red cheeks.

He shifted ever so slightly, cornering her in so the rest of the diners could not witness their conversation. They were effectively hidden from view by his broad shoulders. “I think it would be a wonderful idea. I’ll pick you up at seven,” he told her. It wasn’t a question. It was a dare!

Her eyes flashed up to his, not sure she could believe what he’d just said. “I won’t be here,” she told him emphatically.

“I know.” He moved closer and she had to crane her neck to look at him, shocked at how tall he was. And had those shoulders grown about a foot wider? How was that possible? His rough fingers touched her cheek, trailing down her skin, leaving a trail of fire in their wake. “I’ll see you tonight.”

A moment later, he was gone. She looked around, feeling like she’d just been scorched but had no clue why. He’d just touched her. Many men had done the same thing, one ending up with broken fingers because of it. But she’d never felt this….vulnerable…around a man before. And she definitely didn’t like it. She’d had enough of being vulnerable. For the past five years, she’d done everything in her power to eliminate that possibility from her life, and there was no way she would allow a man to bring it back. Dinner? No way!