His Royal Pleasure (11 page)

“That's right,” he encouraged her, rubbing his open mouth against her throat.

Katherine arched against his moist lips. “Ohhhh. You make me feel beautiful, Alex.” She lifted her hands to run her fingers through his hair.

The position was awkward, thrusting out her breasts, but she needed to touch him.

Fascinated, Alex plucked her nipples through the satin.

A moan bubbled up from her throat and escaped her lips. His eyes met hers, and something inside him seemed to snap. He nudged her head into the crook of her shoulder and made love to her mouth.

His tongue penetrated her moistness; his mouth sucked her tongue into his. He kissed her until she was achy, breathless and clinging to him.

She wanted to face him so she could feel him against her, but he wouldn't allow it.

Katherine made a murmur of wanton dissatisfaction.

“What do you want?” he asked, his breath harsh against her hair.

“You. Dammit. You know what I want.”

“Tell me.” He darted his tongue into her ear.

She went dizzy from the sensation. She was so frustrated, she could cry. “I want you to get rid of those jeans,” she hissed.

“Why don't you do it for me?” he taunted her.

She jerked, and there was a sensation within her of something private being torn away. Her inhibitions were burned up by the fire of his eyes.

Putting her thumbs through the loops of his jeans, she pulled him around to face her. Then, biting her lip in concentration, she released the button and slid the zipper all the way down.

She pushed his jeans down his hips and cupped him with her hands.

He swore. “Katherine—”

She shook her head. “No. You started this.” She wrapped her hand around his full, throbbing erection and started stroking.

He grabbed her hands and stopped her, his chest heaving.

But Katherine felt desperate. She put her mouth against that heaving chest and licked his nipple.

“Oh, for Christ's sake,” he muttered. A shudder ran through him, and he forced her away, whipping the coral satin over her head. She was on him immediately, and he stumbled out of his jeans.

Her warm mouth was on his chest again, with her hands sweet and teasing over his aching shaft. She pulled his head down and scorched him with an explicit come-and-get-me kiss.

His blood gushed through his veins like a raging flood, only hotter and much more potent. “Katherine,” he muttered, striving for a shred of sanity, trying to slow down.

“No,” she said against his mouth. “You wanted me this way, no holds barred. Now, you've got me. Take a look in the mirror, Alex.”

She fell to her knees, and his mouth went dry. He licked his lips, vainly.

Her warm breath caressed him, making his legs shake. She rubbed her soft palms down the sides of his belly to the inside of his thighs. The sight of her painted nails so close to him made him feel like exploding. She inched closer, and he held his breath.

It was such a long, unbearable moment that he closed his eyes.

Katherine squeezed his thighs. “Open your eyes, Alex. I want you to watch. I don't want you to forget.”

He opened his mouth to assure her that forgetting was impossible, but then she touched him with her lips.

A drop of his essence slipped out, and she licked it with her tongue. His heart went wild. He watched her warm, avid mouth on him and tried to choke out a curse, but his voice wasn't working. She alternately cupped and stroked and licked him until he cried out and roughly pulled her up his body.

Her perfume swam around his head, his earlier titillation coming back to haunt him. “I'm in love with you.”

Katherine went completely still and silent. Stunned, she shook her head.

“Yes, I am. And you're in love with me.”

She shook her head again, her expression almost horrified.

He ran his hand down to where she was moist and soft, and stroked her. He covered her astonished mouth with his and loved her with his tongue and lips. Then he lifted her high and slid her down until she enveloped him in her tight, wet womanhood.

“Look,” he said, his voice strained. “What do you see?”

Katherine looked in the mirror and saw her thighs wrapped around his waist, her breasts crushed to his chest, her eyes shiny with unshed tears.

“I see two people in love,” he murmured, answering his own question.

A chime sang through his consciousness. A grind, and a soft clicking sound. The music box played. Katherine's eyes grew round. Alex hugged her to stop the trembling, but he wasn't sure which one of them was doing the trembling.

He took her to the bed, never parting from her. While the music played, he made love to her, kissing away her tears and surprise. The scent of Katherine and the sound of her music filled him, becoming a part of him. The sweet tune embedded itself in his mind as surely as Katherine had captured his heart. Alex was lost—sweetly, completely lost.

The night passed in a haze of sweat, wrenching longing and exquisite passion. He turned to her again and again, needing to feel her touch, to hear the break of her sigh when he entered her, to see the open, honest love on her face.

He drove her relentlessly until their bodies wouldn't cooperate anymore, and they both collapsed in weak laughter. Then he curled her against him.

Katherine stared at the music box in mute wonder. If she'd had the energy to dissect the experience, she sensed it would scare her to death. Instead, she took a deep breath and let the strength of Alex's arms lull her to sleep.

 

The shrill ringing of the phone woke her early the next morning. Too early, she thought, looking at the alarm clock. Five a.m.

It rang again, abrasive and intruding. She scowled. Katherine lifted Alex's arm, heavy with sleep, from her shoulder. She eased out of bed and nearly fell flat on her face. Now she understood what people meant about doing it until you can't walk.

She stiffened her rubbery legs and grabbed her robe from the floor. Carefully, putting one foot in front of the other, she tottered to the kitchen and picked up the phone.

“Hello.”

The line crackled. “Hello,” a feminine, desperate-sounding voice said. “Hello. I must speak to Alexander Merrick. Oh, damn. He changed his name to Al something. Al—”

“Sanders,” Katherine finished for the woman. She had a sinking feeling about this phone call. “Al Sanders.”

“That's right. Tell him it's Isabella. It's very important. I must speak to him, immediately. Right now.”

“Gotcha,” Katherine said, and set the phone on the counter. She shoved her hands through the robe and tied the sash. She took a deep breath and walked back into the bedroom. Alex was still sleeping, his face hard but content.

Katherine took a long look. “Alex, wake up,” she said, careful not to touch him. “It's your sister Isabella.”

His eyes blinked open. He frowned in confusion. “Isabella.”

“She's on the phone.”

Alex rolled his eyes, muttering. He got out of bed, and Katherine was secretly pleased to see he was nearly as unsteady on his feet as she'd been.

She followed him to the kitchen, fighting down overwhelming fear.

His voice was terse as he talked with Isabella. His mouth hardened, and he swore long and viciously. Then he seemed to come to his senses. He apologized to Isabella, thanked her for calling and hung up.

He ran his hands through his hair and bent over the counter as if the weight of the world were on his shoulders. When he turned to Katherine, his eyes were bleak.

Her heart sank. He didn't have to say a word. She just knew.

“I must return to Moreno,” Alex began as he walked toward her.

The pain of her heart breaking was so great that Katherine didn't hear the rest of what he said. And when his arms went closed around her in quiet desperation, she hurt even more. She didn't want to touch him, but she couldn't have stopped her body from nestling against him. She breathed his scent. Her throat was tight, but she managed to get out the words. “There will never be anyone like you, Alex.” Her voice fell to a whisper. “Never.” Katherine squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't want to cry. God help her, she didn't want to cry.

Alex was grappling with his own stunning sense of pain. “You're such a treasure, Katherine. How can I leave you?” The prospect had him resenting his position, nearly hating it. He swore softly and kissed her sleep-tousled hair, then sifted his fingers through it, realizing he would never touch her again. The sense of loss was staggering, worse than anything he'd ever experienced.

He felt her shudder, the dampness of her tears against his chest, and it was almost too much to bear.

Within an hour he was gone.

She'd watched regret and his enormous sense of duty tear at him while he'd explained that he had to return to Moreno immediately. He'd promised to call. She'd tried to smile. And their parting kiss was bittersweet.

She felt shattered into a thousand sharp pieces. She thought she'd been prepared for his leaving. She'd thought she'd be left with a melancholy but manageable sort of sadness.

But nothing could have prepared Katherine for a bed that held the scent of their lovemaking, a body that reminded her with every movement just what she'd done last night, a music box that wouldn't work, and the press.

“I really don't have any information,” she said for the fifteenth time to the young reporter sniffing for blood. He stood on her front porch as immovable as the posts supporting the roof while she tried to hold her fragile self together.

“But surely, Ms. Kendall,” he continued with an ingratiating smile, “you must know something of Prince Alexander. After all, he's been in your residence for—”

Chad chose that moment to stomp up the stairs. Another man in a suit followed not far behind.

Chad looked at the reporter and frowned. “Where's Al?”

Katherine bared her teeth in what she hoped looked like a smile. “He's gone.” She bit her lip at the hollowness in her voice.

“Gone?”

“You were also acquainted with Prince Alexander?” asked the reporter, sensing new prey. “What can you tell us about him? His personality?” The young man flexed his pen over his pad. “His favorite foods? Anything?”

“Well, if you're talking about Al Sanders, his coffee tastes like crap.” Then Chad looked as if he'd swallowed a whole lemon. “A prince?” He looked at Katherine and laughed uncertainly. “A prince? That's rich.” He laughed again. “Big Napoleon. What a bunch of bull—”

Katherine winced. “Chad, there's something I need to tell you.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “Well, it can't get any better than this.”

The man in the suit reached the porch. He was tall and dark. If pressed, Katherine would say he bore a faint resemblance to Alex. Her stomach tightened.

He gave a brief bow. “Ms. Kendall, my name is Jacques Merrick. I handle Prince Alexander's press relations. May I assist you?”

She felt a surge of relief at the same time she began to feel the threat of tears. She managed a nod. “Yes, thank you very much.”

Chad looked from Jacques to the reporter to Katherine and narrowed his eyes. “Hey, what is—”

Katherine cleared her throat, but her voice was still shaky. “Come inside,” she said desperately. “I'll fix you some breakfast and tell you all about it.” She pulled his arm.

“Ms. Kendall,” Jacques said, “is there a restaurant or bar?” He moved his shoulders in a Gallic shrug. “Something?”

“The grill is in the community building, but there's a better selection of restaurants on the mainland. And the ferry will be leaving soon,” she added hopefully.

“Yeah,” Chad said, and snickered. “And there's always Chuck's.”

Watching the calculating look in Jacques's eyes, Katherine rammed her elbow in Chad's ribs.

Jacques turned to the reporter. “I have known the prince all my life, and I would be happy to give you information for your story. As a matter of fact, I happen to have some photographs in my hotel room. Shall we go?”

The command again. Katherine wondered if all the Merricks were autocratic. She felt a swift clench of worry that she'd trusted Jacques too easily. “Mr. Merrick,” she said, and moved back a few steps to afford some privacy.

He shot her an impatient look. “Yes?”

“You will,” she paused and whispered, “protect Alexander's image, won't you?”

He looked offended. “Of course. It is my duty to serve the royal family, and Prince Alexander is my cousin.”

She sighed, still unsure. The statement sounded a little cold. “But are you Alex's friend?”

He raised an eyebrow, then shook his head. “Prince Alexander does not have many friends. His position doesn't allow for it. But you may rest assured,” he said more gently, “that I will protect his reputation with my life. I have also been instructed to deflect the media from you.”

She nodded, somehow reassured and unhappy at the same time, and watched Jacques lead the young reporter down the steps.

 

One week later Alex called. His voice hit her with the force of a body blow. It took Katherine a full minute to find her own voice.

“Katherine,” said Alex, his voice edged with concern. “Are you all right?”

Her throat tightened. She wasn't sure she'd ever be all right again. She swallowed hard. “I'm fine, and you?”

“I'm working again. Funny thing, though, thoughts of a red-haired American beauty creep in at the oddest moments.”

Her heart twisted. “It will pass,” she assured him.

His laugh was a harsh and unhappy sound. “If you believe that, then you're terribly naive. Tell me, do you ever think of me?”

Always.
Katherine rubbed her hand against her forehead. It was difficult to keep from pouring out her heart to him. Difficult, but necessary. “It doesn't matter if I think of you, Alex. When you were here, we both knew you would leave. It was inevitable.”

A long silence passed. “We never discussed the future.”

“Because,” she said as much for herself as him, “there is no future for us.”

On the other end of the line, Alex grew uneasy. He had returned to Moreno only to find he'd left the best of himself with Katherine. He wanted her with him, with a wanting that edged toward desperate need. “Why not? Moreno has airports. Your school isn't in session. You could visit. If you're worried about privacy, I have a chalet in—”

“Stop it.” She took a deep breath. “This is crazy. We live in different worlds. Barring that, I have responsibilities here. I'm still trying to find a buyer. And as for your private chalet—” Katherine shook her head “—I'm not cut out for clandestine affairs.”

He was stunned and incredibly hurt. “How can you say that? Nothing between us could ever be clandestine.”

Katherine fought back the feelings he was rousing inside her. His voice made her feel that she was coming apart when she'd worked so hard to pull herself together. “Oh, Alex, you're fooling yourself. Everything,” she said, her voice trembling, “everything about our time together was clandestine. I didn't even know your name in the beginning. We hid our involvement from everyone.”

“We hid our involvement so we could have privacy and so you would be protected once I left.” He managed a deep breath. “If the secrecy bothers you, I can make arrangements for a press release, and everyone will know. I wasn't ashamed,
chérie,
just selfish. I wanted you all to myself. I still want you all to myself.”

Katherine felt as if she'd just stepped off a high cliff. The intensity of his feelings frightened her. It was too close to what she felt. “I know it seems that we had something—”

“Seems!
Had?
” His composure slipped, and something like panic ripped through Alex. “
Au contraire,
Katherine. Have you forgotten so quickly?” Gripping the phone with a tight fist, he fought the feeling of being lost. “Have you forgotten the way we fit together? The way we can almost read each other's minds?”

Katherine closed her eyes. This was torture. “I'm not right for you. Yes. We had a very special time together, but it can't go on. I'm no blue blood, no princess or duchess. It was hard enough when you left the first time, but I couldn't bear it if it happened again. And what happens,” she asked, feeling the agony squeeze her voice into something tiny and desperate, “when I embarrass you? Or worse,” she said, voicing her worst fear, “when you grow tired of me?”

He said something terse and graphic in French. “You could never embarrass me. And I wouldn't grow tired of you.”

The silence lengthened, and Katherine felt the distance between them grow. His world and hers. It was more than different countries, more than a different language. It was different attitudes ingrained in both of them since birth.

“Find someone else, Alex.” She flinched at her suggestion, but doggedly kept on. “Someone better suited to your background. Someone who understands your duties. Someone sophisticated and tougher than I am.”

Alex couldn't believe her. Her suggestion was like a slap in the face, so horrible it seemed unreal. “That would be difficult,” he said, feeling his chest tighten. “I love you.”

She almost broke down then. She'd been so miserable without him, and to hear that he loved her twisted her inside out. Hearing his voice and the possibility that she could snatch a little more time with him was the most painful thing she'd ever experienced. The burning in her eyes grew worse. She felt the wetness threaten, then seep out the corners of her closed eyes.

“It's for the best, Alex,” she said, hearing the fragility in her voice. “Some things are impossible.”

He fought against her rationale even though he understood it. At one point he'd thought they couldn't be together. Now, he couldn't imagine
not
having her in his life. “But it is possible. We could be together. Why can't you see?”

“Because I don't want to be with you.” A wayward sob escaped, and Katherine damned her slip. “I don't want to be a part of your life,” she lied desperately, and wondered if lightning would strike her dead for it. Her heart contracted in protest. There was nothing more she could say. Even if she had thought of something, the painful lump in her throat would have prevented it.

“I don't believe you.” He couldn't accept it, but he wondered if he'd been wrong. The doubt made his stomach turn. He'd laid himself bare for her, and she'd turned him down. His chest actually hurt. The hurt and disillusion were fresh, gaping wounds, but he had to try one more time. Like a warrior making a desperate last effort, he had to do it. “Tell me,
mon amie,
” he said roughly, “that you dream of me.”

Her tears ran unchecked down her cheeks. She bit her lip hard, knowing this was the hardest thing she'd done in her life. Katherine couldn't bear his distress, but she wouldn't encourage him. “I'm sorry.”

A lengthy silence followed. Full. So full of everything that had passed between them, the hopes, the laughter, the passion, until there was only a deep, soundless, eternal pain.

His voice was so quiet, she barely heard him. “Call me if you change your mind.
Au revoir,
my Katherine.”

The click vibrated inside her, and she held on for a long time after the line was disconnected, cuddling the phone to her ear. With trembling hands, Katherine finally hung up the phone. Then she laid her head on the kitchen table and wept, understanding what made people wish for death.

 

Three days later she received a Federal Express letter offering her a position as educational consultant to Moreno.

The offer caught her off guard. She shook her head, reluctantly admiring how Alex was trying to find a suitable way for her to live in Moreno. His persistence was disarming, but the sensible part of her assured her that if she went to Moreno, she'd just be throwing herself into a situation that was doomed from the start.

She'd thought that time would lend her strength, that the days would numb her pain. So far, she'd been wrong. Her sense of loss was shattering. Chad commented on how distracted she was. She tried to make excuses, but she could see the worry in his eyes.

Instead of growing stronger, she felt herself weakening, dying for just a glance of him, wishing for the sound of his voice. She threw out her collection of nail polish, cried at the sight of fireflies and couldn't bear to look at marshmallows. She waited two days to refuse the offer, hoping for the peace that eluded her.

It didn't come, but she stiffened her resolve and managed to write the refusal. Sending it was just one more cut from the knife.

The only positive news was an offer for the campground. When Katherine told Jasper, the relief in his voice reassured her that she'd done the right thing. The agreement was signed, and to Katherine's amazement, the holding company had requested that Chad act as interim manager.

She knew very little about the buyer, only that he agreed to maintain the property as a campground and had the money to expedite the sale.

One evening, just as she was about to take a walk on the beach, the doorbell rang. Expecting one of the campers, Katherine opened the door. A young woman with full dark hair and dark eyes, dressed in a designer summer suit, stood on her porch with two men behind her. The young woman was looking at her with a curious, measuring air.

“Katherine Kendall?” she said in a rich, cultured voice.

Katherine nodded, instantly recognizing the faint accent. “Isabella.” She paused. “Princess Isabella with-three-other-names Merrick de Moreno.”

The woman arched a dark eyebrow, and her lips slowly tilted into a smile. “Yes. I do believe I understand Alex's distraction. May I come in?”

Another order couched in a question. Katherine smiled in spite of herself and moved aside as Isabella instructed the two men to wait outside. She was getting used to this.

She offered her unexpected guest a chair and some lemonade, then cut to the chase. “You're not here for the camping, are you, Your Highness?”

Isabella pulled a cigarette out of a gold case and lit it. “No, and please call me Isabella. Titles can be wearing.”

Katherine wasn't totally comfortable with this woman who seemed to know quite a bit about her, but she nodded. “Isabella.”

She took a long drag from the cigarette and exhaled. “You can relax. I just want to know why you've ruined my brother.”