Scorched

by Melody Anne

  “I was just thinking it was truly time for the games to begin,” she said, enjoying the worry in his eyes. “Batter up!” Laughter spilled from her. And with that, she took her seat.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  “IT’S TIME FOR bed, Rachel. ”

  Oh, my, can he speak, Rachel thought.

  He’d uttered just a few simple words, and she was ready to melt into a puddle at his feet. She wouldn’t do it, though. She had her pride and she was determined to keep it. Heck, what else did she have at the moment, now that her basic freedoms had been taken away?

  But still, his voice was a killer.

  “Yes, Adriane, I agree,” she said, sending him a seductive glance, enjoying the leaping flames in his coal-black eyes. “So you should probably leave now,” she finished.

  Her little pause — her game — was worth it: she watched his face turn to stone.

  Slowly, he rose from the chair, not taking his eyes off hers. Even if she were capable of moving, which at that moment she wasn’t, she was trembling too intensely to try to escape his prowling.

  “Why fight the inevitable? We both know what’s going to happen. You may be telling me no with your words, but your body is certainly saying yes,” he whispered as he reached her side and circled his arms around her, pulling her up against him.

  A shudder passed through her as she tilted her head to look into his eyes. “Obviously, you’ve never taken a self-defense class, Adriane. No means no,” she told him, proud of herself for not yielding to his embrace.

  “Mmm, maybe we’ll have to go to one of those together. ” He bent down and ran his lips across hers in a seductive caress. “There’s more than one way to seduce a woman, Rachel,” he said, his tone filled with promise.

  The satin material of her robe caressed her aching ni**les, and heat pooled in her core. It would be so easy to succumb, so easy to let him lead her to the bed right behind them. He’d set the scene well, and she felt herself falling for his charms.

  The man was…powerful.

  His hands smoothed along her back, catching the end of the short robe on his way up her rounded backside, forcing a whimper from her throat before she was able to stop it. She was already pregnant. What was the worst that could happen if she spent a night in his arms?

  Maybe it was just meant to be. Maybe this was the way their night was supposed to end.

  As he leaned down and his mouth took hers, Rachel couldn’t seem to pull back, couldn’t seem to convince her muscles to react. She was melting, and it was even better than she remembered.

  His hands stroked her barely covered skin while his mouth devoured hers, dancing along her lips before plunging inside and conquering her tongue.

  Only Adriane had ever inspired this pure ecstasy that coursed through her. Why did women ever need drugs? All they needed was a man like Adriane to fly higher than they’d ever been before. When he moved his head down and sucked on the skin of her neck, she was turned on, tuned in, and dropping fast.

  She knew she should be saying no, but she couldn’t bring her voice to work.

  Need.

  Pure, unadulterated, hungry need boiled within, and the worst part was that the guilt was dissolving, leaving her as surely as his touch was filling her.

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  As he pushed his h*ps against her and she felt the evidence of his desire, she whimpered again, knowing how good his arousal felt inside of her. Just one night, she begged her conscience, one night to feel this pleasure again.

  As his fingers skimmed up her sides, then slid slowly down her neck and entered the gap in her robe, her br**sts seemed to grow even fuller, and she arched toward him, wanting their weight cupped in his palms.

  “You are more perfect now than you were a few months ago,” he whispered, need dripping from each word. “And you were perfect then. ”

  She was so hot, so wet where she ached to have him most. He was good, the ultimate seducer.

  When his fingers found her bare ni**les, her body jerked against his. He squeezed the sensitive flesh with just the right amount of pressure, and her knees went weak as she leaned back, wanting his mouth to follow his skillful hands.

  Dropping to his knees before her, he untied the sash and held her robe open. “I have big plans for you tonight, Rachel,” he promised before leaning forward and running his hot tongue along her stomach.

  As much as she was turned to mush, the action seemed to wake her up. As she looked at the top of his dark head while he kissed the place where their baby lay safely, reality rushed to the forefront.

  Who was she and why was she allowing this to happen?

  This man had gotten her pregnant, then had her followed, then kidnapped her right before her brother and best friend’s wedding. She’d repeatedly told him she wouldn’t make love to him, wouldn’t sleep with him again, and then at the slightest of touches, she was falling all over herself to climb into his bed.

  No!

  With a strength she didn’t know she possessed, Rachel lifted her foot and pushed him back, catching him off guard. He fell backward, landing hard on his delectable ass. Then she stepped back, grabbing her robe and closing it, tying the sash with a vicious tug in a double knot that was sure to stay together.

  “Rachel?” he asked, looking more perplexed than angry.

  “No, Adriane. No. No. No. I told you this wasn’t happening, and I meant it!”

  “I don’t understand,” he said as he slowly rose to his feet. “You weren’t acting so put out fifteen seconds ago. ”

  Trembling with unfulfilled desire and a new rage, Rachel stared back at him, her features set, her determination high.

  “That was a moment of weakness that won’t happen again. Unless you’re OK with rape, this night is officially over. Now get out of my room!” she said as she made her way to the door and wrenched it open, turning to look pointedly at him while she waited to see what he would do.

  “What do you want? You have already received a marriage proposal from me, so what is it you’re seeking by holding out? It’s obvious that you want me, so I just don’t understand the point of your coyness. ”

  Rachel stared at him with bafflement. She’d repeatedly told him no.

  “You have seen only what you want to see, Adriane, not what is right in front of you. I won’t deny that I desire you; that would be pointless. However, I have been very straightforward with you when I’ve said repeatedly that I won’t join you in your bed. I want my freedom and I want you to get the hell out of my room!”

  “Oh, Rachel, you will change your mind. All you’re doing is putting off the inevitable. And, no, I’m not into rape, so I guess this will be continued tomorrow,” he said, moving toward her and the open door.

  When he reached it, she breathed out, thinking he would just walk on through and she would finally be left in peace. She should have known he wouldn’t make it that easy for her. Stopping, so she was forced backward into the doorjamb, he loomed above her.

  “Here’s something to think about when you’re aching all night,” he said before dipping his head and taking her lips.

  By the time he released her mouth, Rachel was breathless; she hung on to the doorway to keep herself upright.

  “Goodnight, my sweet Rachel. This will be continued,” he said, and then slipped outside the doors, leaving her to watch his retreat.

  When she was able to move again, she stepped back into the room, closing the doors behind her. She made her way over to the bed and flopped down on it, her body in an agony of frustration and her lips still tingling from his touch.

  Two hours later, sleep still eluded her.

  “Damned man!” she thundered aloud as she pounded against her pillow, trying to make it more comfortable.

  Yeah, it’s the pillow’s fault, she thought sardonically. The sooner she got away from this castle, the better.

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  CHAPTER TWELVE

  STANDING ON THE beach, looking out at the serene ocean, Adriane should have felt peace, should have felt at rest. Yes, his brother’s bid for power was causing great turmoil in the kingdom, but still, he was home — he was where he belonged.

  But, no. He didn’t feel peace. One stubborn woman was causing a massive amount of strife right within his body. She was stringing him out to dry with insomnia and aching frustration that he just didn’t need right then.

  Until Rachel, he hadn’t realized how easily things had always come for him. When he grew up as a prince of Corythia, he had lacked for nothing. Then, when it had been established that he was the future king, there had been many challenges thrown his way, but the people of his kingdom had been willing to do anything for him. His “subjects” wanted him to be pleased.

  Rachel certainly wasn’t worried about his pleasure.

  A mordant smile crossed his face. Just the opposite, in fact.

  He couldn’t remember a time his body had burned so badly. At this rate, he might have a problem producing future heirs for his kingdom. It was a good thing Rachel was already pregnant.

  Sipping his coffee, he looked out into the vast waters, searching for the tranquility that was eluding him. When a sound reached his ears, he turned and found the source of his disquiet strolling from the castle grounds, her eyes narrowed to slits as she approached him.

  He waited.

  “Where have you brought me?” she demanded. No polite preliminaries; no pleasantries. That would have been too normal for the two of them.

  “Good morning, Rachel. I hope you slept well,” he replied.

  “No, Adriane, it’s not a good morning. I asked you a question,” she snarled, her hands on her h*ps as she looked up at him.

  To judge from the dark circles beneath her eyes, Rachel had slept as poorly as he had. That should have given him a measure of satisfaction, but instead, he was filled with worry. She couldn’t afford not to get proper rest. He was beginning to regret his temper the night before.

  Why was he unable to abide by the doctor’s request that nothing be done to agitate her? Somehow, whenever they were around each other, he just lost his head.

  Sighing, he turned toward her. “I’ve brought you to my sanctuary. This is where the royal family comes when they are in hiding, when they need to attend private meetings with no fear of interruption. Very few people know of this location,” he answered her.

  “I thought we were in Corythia,” she said as she stood by his side, looking out at the vast ocean before them.

  “We are. It’s just a small island off the coast of the main island,” he said. It wasn’t as if she would know where they were, even if she did manage to get to a phone — she’d left her cell phone with GPS built in at the resort. He still had six days to convince her that marrying him was the right thing to do.

  Adriane had no doubt that Rafe would be able to locate him. It might take the man a little while to do it, but her brother wasn’t one to give up. This bought him some time, but Adriane knew Corythia couldn’t afford the diplomatic and consequently the financial fallout if Rachel didn’t come around to his way of thinking. His nation’s life’s blood, tourism, could take a devastating hit if he weren’t careful.

  If Rachel still refused him after their week was up, he would have no choice but to let her go. There was no need for her to know that, though. He needed her to stay, needed her to be there with him to raise the child she carried. His child.

  Luckily, the thought of being married to her didn’t repulse him. Not at all. He was beginning to picture a life with her, a life quite to his liking. The two of them created sparks together that he couldn’t ever see going away. She was a challenge, but even in their short time together, he found that he not only desired her, but also liked her.

  Duty, his need to do the right thing, was beginning to turn into a pleasure for him, even with her constant battle against him. Maybe because of it.

  And that helped him focus on his efforts to keep her.

  “No wonder you have been so confident. All the while I have been making my plans of escape, you knew there was no chance that I’d get off this island on my own,” she said, now sounding defeated.

  Her sudden change from outrage to despair — that was something he definitely didn’t like. Adriane turned toward her and noticed her lack of color. She didn’t look well. All traces of his frustration and anger evaporated as he looked into her eyes.

  “Rachel, let’s get you back inside,” he said gently, and he placed a hand beneath her elbow.

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  “I don’t want your help,” she bit out, wrenching her arm from his as she spun around.

  Adriane was going to let her go back on her own, but then he saw the trembling in her legs, and he held out his arms just in time to catch her as her eyes rolled back and she fell against him.

  Lifting her, he raced back up to the castle and called for the doctor to meet him in her room.

  This time, she wasn’t out nearly as long as before. The doctor examined her, and found she still wasn’t eating enough, her body was working too hard, and she wasn’t getting enough rest.

  “Am I making it worse by keeping her here?” Adriane asked, hoping the answer was no.

  “Honestly, Sire, I don’t know. She’s having a difficult pregnancy, and she had these problems before you brought her to Corythia. I think she needs to have constant supervision until she gets stronger. If you think she will get that back home, then maybe it would be best for her to go there. ”

  Adriane stood outside her door and thought about that. No. His Rachel was stubborn and didn’t like to ask for help. She wouldn’t seek it out, leaving her and his child in danger. This situation might cause her a little more stress, but at least he could ensure she was taken care of while she was in his sight.

  “Thank you. No. She won’t take care of herself. She is much better off here, with you to keep an eye on her,” Adriane said before dismissing his physician.

  He paced up and down the hallway as he waited to go and see her. It wouldn’t do him or her any good if he went in there barking at her. He needed to make sure he had himself fully under control before he spoke with her.

  After looking at her door, he turned and resumed his pacing. This might take a while.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  RACHEL PACED, TOO, once she began feeling better. The crackers and warm tea had done amazing things for her body, giving her back energy and taking away all traces of morning sickness. She still didn’t feel at a hundred percent, but it would do.

  Good enough for the next confrontation with Adriane. She knew it was coming.

  As if on cue, the man stepped into the room, once again not bothering to knock. Why should he? the arrogant ass was no doubt thinking, if he was thinking at all. It was his castle and he felt he had rights to every room in the place. But if she was stuck here for a few days with him, he was going to have to learn that wasn’t the case. She valued her privacy.

  “This fighting is not doing your body any good. Can we please come to a reasonable solution, Rachel?” he asked, his voice low, as if he were doing something foreign. She was sure he wasn’t used to asking for anything.

  He’d be learning how to do so as long as he was in her presence.

  “The solution is for you to accept the fact that I’m not marrying you — certainly not just because I’m pregnant with your baby,” she told him.

  “That’s not a solution, Rachel. I’ve told you that I can’t abandon my child,” he said as he sat down on her bed.

  Not good at all. Having him there was calling up all sorts of wrong images in Rachel’s head. She cursed at herself for feeling any desire for him. Why did she have to go through this every time he came close to her?

  As she stared at him in his harem-inspired room, he looked more like
a king than ever before. How had there ever been a time she’d thought him just a simple man? Even in Florida, he’d exhibited a grace no regular man could possess.

  That’s why she’d been so attracted to him. Now, however, it was a thorn for her to deal with. OK, so she was drawn toward the wrong sort of man — obviously — but that was something she was determined to fix about herself.

  “Look, Adriane, I’m not princess material. I’m just a woman — a woman who has lived a good life, with great parents. I don’t want to be responsible for a kingdom. I don’t want people to watch me beneath a microscope. If I feel like wearing workout clothes, eating ice cream all day, and not putting on makeup, then I want to do that. I don’t want to be all over the media, to have to think about every decision I make, to be worried that I may embarrass your country. I just want to be me,” Rachel said as she sank down beside him on the bed. Maybe she could make him see reason.

  “It’s too late for that, Rachel. And you don’t have to worry. You won’t be a princess,” he assured her.

  “I wouldn’t?” she asked, now confused. She thought that by marrying him, she would automatically become royalty, not that she knew much about it.

  “No. You will be queen. ”

  Her stomach dropped.

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  “Yeah, that doesn’t help,” she said, her lips turning up the slightest bit. “If that was your attempt at humor, you need to practice a little more. ”

  Adriane’s gut clenched at her smile. She was so unbelievably beautiful. She also had strength, and that would make her a fine queen. Now, it was his job to convince her of such.

  “You need not worry about royal protocol. We have teachers here who will guide you, instruct you in everything you need to know. In addition to the usual ceremonial duties, the queen normally does a lot of charity work and assures the people they are cared for. My mother is waiting to meet you, anxious to see whom I have chosen as my bride. She wasn’t from our country, either, and she looks forward to having an American daughter-in-law. I think the two of you will become very close. ”

  Rachel hadn’t even thought about his mother. A new fear filled her. She wasn’t cut out for any of this.

  “Wouldn’t she remain queen even after you are married?”

  “No. That isn’t how it works. She is the queen mother, and doing the duties you will perform until our wedding takes place. ”