“I’m paying her to care for Iris.”
Stefan glanced around the island, found a sippy cup and passed it to Iris before turning his focus back to Colin. “And the rest? I know you’re not paying her for that, and this is the first woman you’ve shown interest in since Karina.”
“I don’t give a damn what you think right now. I was planning on coming home for the ball, you didn’t have to show up unannounced.”
Stefan shrugged. “Last time we spoke you told me you weren’t sure if you were coming back. I merely came to talk some sense into you. Victoria had to stay behind to get last minute things prepared for the event or she would’ve been right here with me.”
Colin raked a hand over his still damp hair. “Watch Iris for me. I need to go upstairs and talk to Darcy. Stay down here and shut the hell up next time you see her. You’ve done enough damage.”
Colin didn’t wait for Stefan to confirm anything, he just turned and stormed from the room. His back was killing him, as was his leg after all the extra activities he’d participated in last night, but he was determined to march right into Darcy’s room and set things straight.
He had nothing planned to say, had no clue what state he’d find her in or what was even going through her mind. He was about to enter unstable territory and it terrified him because he realized that what she thought was important.
Not only did he not want to be the one to hurt her, but he also wanted to be the one she counted on. So many people had turned away from her, betrayed her in one form or another.
And he’d just added his name to the list. Surely he could make this up to her somehow.
Yet he stood outside her bedroom door, staring at the barrier as if the inanimate object could offer insight. What a mess he’d made, all because he’d been too self-absorbed, too wrapped up in Darcy and his hormones to truly see the big picture. Not that he saw any clearer now, but he did know one thing, he still wanted Darcy and he’d make damn sure he would fix this disaster he’d caused.
Colin tapped his knuckles on the door. It hadn’t latched completely so the weight of his hand eased it open just enough for him to see her standing across the room, her back to him, as she looked out onto the backyard.
“I know you want to be alone,” he started, staying in her doorway. “But we need to talk.”
Darcy’s shoulders stiffened, the only sign she’d even heard him. Silence settled heavily between them, when only an hour ago they were lying side by side in his bed. At least she’d thrown on some pants so he didn’t have to be tortured further by the sight of her bare legs. He could still feel them wrapped around him, entwined with his.
“I didn’t set out to lie to you, even though that’s how it looks.” He had to keep talking. If she wasn’t ordering him out, then he knew she was listening. “I have a lot going on back home, so much that I didn’t want to talk about it with anyone. I wanted to separate myself from that part of my life for a while to get my head on straight. I had to put Iris’s needs first and keeping our identity a secret was one of my top priorities.”
He paused, giving her a chance to speak if she wanted. When she remained silent, he pushed on.
“I wish I could blame my brother for barging in here and dropping that bomb like that, but it’s my fault you didn’t know.” Taking a risk, Colin stepped further into the room, raking a hand down his face as he carefully chose the right words. “You matter to me, Darcy. More than I want to admit and more than I thought someone could after Karina. I don’t want this to come between us.”
Darcy whirled around. The tear tracks on her cheeks crippling him in ways words never could.
“You mean you don’t want your lies to keep me out of your bed?” she threw back. “Because isn’t that all we have between us? Our arrangement was never meant to be more than temporary. So, for once since I’ve known you, be honest.”
Colin swallowed the fear, the anger. He’d brought it all upon himself. He had to stand here and take it like a man. He deserved every word, every bit of rage she wanted to fling at him.
“You’re only up here because you want to continue what we started last night.” Darcy shook her head and laughed, swiping at her damp face. “I was such a fool. You were probably laughing at me the entire—”
She gasped, her eyes darting to her closet before her face crumbled. Turning away, she let out a low moan as she hugged her arms around her midsection.
“You knew I had nothing and there you were, throwing your money around,” she whispered.
Colin started to cross to her because he couldn’t stand the anguish lacing her voice, but she spun to face him, holding him with her hurt-filled stare. He stopped only a few feet from her.
“Did you get a kick out of giving to the needy?” she asked, her tone nothing but mocking. “Did you enjoy knowing you had everything, while I had absolutely nothing? Money, power, control. You literally played me, never once thinking how this would affect me.”
“I never played you,” he corrected. “I wouldn’t have told anyone I employed here about my life on Galini Isle. And I damn well did worry about you. Every single day we grew closer I worried how this would affect you, but I didn’t know what to say or how to even approach it.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Because you’re a coward. Apparently running from the truth is what you do. You fled your home when you obviously didn’t want to face responsibilities there.”
How could she ever understand that he hadn’t been strong enough to face his royal duties as a widowed father, trying to bring up a duchess? How could she ever grasp how much was involved in being a prince raising a child in the kingdom? What if Iris didn’t want the title that came along with her prestigious family name?
At some point this getaway had turned from him finding himself to him deciding what was going to be best for the future of his daughter.
“I have to go back in a couple days,” he told her, forcing himself to put up a strong front because the sight of her so broken was damn near crippling. “I still want you to come with me.”
Pain-filled laughter erupted from Darcy. “You’re insane. I’m not going anywhere with you. This isn’t some fairy tale, Colin or Mikos or whatever the hell you want to be called. This is my life and I’m not just running to some island in Greece because you snap your fingers and expect me to.”
“I want you to go to be with Iris,” he explained, hoping she’d cave because he didn’t realize how much he needed her to be there on his turf until this moment. “She’s used to you, she’s comfortable with you and I’d rather have you caring for her than any of my assistants.”
Throwing her arms in the air, Darcy pivoted and moved around him to stand on the other side of the room. “You’re something else. You probably have multiple people at your disposal, yet you continue to want to torture me. Why? Are you enjoying this power trip?”
Clenching his fists at his sides, he watched as she began to pace. “I’m not enjoying any part of this.”
“You’re using Iris as a bargaining tool.” She stopped and propped her hands on her hips. “You’re using her to get me to come with you.”
“I’m being honest,” he told her. “You wanted honesty, I’m laying it out there. I tried to tell you this morning. I know that’s a convenient thing to say considering the timing, but it’s the truth. I want you to see my country. I want you to be the one to care for Iris while I’m home because I will be facing many challenges there.”
He didn’t want to get too far into everything that he was running away from. Darcy wasn’t in the right frame of mind to hear it and he wasn’t ready to admit how weak and vulnerable he truly was.
Darcy pursed her lips together, then nodded. “Fine, but if you want to throw that money around so much, then I want double my original pay for the entire six months. If I’m traveling, then I deserve to be compen
sated accordingly.”
This was probably not the time to say he was proud of her for standing up for herself, for playing hardball and fighting for what she wanted. Most women would’ve packed their bags and left. He’d always known she was a fighter and she was coming back at him full force.
She was the only woman who’d ever challenged him. What would he do on Galini Isle without her by his side? He wasn’t about to find out.
“Done,” he said without second thought. “On one condition.”
She quirked a brow. “What?”
“When we’re at the palace, you have to do what I say. No questions.”
“I don’t think—”
“Do you want the money?”
Darcy stilled, and her nostrils flared as her cheeks reddened. “You’re despicable.”
No, he was desperate, but he’d never admit that aloud. “We’ll leave Sunday evening and sleep on my jet.”
“Of course you have a jet,” she muttered before moving toward her door. “We’re done here. I’ll take care of Iris, I’ll do everything a hired nanny does and she will be my number one priority. That doesn’t include sleeping with my boss. From now on our relationship is strictly professional.”
Crossing the room, Colin kept his gaze locked onto hers. As he neared, her eyes widened but she never looked away. He stopped only a breath from her, then leaned down to whisper in her ear.
“I never set out to lie to you, Darcy. You have to believe me.”
As he spoke, his lips caressed the side of her cheek. Just as she shivered, Colin eased back. Her hand came up to slap him, but he quickly gripped her wrist in midair.
“You’re angry. Don’t do something you’ll regret later.” Although he knew he deserved it.
Her eyes flared, filling with unshed tears. “I hate you.”
He yanked her forward to fall against his chest. With one hand still holding onto her wrist, Colin hooked an arm around her waist. “There’s a fine line between hate and passion,” he said with a confidence he didn’t quite feel.
Unable to resist temptation, Colin captured her lips, but let the brief kiss end for fear she’d bite him. He smiled down at her.
“Make sure to pack the blue dress for our trip.”
He’d barely made it out her door before it slammed at his back.
Damn it. He had to do something. Somehow he had to make this up to her. Losing Darcy was not an option, but he’d messed up. He didn’t deserve her forgiveness, but that wouldn’t stop him from doing everything in his power to earn it.
Fourteen
Darcy could dwell on the fact that her parents had abandoned her at a young age. She could also hone in the fact that the man she’d thought she loved had stolen every last penny she had to her name. She could even focus on her most recent betrayal: Colin keeping the colossal truth that he was a freaking prince from her. But Darcy opted to go a different route.
From now on, she would choose anger, because if she even attempted to shut it out, all she’d have left to face would be soul-crushing hurt. There was no time for that because there was an innocent child in all of this...a child Darcy had been hired to care for.
As much as Darcy wanted to take the initial half of her pay and leave Colin, she wouldn’t abandon Iris. Darcy couldn’t walk away, not when she knew all too well the feeling of rejection. But what would Colin do at the end of the six months? Did he have other arrangements set up or was he going back home? Did he even know himself?
Darcy continued to stare out the window of the car that had been waiting for them when they’d arrived at the private airstrip on Galini Isle. Iris had been sitting, securely strapped in, between her and Colin, and since they’d left LA Darcy had barely spoken a word to him unless it involved the baby. Nothing else needed to be said at this point, the damage was done.
Iris continued to sleep, which was a blessing because the poor thing had cried a good bit of the flight. Most likely the pressure in her ears had been getting to her. Even though exhaustion threatened to consume Darcy, too, she was too angry to be tired.
Beyond the obvious anger toward Colin, she was furious with herself because of her reaction to his parting shot in her room about still wanting her. He’d known just what to say, exactly the right way to deliver the words for the most impact.
Colin may have been a different man when he was with her, a man he’d made up, yet she still wanted him. Nobody had ever made her feel more beautiful, more wanted than he did. He’d wrapped his arms around her and kissed her as if he had every right in the world.
But that was all part of his game. He’d created a new life in America and she was just another prop. More than anything she wished she could switch her emotions off to avoid the hurt, but she simply wasn’t wired that way.
The chauffeur pulled into a drive. Darcy noted the gate, guards and white columns as the car made its way onto the estate grounds. What was she doing here? She was going to spend the next few days in a palace. A palace. Only a few months ago she’d had to sleep in her car because she’d lost her condo, and now she was going to be staying in a freaking mansion in another country. She’d never even set foot outside of California before.
When they came to a stop, Darcy started to open her door, but Colin leaned a hand across where Iris slept and laid his other hand over Darcy’s arm.
“They’ll get your door,” he told her.
Rolling her eyes, Darcy jerked from his grasp and opened her own damn door. Once she stepped out, she turned and reached in to gently unfasten and pull Iris from her seat. She slept on as Darcy cradled her against her shoulder.
“Ma’am.” The driver held her door, tipping his head toward her. “I’ll make sure your bags are brought in.”
She nearly laughed. Her bag, singular, was still her ratty old suitcase that didn’t suit palace living at all. Of course the clothes inside certainly did, considering they were purchased with royal money.
Ignoring Colin’s attempt to put his hand on her and guide her, she stepped to the side and shot him a glare. “Just have someone show me where the nursery is and I’ll take her in.”
“I’ll show you.”
His tone left no room for argument. Whatever. She wasn’t going to fight, not with sweet Iris in her arms. Darcy truly wanted the best for Iris, even if her father was a lying jerk.
The three-story mansion stretched along the grounds farther than any “home” Darcy had ever seen. Lush plants and vibrant flowers surrounded the palace, edged along the circular drive and flanked the steps leading up to the entrance. Guards in full military-looking uniforms stood at attention on either side of the door.
This world was definitely not hers. Everything about her life had been transformed the moment she’d met Colin. From the new clothes, her emotional state, her sexual experiences...every single aspect of her personal and professional life would never be the same.
Passing by guards, entering a grand home with a tiered fountain inside the entryway—inside the entryway—was stunning. Darcy shook her head as she followed Colin closely. As they passed random people...maids, men in suits, servants? Darcy noted that Colin would nod in greeting while the others would slightly bow. People actually bowed to the man.
Yes, they were worlds apart in every sense of the term because Darcy was on the same level as these people bowing to the man she wanted to throttle.
Colin led her toward a grand staircase that would make the iconic home from Gone with the Wind seem miniscule.
Colin turned before ascending the steps. “Why don’t you let me carry her up?”
“I’ve got her and your back has been bothering you.”
The corner of his mouth tipped as if he were holding back a smile. “You know me so well. And you care.”
Darcy moved around him, refusing to even look at tha
t handsome, sexy grin, those mocking, alluring blue eyes. “I saw you cringe when you stepped off the plane and again getting out of the car. And I only care about Iris.”
As she started up, she knew he was behind her, most likely eyeing her rear end. That was fine, she couldn’t stop him from looking, but she could prevent him from touching.
She had to prevent him from touching because if the man even tried to come on to her, she’d have a hard time holding it together. She couldn’t ignore her emotions or hormones, no matter how much she wished her body would stop betraying her.
Once she reached the second floor, she turned back to see Colin gripping the banister, taking the steps more slowly than she’d thought he would. An unwelcome tug on her heart revealed the anger still rolling through her.
With one arm securing the sleeping baby, Darcy eased down a step and reached out her free hand. Colin froze, glancing from her hand to her face. She thought for sure his stubborn pride would have him swatting her away, but he put his hand in hers and squeezed. He climbed the last few steps with her support, without comment.
Once he righted himself, he moved down the hallway and Darcy was relieved they weren’t heading up to the next floor because she highly doubted Colin could make it. Being on the plane for so long had most likely agitated his injury. His limp was a bit more prominent as he moved down the wide hallway. She wanted to reach for him again, but...she couldn’t. Focusing on following him, she took in the luxurious surroundings.
Gold sconces adorned each section of wall between each door. The ceiling had scrolling artwork that she would have to admire later because Colin had neared the end of the hall and was going into a bedroom.
Bedroom was seriously too loose a term. The area she entered was a condo all its own with a formal sitting area, open bedroom tucked away in the far corner and two sets of French doors that opened onto a balcony offering a breathtaking view of the ocean.
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