by Lia Lee
Conflict rose in her and stopped her breath for a moment. She simultaneously couldn’t believe her behavior tonight and wanted to do it again. She wasn’t the kind of girl to do something like this, but where Emrys was concerned, she didn’t know if she had the ability to tell him no.
And he was so good with his hands.
There was a loud, impatient rap on the door. Caitlyn looked up at it and rubbed her fingers over her lips. Had they heard? They had probably heard.
“I’ll go first.” Emrys smiled back at her and opened the door.
Caitlyn hesitated for a moment, but she knew she would go wherever he asked her to.
For the next half hour, Emrys tolerated the jazz band’s playing, and he kept his hand on her knee, inching toward the inside of her thigh. She felt safe, and she felt owned. She knew she had to be careful, or she would fall in love with him again, in spite of everything that had happened, and her heart wouldn’t survive the loss this time when he disappeared on her.
It wasn’t until they were walking back to the BMW that Caitlyn felt the effect of all the night’s champagne and cocktails. Her legs grew a little rubbery, and her heart was practically in her ears. Emrys kept his arm around her back as he guided her back to his car, where he twirled her around to lean against it and kissed her once more, one hand cupping her cheek, and the other possessively pressed against the small of her back.
“I’m not taking you home,” he informed her.
“It’s getting late,” she murmured. “Where should we go?”
“My hotel room.”
Caitlyn started to protest, but he kissed her again and then looked into her eyes.
“I can’t do without you. I won’t,” Emrys insisted, his voice going deep and low and tremulous. “I lived without you once, and I don’t plan to be separated from you again so soon.”
“You could stay in New York. I’m not going back to Cincinnati for another week.”
“I can’t. I have to fly out in the morning. Since the PR junket for this film is over, I promised my family I would come home.” Emrys shook his head. “I must meet their expectations, if I want to continue to live freely.”
“I don’t know what to do, then.” Caitlyn wrapped her arms around him. “If you have to go, I won’t stop you. I understand that your time isn’t always your own. I mean, between your film career and life as Cabeauian royalty…That’s a lot of obligation.”
“Cait, I’m asking you to come with me.”
Caitlyn felt her head spinning. “Come with you. To Cabeau? Now?”
“No better time.” He stroked his fingers through her hair. “You haven’t been to Europe in some time, right?”
“I— Well, no—“
“And you said you love to travel. You’ve never been to Cabeau, and we can do day trips back to France, if you like, or any of the other surrounding countries.” Emrys’s eyes pleaded with her.
“I can’t just run off to Europe!”
“Why not? You won’t have to pay a cent for the trip, and your work can come with you, can’t it?”
“Well, it can, but…” Caitlyn shook her head. This was too sudden. It was crazy. She couldn’t just decide to leave the country on a whim. There were plans to be made, paperwork to get in order. She was sure Emrys could arrange travel, but were there regulations for entering Cabeau? Would she need a visa, her passport?
“Stop thinking,” Emrys ordered. He touched the tip of her nose. “I can see that little worry line on your forehead.”
“Emrys, this is such a generous offer. I can’t wrap my head around it.”
“You want to go,” Emrys said confidently.
“I…”
She felt the wind on her cheek and his hand on her back. She looked up at him and saw the intensity and raw want in his blue eyes. She had to tell him no, to keep herself and her heart safe.
“I want to go,” she found herself saying.
And she let him kiss her again.
***
Caitlyn didn’t get back to Melinda’s apartment until the dawn had come and gone. She was greeted by both Marbles and Snowball, who rushed her with a chorus of demands for breakfast. She chuckled and leaned over after closing the door to give each of them a head pat and a few scratches in turn. She scanned the living room and spotted her things perched neatly on the end of the sofa where she’d left them before heading out to the premiere. She let out a sigh.
First things first. She pulled out some clothes and set them aside. She would need to get cleaned up before they flew out. Then, she went to work packing up her laptop and the various associated notepads and paraphernalia she used to complete her work.
“Whoa. You’re up.” Melinda came into the room rubbing her eyes. “Are you coming with me on my morning run?”
“No, I’m gonna have to pass.” Caitlyn turned to face her and twisted her fingers.
“Did you just get in? You’re still wearing your dress.” Melinda screwed her brows together and looked over Caitlyn in confusion. “Did you stay out all night?”
Caitlyn pinched her lips to the side as she considered what to say, and Melinda exploded in laughter.
“You bagged a movie star!”
“I didn’t bag anyone! He’s…he’s an old friend.” Caitlyn sat on the arm of the sofa and begged Melinda with her eyes. She needed someone to understand. “Do you remember that story I told you about the boy I met in France?”
“Of course. Back in college, all you could do was babble on about that guy. Mr. Bohemian, Mr. Sweet Lips.” Melinda came over to sit with her.
“Emrys was that boy,” Caitlyn admitted.
When Melinda gave her a skeptical look, Caitlyn covered her face and leaned away from her. At first, of course, Melinda clearly didn’t believe her, but as Caitlyn began to break the story down, Melinda grew quiet, occasionally bobbing her head or asking for clarification. She wrapped up the story with Emrys’s invitation.
“You’re just leaving?” Melinda blinked at her in disbelief.
“I’ll come back to New York another time. It’s just that I haven’t seen him in so long. I’m really sorry to wreck our trip.”
“It’s just strange, running off with some random guy you barely know.”
“He’s not some random guy. We were close. I was in love with him,” Caitlyn argued.
“Yeah, and that’s clearly in the past tense. People hop across the Atlantic all the time for guys they’ve actually known, what, two months and one passionate night?” Melinda stood and headed to the kitchen with both cats flanking her.
“I don’t love him anymore,” Caitlyn protested as she followed. “I don’t know him anymore. But I’d like the chance to get to know him again, and in between films is really the best time for that. I’m sorry to bail on you.”
“Hon, I don’t care about that. What I care about is that you’re dropping everything for what amounts to a stranger. I know you say you were close.” Melinda bent over and doled cat food out. “But he lied to you then. He lied about everything, didn’t you say? How can you trust him now? How can you say you even knew him before?”
Caitlyn paused to think about that. “Maybe I didn’t. But I can’t help how I felt.”
“How you feel,” Melinda corrected.
“I…” Caitlyn pushed a hand through her hair. “I’m going, Melinda.”
“Yeah. I got that. Just be safe, okay? Let us know where you’re supposed to be, and…” Melinda stroked one cat’s back before straightening up and coming over to Caitlyn. “Protect yourself. I know he’s a movie star and a prince, but the way you acted toward him before tonight. Girl, he hurt you. A lot.”
“I know this. I lived it.”
“Well, just don’t let him do it to you again. If he starts his bullshit, if you think he’s lying to you again, get out of there. You’re worth a lot more than some guy with an ego the size of Mars discarding you like a used condom.”
Caitlyn smiled a little and accepted a hug from her friend.
She knew she couldn’t keep herself from going with Emrys. The pull was too strong. But she was going to have to make sure that she put up a better guard for her heart than she had been in college.
Chapter Five
Caitlyn was like a little bird, peering owlishly out of the jet window with her lips forming a rosy bow. Her feet touched the floor with the tips of her red sneakers, and she pushed her glasses up slightly. Emrys could imagine her thoughts. It had been some time since she’d had this view. Her little trips within North America were undoubtedly adventures, but nothing could, in Emrys’s mind, compete with the age, the depth, or the richness of European history and culture.
Just now, they were flying over southern France in the private jet Emrys’s father had made available to ensure his son would come home safely. They’d spent the trip talking and drinking and fooling around on the bed in the back. In an odd way, Emrys felt like they were kids again. Petting and teasing, with no promise or demand of further commitment.
He moved over to her seat and rested his hand on her shoulder before handing her a cocktail.
“I’ve completely lost track of the time,” Caitlyn said. “Is it an appropriate hour to be having a drink?”
“It’s almost eleven PM in New York.”
“What time is it in Cabeau?”
“Five AM.”
Caitlyn smiled and shook her head. She knocked back the drink and leaned into his chest. Pleased, Emrys wrapped an arm around her waist and pressed a kiss to her neck. As she snuggled into him, pleasantly buzzed, Emrys slipped a hand under the loose, pink baby doll blouse she was wearing. The top was made from lace, and while it seemed to be comfortable, it made her perky breasts seem fuller. His hand cupped one of those breasts over her bra and stroked it with his thumb.
“Why did you invite me here?” Caitlyn murmured after a moment.
“I told you. I don’t want to part from you again so soon.” His lips made a path along the curve of her neck.
“This is like a vacation for you, isn’t it? Time off from Roughhousing?”
“And having you by my side will make it all the better.”
Caitlyn sat up suddenly and moved his hand away. “I know. I feel the same way, but…don’t misunderstand here. I don’t want to get hot and heavy right away. Maybe we could just enjoy our time together and not worry about what it means.”
“If that makes it easier for you.” Emrys held back his frustration at her words. He could manage; he was an actor. Still, there had to be more that he could do to quell her fears. “My Cait, all I want right now is you. Your presence. If I have that, and I do, I’m happy. We’ll let the rest sort out itself.”
Trustingly, Caitlyn bobbed her head.
***
Cabaeau was a lot greener than Caitlyn had expected at this time of year. Though that expectation may have come from poor geography skills. Ensconced as it was between southern France and Italy, the weather was still rather sunny and mild.
Caitlyn tied her sweater around her waist as she followed Emrys from the private jet to a large, black sedan. While his hands had been all over her on the jet, now that they’d landed, Emrys simply offered her his arm and guided her where to go. There was a flourish of propriety surrounding every move he made. He’d changed again. From her sweet summer Emrys five years ago, to a driven movie star at the party, to this elegant prince beside her now.
Who was he really?
Caitlyn wondered a bit, but let herself off the hook for thinking about it too much. She was fascinated by the green fields and the old architecture. For such a small country, the city they drove through seemed large, teeming with people going about their business. The car had to slow to compensate for the moderate traffic and the people streaming through the streets. Caitlyn spotted several signs, each emblazoned with French and English.
“Is French the main language here?” Caitlyn asked. In her hasty departure, she hadn’t found the time to do much research on the country.
“Yes, along with English, but most people know enough Italian or German to get by.”
“We’re nowhere near Germany.”
“No, but we’re near Switzerland, and many people in Switzerland speak German.”
Caitlyn took that in. She was passable in French and Japanese, but she was no polyglot. She had always wanted to learn more languages, but never had the time to devote to it. The lack had definitely restricted her travel options. That and funding.
“Your streets are so clean,” Caitlyn noted.
“I’d hope that was a given.”
“We just came from New York. How much time did you spend outside?”
Emrys gave a polite chuckle. “Look up there. That Cathedral is one of the oldest in Europe.”
“Oh.” Caitlyn looked out the window to see the church’s spires reaching for the sky. The rest was obscured from view by other buildings and the palace.
Cabeau had been lovingly crafted by its architects. Each house was jauntily colored, and many had a large, circular window on the second story. The people walked as fast as people did on the streets of New York, but they seemed a bit friendlier. Caitlyn could see groups chatting with one another as they poured from one sidewalk to another. They were so lively and energetic, and everything seemed so bright.
This city was like a gem that had been hidden from every history book and list of travel hotspots.
As they approached the palace, Caitlyn had the strange feeling of being brought up in a carriage drawn by four white horses—or maybe 500 horsepower. The gates opened in front of them, and the car pulled around to a large garage that seemed to house every possible car color known to humankind.
“Leave the luggage,” Emrys instructed. He left the car first and held out a hand for Caitlyn. “It will be taken care of.”
She stretched beside the car and yawned.
“You can spend a few hours resting. Eventually you’ll have to meet mother and father and whoever happens to be at the house currently. My sisters will all be coming in for the annual Autumn Ball, but they may not be here yet.” Emrys held his arm out for her to take once more.
“Your sisters? How many do you have?”
“Three. Imelda, Elsa, and Adora.”
“That explains your charm. So much experience with women.”
“My father and I were outnumbered for most of my childhood. When I was seven, he invited my uncle and cousins for an extended stay, just to even the odds.”
“What kind of war games were you playing here?”
Emrys furrowed his brow at her. “Nothing so exciting. Really just a rehearsal of manners.”
“Manners?”
“You’ll find out.”
The inside of the palace was just as gorgeous as the rest of the city. Each window stretched to the ceiling. The walls were immaculately white, and carvings of marble ivy crept along the frame of every door.
Emrys gave her a deep bow and then gestured to an older woman with her hair done up in braids. “Heloise will take you to your rooms.”
“My rooms?” Caitlyn blinked at him in disbelief. “As in plural?”
“As in plural.” Emrys smirked. “Go get a nap. I’ll see you at lunch.”
Caitlyn wrapped her sleeves around her fingers as she watched Emrys go.
“Come this way, Miss Caitlyn.” Heloise gave a gentle bow with her head and headed down the hallway.
Between the sparkling windows and vaulted ceilings and the innumerable paintings and wall hangings, Caitlyn felt like her eyes were stuffed full. Servants passed them quickly and quietly, but otherwise, the hallways seemed both empty and endless.
Caitlyn just knew she was going to get lost in this place. She couldn’t have found her way back to the anteroom where they’d entered if she’d tried.
Five minutes may have passed before Heloise brought Caitlyn to a suite with ornate doors that opened into a small chamber with a velvet upholstered bench that could seat two people. The bench faced a large mirror with a gold-plat
ed frame, and over the bench hung a painting of a young woman dipping her bare toe into a spring.
“Is this…?” Caitlyn looked around curiously.
Heloise opened a second set of doors. “Lord Emrys shouldn’t be coming in without waiting in your antechamber first,” she explained.
“Okay.” Caitlyn walked through the second set of doors to find an enormous bedroom with an equally enormous bed piled high with a mountain of pillows and a sprawling bedspread in a lovely rose damask. The walls were the color of sea foam, with three-tiered black marble crown molding around the edges.
Caitlyn brought a hand to her mouth just as Heloise drew her attention to the intercom by the bed. She gave Caitlyn instructions on how to use the stereo, accessible on the other side of the bed, and the fireplace of the same black marble across the room. The walk-in closet, where a selection of new dresses hung, was practically the size of a Manhattan apartment. She was beside herself, taking it all in, until Heloise directed her to the study. The rich, cherry desk was something Caitlyn could have only dreamed of supplying her home office with. And the window seat in the corner of the study looked so comfortable that she probably could have curled up there for her nap and slept better than she had in her own bed back in Cincinnati.
“This is incredible!” Caitlyn managed finally.
Heloise gave a slight bow. “If I may show you to the bath, Miss?”
Caitlyn shook her head and followed Heloise to a decently sized bathroom with an excessively large tub. A large cabinet stood by the tub, and Heloise opened it to reveal a collection of huge, fluffy towels and an array of bath salts and oils.
“If you would care to freshen up, Miss. I must go now, but if you need anything, do call. Your luggage will be delivered shortly. I will come to wake you in time to ready yourself for the afternoon meal.”