The Lost Princes: Darius, Cassius & Monte

by Raye Morgan

  Whoa. She pulled herself up short. Where the heck did she think she was going with that thought?

  “Uh…a T-shirt would be perfect,” she said quickly, her cheeks heating as she turned away.

  “Okay.”

  He didn’t seem to notice her embarrassment. Without another word, he left the room.

  She let her breath out slowly, fanning her cheeks. She had to remember who he was. Or at least, who she thought he was. She wasn’t getting very far on that project—but there would be time. Hopefully.

  Joe returned with pillows, a comforter and a bright blue T-shirt that looked big enough to be a small dress on Kelly. She began to set up the chair for sleeping.

  He frowned, watching her. “I should be the one to do that. I should sleep in here tonight.”

  “No,” she said firmly. “If she wakes up, you might scare her.”

  For just a moment, he looked stricken, and Kelly regretted her quick words.

  “This is ridiculous,” he said, his voice gravelly with emotion. “She’s my baby. I’ve got to find a way…”

  “Joe.” Kelly felt the ache in him and could hardly stand it. Reaching out, she took his hand, as though to convey by touch what her words couldn’t really express. “Joe, it’s not time yet. Don’t you see? She’s probably been raised by only women so far, and to her, you’re big and male and scary. She’s not sure what to do with you yet. You’ve barely met at this point. You’ve got to give her a little time.”

  “Time,” he echoed softly, staring down at Kelly, his gaze hooded. He didn’t seem receptive, but he wasn’t pulling away from her grip on his hand.

  “Yes. She’s clueless right now. The one person she depended on, the nanny, deserted her. Mei doesn’t know what you might do. Let her get to know you gradually.”

  “You’re probably right.” He said it reluctantly, but turned the tables so that he was holding her hand, and slowly raised it to his lips, kissing her fingers softly.

  Kelly held her breath. She hadn’t expected anything like that. But he didn’t look into her eyes as he did it, and he didn’t say anything more, so when he dropped her hand again, she felt almost as though he’d done it anonymously. Or maybe it was a sort of thank-you for her assistance.

  Maybe she’d imagined the whole thing. Or maybe he was just distracted. He was definitely confusing her.

  “Uh…thanks, Kelly,” Joe said as he turned to go. “Thanks for staying.”

  She sent a radiant smile his way. “No problem. See you in the morning.”

  He stared back at her for a long moment, then nodded and left the room.

  She shivered. What was it about haunted handsome men that was so compelling?

  Sighing, she turned back to the crib. Looking down at the sleeping child, she wanted to brush the hair off her forehead, but was afraid that would waken her. What a beautiful little girl!

  “Well,” Kelly murmured to herself, “what have you gotten yourself involved in now?”

  And then she remembered what he’d said about the designer and Ambria. Alarm bells were still ringing in her head over that one. She wanted to know more. She had to know more. But right now he wasn’t going to be interested in anything that had to do with the obscure island nation, not until things were a bit more settled in his life.

  Kelly only hoped they had the time to wait.

  Sleeping in a recliner quickly lost its charm, but she got in a few dozing sessions before Mei stirred. When she heard her, she got up quickly and went to the crib, talking to the baby softly and patting her back until she fell asleep again.

  By then Kelly was wide awake and thinking about what she might need the next time Mei woke up. Moving quietly, she opened the door and went silently through the darkened house to the kitchen, to see what Joe had done with the baby bottles and other supplies they had brought from the airport.

  The layout of the house was simple, but she’d never been there before, so she was feeling her way when a movement caught her eye, stopping her cold. Someone was on the deck. She could see a dark form through the French doors. Her heart jumped into her throat and she shrank back against the wall, where she wouldn’t be seen.

  But even as she did so, she realized it had to be Joe. Kelly breathed a sigh of relief and went to the doors. Yes, there he was, leaning on the railing and gazing out toward the ocean—and looking like a man going through hell. Compassion flooded her and she sighed, wishing she knew what she could do to help him.

  Joe tried to pull himself together. “Hell” had been watching the woman he loved die. This wasn’t fun, but it was a piece of cake compared to that.

  Not to say that it was easy. Seeing Mei reminded him of losing Angie, and that had opened up the past in a bad way. He had earned his agony, but he didn’t have a right to take it out on anyone else. He’d gone through a lot a year ago. He’d hated life for awhile, hated his fate, his luck and everything else he could think of. But that was over.

  He thought he’d mostly taken care of this already, during all the hours of therapy in the veterans hospital, the long nights of soul searching. He’d finally come to terms with what had happened, and said goodbye to Angie. Hadn’t he?

  But that was before he’d seen Mei.

  That same old deadly agony was lurking. If he let it all flood back over him, he was going to drown. He couldn’t go through that again. His eyes were stinging, and suddenly he realized why. Tears. What the hell? He never cried. This was ridiculous. Now, twice in one night…Leaning against the railing, he swore at himself, softly and obscenely. No more tears.

  His head jerked up as he heard the door to the deck open. There Kelly stood, lighting up the gloom with her wild golden hair. How could this be hell if he had his own personal angel?

  “Hi,” she said. “You can’t sleep, either?”

  He turned slowly to face her, and she peered at him. It was too dark for her to see if his expression was welcoming, or if he wished she’d just go away. That wouldn’t be so unusual. He usually seemed to want her gone.

  But she wasn’t going to go. She had a feeling he was out here brooding, and she didn’t think that was a good thing.

  “Are you okay?” she asked as she approached.

  He didn’t answer. He was dressed in jeans and a huge, baggy dark blue sweatshirt with a hood pulled up over his head, while she stood before him in nothing but his bright blue T-shirt. A cool breeze brought in a touch of chill, reminding her of her skimpy nightgown, and she hugged herself, giving thanks that the slip of a moon wasn’t giving much light.

  Looking up at him for a moment, she still couldn’t read his eyes. In fact, she could barely make out the features of his face, hiding there in the shadows of his hoodie. Her heart was beginning to thump again. Why didn’t he say anything? Was he angry? Did he think she was meddling? She couldn’t tell and she was getting nervous.

  She stepped past him and leaned on the rail next to him, looking out at what moonlight there was shimmering on the distant ocean. She could hear the waves, but couldn’t see them. Too many houses blocked the view.

  “I can tell you’re upset,” she said tentatively. “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “Talk about it!” He coughed and cleared his throat. “You like guys who spill their guts, do you?”

  Kelly was glad he’d finally spoken. Still, she could tell that something was bothering him. She could see it, feel it. And if talking it out could soften that sense of turmoil in him, it would be best to do it.

  And not just for his sake. If he wasn’t careful, his vibes were going to scare the baby. He needed to grapple with it, get rid of it, before he attempted to deal with the new little girl in his life. Kelly sighed, hardly believing what she was thinking. What made her so sure of these things, anyway? She didn’t usually walk around claiming to have all the answers, and she knew very well she was groping in the dark as much as anyone.

  But there was a child at stake here. For the sake of the baby, she had to do what she could.
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br />   “I know you don’t really know me,” she told him earnestly, “but that might make it easier. In a few days, I’ll be gone and you’ll never see me again.” She gave him an apologetic smile. “Honest. I don’t plan to stay in California any longer than that. So if you want to…I don’t know…vent or something, feel free.”

  He looked at her and didn’t know whether to laugh or hang his head. So this was what he’d come to—women volunteering to let him cry on their shoulders. How pathetic was that?

  Well, he wasn’t ready to open his heart to her, probably never would be. But he wouldn’t mind another perspective on what he was torturing himself with at the moment. For some unknown reason, he felt as though he could talk to Kelly in ways he seldom did with other women.

  Maybe, he thought cynically, it was the same quality in her that made Mei think she was a safe harbor in a scary world. Whatever it was, he supposed it wouldn’t hurt to try.

  “Okay, Kelly, you asked for it.” He turned toward her. “Here’s what I’m thinking.” He hesitated, taking a deep breath before going on. “I’m thinking this whole thing was a very bad idea.”

  Just hearing that said out loud made him cringe inside.

  She frowned at him, confused. “What was a bad idea?”

  “To bring Mei here.”

  She gasped. “What are you talking about? She’s your baby.”

  “Yeah.” He turned and leaned on the railing. “But it was selfish. I was thinking about having an adorable little girl of my own, like she was a doll or something.” He looked at her, despising himself a little. “A pet. A kitten.”

  “Oh, Joe.”

  “I know better, of course. She’s a real human being.” He shook his head. Thinking of Mei and her cute little face, he couldn’t help but smile. “A beautiful, perfect little human being. And she…she deserves the best of everything.”

  Turning from Kelly, he began to pace the wooden deck, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. “I didn’t think…I didn’t realize…I can’t really give her what she deserves. Maybe I should have left her with Angie’s family. Maybe she would have been better off.”

  Kelly stepped forward and blocked his way, grabbing handfuls of sweatshirt fabric at chest level to stop him in his tracks.

  “No,” she told him forcefully, her eyes blazing.

  He stopped and looked down at her in surprise. “No?”

  “No. You’re wrong.”

  He bit back the grin that threatened to take over his face. She looked so fierce. And then it came to him—she really did care about this.

  “What makes you so sure about that?” he asked her.

  “Common sense.” She tried to shake him with the grip she had on his sweatshirt. She didn’t manage to move his body, but got her point across. “She’s your responsibility.”

  He winced, his gaze traveling over the planes of Kelly’s pretty face. She had good cheekbones and beautiful eyelashes. But her mouth was where his attention settled. Nice lips. White teeth. And a sexy pout that could start to get to him if he let it.

  “You’re right,” he told her at last. “You’re absolutely right.” Then he added softly, “How’d you get to be so right about things?”

  She released his shirt, pretty sure she’d convinced him, then lifted her chin and gazed into his eyes. He was so handsome and so troubled, and she wanted so badly to help him, but she couldn’t resist teasing him a little.

  “I’m an objective observer. You should take my advice on everything.”

  “Fat chance.” He chucked her under the chin and made a face. “You’re the one who wants me to start chasing royal moonbeams, aren’t you?”

  She caught her breath, wanting to argue, wanting to tell him he was going to be surprised once she’d really explained things. But she stopped herself. It still wasn’t time.

  She needed more information before she jumped in with both feet. She wouldn’t want to raise false hopes. She shivered, as much with that thought as with the cold.

  “I’m no prince. Look at me.” His voice took on a bitter edge. “My baby’s even scared of me.”

  “That won’t last. Give her time.”

  He nodded, a distant look in his eyes. “My head says you’re right, but my heart…” He shrugged. “Like Shakespeare wrote, ‘there’s the rub.’”

  She smiled. A man who quoted Shakespeare. “Where did you get so literary?” she asked him. “I didn’t think you went to university.”

  “I didn’t. I signed up for the army as soon as I graduated from high school. But I read a lot.”

  “In the army?” That didn’t fit her preconception.

  “Sure. Once you get deployed overseas you have a lot of downtime.”

  “I thought army guys usually filled that with wine, women and song.”

  He nodded. “Okay, you got me there. I did my share of blowing off steam. But that gets old pretty fast, and our base had a great library. Plus, the master sergeant was a real scholar, and he introduced me to what I should be reading.”

  Joe frowned when he saw her shivering. “You’re cold.”

  She nodded. “I should go in.”

  “Here, this will take care of it.”

  In one swoop, he loosened the neck of his sweatshirt, then lifted the hem, capturing her under it. Before she knew what was happening, he’d pulled her in to join him.

  “What are you doing?” she cried, shocked.

  “Shhh.” His arms came around her, holding her close, and he whispered next to her ear, “You’re going to wake up the neighbors.”

  The thought of anyone seeing them this way sent her into giggles. “Joe, this is crazy.”

  Was he just close so that he could whisper to her, or was he snuggling in behind her ear?

  “Warm enough?” he asked.

  “Oh, yes. Definitely warm.”

  Though she had to admit hot might be a better word. The darkness and the fact that her face was half hidden in the neck of the shirt saved her from having him see how red her cheeks had turned. His skin was bare under the sweatshirt, and now she was pressed against his fantastic, muscular chest. If it hadn’t been for her thick T-shirt…

  It doesn’t mean a thing, she warned herself, and knew that was right. But how could she resist the warmth and the wonderful smoothness of his rounded muscles against her face? She closed her eyes, just for a moment. His arms held her loosely, and since they were outside, wrapped in fabric, it was okay. She knew he was purposely trying to keep this nonthreatening, and she appreciated it. But no matter how casual he tried to make this, she was trapped in an enclosed space against his bare upper body. Her heart was beating like a drum and her head was feeling light. If she’d been a Victorian miss, she would be crying out for the smelling salts about now.

  But she wasn’t Victorian. She was up-to-date and full of contemporary attitudes. Wasn’t she? She’d had sex and provocative bodies and scandalous talk thrown at her by the media all her life. She could handle this. Never mind that her knees seemed to be buckling and her pulse was racing so fast she couldn’t catch her breath. This was worth it. This was heavenly. It was a moment she would never forget.

  And then she remembered that he was supposed to be a prince of Ambria. She had no right to trifle with him this way. That thought made her laugh again.

  “Joe, let me go,” she said, pushing away. “I’ve got to go in and check on Mei.”

  “And leave me out here all alone in this sweatshirt?”

  “I think you’ll be able to manage it.” She wriggled free, then shook her head in mock despair as she looked at him. “I feel like I was highjacked by the moonlight bandit,” she grumbled, straightening her T-shirt nightdress.

  His grin was crooked. “Think of me as the prince of dreams,” he said, and then his mouth twisted. “Bad dreams,” he added cynically.

  “Stop agonizing out here in the dark and go get some sleep,” she advised as she turned to leave. “Mei is going to need you in the morning.”

&nbs
p; Chapter Five

  KELLY SLEPT LATERM than she’d planned, and when she opened her eyes, sunlight was streaming into the room. She turned her head and found a pair of gorgeous dark eyes considering her from the crib. Mei was standing at the railing, surveying the situation.

  “Good morning, beautiful,” Kelly said, stretching. “Did you have a good sleep?”

  The cute little face didn’t change, but the baby reached down to pick up a stuffed monkey that had been in her bed, and threw it over the nail as though it were a gift. Kelly laughed, but wondered how long she’d been awake, just standing there, looking around the unfamiliar room, wondering where she was and who was going to take care of her. Poor little thing.

  Rising quickly, Kelly went to her. “I’ll bet you need a change, don’t you?”

  She didn’t wait for an answer, and Mei didn’t resist, going willingly into her arms. Kelly held her for a moment, feeling the life that beat in her, feeling her sweetness. There was no way Joe was sending her back. No way at all.

  Joe was waiting for them when they came into the kitchen. He had coffee brewed and cinnamon buns warmed and sitting on the table. He’d set two places and poured out two little glasses of orange juice. Kelly was carrying Mei and she smiled at how inviting everything looked. Including Joe, who’d made the effort to dress in fresh slacks and a baby-blue polo shirt just snug enough to show off his muscular chest and bulging biceps.

  He caught her assessing look and smiled. She quickly glanced away, but in doing so, her gaze fell on where he’d tossed the big blue sweatshirt over the back of a chair. Memories of how it had felt inside that shirt the night before crashed in on her like a wave, and suddenly her cheeks were hot again. She glanced at him. His smile had turned into a full grin.

  He was just too darn aware of things.

  “Here’s your baby,” she said, presenting his child for inspection. “Isn’t she beautiful in her little corduroy dress?”