by Maya Blake
Unlike the charged coming together that had fuelled their past intimate encounters, this was a slow burn of a kiss. But it was no less earth-shattering or all-consuming. Perhaps even more so because the sensations coursing through her body were even more frightening, a clamour that scared her with its sheer depth.
The sweep of his tongue over her lips, the tightening of his hold, and the scent of him all converged to fire up a need so strong she didn’t question the wisdom of sliding her hands around his trim waist, digging her fingers into the small of his back and, with another deep moan, straining upward to deepen the kiss.
One hand left her hair to glide down her back, his touch more urgent, more insistent as he dragged her closer. Her sensitive breasts flattened against his chest, his hard body a hot, living column branding her.
She opened for him, their tongues dancing an erotic tango, driving every thought from her head save the need to perpetuate this heady encounter.
‘Dio mio, but you intoxicate me,’ he muttered against her lips.
And he more than intoxicated her. He made her need. Made her crave the impossible.
Their breaths mingled, sharing the same air as he deepened the kiss.
When the need for more oxygen drove them apart, hot slashes of colour heating his chiselled cheekbones. Against her belly, he was as hard as steel and it fired up that hot and needy space between her legs.
‘Does this feel under control to you, Violet?’ he breathed. ‘I’ve watched you parade around with your haughty little nose in the air and your sinful body on display, and I can barely think straight for wanting you beneath me.’
There was nowhere to hide. Her nipples puckered, her lips parting on a desperate intake of breath as she struggled to contain the fire raging through her.
He tucked her hair over one ear. ‘You need to do better at hiding your reaction, cara mia. A less scrupulous man would take advantage of it,’ he murmured.
With more strength than she’d thought herself capable of, Violet drew away from him, her hands dropping to clench at her sides. The observation stung far deeper than it should’ve. Made her lash out. ‘You think yourself scrupulous? Enlighten me again as to who kidnapped whom?’
The briefest glimpse of regret flashed in his eyes, then he was back to being the imperious Prince who expected everyone to fall in with his wishes, whether they wanted to or not.
‘That was different. And necessary.’
‘Why?’
Thunder gathered on his brow. ‘Besides taking steps to safeguard my child?’
What had happened to him to fuel this raging mistrust? Was it even worth her attempting to find out the reason?
‘We agreed on reciprocity, Zak. Are you going back on your word already?’
The gleam in his eyes was almost...approving. Saluting her for turning his words back on him. ‘Very well. Ask your questions.’
Given the freedom, she almost feared his answers. Not because they would turn her off him...but because they might not. Nevertheless, she couldn’t resist. ‘When I told you I was pregnant, you reminded me of your half-brother and what his arrival did to your family. But Europe is littered with royal scandals and no one even blinks at them any more. So what am I missing, Zak?’
Dio mio, but she fired with both guns and aimed for the heart, didn’t she?
He tensed, anticipating that bolt of anguish. On cue it arrived, accompanied by a heavy dose of bitterness. He considered deflecting her question, but how could he? This truce had been his idea, a way to end the deadlock between them. He couldn’t backtrack now.
Hell, perhaps baring himself a little might work to his advantage, just as he’d hoped for and witnessed her genuine appreciation for the better qualities of his island during their tour.
Still, the exercise was...hard.
‘Is it really that bad?’ she enquired, her voice soft, oozing sympathy he perhaps didn’t deserve but couldn’t help absorbing regardless. Because he realised that when it came to her, he was extremely selfish. Wanted more and more and more.
Everything?
He clenched his gut, denying that horrifyingly damning word that required far too much self-examination. ‘Your family isn’t without its own...challenges, no?’ he stalled, brazenly buying himself time before reopening old wounds of disgrace and betrayal.
Pained shadows flitted across her breathtaking face and fleetingly he regretted his parry.
She stared down at her knotted fingers, then met his gaze. ‘No, it isn’t, but mine is an open, ugly secret. And before you dig deeper, I’ll confess that I’ve hated every single moment of it. Finding out my parents would do just about anything, even risk bankruptcy, for the sake of social ladder-climbing was...horrifying. Being whispered about, mocked and sometimes openly taunted about a fall from grace and being regarded as scum isn’t fun. Neither is being paraded about like a prized heifer at a meat market.’
‘No. I don’t believe it is,’ he found himself answering, for the first time catching a glimpse of what her mother’s actions had done to her. He recognised the torment. But he also saw the fight in her. The ferocity it took to stand her ground. Against him. Against the world. Zak couldn’t deny that the flame this added to her allure continually drew him.
Her chin lifted, eyes swimming with anguish striking him deeper than he wanted to admit. ‘I can’t escape my past neither can I disown my parents, but, regardless of what anyone believes, I’ve no wish to follow in their footsteps. If nothing else, please believe that.’
He believed her. If the past two weeks had achieved anything it was the revelation that she wasn’t holding out for more. That, should he feel inclined to grant her passage off this island, Violet would walk away from him without a backward glance, his proposal and enticements and his increasing need to bestow the title of Princess on her be damned.
Again that hollow feeling of dismay threatened to consume him. He ruthlessly stemmed it. Aware that the spotlight was firmly back on him, he gritted his jaw. And bared himself. ‘I looked up to him. Perhaps that was my first mistake.’ He couldn’t contain the deep bitterness that spilled out.
She frowned. ‘Your father?’
He nodded. ‘He was flawless in my eyes. The embodiment of my every aspiration. I wanted to be just like him. I wasn’t going to inherit the throne, but I could walk in his footsteps.’ He stopped, the words sounding foolish in his ears.
‘No one is flawless, Zak,’ she replied gently. ‘He may have been larger than life itself to you but he was still human. Nothing more.’
Zak swallowed hard, heat and ice cascading through him at her hushed words. Hadn’t he fallen for temptation himself after swearing he never would?
Had he held his father up to stricter standards than were warranted? Idolised him when he should’ve remembered he was mere flesh and blood? No.
‘He was a king. He was supposed to have been above reproach. Beyond base flaws—especially flaws that caused harm to his family,’ he gritted out.
‘You’ve accepted Jules into your family. Can’t you find a way to get past what your father did?’
‘No! His affair with Jules’s mother wasn’t a fleeting thing. It went on for years. And while he was busy letting his family down, others were plotting behind his back. He put his kingdom in peril, gave a platform to those who would destabilise the government,’ he seethed.
Violet’s eyes widened in surprise. ‘I...didn’t know that.’
His lips twisted. ‘Very few people do.’
Silence stretched tight between them. Then she laid a hand on his forearm. He looked into her brilliant blue eyes. Yearned to lose herself in them.
‘Do you hate him for that or hate that he died before he could give you the answers you seek? I know I felt...robbed of the need to understand why my father would risk everything just for money.’
Damn this woman
! From the very first she’d seen too much, burrowed far deeper than he’d allowed anyone else to go, save perhaps the father he now condemned.
‘What does it matter?’ he rasped bitterly.
‘Because if it’s the latter, you’ll have to learn to let it go some time, Zak. To forgive and move on before it consumes you. Be the better version of the man your father couldn’t be.’
The urge to rail, issue commands, assert his royal will rose fast and furious. But he knew he would be wasting his breath. Violet had no fear of him or his station. If anything, she would laugh in his face. So he pursed his lips, even as her words seeped deep into his soul, the truth of it ringing in his ears.
For the first time Zak knew real fear. Because what if he couldn’t be a better man? What if Violet and his child found him...lacking?
With a ferocity that would’ve done his ancestors proud, he cut off the weakening train of thought. He was a prince. The blood of warriors ran through his veins. He’d never cowered before anyone. He wasn’t about to start now.
‘Are we done with this sharing or do you have more questions?’
Violet barely managed to stop herself from gasping at the transformation from vulnerable man to imperious prince. The loss, even more than baring her soul about her past, caught her on the raw. Because she’d glimpsed beneath the power and majesty, seen the real man who, like her, had been let down by his parent. One he’d put on a pedestal.
This was what she’d feared.
That his revelations would end up costing her even more emotionally.
Because even now, watching his stony face, she wanted to wrap her arms around him, lay her head on his chest and just...be with him. Be the cushion his hard edges landed on. But he was distancing himself even as she watched, his gaze growing impenetrable as he stared down at her.
Wasn’t it wise to do the same?
‘You said there hadn’t been illegitimacy in your family besides Jules. But what about divorces?’
Grey eyes bored into hers, his attempt to read between the lines clear in his incisive gaze. ‘A few, yes.’
Why did that not bring the relief she’d hoped for?
Slowly his face hardened. ‘If you’re already contemplating the end of a union before it’s even begun—’
She forced a laugh. ‘Please don’t pretend what you proposed is some sort of love match. We both know it was only because I’m pregnant.’
‘It’s a very powerful reason. One not to be dismissed, as you seem so hell-bent on doing.’
‘On our first day here you took pains to spell out what you wanted. Let me tell you what I want. I want the freedom to choose who I spend the rest of my life with. I won’t settle for you simply because you happen to be the father of the child I’m carrying.’
A storm brewed in his eyes. ‘Settle? Perhaps you’ve been blind to the fact that all of Europe and large swathes of the Western world consider me a very big catch indeed.’
‘Then they’re more than welcome to you!’ she responded heatedly, hurt and jealousy and the yearning for the man who’d bared himself to her minutes ago creating a wild, volatile tornado in her heart.
His eyes gleamed and Violet knew something had changed. For one thing, this was the most animated she’d allowed herself to be in his presence for quite some time. And he was savouring his triumph. ‘Are you awakened at last, my sweet?’
‘Don’t call me that, I’m not your anything.’
Keen speculation brimmed in his eyes. ‘But you could be, if only—’
‘I see sense?’ she finished for him. ‘Your new offer is to marry you and gain the side benefit of hot sex?’
One sleek thumb brushed over her full bottom lip, a gesture that reeked too boldly of ownership. The kind that triggered a shivery response within her. ‘I’m glad you acknowledge it will be hot. And, yes, it could be an infinitely pleasurable benefit of our marriage. Think about it.’
‘You’re forgetting something, Your Highness.’
‘What’s that?’
She took a decided step back away from temptation. ‘Chemistry doesn’t last for ever. Or even long enough for the ink to dry on a marriage certificate,’ she pointed out. ‘Thanks but, no, thanks, I won’t base my future on that.’
Seconds ticked by, then Zak dragged his hands through his hair, a tense, self-mocking smile curving his lips. ‘A hell of a way to start a truce, hmm?’
She shrugged. ‘We seem to bring out the worst in each other, it seems.’
‘I wouldn’t quite call it that,’ he murmured, his voice low and thick.
Alarmed she was about to drown in another torrent of emotional vulnerability, she averted her gaze from the rakish tousle of his hair and the strong bronzed throat that made her fingers itch to caress him.
He glanced at his sleek wristwatch. ‘We’ve done enough for one day, I think. Let’s get back to the villa. Dinner will be served in an hour.’
And just like that, the thought that she would be spending some more time with him sent twin pulses of pleasure and fear through her.
Because, more than anything, she wanted another glimpse at the man beneath the stiff royal exterior. Wanted to soothe his fears, share his dreams. Wanted to take her place next to him. Because that man was the one she hadn’t quite allowed herself to dream about.
But she’d seen him, witnessed a crack in his façade. And as Zak held out his hand to her once more, Violet couldn’t help the sensation growing in her heart. Or quieten the voice that whispered that the crack might fracture...perhaps even break apart to reveal his true self...with time and patience.
With love?
CHAPTER NINE
VIOLET REFUSED TO admit that the truce was the reason she took her time with dressing that evening. She was simply sharing an animosity-free meal with Zak.
He was waiting for her in the elegant dining room that opened up into a wide terrace. A sea breeze wafted in, the reminder that she was on a true tropical paradise lingering in the air.
A paradise she hadn’t chosen to be on, true, but with their truce in place, she chose to suspend her outrage. Perhaps it was a foolish and slippery slope, but as she watched Zak, clad in dark tailored trousers and white, open-necked shirt, confidently stroll over to her, his gaze taking in her sea-green chiffon dress and returning to her face with latent fire in his eyes, Violet decided to just...go with the flow.
‘You look exquisite,’ he breathed, his low voice low pulsing with a cadence that trebled her heartbeat.
‘I... Thank you.’
His lips curved in a smile as he picked up a frosted glass from the table and held it out to her. ‘Here, try this.’
She accepted the offering. ‘What is it?’
‘A special fruit punch prepared by Geraldine. She swears it works wonders with morning sickness.’
About to ask what conversation had gone on between Zak and his housekeeper regarding her pregnancy, she decided to let it go. He’d lauded their loyalty and discretion on the day of their arrival. It stood to reason that they’d already know that she was pregnant.
She lifted the glass, the umbrella perched on it tickling her nose as she took a sip. Delicious bursts of coconut underlain with ginger delighted her taste buds. She groaned and took the second sip.
‘I take it you like it,’ he said, amused.
‘Oh, my God, yes, it’s amazing.’
His smile widened and that treacherous, giddy sensation inside her expanded. At that exact moment she recalled her throwaway comment earlier this afternoon about the women of Europe being welcome to him.
Violet wanted to blurt out that she hadn’t meant it. They weren’t welcome to him. Because she wanted him. She bit her tongue in time, redirecting her attention to the dining table. Complete with exquisite twin candelabra, fine crystal and sterling silver cutlery, it was the most elaborate setting she
’d seen since her arrival.
It was almost as if this evening was different. Special.
Furiously wrestling her leaping senses under control, she allowed Zak to guide her to the table.
He refilled her punch glass, poured a white Chablis for himself and sat back as the first course of poached fish and flavoured rice was served.
Registering that Zak was more interested in staring at her than in his own meal, Violet scrambled for a neutral topic. ‘What’s on the other side of the island?’
Again he smiled, and again her heart tripped with alarming giddiness and the mouth-watering sight of it. God, she really needed to get herself together. She couldn’t swoon each time he smiled.
‘It’s a surprise,’ he replied.
‘You know all it’ll take is a conversation with the staff to have my answer, don’t you?’
He sat back and shrugged, unaffected by her harmless threat. ‘If you wish to deny yourself the pleasure of an unbiased experience, go ahead.’
Intrigued, she stared at him, his eyes gleaming challengingly at her.
Violet was enjoying this. Far too much. While he wasn’t allowing her another glimpse of the man she’d seen this afternoon, she appreciated this more casual side of Zak. Enough to explore it, see where it went?
Temptation swelling inside her, she lifted her glass and, keeping eye contact with him, took a long, deep pull of the tangy drink.
His gaze dropped to her mouth, his eyes darkening dramatically. Tiny flames leapt in her belly and her fingers trembled when she set the glass down. That set the tone for their meal, a pulse-elevating mix of heavy-lidded looks, light conversation and good food.
It took a moment for her to admit the emotion she experienced when their plates were cleared away was regret. It was barely eight, and the thought of spending the rest of the evening alone in her room dimmed her spirits.
‘A non-alcoholic nightcap on the beach? Or would you like coffee here?’
He’d barely issued the invitation when she caught a whiff of coffee and her stomach lurched alarmingly. She swallowed hard, fervently praying she wouldn’t disgrace herself. ‘Definite no to the coffee. For the next few weeks at least.’