A short time later, Rudolf and Samantha sat near the hearth in the common room of the Royal Rooster Inn. On the table before them lay beef steak and kidney pie, roasted potatoes, and baked tomatoes stuffed with grated onion and chopped ham. There were meringues fastened with whipped cream for dessert.
Rudolf watched Samantha closely. Her mood had lightened considerably. Most women adored shopping, especially with other people’s money. Olga had always—
“I love meringues,” Samantha said, turning to him abruptly, interrupting his thoughts. Holding the meringue in her hand, she flicked the tip of her tongue out and licked the cream from the sides in an unconsciously sexual gesture.
“Good Christ,” Rudolf murmured, suppressing a groan.
“Are you ill?” Samantha asked, covering his hand with her own. “You look pale.”
“My leg is cramped,” he lied. “I am glad you enjoy the meringue.”
Her expression cleared. When she flicked her tongue out again to lick the cream, Rudolf imagined her performing that particular gesture on his—
“Your Highness?”
Rudolf focused on his retainer. “Yes, Karl?”
“The arrangements have been completed, Your Highness.”
Rudolf inclined his head. “Thank you.”
“To what arrangements is Karl referring?” Samantha asked when the man had gone.
“I have a surprise for you,” Rudolf told her.
“I love surprises,” Samantha exclaimed, reminding him of a young girl.
“As much as meringues?”
She smiled at his question. “More than meringues.”
“I thought you would,” Rudolf said. “Let us retire.”
Upstairs, Rudolf unlocked the door and walked inside. He lit the candles on the table and turned to look at Samantha, an expression of joy appeared on her face.
Samantha couldn’t believe her eyes. On one side of the chamber stood a wooden tub with steam rising from it—a bath.
“What a wonderful surprise,” she exclaimed, turning to him.
“When we arrive at Sweetheart Manor tomorrow,” Rudolf told her, “we need to give the staff a good first impression. We do not want to appear bedraggled.”
“It’s hot,” she said, dipping her hand into the tub.
Rudolf placed a bar of soap into her hand, saying, “Save some hot water for me.” Then he walked away.
After discarding her gown, Samantha looked expectantly at him and waited for him to leave. Instead, he removed his jacket and then washed his face in the water bowl on the table. She watched him take a razor and a small mirror from his gear, lather his face, and begin shaving.
“I suggest you undress and get into the tub,” he said without looking at her. “Unless, you prefer that I bathe first?”
“I cannot strip naked with you in the room,” she protested.
“I promise not to peek,” Rudolf said, glancing over his shoulder and giving her a wink.
Samantha felt her irritation rising. The prince was tormenting her with this bath and his refusal to leave. She stood perfectly still and glared at him in an unspoken refusal to bathe while he remained in the chamber.
“Very well, I will wait outside the door,” Rudolf said, wiping the soap from his partially shaved face. Remember, I do not wish to bathe in cold water.”
Muttering in Russian, Rudolf tossed the cloth on the table and left the chamber. Samantha expected him to slam the door shut, but he closed the door with a quiet click, making her feel a twinge of guilt for insisting he leave.
Samantha dropped her chemise, climbed into the tub, and groaned in pleasure at the heat. She longed to savor the sensation and soak until the water cooled but knew she had no time to waste. The prince could change his mind at any moment and burst into the room.
Lifting the soap to her nose, she inhaled deeply of the scent of roses.
After washing, Samantha rose from the tub and toweled herself dry. She donned her chemise and knocked on the door, calling, “I’m finished, Your Highness.”
Samantha grabbed her discarded gown. She moved to draw it over her head but paused when the prince spoke.
“Why are you dressing again?”
Samantha turned toward him. The prince had already removed his shirt and sat on the edge of the bed to remove his boots.
“I am dressing so I can wait in the corridor.”
“Forget about that,” Rudolf said, his dark gaze narrowing on her. “Get into the bed.”
“Being in the room while you bathe isn’t pro—” Samantha recognized the irritated expression on his face. “Oh, very well.”
Samantha set her gown aside and crossed to the other side of the bed. Intent on completing her nightly ritual, she covered her face with her hands. She heard the prince drop each of his boots and then the creak of the bed when he stood to drop his breeches
“No peeking, Princess,” she heard him teasing, and then came the sound of him climbing into the tub.
An overwhelming urge to part her fingers and peek at him surged through her. She separated her fingers and then smiled. With his wonderfully muscular back turned to her, the prince looked like a giant sitting in the wooden tub.
“Are you watching me?” he called.
Samantha closed her fingers and refused to answer. She struggled to focus on God and prayed silently, Thank You, Lord, for the new gowns and the bath.
With the prince sloshing water in the background, Samantha tried to keep her mind on God, but the temptation was too great. She opened her fingers again and gazed at the prince’s naked back. In the candlelight he appeared like Adonis.
“What are you thanking Him for?” Rudolf asked.
“I am thanking Him for the gowns and the bath,” Samantha answered, snapping her fingers shut.
“I gave you those things, not God,” Rudolf reminded her.
“God gave you the idea to give them to me,” she explained.
Rudolf laughed out loud at that. “You had better climb into the bed and turn your back lest I startle you when I rise from the tub.”
Samantha didn’t need a second warning. She leaped into the bed, pulled the coverlet up, and flopped onto her side away from the tub. Hearing the sounds of the prince toweling himself dry, she suppressed the urge to roll over and watch, admire his masculine beauty in the candlelight. Fear of the unknown kept her back toward him.
She heard the sounds of him at the table as he finished shaving. Then all was silent for several moments.
Unable to bear the suspense, Samantha rolled over and saw the prince kneeling in prayer beside the bed.
“What are you doing, thanking God?”
“No, Princess,” he answered with a wicked smile, “I am asking Him for a favor.”
“What?”
“None of your business.”
Samantha turned away. She felt the bed creak as the prince climbed in beside her.
Long moments passed.
“Samantha?”
“Yes?”
“Look at me.”
Samantha rolled onto her back. The prince leaned over her and she stared into his darkly intense eyes.
“Yes, Rudolf?”
“I am sorry, Princess.” His face inched closer. “I cannot keep my promise.”
Rudolf claimed her lips in a long, slow, soul-stealing kiss. Swept away on the wave of his passion, Samantha entwined her arms around his neck and returned his kiss in kind, savoring the sensation of his warm flesh touching hers.
Rudolf thrust his tongue in her mouth, their tongues swirling around each other in a primal mating dance. Tentatively at first and then with maddened passion, Samantha surrendered to her desires and thrust her tongue into his mouth. The prince groaned with the pleasure of her response and clutched her tightly as if he would never let her go.
Rudolf worshipped her with his lips, planting dozens of feathery light kisses on her eyelids, temples, and the corners of her mouth. “Ma lyoobof,” he whispered in a voice husky with
passion. Then he flicked his tongue across her cheek to kiss her earlobe, his tongue swirling around her ear.
Samantha felt hot and chilled all at the same time. Instinctively yearning for something more, she moaned and arched her body against his.
Rudolf kissed the base of her throat while his hands began a slow caress of her body. He glided a hand down her arm and up its sensitive inside. Drawing her chemise straps down, he exposed her breasts to his gaze.
“So beautiful, so perfect,” he murmured, planting a kiss on the swell of each breast.
Samantha sighed in answer.
Lowering his head, he teased her by flicking his tongue across the tip of a nipple. Instantly, it beaded into arousal.
“Yes, Rudolf, kiss me there.”
She heard him groan at her invitation. And then he took her breasts in his hands and kneaded them softly. Dropping his mouth to a nipple, he suckled upon it gently.
Samantha felt a melting sensation in the pit of her stomach. His lips on her nipple and suckling noises made the hidden spot between her thighs throb.
Rudolf licked and suckled each of her nipples in turn. At the same time, he ran a hand down her body—caressing the outside of her thighs and then running a finger up the sensitive flesh on the inside. Cupping the mound of flesh covering her pubic bone, he kneaded her gently and inserted one long finger inside her.
His finger made her burn and jerked her into awareness. “What are you—?”
Rudolf silenced her by covering her mouth and kissing her again. Thoroughly. His hand never paused its seductive movement. Her protest died, and she willingly spread her legs for him, her hips beginning to move in tempo with his finger.
“Princess, let me love you,” Rudolf whispered, his lips hovering above hers. “Let me show you paradise.”
Samantha gazed at him for a long moment, recognizing the passion in his eyes. Did his gaze offer something more?
“I want you,” he said, his voice husky. “Do you want me?”
“I want you, too.”
Rudolf kissed her again and drew her chemise down her body until she was completely naked. Then he knelt between her legs and said, “Open your eyes.” When she obeyed, he told her, “You are beautiful.”
Grasping her legs, Rudolf lifted them high and rested them on top of his shoulders, exposing her moist privates to his gaze. “So beautiful,” he murmured.
His words brought a moan to Samantha’s lips. She was vulnerable to his gaze and touch yet felt no fear, only the desire to get even closer, so close they would become one.
Rudolf lowered his head and pressed his mouth against the valley between her thighs. His lips kissed her nether lips, her distinct female perfume intoxicating his senses, bringing a primal urgency to mate with her, bury himself in her body, spill his seed deep inside her.
“Do you like my mouth on you like this?” he asked in a hoarse voice.
“Yes, oh, yes,” she moaned, her hips moving in tempo to what his mouth did to her.
“Open your eyes.” When she did, Rudolf told her, “From this night, you belong to me and no other.”
He dipped his head and kissed her throbbing flesh. At the same time, he leaned forward and grabbed each of her nipples with a thumb and forefinger, gently squeezing and releasing.
Samantha moaned low in her throat. Her young body was on fire.
Rudolf held her hips firmly and rubbed the tip of his manhood against her wet, swollen nub. He thrust forward suddenly and buried himself inside her.
Samantha cried out at his invasion of her body but slowly relaxed when he remained still. She liked his hands and his lips on her body, and she liked the feel of him inside her.
Opening her eyes when he began to move, Samantha gazed into his fathomless black eyes. She moved with him, slowly at first and then faster, faster until they became one maddened, bucking creature. He stopped suddenly, and she moaned in protest.
“I want to show you paradise,” he said in a hoarse voice, as if speaking took extreme effort.
“Yes, take me there.” She breathed.
Rudolf withdrew slowly, and then grinded himself deeply into her. He leaned down against her and suckled a nipple while he thrust himself inside her.
Samantha cried out in surprised pleasure as waves of pleasure surged through her body. She heard him groan and felt him thrust hard and deep, spilling his seed into her.
Within minutes, Samantha realized what she had done. She had fallen in love with the prince, given him the gift of her virginity, and ruined whatever chance she’d had of marrying and having her own children. She had lost her dream, thrown it away for a moment’s pleasure.
Tears of regret welled up in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. She bit her bottom lip, stifling a sob, but couldn’t stop her tears from dripping off her face onto her breast.
“What is this?” the prince asked, moving to one side and gathering her into his arms. “Did I hurt you, Princess?’
Samantha shook her head.
“Why are you weeping?”
Samantha swallowed painfully, a lump of raw emotion sticking in her throat. In a barely audible voice, she told him, “I have killed my own dream. No man will marry me now, not even Alexander Emerson,”
“You do not need to marry Alexander Emerson,”
Rudolf said, holding her tighter. “I will take care of you.”
“Are you offering marriage?” Samantha asked, looking into his eyes for the first time.
His expression shuttered like a curtain falling and became impossible to read. The gesture reminded her again of the Duke of lnverary and her brother-in-law, the Marquess of Argyll.
“I cannot marry anyone at the moment,” Rudolf told her, his hand beginning a slow caress.
With a sob escaping her throat, Samantha pulled out of his embrace. She rolled over and turned her back on him.
“Princess, do not turn away from me,” the prince said, his hand on her back.
“Leave me alone, Your Highness.” She stiffened when she felt him trace a finger down the column of her spine.
“Think of the lovely gowns and geegaws that will be yours tomorrow,” Rudolf coaxed.
It was the wrong thing to say.
Samantha moved quickly, catching him off guard. In one swift motion, she bolted up in the bed and slapped his face with all the strength she could muster.
“My virginity was worth more than a few gowns,” Samantha told him. “If you hadn’t coerced me to leave London, I wouldn’t have needed them.” Her voice rose in anger. “And I would never have had to leave London if you hadn’t got me abducted and nearly killed. I saved your royal arse by stealing the key from Igor’s pocket. You have repaid me by stealing my dream.”
At that, Samantha turned away in a huff and flopped down on her side of the bed. She waited for his angry response, but none came.
“You are correct,” Rudolf said in a voice filled with regret. “Unfortunately no apology will restore your dream to you. It seems I cannot make anyone happy, not even myself.”
Samantha wondered at his last pain-filled statement but said nothing. With tears streaming down her cheeks, she determined to face her bleak future bravely. She hurt too much to care about his pain.
Chapter 5
“You look lovely in your purple gown.”
Samantha glanced sidelong at the prince. “The gown is amethyst, not purple.”
“There is no difference,” Rudolf told her. “Amethyst and purple are the same color.”
“Amethyst is a bluish violet,” Samantha corrected him. “Purple is true purple.”
“Is amethyst a false purple?”
Her irritation rising, Samantha lifted her nose into the air and turned her head to look at the passing scenery. The prince was baiting her because she hadn’t spoken to him since climbing into the coach that morning. Apparently, His Highness couldn’t bear to be ignored.
“Are you angry with me?” Rudolf asked.
Samantha sighed. “I am
angry with myself,” she said, without taking her gaze off the view outside.
“Do not be angry.” Rudolf inched closer. “Your reputation was already ruined.”
Samantha snapped her head around to stare at him. Only a dead man would have missed her displeasure.
“Are you going to strike me again?” Rudolf asked, obviously feigning fear.
Samantha’s lips twitched with the urge to laugh. She gave herself a mental shake. Losing one’s virtue was no laughing matter.
“Admit it, Princess,” Rudolf said. “You enjoyed the intimacy we shared.”
“If you wanted to have fun,” Samantha told him, lifting her nose into the air, “you should have abducted my sister. Tory adores fun.”
“I did not abduct you,” the prince corrected her. “Tell me what you adore.”
Samantha gave him her sweetest smile. “I adore boring gentlemen. I adore people who keep promises. I adore being left alone when I’m not in the mood for company.”
“I apologize for bothering you.” Rudolf folded his arms across his chest, turned his head, and looked out the window.
Samantha watched him, a wave of guilt surging through her. The prince hadn’t forced her to do anything. She was the one with the weak moral character, not he.
“Rudolf?” Samantha touched his arm. When he looked at her, she said, “I apologize for my rudeness.”
“Thank you for that,” Rudolf said, covering her hand with his own, “but I should be apologizing to you. I will marry you before we return to London and save your reputation.”
“No, thank you.”
“No?” His expression mirrored his surprise.
“I cannot marry a man who only wants to save my reputation,” she told him.
“You were ready to marry Alexander Emerson,” Rudolf reminded her, sounding insulted.
“That was different.”
“Like purple and amethyst?” Rudolf asked, his tone sarcastic. “Why can you not marry me to save your reputation?”
I love you, and cannot marry you unless you love me.
Samantha refused to share her heart’s secrets with him. She had already shared her body, and that was sharing enough.
“Well?” he asked.
To Charm a Prince Page 8