by Leanne Banks
“Darling, I wouldn’t dream of taking Robert from you. This was just a charity appearance for both of us.”
The girl pulled back, her baby blues filled with tears. “But he was so excited about being with a princess. He told me he couldn’t make a commitment. Big things were coming in his future,” she said, her voice fading to another sob. The woman buried her face in Pippa’s shoulder again.
She met Nic’s gaze again. “Please ask a server to give Robert a note. Robert’s friend and I will be upstairs. He should join us immediately.”
Nic lifted a dark eyebrow and dipped his head. “As you wish, Your Highness.”
As soon as he turned away, she felt a rush of relief. “Let’s go upstairs,” she said. “I didn’t hear your name.”
“Chloe,” she said and sniffed and swiped at her cheeks as Pippa led the way upstairs. “You’re much nicer than I thought you would be. I was sure you would steal Robert from me.”
“Oh, Chloe, I wouldn’t dream of that,” she said with complete and total honesty. She wouldn’t take Robert if he was handed to her on a silver platter. She guided Chloe into a room and propped open the door.
Just a couple moments later, she heard voices coming from the hall. Nic’s and Robert’s. The door swung open and Nic and Robert stepped inside.
Robert’s eyes widened. “Chloe, what are you doing here?”
Chloe bit her lip. “How could you leave me, Robert?”
Looking incredibly awkward, Robert shrugged his wide shoulders. “It was just temporary.” He shot a quick glance at Pippa. “The princess required my presence for the charity event.”
“I did not,” Pippa said, unable to contain herself. She wanted to punch the scoundrel. She clenched her fists.
“Okay, well, I had to show for the charity event. The princess was just a bonus,” he amended.
Nic cleared his throat. “I think Chloe has some important news to share.”
Chloe gulped and appeared to force a smile. “I’m having your baby,” she said.
Pippa looked at Robert and saw the tall, strong athlete turn as pale as ghost. “Baby?” he echoed.
“Yes, I’m having your baby,” Chloe said and walked toward him.
Robert fainted backward. Nic caught him just before he would have hit the floor.
Pippa sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. “Are we going to have to call the medics, too?”
“Let’s try something a little more basic,” Nic said. “Can you get a glass of water?”
She glanced around the room and saw a stack of paper cups and pointed at them. “There’s a water fountain in the hall.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Chloe said.
“Get two cups,” Nic said and gently lowered Robert’s head to the carpeted floor.
Chloe ran out of the room. Seconds later, she returned.
“I think you should have the honors,” he said to Chloe.
“What do you mean?” she asked, clearly confused.
“Throw the water in his face,” he said.
Chloe’s eyes widened in alarm. “In his face.”
“It’s the best thing for him,” he said.
“Are you sure?”
“Couldn’t be more sure,” he said. “If you don’t do it, then I will.”
Chloe took a deep breath and threw a cup in Robert’s face.
The athlete blinked and shook his head.
“It worked,” Chloe said with a delighted smile. “You were right.”
Nic nodded and extended his hand. “Can you give me the second cup?”
“Of course,” she said and gave it to him.
“You coming around, Speight?” Nic said as the man lifted his head.
“Yeah,” he said, rubbing his hand over his face. “Why am I wet?”
“So many reasons,” Nic said. “You okay? Are you conscious?”
Robert lifted himself up on his elbows. “Yeah, I’m good.”
Nic nodded and dumped the second cup of water on Robert’s head.
Robert scowled and swore. “Why the hell did you do that?”
“In Texas we would say you need a good scrubbin’,” he said in his Texas drawl. “I just thought I’d get you started. Pops.”
After Robert pulled himself back together and dried himself with some paper towels, he returned to the ballroom and Nic arranged for a car to take Chloe back to her hotel.
Pippa felt the pressure of passing time. She knew her absence would be noted if she didn’t return soon, but she wanted to thank Nic for his help. After stepping just outside the door, he returned and strode toward her.
“You okay?” he asked, his dark gaze intent on her.
She laughed. “Of course I’m fine, thank you. I wasn’t the least bit enamored of Robert from the beginning.”
Nic walked closer. “Are you sure about that?”
Pippa frowned. “Of course I’m sure. Do you really think I could be so easily won over by a man just because he’s a world-famous soccer player?”
“You fell for me pretty quickly in the beginning,” he said, lowering his mouth to half a breath away from hers.
Her heart skipped. “I was young and foolish.”
He laughed, and the deep, hearty sound echoed inside her, making her feel alive. “It was six months ago.”
“Eight months,” she corrected.
He lifted a brow. “I didn’t know you were counting.”
She opened her mouth, but at the moment, she couldn’t deny… Anything.
His mouth brushed hers, and the sensation made her felt as if she were melting and blooming at the same time. His mouth searched, plundered and empowered hers. She felt sensual, womanly, and it sounded crazy, but she felt as if she could fly. It was such an amazing, euphoric sensation that she didn’t want it to ever end. During a moment that felt like centuries or seconds, she slid her arms around Nic and reveled in the strength of his body. It seemed to flow into hers.
She craved more of the feeling. There was more, she thought. More…
Nic pulled back slightly. “Let me take you away,” he whispered. “For just a while.”
Every fiber of her wanted to say yes, but her duty and obligation screamed no. “I want—” She took a breath and tried to clear her head. “They’re expecting me for the end of the dinner. After twelve minutes, people start to notice when a royal is gone.” She swallowed over the craziness rolling through her, but she fought the drowning sensation she felt when she stared into his eyes. “They actually notice before that, but if there’s a distraction such as a famous soccer player, we get a bit more time.”
“After the dinner, then,” he said.
Her stomach dipped as if her amusement park ride had abruptly plunged and risen and plunged again. “Oh,” she said. “Uh, I—” She broke off and shook her head. “This is crazy. We tried it before. It didn’t work out.”
“Why?” he asked, his gaze wrapping around hers and holding it.
She opened her mouth to answer, but the words stopped in her throat.
“What’s the problem, Princess Pippa? Cat got your tongue?” he asked and kissed her again.
Pippa melted again, feeling as if she were having an out-of-body experience. His arms felt better than chocolate, his mouth, the same. She felt as powerful as the ocean. She clung to him, but duty tugged at her. It was so ingrained that she couldn’t quite forget it.
Pippa pulled back. “I have to go.”
“Chicken,” he said.
Something inside her wanted to prove him wrong. “Blast you,” she whispered, and wiped her mouth as she ran from the room.
Although she was bloody distracted, Pippa finished the interminable evening. With photos, but no passionate kisses. She took a separate limo
to return to the palace, all the while consumed with thoughts of Nic. What if she could have met him? Where? She felt a terrible aching need to be with him, but she knew she couldn’t. For a thousand reasons. She arrived to find Bridget waiting in her quarters, bouncing with excitement.
“Tell me all about it,” Bridget said. “How hot was he?”
“Too hot for me, given the fact that a, he pushed to go to a nude beach.”
Bridget’s jaw dropped.
“B, he wanted to French kiss me in public for the sake of getting photographs with a princess.”
“Oh, my—”
“And c, congratulations are in order. The very young mother of his baby showed up at the charity event.”
“He has a child?” Bridget asked, her eyes wide with horror and shock.
“He is a father-to-be. I believe the popular term is baby daddy.”
Bridget gave an expression of pure disgust. “Oh, how horrible. I don’t know what to say.”
“Just say you won’t set me up again,” Pippa said. “Please.”
Bridget winced. “I’m so sorry.” She lifted her hands. “I just wanted you to have a little fun.”
“I know your intentions were good,” Pippa said. “They always are. You have a good heart and you love me. I know you love me. I just need to find my own way in this area.” She decided to make a bigger push. It was her moment. “As you know, my birthday is right around the corner. Everyone is pushing for the palace to make budget cuts. I’ve decided I want a little more control over where I go. I’m going to request more limited security.”
Bridget shook her head, fear filling her eyes. “Oh, no, you can’t do that. Not after what almost happened to me. Not after what happened to Eve.”
“If you recall, you actually had security when you were leaving that charity event when you were almost stampeded by that gang. I think it makes sense to follow what other royal families are doing. I’m way down the list to take the throne and heaven knows I have no interest. Current practices suggest I be given security for official events with a panic button for my use at all times. Do you know how much the head of security grilled me because I took a walk on a family beach last week?”
“It’s the social media,” Bridget said. “People with camera phones are everywhere, tweeting, taking photos. You can’t possibly expect anonymity or privacy, Phillipa.”
“It doesn’t help to have security nipping at my heels every minute,” Pippa said.
“I thought you had a soft spot for your security man. You seemed to have an easy enough relationship with Giles before, well—” Bridget broke off. “Before the Lafitte incident.”
Pippa felt her irritation grow. In the past, she would have just sighed and fallen silent. “All of you made entirely too much of a fuss. Can you honestly say you never dated someone Stefan would have considered inappropriate?”
“Stefan considers any man he doesn’t choose to be inappropriate,” Bridget scoffed and began to pace. “He almost didn’t approve of Ryder until he figured out Ryder could be the new health minister. But Lafitte was different. His family—” Bridget shook her head. “There’s just too much bad history between his family and ours. Plus his father had to have been a terrible influence on him.”
“Some people might say the same about the influence our father had on us,” Pippa muttered.
Bridget shot her a sharp look. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying I want my personal business to be my business. I’m saying I want to make my own decisions about security and dating.”
“We just all adore you and we don’t want you to be hurt,” Bridget said.
“I realize that, but I’m not four years old. I’m a grown woman. I may be the youngest daughter, but I don’t need all of you looking after everything in my life. I want you, Tina and Stefan to stop it. Now.” She barely kept herself from stomping her foot for emphasis.
Bridget blinked, then sighed. “You may be able to persuade Tina and me, but good luck with Stefan.”
* * *
It was a good thing she didn’t care what the tabloids said about her, because she would have become extremely depressed the following day. Princess Phillipa Dumped by Soccer Player the headline read with photos from the charity event and her impromptu visit last week on the beach. Not cover-girl shots. Pippa had always shrunk from any potential emphasis of her image. She was no fashion leader, that was certain. Her sisters Fredericka and Bridget had seemed to do enough of that for everyone, thank goodness. It had taken the focus off her. Her other sister, Valentina, had been a bit less fashionable, more normal in her figure and ultimately more concerned with relationships than her image.
That was probably the reason the weight of royal appearances had worn heavy on Tina’s shoulders and she’d become the wife of a Texas businessman rancher. Tina made occasional appearances for the family and attended to a few royal duties, but her focus was happily fixed on her marriage and young daughter. Over the years, Pippa had filled in the gaps on the schedule or substituted when one of her siblings couldn’t make an event.
She hadn’t spent a lot of time thinking about what she truly wanted for herself because she’d been so busy finding ways to avoid causing trouble or being in the spotlight. Ever since she’d gotten involved with Nic all those months ago, she found herself fighting a restlessness that seemed to grow worse every day. She wished it would go away. She’d thought once she’d broken off with Nic that she could go back to normal, but normal didn’t fit anymore. Sipping a cup of tea and sitting inside the small suite where she’d lived since she was a teen, she stared outside her window to one of the palace courtyards and felt like a caged bird. She didn’t like the feeling at all.
Taking a deep breath, she prepared herself for her meeting with her brother Stefan. He’d requested the meeting first thing this morning. She suspected he had something on his mind and she intended to do what she’d heard Eve say on more than one occasion. Pippa was going to give her brother, the crown prince of Chantaine, a piece of her mind.
She walked down the long hallway to the opposite wing of the palace, then up the stairs to the office where her brother worked. On rare occasions, her father had also worked here.
Her brother was a working prince and he’d spent most of his adult life living down their father’s yachting playboy prince image. All the Devereaux children had been raised to understand that duty was first and foremost. Some had accepted the duty more easily than others.
Pippa lifted her hand to knock on the door.
Stefan’s assistant immediately responded with a slight bow. “Good morning, Your Highness. His Highness is ready for you.”
“Thank you,” she said and walked through the outer office into Stefan’s office.
Stefan stood and smiled. “Thank you for coming on such short notice,” he said and moved from behind his desk to embrace her.
Pippa hugged him in return, noting he wore a suit, signaling he had other official meetings today. “As if you would let me refuse you,” Pippa gently teased him, taking in the office. The decor combined the history of the Devereauxs with Stefan’s interests in horses, his studies in leadership and economics and a few of Eve’s homey touches from Texas.
She also noticed a wooden toy on the corner of his desk and pointed at it. “For Stephenia?” she asked, smiling as she thought of his toddler daughter.
“Eve and the nanny bring her to visit. I like to have at least a couple things in the room that she’s allowed to touch. I don’t want her to remember my office as the no-no room,” he said.
“I like that,” Pippa said. “It’s a lot different than the way we were raised.”
Stefan nodded. “That’s the plan. Please have a seat.”
Pippa sat on the edge of one of the leather chairs. She would have preferred to remain standing. Standin
g somehow made her feel stronger. “How is Eve?” she asked.
His eyes lit at the mention of his wife’s name. “A bit of nausea and I think she’s more tired than usual, but she’s trying not to let me see it. I’ve asked her assistant to limit the number of invitations she accepts. We’ll see how long that works. She can be as stubborn as—” He broke off. “As I am.”
Pippa laughed. “One of the many things we love about her.”
Stefan nodded, then turned serious and she could tell he was going to start discussing the reason he’d invited her to his office. “I’d like to go first, please,” she said breathlessly.
His eyes flickered in surprise and he paused a half beat, then gave a slow nod. “All right. Go ahead.”
Pippa took a teeny, tiny breath and clenched her hands together. “My birthday is next week,” she said.
Stefan smiled. “I know. That was part of the reason I asked you here.”
“Really,” she said. “Well, I’ve been thinking about this a lot and I believe I’m ready to drop my security back to official events only.”
Stefan stared, again in surprise.
“It’s really the current trend among royals and I know you’re trying to keep us up-to-date. All of our expenses are being scrutinized by the government and the press, and I think it would be an excellent way to show that we can be economical.”
Pippa sat back and waited for Stefan to respond.
“I’ll take it under advisement. However, my first response is no. With the brawl Bridget and Eve faced last year, we’ve learned that we can’t count on all our citizens behaving in a welcoming or even civil manner.”
“If you’ll recall, that was an official event and security was present.”
His eyes narrowed with irritation and dark memories. Pippa understood the dark memories. Stefan had been falling in love with Eve when she’d been injured. “I said I would take it under advisement, but you must understand that I regard your protection as a very serious responsibility.”
“I appreciate that very much,” she said. “But I’m insisting.”