Sophie was good—he would give her that. For a second there, he had actually believed her seemingly heartfelt apology, had let himself think that she had changed. But that was the way women, especially women like her, operated. They said and did nothing without ulterior motives, every word and action carefully measured and executed to get exactly what they wanted.
That was why, when she’d first suggested they sleep together, he’d been convinced she was up to something. That she would lead him on briefly, then inevitably change her mind. But something in her eyes told him that wasn’t the case. She wanted him. His seduction had been a success. And by making the first move, being the one to suggest they sleep together, she was operating under the delusion that she was the one in control, the one calling the shots.
And by the time she figured it out, it would be too late.
Eyes closed behind her darkest sunglasses, Sophie drifted in and out of consciousness, lulled by the gentle sway of the Irish Sea and the warm glow of the sun against her skin, hearing the occasional hum of a boat engine or the squawk of a gull. The spray of the wake against the hull.
Despite having been exhausted when she finally arrived home last night, sleep had evaded her. She had lain awake, her mind racing, the anticipation of her night with Alex teasing her like a gift under the tree at Christmastime. And he was one gift she couldn’t wait to unwrap.
What would he feel like and how would he taste? Would it be as exciting as it had been ten years ago, or had youth been part of the magic back then? The element of danger?
Well, regardless of quality, she realized now that sleeping with Alex had been an inevitability. With her ingenious plan they would get it neatly out of the way and she would manage to retain complete control of the situation, which was really all she had wanted in the first place.
Speaking of Alex, she hadn’t seen him in some time now. As soon as they’d boarded the boat, he had wandered off with the captain to get a look at the engine room. And because he seemed suitably amused, she had changed into her bathing suit, grabbed a deck chair and all but melted into it. Considering the current intensity of the sun, that had to have been at least two hours ago, but she was too relaxed to open her eyes, much less move a muscle to roll over and look through her bag for her watch.
The sun dipped behind a cloud and the gentle breeze cooled her sun-drenched skin. She waited patiently for the cloud to pass, but instead felt several drops of ice-cold liquid on her calves. Still mostly asleep, she crinkled her brow. Another series of drops landed on her left thigh, then a few more on her right.
The weather authority hadn’t predicted rain for the rest of the week. And she found it awfully peculiar that this particular rain cloud had centered itself over her legs. Another icy splash hit her stomach and her eyes shot open. It wasn’t a cloud blocking the sun—it was a person. A very tall person with wide shoulders.
With the sun behind him, his face was hidden in shadow, but there was only one man on board rude enough to wake her this way.
Alex stood over her chair, dipping his fingers in her iced tea and flicking it at her. “Wake up.”
She groaned and closed her eyes. “Go away.”
A few more icy drops hit her right arm.
“That is unbelievably juvenile,” she mumbled.
“I’m bored.”
She flung an arm across her face. “And how is that my problem?”
“You’re my guide.”
“I got you on the yacht—what more do you want?”
Freezing-cold tea landed with a sploosh on her stomach and she moved her arm to glare up at him. “Stop that!”
He was holding the glass over her, poised to dump the entire thing. She couldn’t see his face, but she didn’t doubt he was wearing the devilish grin that was becoming so familiar. In fact, he’d been wearing it this morning when they met in the foyer. He’d flashed her that smile, wiggled his brows at her and mouthed the words you, me, eleven.
As though she could forget.
“Is a little peace too much to ask for?” she asked.
“You’ve been out for almost three hours.”
Three hours? Had it really been that long? She must have been more tired than she realized.
“Not that I haven’t been enjoying the view,” he said. There was a warm and sexy note to his voice and she had the distinct impression he wasn’t talking about the landscape outside the yacht.
He shook the glass, rattling the ice. “You know I’ll do it.”
He probably would, and because it was obvious he wasn’t going to go away, she had no choice but to humor him. “Fine. I’m awake.”
He stepped out of the sun, and when she got a good look at him, her heart did a backflip with a triple twist.
When they’d met in the foyer he’d been wearing a polo shirt and canvas shorts. Now he was wearing a pair of Hawaiian-patterned swim trunks.
And nothing else.
Her blood instantly ran hot, pumping faster through her veins, and her eyes felt virtually glued to his body.
With his wet clothes sticking to him yesterday, she hadn’t really gotten a good look at him. His chest was even more magnificent than she remembered. Strong and smooth, with just a dusting of hair on his pecks. And he had abs to die for. Well-defined and solid. She wondered absently how many hours a day he had to work to look this good, or if he just grew all these muscles naturally.
Come on, Soph, get a grip. So he wasn’t wearing a shirt. Big deal. It was just a chest, for pity’s sake. Nothing to lose her head over. It’s not as if she’d never seen one before. Or this one in particular.
And she realized suddenly that she was openly staring. She swiftly peeled her gaze from his small, pink nipples and dragged her eyes upward, to his face, only to find that he was watching her watch him.
A quirky grin played at the corner of his mouth. “Something wrong?”
She blinked innocently. “Wrong?”
“You kind of zoned out there for a minute.”
“I’m still half asleep,” she snapped.
“You want to go for a swim? Wake up. Cool off a bit.”
She glared at him. “Not particularly.”
He shrugged, drawing her gaze to his strong, wide shoulders. They were looking a little pink. She peered over the top of her sunglasses and realized that they were more than a little pink. He was well on his way to a nasty-looking burn.
“Are you wearing sunblock?”
He shook his head. “Nope.”
“How long have you had your shirt off?”
He shrugged. “A couple of hours, I guess. Why?”
If he was sunburned, he might not be able to…perform later. “I told you yesterday to wear sunblock. Let me guess—you didn’t even bring any.”
“I forgot.”
She blew out an exasperated breath and sat up. She had some in her bag, but it was only SPF 8, which would never suffice. “I’m sure there must be some belowdecks in the bedroom. Wait here. I’ll go look.”
She dragged herself up from the chair, adjusting her suit top. She could feel his eyes burning into her bare skin as she crossed the deck to the stairs. She wasn’t wearing her skimpiest bikini; still, it didn’t leave a heck of a lot to the imagination. She knew for a fact that he was getting quite an eyeful.
He could consider it—how did he phrase it?—as his own sneak preview. A glimpse of what he would be enjoying later tonight. And he would be enjoying it.
She didn’t doubt that if Phillip were on board, he would cite anything more revealing than a modest one-piece inappropriate. But Phillip wasn’t here. Besides, it felt good to be a little rebellious for a change.
She padded down the stairs and across the plush bedroom carpet to the private head. She found what she was looking for in the cabinet below the sink. SPF 30 lotion. Just to be safe.
She turned to leave, startled to find the bedroom door now closed, and Alex standing in front of it.
“Nice bedroom,” he said, but he wa
sn’t looking around the room. His eyes were glued to her body.
“What are you doing in here?” she said in a loud whisper. Was he trying to get them caught?
He started walking slowly toward her. “Helping you look for the sunblock.”
“I already found it.” She noticed that not only had he closed the door, but he’d locked it, too. “Is this your idea of being discreet?”
“What do you expect? That bathing suit is…wow.” He looked her up and down as he moved closer, devouring her with his eyes. “Look me in the eye and tell me you didn’t wear it just to tease me.”
That was exactly what she’d done. She just hadn’t anticipated it being quite so effective. “We can’t be in here together.”
“Yet here we are,” he said, moving closer still, and other than vaulting over the bed to get to the door, she had no way to escape. And she had never been terribly athletic.
“We said eleven tonight,” she reminded him.
“Eleven tonight is the main course.” A grin quirked up one corner of his mouth. “Consider this an appetizer.”
And what a delicious treat he would be, but she really couldn’t allow him to do this. Not here, where, for all she knew, Phillip had the employees spying on her. A skimpy bikini was one thing, but a tryst belowdecks with a client was pushing it. “I appreciate the thought, but it’s really going to have to wait.”
His eyes raked over her, dilated and intense, like an animal anticipating the kill. Then he reached out for her and the instant his fingers brushed her hip, when her skin tingled with awareness and her knees went weak, she knew it was pointless to try and fight it. She didn’t want to fight it anymore. It felt too bloody good.
“Still want me to leave?”
“You have five minutes.”
He reached for the opposite hip, cupping it in his palm, his skin so hot to the touch she nearly gasped. “This is going to take a lot longer than five minutes.”
He pulled her to him, her breasts brushing against the solid, unyielding wall of his chest. Her nipples tingled and stiffened into two painfully erect, yearning buds.
He dipped his head and nuzzled the side of her throat, just below her ear, then he nipped her lobe lightly and the bottle she’d been holding slipped from her fingers and landed with a muffled thump on the carpet.
“You know,” he said, his breath hot on her neck, his lips brushing her skin as he spoke, “you’re even more beautiful than you were ten years ago.”
“Coincidentally,” she told him, her voice coming out breathy and soft, “so are you.”
His hands slipped lower, sliding around to cup her behind. A purr of pleasure worked its way up from deep inside of her. She leaned into him, resting her face against his smooth cheek, savoring the sensations of skin against skin. It had been so long since someone—anyone—had touched her like this, so tenderly. Every second that passed felt like an eternity. She waited for his next move, for him to slip his hands inside her bikini bottoms. The thought of him touching her that way made her dizzy and light-headed, as though she would pass out from the anticipation of his next move.
Was this her idea of maintaining control of the situation? It was obvious that, right now anyway, Alex was calling the shots. And even worse, she didn’t care.
She actually liked it, even though the concept went against everything she ever believed or was taught.
With barely more than gentle tug she was pressed against the length of Alex’s body. His skin felt smooth and hot, and she could feel his heart thumping the wall of his chest.
“Still want me to stop?” he asked.
“I want you to kiss me.”
A slow smile curled his lips. “I can do that.”
He lowered his head nuzzled her cheek. His skin smelled warm and salty from the sea air and faintly of coconut.
Wait a minute. Coconut?
She leaned in and sniffed his shoulder. He did. He smelled like sunblock!
She looked up at him.
His brow furrowed. “What?”
She sniffed him again and asked, “Are you wearing sunblock?”
The smile went from sexy to devious in the blink of an eye. “Maybe.”
“You are, aren’t you? Why did you tell me you weren’t?”
“What sane man would pass up the chance to have you rub sunblock all over him? Although I never imagined it would get us alone in the bedroom together. That was just dumb luck.”
She gave him a playful shove. “You’re a creep.”
He just smiled. He was a creep, but an adorable one.
“We need to get back up on deck before someone—”
There was a loud rap on the bedroom door and she nearly jumped out of her skin.
A voice called, “Lunch is served, Your Highness.”
So much for not being caught in a compromising position. They had to have figured out by now that Alex was in there with her.
She called back, “I’ll be up in a minute.”
Alex exhaled an exasperated breath. “So much for an appetizer.”
“I told you this wasn’t the time.” She pushed lightly against his chest and he let go of her.
“Maybe, but you weren’t putting up much of a fight.”
In all fairness, she hadn’t been. In fact, her actions could have easily been interpreted as encouragement. “We should leave the room one at a time.”
He folded his arms across his chest. “That won’t look suspicious.”
She straightened her bikini bottoms and checked her reflection in the mirror on the bedroom door. Her cheeks were flushed, but that could easily be explained away by her three-hour nap in the sun. “You have a better idea?”
It was obvious, by his lack of response, that he didn’t.
“Besides, it looks as though you could use a minute or two to—” she nodded at the recent and conspicuously tight fit of his swim trunks “—cool off.”
“I was thinking more along the lines of a cold shower.”
“Well, that’s what you get for bending the rules,” she said, crossing the room to the door.
“What rules are those?” he asked.
“The rules of nutrition.”
A grin quirked up the corners of his lips. “Nutrition.”
She opened the door and grinned back at him. “No snacking between meals.”
Nine
Alex had no time to be alone with Sophie after lunch, although not for lack of trying, but the staff always seemed to be around. Just before three they docked in the marina and were driven back to the palace. He barely had time to change before he and Phillip were off to the golf course.
Under normal circumstances Alex enjoyed golf, but today he was distracted. And even though they hadn’t played together in years, Phillip noticed.
“Off your game today?” he said, when they got back to the clubhouse. “I remember you being slightly better at this.”
“Normally I am. I’m a bit sunburned from sailing.” It wasn’t a total lie. His shoulders were a bit tender, despite the sunblock he’d put on not long after they’d left the marina—which Sophie would have known if she hadn’t passed out in a deck chair the minute they boarded. And honestly, he doubted she was as scandalized as she wanted him to believe. She’d wanted him in that bedroom just as much as he wanted to be there.
And as much as he was enjoying all the teasing and foreplay, he was ready for the main event tonight. It seemed to be all he could think about, which was the real reason he’d shot such a pathetic nine holes today. But he couldn’t exactly tell Phillip that.
“Would you like the palace physician to take a look at it?” Phillip asked.
“No, thanks. I’m sure I’ll be fine by tomorrow.”
They dropped off their gear and headed to the lounge to wait for Hannah. An attractive young waitress took their drink order, but Phillip barely seemed to notice her. He was polite, but distant. The complete opposite of the Phillip from college. Back then if he found a woman attractive
, he wasn’t shy about letting her know. Now it would seem that he had eyes only for his wife.
Alex wondered what it would be like to love someone so much that he didn’t even look at other women. What Phillip and Hannah had must have been very special.
“You had a good time on the yacht today?” Phillip asked.
“I did.” An exceptionally good time.
“I seem to recall you mentioned having a yacht, too.”
“I used to. My ex got that in the divorce.” She would have tried to get the family jewels if they weren’t attached. And he wasn’t talking about his grandmother’s diamonds. “It was good to get back out on the water.”
“How are you and Sophie getting on?”
“Good. Sophie is…” He struggled for the words to describe her. But all he could come up with was sexy and smart and stubborn as hell, but somehow he didn’t think that was what Phillip would want to hear. So instead he said, “An excellent hostess.”
If Phillip noticed the pause, he let it slide. “Sophie knows more of this island, of the country, than anyone.”
“I have learned a lot the last few days.”
“I’ll bet you have,” Phillip said, and Alex had the distinct impression he knew more than he was letting on. But Hannah walked in just then and they stood to greet her. From there they moved on to the royal family’s private dining room. The waitress had just left with their food order when Phillip’s cell phone rang.
He reached to answer and Hannah shot him a stern look.
He checked the display and said, “I know we have a no-phone rule at dinner, but I really need to take this.”
“Fine.” She waved him away with a grudging smile. “Go answer it.”
He rose from his chair. “If you’ll excuse me for a moment.”
Hannah sighed and watched him walk away, phone to his ear. “That’s what I get for marrying a king, I suppose.” She turned to Alex, laying a hand on his forearm. “At least this will give us a moment to chat. Are you enjoying your stay with us?”
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