“I didn’t know that. I’m sorry.”
“I wasn’t. That was a sobering moment for me. Learning my wife was cheating on me and not giving a damn.”
Sobering and sad. “You didn’t care at all?”
“I know it sounds odd. I kept waiting to feel rage or revulsion or even hurt. But the only thing I managed to feel was relieved. I felt as though I finally had an excuse to leave.”
“Why did you need an excuse?”
“When I figure that out, I’ll let you know.”
She was so much better off not having married anyone. What a terrible way to live. Just like her parents, and probably their parents before them. And here she had believed that that only happened among the royal crowd.
Alex deserved better than that.
“It must have been lonely, being married to a woman you didn’t love.”
He shrugged. “We led very separate lives. Those last few months I hardly ever saw her and we barely spoke.”
She rose up on her elbow, so she could see his face. “Did you ever cheat on her?”
The question seemed to surprise him. “I’m not going to lie and say I wasn’t tempted, but my attorney firmly advised me to not give her any ammunition. I was faithful until we were legally separated.”
Put in the same situation, she wasn’t sure if she would have had the patience to be faithful. Of course, she would have never married a man she didn’t love.
“You know,” he said, reaching up to trace her lips with his finger. “I’ve always found your accent incredibly sexy.”
She smiled. “Not to be obtuse, but in this country you’re the one with the accent.”
“You’re beautiful.” He cupped her cheek, searching her face. She closed her eyes and leaned into his hand.
“This feels good,” she said. “You and me.”
“It does. I imagine that while I’m working on the fitness center I’ll be visiting here rather often.”
She cuddled back down against his chest. “I imagine you will.”
“It would give us the chance to spend more time together.”
Her heart caught in her throat. She wanted that more than he could ever imagine. She felt good when she was with him. She felt…normal. He was the only man she’d ever known who really seemed to get her. Who didn’t take any of her crap. And even more important, he didn’t try to overpower or smother her. He respected her independence. And it was right then she realized that despite swearing it would never happen, she loved him.
What the bloody hell had she done?
“Casually?” she asked, heart in her throat.
“Of course. I don’t think either of us is looking for a commitment.”
The string of disappointment was sharp and stinging, but what did she expect?
She shook her head. “I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m just too independent to be tied down.” At least, she tried to tell herself that. Alex would be an automatic safety net.
She couldn’t get herself caught up with a man who didn’t want to be caught.
Thirteen
Alex stepped out of the shower and toweled off, then walked into the bedroom to check the time. He was supposed to meet Sophie downstairs in ten minutes for a walk in the gardens, and if he didn’t hurry, he was going to be late.
He would be flying home in two days, back to the U.S., to his new life, the freedom he’d been dreaming of since the day he’d said I do—when what he should have been saying was hell, no. So why was it that the thought of leaving Morgan Isle left him with a hollow feeling in his gut?
The thought of spending more time here, opening an office in the bay area, held far more appeal than going back to New York. With all the renovation projects available, he wouldn’t be short on work. And taking the company international had been his father’s goal. Not that Alex would be doing it for anyone but himself.
Leaving in two days meant something else, too. It was nearly time to end things with Sophie. As far as he could tell, he’d done a pretty thorough job of making her fall for him. All that was left to do was dump her and break her heart. It sounded simple enough, but whenever he considered it, it never seemed to be the right time. He wasn’t even sure what he would do or say.
But he was sure that eventually an opportunity would present itself.
His cell phone rang and he grabbed it off the bed and checked the display. It was Jonah. He felt as though he hadn’t talked with him in months, instead of days.
“Sorry I haven’t been in touch,” Jonah said. “Crazy week. I just wanted to let you know that we got through moving day.”
Funny, but Alex had completely forgotten about that. A week ago he’d been dreading the very idea of it, and now it just didn’t seem all that important. He felt…removed from his old life.
Alex put the phone on speaker and set it on the nightstand so he could get dressed. “Did she try to pull anything?”
“Nothing that we weren’t prepared for.”
“Meaning what?” he asked, tugging on his pants.
“She didn’t take anything that wasn’t hers. And even better, you never have to so much as talk to her again.”
His family wouldn’t be happy about that. They were still holding out the hope that he would change his mind and reconcile with her, despite how many times he’d told them that wasn’t going to happen.
Up until then, everything he’d done, every decision he’d made had been with someone else’s needs and desires above his own. From now on he was doing what he wanted to do. Whether he had his family’s blessing or not.
“Sounds like you’ve been having quite the time over there,” Jonah said.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re a celebrity.”
Celebrity? “I’m not following you.”
He laughed. “You really don’t know, do you?”
He grabbed his shirt and tugged it on. “Know what?”
“Photos of you carrying the wounded princess are all over the media here.”
“Seriously?” He’d been too busy lately to turn on the television or pick up a newspaper.
“Everyone is speculating whether or not you’ll be the newest addition to the royal family.”
Fat chance. Although the speculation would make his inevitable betrayal sting that much more. Which should have been a source of great satisfaction.
“I guess I don’t have to ask how the revenge plot is panning out for you. It looks as though you have her eating out of the palm of your hand.”
“Just as I planned,” Alex said. So why did the thought leave him feeling…hollow?
“Well then, you must be feeling pretty good about yourself.”
He should have been. He was getting exactly what he wanted.
He heard a sound from behind him and turned to see Sophie standing in the bedroom doorway. And he could see from her expression that she’d been there awhile.
He’d been looking for the right time and here it had found him.
“Jonah, I have to call you back.” He grabbed the phone and snapped it shut, and Sophie just stared at him, her expression unreadable. He kept waiting for the feeling of satisfaction to sink in. To feel vindicated. He knew he should say something—this was his big moment—but his mind had gone blank.
Not Sophie’s. She was never at a loss for the appropriate words.
“Don’t bother trying to deny it,” she told him. He couldn’t tell if she was angry or hurt. She just sounded…cold.
“I wasn’t going to.” Why wasn’t he rubbing this in her face? Twisting the knife?
“I guess it explains this,” she said, holding out the tabloid newspaper he hadn’t even noticed in her hand. On the cover was a black-and-white photo of Alex gallantly carrying Sophie from the ballroom, and above it in ridiculously large, bold type screamed the headline The Princess Stole My Husband!
“You neglected to mention that you and your wife were planning to reconcile.”
When hell froze ove
r. More likely, it was his ex’s way of trying to screw with his life. Little did she know that by spreading her lies, she was actually helping him. Or she would be if he would only stick to the program.
What the hell was wrong with him?
“You’re not going to deny that, either?” she asked.
He shrugged. “If it’s in the tabloid, it must be true.”
She let the paper slip from her grasp. It fluttered and separated, landing in sections on the carpet between them. If she was angry, or upset, she wasn’t letting it show. She would never give him the satisfaction.
“You’ve been an entertaining distraction,” she said, nose in the air. “Just as you were ten years ago. Although back then, you served a bit more of a purpose.”
He’d heard this one before. “Your ticket to freedom?”
“My ticket to culinary school. It was simple, really. I dump you, my parents let me go.”
That shouldn’t have stung, but it did. Maybe because deep down he had wanted to believe her when she said she’d loved him, and that she had ended it for his sake. All this time he’d been forcing himself to see her as spoiled, self-centered. And now that she was proving him right, living up to his expectations, it just felt…wrong. This wasn’t the Sophie he knew. This arrogant, entitled persona was just a defense.
“What’s the matter, Alex? You look troubled.” Her words dripped with icy disdain. “Was this not the reaction you’d expected? I told you, it was just sex. It’s tough to get revenge on someone who doesn’t care.” She flashed him a look of pity. “Oh, Alex, you didn’t honestly think I’d fallen for you again?” She cocked her head to one side. “Or is it that you’ve fallen for me?”
He didn’t believe in hitting below the belt, but what he said next just slipped out. A swift, decisive jab where he knew it would sting the most. “You once told me that your parents were so cold, they made you believe that you were unlovable.”
She lifted her nose in the air. “So?”
“Well, Princess, they were right.”
Her expression didn’t waver, but all the color leached from her face. She stood there for another few seconds, just staring at him, then without another word turned and walked from the room. In that instant he knew he’d won.
Only problem was, he was no longer sure what he was fighting for.
Sophie walked briskly down the stairs, a wash of unshed tears blurring her vision. If Alex had reached into her chest and ripped out her heart, it couldn’t have hurt more. She’d let her guard down and trusted him. She’d been foolish enough to believe that he cared about her, too. These past eleven days she had been happy. She’d felt complete. But it had all been an act. A plot.
And she would die before she let him know how much he had hurt her.
As her foot hit the bottom step, she heard clapping from behind her. She snapped around to see Phillip descending the stairs behind her.
“Bravo,” he said, his hands coming together in slow, sharp snaps that made her want to cringe. “That was some performance back there.”
He’d obviously been eavesdropping. She had hoped he wouldn’t find out about her and Alex, but there was little point in denying it now. “Mind your own business, Phillip.”
He stopped on the step above her. “You are my business.”
Again, why deny it, or bother to argue? Because he was right. He was the head of the family, and as such he would always have his nose in her business. She would think after thirty years she’d have accepted that. Maybe it was time.
“Are you angry?” she asked.
“I should be, what with you sneaking in and out of the palace at all hours. And that ridiculous fake twisted ankle.”
He knew about that? And here she thought she had everyone, including him, fooled. She obviously didn’t give Phillip nearly enough credit.
“But why would I be angry,” he continued, “after working so bloody hard to get you two back together?”
Get them back together. She was so stunned by his words her mouth fell open. “You knew about me and Alex?”
“I’d have had to be blind not to. When I brought him home from university, you two couldn’t keep your eyes off each other. Then there were all the shared smiles and sneaking around.”
“I thought I had everyone fooled.”
“After he went back to America you were inconsolable, and honestly, Sophie, you haven’t been the same since. It was like something died inside you. You just…gave up.”
He was right. She had given up. The part of her that was capable of love and companionship had just shut down. And since then, no matter what she did, she never felt satisfied. She’d been searching for…something. Be it more responsibility or more respect. But maybe what had really been missing all this time was Alex.
He was the only man she’d ever loved. Maybe the only one she could love. Even if he could never love her back.
“So all that stuff you said about this being business, and my behavior being inappropriate. What was that?”
“The most effective way to make you go after something is to tell you that you can’t have it.”
Oh, that stung. Probably because he was right. Knowing he disapproved had given her that extra little shove she needed to set things in motion. Had he pushed Alex on her, she might have—probably would have—shunned him on principle.
Honestly, how did he put up with her?
“So all this time you’ve been playing me?” she asked.
He just smiled.
“What about Hannah? Was she in on it, too?”
“Of course.”
They’d all had her fooled. Here she thought she had been in total control, but it was all just an illusion. They had been pulling the strings.
She should have been furious, but honestly, she was tired of fighting it. Tired of pushing so hard against the people who loved her most. A life that had been good to her, despite her constant complaining and moaning that she needed more.
She shook her head. “I can’t believe that all this time you knew, but you never said anything.”
He shrugged. “You’re so bloody stubborn, I figured what’s the point.”
“And now?”
“Now I’m going to help keep you from making the second biggest mistake of your life.” He took her hands and squeezed them. “Not so long ago I almost let the love of my life slip away, and you didn’t hesitate to give it to me straight. In fact, I believe your exact words were ‘You’re an idiot, Phillip.’ Well, now I’m going to return the favor.” He took her by the shoulders and said firmly, “Sophie, you’re being an idiot. And if you don’t do something, you’re going to lose him again. Tell him how you feel.”
“What does it matter? You heard him. He was just using me.”
“Do you honestly believe that?”
She no longer knew what to believe.
He might have started out using her, but something had changed. He had changed. At least, she’d thought so.
And if that was true, why hadn’t he told her that? Why didn’t he tell her that he’d made a mistake?
Because he didn’t think that he had. And even so, what difference did it make? He would never be happy here with her, stuck in the royal lifestyle. It might be good for a while, but he would grow tired of her. People always did. He would see that she really was difficult and temperamental, and he would bail.
Phillip cradled her chin in his hand. “Do you love him, Soph?”
She shrugged. “What difference does it make?”
“It might make a difference to him.”
She wished she could believe that. That she could take the chance. But one more direct hit to her pride might be more than she could bear.
“Sometimes getting what you want means taking risks,” he said. “You taught me that.”
But what if she wasn’t sure what she wanted?
She did something then that she hadn’t done in ages. She wrapped her arms around her brother and hugged him fiercely. “Th
ank you.”
He squeezed her hard, resting his head atop hers. “I love you, Sophie. I know I don’t say it enough, and maybe I don’t always show it. But I do.”
“I love you, too, Phillip.” She gave him one last squeeze, then let go.
He studied her for a moment, then said, “You’re not going to talk to him, are you?”
She shrugged. “It was good advice. It’s just not who I am.” In fact, she wasn’t even sure who she was these days. She wasn’t sure if she had ever known. All she did know was, charade or not, when she was with Alex, she was happy. And when he was gone, she wasn’t. And despite that, it wasn’t meant to be.
That pretty much said it all.
Phillip gave his head an exasperated shake. “And you call me stubborn.”
“Do me a favor? Don’t say anything to him about this. Don’t even let on that you know. And please don’t let this affect your relationship with him. Business or personal. Promise me.”
He hesitated, then nodded. “I promise.”
“Thank you.”
She turned to leave, and he called after her. “Stubborn as you are, I hope Alex has the good sense to try to work this out.”
Honestly, so did she. But she wasn’t counting on it.
Fourteen
Sophie barely slept that night, and spent the entire next day indoors to avoid any chance encounters with Alex. All the while praying that he would show up on her doorstep, ready to profess his undying love for her. She was both praying for it and dreading it with all her heart. Because like before, she would have to tell him no.
But Sunday evening, just as dusk fell, she watched from her office window as the car pulled around to the back of the palace and his bags were loaded into the trunk for the trip to the airport. She knew then, without a doubt, that it was over.
She felt heartsick clear through to the marrow of her bones, but relieved, too. It was easier this way. At least, that was what she would keep telling herself.
“I see that he’s leaving,” Wilson said from behind her.
Thankful for the distraction, she turned away from the window. To see Alex climb into the car and watch it drive away, knowing it was her own fault, would be more than she could take right now. “I guess he is.”
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