She wanted to cry.
It was too much. She couldn’t stand it anymore, that he would return to America and she might never see him again.
She did the very thing she knew she shouldn’t do. She picked up the phone and called the Belle Époque. She asked for his room and they put her right through.
He answered the phone on the second ring. “Yes?”
“It’s Alice. Are you still leaving tomorrow?” Her voice came out husky and confident. She sounded like the bold woman Rhia insisted she actually was.
“Alice. I’m surprised.” He sounded anything but bored. But he didn’t sound exactly happy, either.
“You’re angry with me.”
“Come on. I got the message when you ran away Friday night—and the other day in the stables when I came to ride. I got it loud and clear.”
Her heart sank. “I’m sorry. I... Maybe I shouldn’t have called.”
A silence. And then, with real feeling, “Don’t say that. I’m glad that you called.”
“You are?”
“Yeah.”
She let out a sigh of pure relief. “So, then, are you leaving?”
“Yes. Tomorrow.”
“And tonight?” Her throat clutched. She coughed to clear it. “Are you busy tonight?”
Another silence. For a moment she thought he’d hung up. But then he asked, “What game are you playing now, Alice?”
“It’s not a game. I promise you.”
“Frankly, it feels like a game, a game I’ll never win.”
She tried for lightness. “Look at it this way—at least I’m not boring and predictable.”
More dead air. And then at last he said, “I’m available. For you.”
Well, all right. He definitely sounded like a man who wanted to see her again. Suddenly, she was floating on air. “I want to wear a long dress and diamonds. I want to play baccarat and eat at La Chanson.” La Chanson de la Mer was right on the water in the Triangle d’Or and arguably the best restaurant on the Riviera.
“I’ll arrange everything. Whatever you want.”
Her stomach had gone all fluttery. Her heart was racing. Her cheeks felt too warm. Sweet Lord, she was out of control.
And it was fabulous. “Be in front of the casino, by the fountain,” she commanded. “Eight o’clock.”
“I’ll be there.”
* * *
Noah was waiting right where she’d told him to be, dressed for evening, feeling way too damned anxious to see her again, when her limo pulled up a few feet away.
The driver got out, hustled around and opened her door. She emerged in a strapless gold dress that clung to every sweet curve and had a slit up the skirt to above the knee. Her hair was pinned up loosely, bits of it escaping to curl at her nape.
And she was on her own, as he’d hoped. No bodyguard. Damien had told him that the princely family only used bodyguards outside the principality. Good. He might actually get a chance to be alone with her.
She saw him. A gorgeous, hopeful, glowing smile curved her lips. They stood there like a couple of lovesick teenagers, just looking at each other, as the driver got back behind the wheel and the long black car slid away.
They both started moving at the same time. Three steps and he was with her, in front of her, looking down into those amazing blue-green eyes.
Again, they just stared at each other. He said, “God. You’re so beautiful.”
And she said, “You came. I was a little worried you wouldn’t.”
“Are you kidding? Turn down a chance to spend an evening with you? Couldn’t do it.” Over her shoulder, he saw a man with a camera. “Someone’s taking our picture.”
“Behave with dignity,” she said. “And ignore them. I’ll do my very best to follow your lead. Because, as we both know, dignity was never my strong suit.”
“You are more than dignified enough,” he argued.
She gave him her full-out, beautiful laugh. “Not true, but thanks for trying.”
He wanted to kiss her, but not while some idiot was snapping pictures of them. “Dinner first?”
“Perfect.” She reached for his arm.
They turned for the restaurant. It was just a short walk across the plaza.
He’d gotten them a table on the patio, which jutted out over the water. The food was excellent and the waitstaff were always there when you needed them, but otherwise invisible. The sky slowly darkened and the moon over the water glowed brighter as the night came on. The sea glittered, reflecting the lights of the Triangle d’Or and those shining from the windows and gardens of the red-roofed villas that crowded the nearby hillsides.
They talked of nothing important during the meal, which was fine with him. He was content right then just to be with her, to listen to her laughter and watch those sweet dimples appear in her cheeks when she smiled.
After they ate, they strolled back across the plaza to the casino. They played craps and roulette and baccarat. People stopped to watch them, to whisper about them. A few took pictures. Noah had foreseen this and called ahead to speak with the manager so that the casino staff was on top of the situation. They made sure none of the gawkers got too close.
Alice won steadily and so did he. Around eleven he challenged her to play blackjack, two-handed, in one of the exclusive back rooms.
She looked at him with suspicion. But in the end, as he could have predicted, she refused to walk away from a challenge. “Am I going to regret this?”
He simply offered his arm. When she wrapped her hand around it, he led her into the card room in the back, where the table he’d reserved was waiting for them, cordoned off with golden ropes in its own quiet little corner. She eyed the deck of cards and the equally divided stacks of chips as he pulled back her chair for her.
“I thought we would play for something more interesting than money.” He pushed in her chair and went around to sit opposite her.
She cast a glance around the big room. Almost every other table was in use. Leaning closer, lowering her voice so only he heard her, she said, “I am not taking off my clothes in a room full of strangers.”
He laughed. “Clearly, I should have ordered a private room.”
She tried to play it stern but didn’t quite succeed. Her dimples gave her away. “Let’s just not go there.”
“Fair enough.” He shuffled the cards.
She watched him, narrow eyed. “All right, then. If not for money, then what?”
He looked up into her eyes. “Orion.”
She stared at him for a count of three before she spoke. “Surely you’re joking.”
He shook his head. “If I win, you agree to sell him to me.”
She looked at him sideways, her diamond earrings glittering, scattering the light from the chandeliers above. “At my price, then. You’re only winning the right to buy him.”
“That’s right.”
“Think twice, Noah. It’s an astronomical price.”
“Name it.”
She did.
He looked at her patiently—and counteroffered.
She laughed, glanced away—and then countered his counter.
“Agreed.” He slapped the deck in front of her.
Alice cut the cards. “But what if I win?”
He took the deck again. “Name your prize.”
“Hmm.” She grinned slowly. “I know. I want you to donate twenty thousand American dollars to St. Stephens Children’s Home. My brother-in-law Marcus was raised there.”
He gave her a wry smile. “So either way, I pay.”
She dimpled. “Exactly.”
He pretended to think it over. Then, “At least it’s a worthy cause. Done.”
They began to play.
Sh
e was an excellent gambler, bold and focused. And fearless, as well. She kept track of the cards seemingly without effort, laughing and chatting so charmingly as she played.
He was down to a very short stack at one point. But he battled his way back, winning. Losing. And then winning again.
It was almost two in the morning when he claimed her last chip from her.
She leaned back in her chair and laughed. “All right, Noah. You win. You may buy Orion for the price we agreed on.”
He got the real picture then. “You were going to sell him to me anyway.”
Her smile was downright smug. “Yes, I was—and enough of all this.” She held out both hands, as though to indicate the whole of the world-famous casino complex. “Let’s go somewhere else.”
An attendant showed them to a private office where Noah settled up and they collected what they’d won earlier in the evening. The attendant appeared again with Alice’s gold wrap and tiny jeweled handbag. A few minutes later they emerged into the glittering Montedoran night.
“What now?” he asked, even though it was a risk; it gave her an out if she suddenly decided she should call it a night. He was betting she wouldn’t. She seemed to be having a great time. And he already knew how much she enjoyed calling the shots.
“Somewhere private.” She glanced across the plaza where two men with cameras were snapping away. “Somewhere we can talk and not be disturbed.”
Noah chuckled, pleased with himself that he’d read her mood correctly. “As though there’s anywhere in Montedoro they won’t follow us.”
She took hold of his arm again and leaned close. He breathed in her scent. Exciting. So sweet. She said, “I have a plan.”
“Uh-oh.”
She laughed. “That’s exactly what my sister Rhia always says when I come up with a fabulous idea.” She faked a puzzled frown. “Why is that, do you think?”
He played it safe. “Not a clue.”
“Ha!” And then she leaned even closer. “I am having altogether too much fun.”
Her words pleased him no end. “There’s no such thing as too much fun.”
“Yes, there is. But it’s all right. It’s your last night in Montedoro after all. And we may never see each other again.”
Wrong. “I just bought a horse from you, remember?”
“Of course I remember. And you shall have Orion. But you know what I meant.”
He decided to let that remark go, but if she thought this was the last evening they would spend together, she didn’t know who she was dealing with. “Tell me your plan.”
“You’re sure? A moment ago you seemed reluctant to hear it.”
“I’m sure.”
“Well, all right, then.” She whispered her scheme in his ear.
Chapter Four
“It just might work,” he said, admiring the way the bright lights brought out hints of auburn and gold in her hair.
“Of course it will work.”
“All right, then. I’m game.” They turned together for his hotel, neither looking back to see if they were being followed. Why bother to look? Of course they were being followed. The paparazzi were relentless. As they entered the lobby, he got out his cell and called his driver.
He led her straight through to the elevators. They got on and rode up to his floor—after which they changed elevators and went back down to the mezzanine level.
They took the service stairway to the first floor again and slipped out the side door, where the car he’d called for was waiting, the engine running. The driver, Talbot, held the door for her. Noah jumped in on the other side.
“Where to?” Talbot asked once they were safely hidden from prying eyes behind tinted windows. Alice rattled off a quick series of directions. The driver nodded and pulled the car away from the curb.
Noah raised the panel between the front and rear seats.
Alice glanced at him and grinned. “Alone at last.”
He wrapped his arm around her and drew her closer. “If I kiss you, will you run away again?”
She gazed at him steadily, eyes shining. Then she shook her head. “Not while the car is moving.”
He bent closer and brushed his lips across the velvet flesh of her temple. “Remind me to tell Talbot never to stop....”
“It’s a tempting idea, being here with you forever....” She tipped her face up to him.
He brushed his mouth across hers, giving her a moment to accept him. When her lips parted slightly on a small tender sigh, he deepened the contact.
She let him in. He tasted the wet, secret surfaces behind her lips, ran his tongue along the smooth, even edges of her pretty white teeth.
Another sigh from her, deeper than the one before.
And he tightened his arm around her, bringing her closer so he could taste her more deeply still.
When she brought her hand up between them and pushed lightly against his chest, he lifted his mouth from hers just enough to grumble, “What now, Alice?”
Her eyes had the night in them. “Dami told me to stay away from you. He says you’re a heartbreaker.” Bad words scrolled through his mind, but he held them in. She added, “My sister Rhia told me not to listen to Dami.”
“I like your sister already.” He kissed her again, quickly, a little more ruthlessly than he probably should have. “And I’ll talk to your brother.”
Her fingers strayed upward. She stroked the nape of his neck. He wished she’d go on doing that for a century or two. “Please don’t talk to Dami about me. It’s none of his business. He doesn’t get to decide who I see or don’t see.”
Noah had pretty much expected Damien to warn Alice off him. He’d considered explaining his real goal to Dami up front when he’d told Dami he wanted Orion—but he’d decided against it.
Damien wouldn’t have believed him anyway. And Alice might be convinced to let him off the hook for a lot of things. But even before their first meeting, he’d known enough about her to figure out that she would never forgive him for telling her brother his real intentions before he revealed them to her.
And come on. He’d never planned to tell her or her brother everything. He’d assumed the whole truth wouldn’t fly with either of them. The idea had been to meet her, pursue her and win her. To sweep her off her pretty feet.
But now that he’d come to know her a little, he was having second thoughts about the original plan. She was honest. Forthright. And after the near disaster of his playing along when she mistook him for a stable hand, he’d learned his lesson: she expected him to be honest, too.
Which brought him to that other thing, the thing he hadn’t been prepared for. The way she made him want to give her everything, to be more than he’d ever been.
It was getting beyond his pride now, way past his idea of who he was and what he’d earned in his life. It was getting downright personal.
She mattered to him now, as a person. He didn’t really understand it or want to think on it too deeply. It was what it was.
And it meant that he would knock himself out to give her whatever she needed, whatever she wanted from him. Up to and including the unvarnished truth.
So, then. He hadn’t decided yet. Should he go there—go all the way, lay the naked truth right out on the table for her?
It was dangerous, a bold move.
Too bold?
Could be. And probably not tonight, anyway. It seemed much too soon....
She laid her soft hand against the side of his face. “Earth to Noah. Are you in there?”
“Forget about Damien.” He said it too fiercely, and he knew it. “Kiss me again.”
She laughed—and then she kissed him. And then she settled against him with her head on his shoulder and asked, “How did you meet my brother?”
He
breathed in the scent of her hair. “I thought we were going to forget about Damien.”
She tipped her head up and grinned at him. “You wish—and seriously. How did you meet him?”
“At a party in New York a little over two years ago. We both knew the host. I struck up a conversation with him. We found we had a lot in common.”
“Fast cars, beautiful women...”
He shrugged. “I like your brother. We get along—as a rule, anyway.”
The car pulled to a stop.
“We’re here.” She straightened from his embrace. With reluctance, he let her go and lowered the panel between the seats.
“Will you be getting out, sir?” Talbot asked.
“Yes, thanks.” The driver jumped out to open the door for Alice. Noah emerged on his side. The car sat on a point near the edge of a sheer cliff with the sea spread out beyond. He could hear the waves on the rocks below. He caught her eye over the roof of the car. “It’s beautiful here.”
She grinned as though she’d created the setting herself. “I thought you might like it. There’s a path down to a fine little slice of beach. A private beach. Is there a blanket or two in the boot?”
There were two. Talbot got them from the trunk. He handed them to Noah and then got back in behind the wheel to wait until they were ready to go.
She’d left her wrap and bag in the car, but her gold sandals had high, delicate heels. Noah eyed them doubtfully. “Are you sure you can make it down a steep trail in those?”
“Good point.” She slipped off the flimsy shoes, opened the car door again, and tossed them inside. “Let’s go.”
Going barefoot didn’t seem like a good idea to him. “Alice. Be realistic. You’ll cut up your feet.”
She waved a hand. “The trail is narrow and steep, yes, but not rocky. I’ll be fine.” She gathered her gold skirts and took the lead.
The woman amazed him. She led the way without once stumbling, without a single complaint. Halfway down they came out on a little wooden landing with a rail. They stood at the rail together, the breeze off the sea cool and sweet, the dark sky starless, the moon sunk almost to the edge of the horizon now, sending out a trail of shifting light across the water toward the shore.
HOW TO MARRY A PRINCESS Page 6