by Metsy Hingle
“Are not mine. I kidnapped them.”
All through the drive home and even as he gave Josie the bare facts about the death of the twins’ mother, about Prince Ivan’s plans to use them to gain control of Princess Anna’s country by forcing her into marriage, about the Alpha Team’s rescue mission, formed by select members of Royal’s exclusive Texas Cattleman’s Club, uppermost in Blake’s mind were the mistakes he’d made with Josie. Had it not been for the amnesia, he never would have allowed himself to become involved with her. Damn it! What was he going to do? Since he and Lily had ended their engagement years ago, he’d taken care to avoid relationships like this one, relationships where there was emotional risk. The women he chose to be with were like him—they had nothing to give, wanted nothing from him in return.
But Josie was different. She was the kind of woman who stole a man’s heart piece by piece with her shy desire and explosive passion, with her sweet warmth and stubborn pride, th her generous heart and fierce independence. Damn it! e was in love with her, and he had no right to be. He rtainly didn’t deserve her love. And though she’d never d him, he knew damn well that she was in love with him. e’d even let it happen. And he shouldn’t have. He was bad ws, just as he’d told her. He’d seen too much, done too uch. He had too little to give, too little to offer, and if he ayed with her, he would make her life hell. He couldn’t do at. What he could do, what he would have to do, was tell r the truth.
“I’m sorry about the interruptions,” she said, returning to e den and taking a seat at the opposite end of the sofa from m. “They’ve finally settled down. Please go on, tell me the st of the story.”
“There’s not a whole lot more to tell. As I explained, cause of my military training, I was the one assigned to t the twins out of Asterland and bring them back to Royal d reunite them with their aunt.”
“Princess Anna von Oberland.”
“Yes. She became their legal guardian when her sister, dward and Miranda’s mother, died.”
“She’s very beautiful,” Josie told him, her gaze straying the photo in the tabloid that lay on the coffee table.
“Yeah. I guess she is. I know my brother Greg certainly inks so.”
Josie tipped her gaze up to his. “Your brother?”
“Greg.” Blake thought about his brother and remembered e look that had come into the other man’s eyes when he’d oken of the princess at the start of the mission. “Greg’s over said anything, but I get the feeling there’s some history between the two of them. Greg has been protecting Anna and r son. I’m sure her picture getting splashed across this tabid makes things dicey. But Greg will deal with it.”
“I see,” Josie replied.
But she didn’t see, Blake suspected. She didn’t see that he dn’t care a fig about Anna or how beautiful she was. It was
Josie who was the real beauty as far as he was concen because her beauty came from within. It shone in her e in her smile, in the way she loved. And it was Josie he lo Only he had a job that didn’t allow for a normal life, didn’t allow for a woman to share his life. How could love her and ask her to share such a life with him? couldn’t. But, he wanted to. Badly.
“So what happens now?”
He explained the rest of the details of the mission and part that each of the five members of Alpha had played. ‘ need your promise not to repeat anything I’ve told you. side of the men involved and the princes, no one knd about our mission.“
“You don’t need to worry. I won’t say anything.”
“I’ll need to use your phone again to contact my bro so I can make arrangements to take the twins to their am
“Yes, of course,” she said standing. “I need to check them, anyway.”
When Josie left the room, Blake reached for the phone. he punched out the private number to his brother’s home thought about leaving here, about leaving Josie. Just the i of doing so left an acid taste in his mouth and an ache in chest. For the first time in his life he envied his broth home in Pine Valley, Royal’s exclusive residential area, Greg’s steady job as an attorney. Had he chosen a differ path, were he to alter that path now, he wouldn’t have walk away from Josie. But how did he walk away from he was? The things he’d done? He didn’t, Blake admit and if Josie really knew the man he was, she wouldn’t w him. It was better this way, he told himself, as the ph began to ring on the other end. Leaving his job wasn’t option. Unfortunately, asking Josie to be a part of his wasn’t an option, either.
“This is Hunt.”
“Greg, it’s Blake.”
“Blake! Where in the hell are you?”
“At a farmhouse about two hours outside of Royal.”
“A farm? What are you doing on a farm? And where in e devil are the twins?”
Blake explained about the car accident, his amnesia and sie. In turn, Greg confirmed what Blake had read in the wspaper about Prince Ivan being spotted in Texas. What ake hadn’t realized was that Princess Anna had gone into ding in plain sight as a waitress at the Royal Diner. From e sound of things, the arrangement had more than rattled s big brother, and Blake wondered if he had been right in s early perception that there was something more than endship between his brother and the princess.
“There’s more,” Greg told him, and from his brother’s mber tone of voice, Blake suspected it wasn’t good news. I have someone tailing Striksky. They managed to bug the tel suite he was staying in last week.“
“And?”
“And it wasn’t good. The bastard’s furious that his plans ve been thwarted. His not being able to find Anna and william or you and the twins have pushed him to the edge. e guy’s crazy, Blake, and he’s out for blood—yours. You ed to be careful.”
“I can take care of myself. What about Anna? Are she d William safe?”
“They’re safe,” Greg told him, steel in his voice. “Striky will have to go through me to get them. You’re the one n worried about. You and the twins.”
“You think he’d hurt those babies?” Blake asked, angered the very thought.
“I think the man’s unstable enough that it wouldn’t matter him who he hurts as long as he manages to destroy you.”
“He won’t get the chance,” Blake assured Greg. “And if so much as harms a hair on those little guys’ heads, his untry will be looking for a new ruler.”
When he hung up the phone a few minutes later for Greg take another call, Blake thought again about leaving here, about leaving Josie. The thought of doing so grew more d tasteful and more painful by the minute.
“Did you reach your brother?”
Blake glanced up to find Josie standing in the doorw holding Miranda. “Yes. He had an urgent fax comi through. I hope you don’t mind, I gave him the number he to reach me.”
“Of course not. I wasn’t sure when you’d be leaving mean you’re welcome to stay as long as you like to, but I sure the princess is anxious to see Miranda and Edward She hugged Miranda close, buried her face against the baby head. ”I’m going to miss them so much.“
And me? he wanted to ask. Will you miss me, too, ange
The phone rang. “Go ahead and answer it. That’s probat your brother.”
It was his brother, calling back to tell him that the cri was over. Greg had received a fax from an attorney handli the estate of the horse trainer killed in the accident with Pr cess Anna’s sister. The man, who had apparently worked Prince Ivan, had among his effects a signed agreement tween the prince and himself, in which the trainer had nounced his rights as Miranda and Edward’s father exchange for money.
“So what happens to Miranda and Edward now?” Jo asked when he explained the situation to her that eveni after dinner. “Will the princess take them back to Obe- bourg with her?”
“Not according to my brother. He’s heard through grapevine that Anna is going to find a family to adopt their
“But I don’t understand,” Josie replied, her eyes wi with disbelief. “I know the princess must love them v much or she never would have
gone to so much trouble rescue them.”
“She does love them. If she’s really decided to give the up for adoption, it must be because she wants a better 1 for them, a happier life than what she and her sister, Sa d. It couldn’t have been easy growing up the way they d—bound by royal traditions of the monarchy, with parents ho put their duty to the throne above their children’s welre.”
“Funny, isn’t it? How when we’re kids we think how cky it would be if we could be a princess or a prince? It vesn’t sound like Princess Anna’s sister was lucky or very tppy.”
“From what I understand, she wasn’t. And I don’t think incess Anna is, either.” Blake paused, considered her coments and wondered. “Is that what you wanted to be when ou were growing up, Josie? Did you want to be a princess?” “Sure. All little girls do, I guess. I even made up my own iry tale about it.”
“Tell me.”
She hesitated, then her eyes took on a glazed look as she ared at the logs burning in the fireplace. “When I was little, used to dream that this big white car would drive through e gates of the orphanage and stop right out in front. Then e door would open and this beautiful lady and very hand me man would get out of the car. They’d walk up the steps the home and knock on the door and ask to see the direc. Then they would tell her that they were a king and queen d were here looking for their little girl, who was actually princess and had been stolen from them. They would deribe the missing princess. She had green eyes and long ack hair, and her name was Jocelyn, but they called her sie. Princess Josie.”
Blake’s throat grew tight as he imagined a young Josie, a nely little girl yearning to be loved, to be wanted. “Then hat would happen?”
“Then all of the girls at the home would line up so they uld be inspected. The king and queen would walk down e line, shaking their head as they passed girl after girl. Even e most beautiful little girls with blond curls and big blue es would be passed over. Finally, they would come to me, and the moment they saw me, they would start to smi ‘That’s her,’ the queen would say. ‘That’s our Princess J sie.’ And then they would hold open their arms and hug r close as though they never ever wanted to let me go. Ther would be whisked away in the beautiful white car and tak to a big beautiful castle, where all my brothers and siste who were also princes and princesses, of course, were wa ing to welcome me home.”
Unable to resist, Blake went to her. A fist squeezi around his heart, he tipped her face so she would look him. “If I were a prince, Josie, I’d whisk you away to r castle right now, and I’d never, ever let you go.” And th he kissed her, with all the love and longing in his heart.
He’d meant to only kiss her once. But he should ha known kissing her once wouldn’t be enough. No way cou he kiss her mouth and ignore the long line of her throat. A how could he kiss her throat and ignore the pale skin at t vee of her blouse? And there was simply no way he cou ignore the puckering nipples of her breasts that strained b neath her bra. Unbuttoning her blouse, he unclipped her b and after filling his hands with those breasts, he washed t deep rosy tips with his tongue.
Josie arched her back, whispering, “Make love to m Blake. Make love to me.”
He wanted to make love to her, but knew he didn’t deser to—not when he had nothing to offer her, not when he h to leave her. He would just kiss her, pleasure her, and n take, this time, he promised himself. He could do it. All took was a little self-control. He had plenty of self-contr Blake reminded himself. In fact, he prided himself on th Lives depended on his being able to keep his head, and he long ago mastered control of his body, his needs, his desir Easing Josie down onto the couch, he slid his hand up h legs and inside her panties to the center of her sweet heat
She lifted herself up against his hand. When he touch her and she shuddered her release, he swallowed her gas ith his mouth, wanting to give to her, to show her how uch she meant to him. She tore her mouth free, her hands ying to the snap of his jeans. “No, angel,” he told her. ‘This is for you. Just for you.“
“But I want you,” she said, and brushed her fingers gainst his sex. Her touch shook his control badly. Still, he esisted. Then she looked into his eyes, her angel’s eyes leaming with passion, with love. “Blake, please.”
The sweet plea in her voice, the yearning in her eyes, oblitrated his so-called control. Within seconds she had him free nd protected, and was guiding him to her heat. Shaking with e need to be a part of her, he thrust into her in one swift, ard stroke before he could stop himself. “Josie,” he gasped. ‘Angel, did I hurt you?“
“No,” she told him, and when he started to withdraw, she ghtened her female muscles around him. He thought he ould faint from the pleasure and pain of it. He wanted to o slow, make this good for her. But the lady had other ideas. asing herself up, she managed to roll him onto his back. and then she was sitting astride him. Her hair had long since scaped the prison of her braid and hung in a mass of wild lack silk down her breasts, her back. She reminded him of goddess, wild and wanton as she tested him, rode him, ushing him harder, farther. He nipped at her breasts with is teeth, laved them with his tongue. She tasted like roses, ke rain, like magic, he thought.
And then suddenly he couldn’t think at all because Josie as calling out his name, and he was clutching at her hips, sing to meet her hurried thrusts. And with each thrust she cok them closer and closer toward some impossibly high liff. Then he was the one crying out her name as they both imbled off the edge together.
Later that night, and into the morning hours, as he held sie in his arms, he wondered how in the world he had ranaged to survive all these years without her. And how in the world was he going to survive all the years to com without her?
“How am I suppose to survive for the next two ho without you to help me?” Blake asked Josie the next mon ing as she read off a list of instructions for him regarding the twins.
“You’ll do just fine, Blake. So will they.”
But he didn’t miss the sadness in her voice, the pain be neath the fake smile. His angel never could lie worth spi She was hurting. And he was the cause. “Josie, I’m sorry. wish things could be different.”
“What would you make different, Blake? Would you tak away these past few weeks we’ve had together? Would yo take away what we shared last night?”
“No.”
“Neither would I.” She tipped up her chin, and met h eyes bravely. “Even if I could, I wouldn’t take back or minute of it. Not one.”
He slid his arms around her. “I wish I were a differer man, a man with a normal job, a normal life, a man wh could promise you a future. If I could, Josie, I would. But can’t. I can’t offer you any of those things.”
“I don’t recall asking you to offer me anything, Blake. never expected anything from you two weeks ago, and don’t expect anything now. If that’s why you think I mad love with you, then you were wrong.”
“What I think is that you made love with me becaus you’re in love with me.”
Her eyes glittered with anger, with hurt, with pride. “S what’s your point?”
“The point is that I love you, too.”
She went absolutely still. Her eyes were hot, but her ski was ice-cold. “I know there’s a but here somewhere, Blak So why don’t you just say it, and then you can be on you way.”
Her response both shamed him and angered him, because it was true. “I’m trying to do the right thing here. I love you. Too much to mess up your life by asking you to be a part of mine.”
“I see. So you love me, but you’re leaving me for my own good. Do I have that right?”
He ignored her sarcasm. “I’ve tried to tell you about my job, about the agency I work for. The type of work that I do—it isn’t pretty. It isn’t something I can share with you, with anyone. I’ve seen things, done things, things that if you knew about, you’d run as far and as fast from me as you could.”
“I doubt that.”
“Do you, angel? Do you really? See these hands?” He held them up in front o
f her to inspect. “These hands have killed men. And not by accident and not always on a battlefield. It doesn’t matter that the lives of the men I took were evil, that their deaths were justified or that by killing them I saved innocent lives. What matters is that I’m the one who killed them. And more than likely, I’ll kill again. Even if I wanted to get out of the agency, to retire, to make a life with you, I couldn’t. There are too many people who would suffer if I wasn’t there to do my job when I was needed.”
“Why are you telling me all this? Do you think you’ll shock me or disgust me? Is that what you want?”
“What I want is for you to understand why I can’t be with you. Why I can’t ask you to marry me. I learned a long time ago that loving someone isn’t always enough.”
“A lesson no doubt you learned from Lily.”
“Yes. We were engaged, but she couldn’t handle what I did. It ripped her up to know what I was capable of.”
“She sounds like a wimp. If you ask me, you were lucky she dumped you.”
“Maybe I was, but I learned a lesson. That you don’t subject a woman you care about to that kind of life.”
“Then I guess it’s a good thing you’re not asking me to marry you, Blake, because I’d have to turn you down.”
“I know.” He’d expected as much, yet he felt as though she’d kicked him in the teeth.
“Oh, not because of all that malarkey about your job. Any woman who loved you wouldn’t want to change you and she wouldn’t expect you to change for her. She’d accept you and your job as part of who you are, what you are and learn to deal with it. I would never marry you because you’re not really in love with me.”
Blake was still reeling from her comeback, wondering if maybe he had been wrong, if maybe he did have a chance to make a life with Josie. It took him a moment for the rest of her words to register. “I’m not?”
“No, you’re not. You have a noble streak a mile long, Blake Hunt, and you’re grateful to me because I was here when you needed someone to hold on to, because I helped you through a bad time. But any fool can see I’m not the kind of woman you’d fall in love with. I’m not the kind of woman you belong with.”